Fundamental #1. To reach first base you must demonstrate that you’re in charge and you know what you’re doing. You achieve this by establishing your authority and setting up reasonable standards and limits for your crew.
Establishing and maintaining a fair, open and healthy relationship with each crew member is a key to effective supervision. Every new foreman must establish his or her authority as the person who sets the standards and limits for his crew. These standards and limits include work performance goals and behavior standards and limits. He must clearly define and communicate them so that each crew member knows what to expect — where expectations are tight and where there’s some slack. The way a foreman communicates standards and limits must clearly tell each crew member what’s OK and what’s not permitted, and where the line is. Every crew member must know exactly where his or her foreman stands on safety, quality, and productivity.
It’s important to establish reasonable and consistent discipline. As a new foreman, you’ll need to keep in mind that there is nothing “soft” or inconsistent about maintaining high standards and also showing some empathy for a crew member’s specific situation. Be tough enough to get results, but also pay attention to how your toughness is going down.
List below a few areas where you think it’s important to set standards and limits. This is a tentative list — you can change it as you learn more about the role of a foreman — and you find out what works and what doesn’t.
How to Handle Day 1. Resist the urge to jump in with both feet and start whaling away at supervising your new crew until you:
- know their tasks;
- study their methods;
- watch how they perform;
- identify any problems.
And even then, tread lightly for the first few days.
A sample standard: The work we put in place will meet or exceed specs, and it won’t require rework.
A sample limit: Nobody in this crew works anywhere on this jobsite without a hard hat, safety glasses, and any special safety gear required for the task he or she is doing.
Standards (work performance goals):
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Standards (behavior):
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Limits (behavior):
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Special Note. As you read this blog, you’ll notice that I’ve used a variety of pronouns to reflect the diversity of crew members and supervisors in the construction industry. I‘ve used he, she, he or she, his or her, and he and she. I know that men and women hold a wide variety of construction jobs. I decided not to alternate he and she or to use he and she sor he/she when it made the language clumsy and the basic ideas, techniques, skills & strategies more difficult to clearly present and understand.
Stuff To Think About. How would you do this? What difficulties or resistance would you likely to run into? How would you deal with these issues? And how would you deal with the people who present them?
What do you have going for you that would help?
