The Hidden Risks of Promoting Unprepared Leaders in Construction

In a merit-based industry such as construction, it’s common for employers to promote members of their crew to higher levels based on excellent performance. It’s not unusual to see a top performer rise through the ranks from apprentice to journeyman to foreman to superintendent over the course of a successful career.  

However, as the construction industry feels the impact of the growing labor shortage, this practice may become more common for contractors. When faced with a vacancy in a critical leadership position, companies might feel compelled to call on a current employee to fill the void, whether in the interim or long term — regardless of the employee’s desire or preparedness to do so. 

While promoting leaders from within has numerous benefits, it can also interfere with a company’s success if the proper strategy and training are not in place. Here are some of the potential challenges that may arise when craft professionals are not formally prepared for a promotion into a leadership role.  

Untrained Personnel Can Struggle in Unfamiliar Roles  

When a top-performing employee is promoted to a new position, there may be high expectations for them based on their previous good work. However, past success in one position does not always guarantee future success in a different role — especially if they are not properly trained for their new responsibilities.  

This concept is explored in a management theory known as the Peter principle, which observes that employees may be promoted based on their current results rather than being a true fit for the new role. As each elevated role strays farther from the employee’s original point of success, their relative competence and performance may have diminishing returns. 

We can apply the Peter principle when considering the transition from field work to leadership in construction. Using tools and materials to build systems and structures as a journeyman is very different than scheduling, communicating and managing resources in a supervisor capacity.  

Each unique occupation in construction requires tailored training and a variety of hard and soft skills that may not have been exercised in an individual’s previous role. 

Promoting an individual solely due to good craft performance — and without supplemental training to augment any skill or experience gaps — can place a person at a disadvantage where they are unprepared in an unfamiliar role. Even top employees can struggle if put in this position. 

A New Void to Fill 

In taking a highly skilled craft professional out of the field to fill a leadership vacancy, it creates a new vacancy at their previous position.   

Even if that person goes on to become a great leader, it means that one of your most productive trades employees is no longer working full-time at that trade. How will this lost output be accounted for?  

If your company has a robust construction training program, you may have a surplus of talented performers who can step in for a seamless transition. But if not, the loss of both skill and overall manpower can cause continued issues with work quality and project outcomes. 

Discontent and Turnover 

If an individual leaves a position they enjoy and excel in and is placed in a role where they end up struggling, it can lead to discontent. 

A new job title and higher pay that might come with a promotion could be a solid motivating factor, for a time. But eventually the employee’s job satisfaction might dwindle if they are not placed in a position to succeed. Once they are no longer satisfied with their position, the employee may become more likely to quit that job or leave your company altogether — dissatisfied employees are three times more likely to quit. 

By promoting someone without proper training, you could lose them from both their top-performing craft position and from the new leadership role you hoped they could fill.  

Prepare Your Personnel for Promotion Through Training  

Promoting unprepared craft workers to field leadership roles can lead to potential problems for any construction company.  

However, there are many incredible benefits of promoting employees internally when done properly — perhaps none greater than keeping your company agile and well-staffed amid the current workforce challenges. 

It is key to make sure you have a culture of ongoing training, upskilling and professional growth at the craft and leadership levels. A leadership training program will help your top talent develop the skills they need to successfully elevate into higher-level roles, while a craft training program will keep your journeymen and apprentices ready to fill the shoes that newly appointed leaders leave behind in the field.  

NCCER offers the solutions your company needs to build a comprehensive in-house training program. With curricula, testing and credentialling for more than 40 crafts, plus multiple field leadership certification programs, NCCER is the leading provider of construction education. Click here to get connected with our Workforce Development Solutions team.