Six Leadership Lessons for Home Builders and Construction Superintendents

By Jeremiah Gore

One of my favorite movies of all time is The Wizard of Oz. I’m old enough to remember waiting for it to be shown annually on TV. Not bragging, but I even got to be the Tin Man in my third-grade operetta of The Wizard of Oz. Yep…I know. You’re impressed. But enough about me.

In the context of this classic story, we can glean valuable lessons on leadership. Join me on an accelerated stroll down the yellow-brick road and learn from these well-known characters.

Glinda the Good Witch. First, everyone needs a Glinda the Good Witch in their life. My Glinda was Tom Murray. He was my first boss in my home building career, and he taught me, amongst other things, that “We are not in the construction business but rather the sales business.” Back then, we sold homes…now we should be focused on selling experiences. Glinda represents that mentor that shared wisdom and insight we often took for granted at the time, but as we grew in our careers, we began to fully realize what they were trying to teach us all along. Glinda never solved Dorothy’s problem but guided her in her journey. We should find opportunities to mentor others and help guide them as well.

Scarecrow. A little bit of smarts never hurt. While it would be easy to say that we should hire and surround ourselves with intelligent people. I encourage you to expand your idea of what intelligence is into three separate categories: Intelligence Quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient (EQ), and Adaptability Quotient (AQ). We all know IQ, and we were generally questioned about possessing any by our parents or teachers when we did or said dumb things! Emotional Quotient focuses instead on our abilities to relieve stress, communicate effectively, resolve conflict, and demonstrate empathy. Adaptability Quotient seems to be the newest of the three, allowing us to adapt. The past few years have taught us that those adapting to a constantly changing environment have an advantage. The first companies that went virtual during the lockdown and then the first to “return to normal” requires leaders that consistently adapt to the ever-changing landscape.

The Tin Man. I believe this is where many of us should be focused right now. The past couple of years pulled many of our sales teams into a transaction-focused mindset. We weren’t selling so much as we were doing whatever we could to keep things going, like Lucille Ball at a chocolate factory. While our sales teams became transactional, our building and purchasing teams were beaten down by unknown timelines, a diminished supply chain, and hostile buyers. Given the circumstances, everyone was under pressure, and we all did our best.

Much like The Tin Man, we need to apply some oil to our rusted joints and get moving again. We need someone to remind us that we aren’t just building houses. We aren’t even just building homes. We are building sanctuaries. We are building lighthouses in the storm. We build hope, joy, happiness, comfort, security, and love. 

We must find a way to put emotion back into our teams. Love for the industry. Love for the customer. Love for each team member. Love for ourselves. We work in an often difficult career, especially when we forget to love what we do and why we do it.

The Cowardly Lion. The Cowardly Lion teaches us that despite our fears, we must continue to move forward and overcome any obstacles that get put in our way. Ultimately, The Cowardly Lion realizes he had courage all along, but he just needed to believe in himself and his abilities. Another way of saying that is Belief + Mastery = Confidence.

While confidence and courage are not the same things. We do know that all three of those variables require courage. When we believe in something, it will require courage to defend those beliefs when attacked. To gain mastery of any subject, we need to have the courage to practice. The courage to fail. The courage to try again. The courage to be uncomfortable. The courage to look dumb. The courage to admit we are not already at the finish line in our growth. Once we combine that belief with our mastery, we will need the courage to walk confidently in who we are and what we have been called to do.

The Wizard of Oz. A master of motivation. Our top priorities as leaders are to motivate those around us, especially our direct reports. The Wizard used rewards and accountability for those seeking his help. Effective managers understand that motivation is a crucial part of leadership, and you should work to create an environment where employees feel motivated and engaged. Ultimately The Wizard helped everyone, but let’s not forget that he first sent them on a wild goose chase to kill The Wicked Witch and bring back her broom. I’m sure none of you have ever received or given out busy work. Or how about the fact that he hid behind that curtain, afraid of showing his true self? Are you transparent with your team? Do they know the real, authentic you? Or are you hiding behind a curtain, hoping they don’t realize you have no idea what you are doing?! If you answered yes to that question, re-read The Cowardly Lion section. It’s not too late for you to step out from behind that curtain and courageously walk out confidently, knowing you are exactly where you need to be.

The Wicked Witch. We’ve all worked for someone like this. If you haven’t, you may actually be this one! The Wicked Witch uses fear to get her way. She will cause harm to others to fulfill her goals. She is selfish as she focuses on her desires rather than the well-being of others. All of this causes her to be destructive and isolated. She has no real friends or allies but subjects that give her a false sense of connection. You can manage from fear or lead from motivation – short term, it might be possible, but long term, you’ll likely only motivate others with a desire to drop a house on you!

The Wizard of Oz, like so many other great stories, has the opportunity to teach us so many things if we have the courage to open our hearts and learn something. And when we do, let’s share it with others.

If you enjoyed this, please let me know. Maybe down the yellow-brick road, I’ll use this story to talk about the sales process or the buyer’s journey in construction. Until that time, remember…there’s no place like home.


FREE TRAINING:
Get BRAND-NEW episodes of Jeff’s 5 Minute Sales Training sent to your inbox every Saturday!

Sign up below.

 

About the Author: Jeremiah Gore

From acquisitions to development to marketing to sales to construction and warranty, Jeremiah has been a part and led teams in all aspects of the buyers’ home building journey. He now brings that experience to Shore Consulting. Starting with a BBA in Business Management and an MS in Land Development, Jeremiah has been in sales and construction, land acquisition and development, and division management. He sees each role from a comprehensive view and breaks down barriers that can so often be built between departments. Challenging the status quo within the construction and operations teams is his primary focus though you will catch him in front of a sales team when he gets the chance.