Rockefeller and Dealing With People

“Hard Skills” including the technical ability to design and build a project are the foundation of the construction industry.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share

The “Soft Skills” such as the ability to deal with people is the glue that holds complex projects and contracting businesses together.  

Quote: The ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more for that ability than for any other under the sun. John D Rockefeller

These are the skills that connect teams from different companies together effectively for the more collaborative project delivery we are seeing across all sectors of the construction market.  

These are the skills that both hold teams together and attract new people to that team.  This is exceptionally critical considering the shortages of talent in the industry that will continue to get worse.  

Combining soft and hard skills together is what makes effective teachers, coaches and mentors that develop others.  

These “Soft Skills” are purchasable as Rockefeller describes but they can also be developed.  In the current and future construction environment the contractors that master the development of talent will dominate.  


Schedule a call with us to learn more about how we help contractors accelerate talent development




Resource - 2 Second Lean
Dozens of practical and fun ways to save a few more seconds each day. 3 minutes per day of additional productive time on tools (ToT) equals about a 1% labor savings - or $10K for every $1M in job cost labor. Helps develop a continuous improvement culture.
Climbing the Mountain - Continuous Improvement
Growing a contracting business is like climbing a mountain. Just plan the next 10 feet, set an anchor, and get the whole team up to that level. Repeat a few hundred times. Gotta love being on the mountain; not just being at the summit.
Uncomfortably Exciting - Being a S.M.A.R.T. Leader
Managers must set goals that are S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound. Leaders must be stretching their teams toward objectives are beyond what anyone believes they can achieve.