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
D. Brown Management
April 5, 2018 2 minute read
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

Balancing Training and Coaching Effectively
Every contracting business is made up of many jobs that need to be done, ranging from relatively simple and short-term tasks to complex, ambiguous, and long-term objectives.
Related Article
The Apprentice Who Knows Everything – A Look Inside AI
AI tools are powerful, but what's happening inside them? This article opens the hood on how large language models work, using construction analogies to explain why clear direction and good specs matter just as much with AI as they do on a jobsite.
Related Article
Accountability + Compensation: The Myths and Realities
No amount of accountability or compensation will create the competencies and capabilities required to deliver results. If your results are falling short, make sure that you are diagnosing the root cause correctly so you can design the best solution.
Related Article