Professionals who work in the building and construction industry know that the job is both challenging and rewarding. In uncertain times, the sector has remained strong, and skilled trade professionals are in high demand.
The industry offers many unrivalled opportunities for growth and development, but trade professionals keen to grow their careers and businesses can still make some common mistakes. Using a coach is one of the best ways to avoid them.
On your own, knowing how to avoid mistakes – and learning from the ones you do make – can take years of experience, and can also come at a high price — both financially and professionally.
However, working with an expert building industry coach can help you to navigate the most common problems and obstacles, and side-step small issues before they have a chance to become major problems.
More building and construction professionals than ever before are choosing to work with a coach to help them manage their projects, avoid pitfalls, identify the best opportunities, and grow their business and careers.
Below, we look at some of the most common problems facing construction industry professionals — and how a coach can help you solve them.
The Problem: NO CLEAR GOALS
How A Coach Can Help…
A surprisingly common problem in the construction industry can be a lack of clear goals. This can include goals for a specific project, a business, or even one’s own career.
Not having clear goals means that both time and money can be wasted pursuing areas of interest that may not be relevant or helpful to you. It is also hard to stay on budget, or to identify whether or not a project is progressing well, unless you’ve clearly pinpointed your deadlines and desired outcomes in advance.
Your own ambitions in the industry also deserve time, attention, and a clear strategy on how to achieve them.
A coach can help you to identify which goals are both attainable and meaningful to you and/or your project. This is not always easy to do on your own, but experienced coaches will bring you a fresh pair of eyes and a new perspective on your work.
Together you can create a game plan and clear strategy for how to get to where you want to be — whether that’s in your career, your business, your current project, or any combination of the three.
The Problem: A LACK OF EXPERIENCE
How A Coach Can Help…
Building and construction is an exciting industry, and many people want to capitalise on its opportunities. While enthusiasm and passion are important, experience is also vital when seeing a project through to successful completion.
Coaches appreciate that many of their clients do not have the time to accumulate years of knowledge and experience. They want to ‘learn by doing’ and benefit from the wisdom of others.
Therefore, coaches can solve the problem of a lack of expertise by bringing their own industry knowledge to the table. The best coaches may have years of industry experience across a wide variety of projects and clients.
They have seen what makes a project successful and know many of the most common pitfalls to avoid. Their experience can save you time, money, and difficulties, while also teaching you on the job.
Working with a coach doesn’t only make use of their experience — it grows your own experience too.
The Problem: A SMALL PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
How A Coach Can Help…
Many people starting in the construction industry only have a small professional network of clients and collaborators. Other professionals might have years in the industry and a good reputation among their peers, but may still want to broaden their network and reach out to others.
Coaches are often very well networked and can assist with bringing like-minded people together. The best coaches also tend to offer remote packages — such as video meetings or phone calls — so that you can stay in touch even during socially distant times, for example.
Making a connection with a coach can also be making a connection with their whole network!
The Problem: NO INSIDER KNOWLEDGE
How A Coach Can Help…
For the common man, insider knowledge takes time, effort, and research to build up, but coaches will have access to many trade secrets, and can offer unrivalled insights.
Some of the best coaches may also have held positions in industry committees or official bodies, meaning that they know firsthand what makes a project appealing, achievable, and up to code.
Using a coach is a great way to gain access to years of industry knowledge and insights in an instant, even if you haven’t been involved for long yourself. Together you can progress your project, grow your business, and achieve your goals!