Resource - The Five Minute Foreman

The Five-Minute Foreman by Mark Breslin is our most recommended book for Foremen in any sized contractor. The writing style, digestible chunks, and companion workbook are a great combination. We have never heard any Foreman not absolutely love this book.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
D. Brown Management
July 23, 2023 2 minute read
field operations foreman training labor productivity
Share

 

The market demand for construction services in 2023 and projected into at least the next few years is far exceeding the available craft labor and field leadership talent. The lower average experience of today's field crews is putting different and more intense demands on field leadership to maintain safety, quality, and productivity at a competitive level.   

The Five-Minute Foreman is broken down into eight main chapters, each with 5-10 short "Five-Minute" actionable tips that are applicable to any Foreman on any project.

  1. The Ten Faces of the Fearless Foreman
  2. Professionalism, Safety, Integrity, and Quality
  3. Effective Communication for Loyalty and Results
  4. Improving Motivation and Performance
  5. Training, Coaching, and Discipline for Accountability
  6. Goal Setting for Production and Profit
  7. Building Teams and Relationships
  8. Mentoring and Knowledge Transfer

When buying the book from Breslin Strategies, they have a study guide, answer key to the study guide, and a personal action plan that can be used together as part of a more comprehensive foreman development program. 

Built around this foundation, Breslin Strategies has developed the Professional Construction Leader (PCL) program along with multiple other resources at https://breslin.biz/.

 

Coaching the Next Generation of Field Leaders by Mark Breslin - Video Playlist

 

 

Related Training
Impacted Productivity - Five Elements of Making a Good Case
Contractors are continually faced with costly impacts to their labor productivity and schedule with many beyond their direct control. The best Project Managers know how to identify, communicate, and mitigate these impacts.
Related Article
Levels of Improvement: Start with the Foundation
Every process in your business including field productivity will go through three levels of improvement: From predictable to productive to scalable. Trying to skip levels is the surest way to slow down improvements across the company.
Related Article
ABC Daily Planning
Effective planning processes are the foundation for great production. The planning process can be seen as a series of tighter and tighter concentric circles with the bullseye being the daily plan. Daily feedback improves performance and mitigates risk.
Related Article