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PCCA Journal|3

rd

Quarter 2015

9

T

he engineering and construction industry

is notoriously competitive. You often hear

people say, “We work harder,” or “We are

more focused on our clients,” or “We can beat

anyone’s cost.” A healthy sense of competition

can characterize success throughout the industry. However,

when it comes to winning in the war for talent, many organi-

zations overlook the critical nature of beating their competi-

tion in this domain. The best organizations know that firms

with the best people have a clear competitive advantage.

To succeed over the next decade, organizations will need

to not only attract great people, but also retain their existing,

high-potential leaders. This requires an intentional effort to

address two key issues. The highest performers want to (1)

be recognized and rewarded for their contributions and (2)

receive continuous opportunities to grow and develop. Many

organizations tend to focus mostly on the first of the two

and reward high potentials through raises or bonuses. While

this may generate short-term motivation, a monetary-based

strategy won’t help retain your employees if your competitors

can offer more. To build long-term loyalty and deep levels of

motivation, organizations must do more than simply offer

monetary rewards for good work. Offering opportunities

for high-potential employees to grow and develop is a more

strategic and more effective tool for retaining top talent and

maximizing their potential.

A recent FMI survey found that only 43 percent of orga-

nizations surveyed in the construction industry are using a

consistent process to identify and develop the next genera-

tion of leaders. That means the majority of organizations do

this inconsistently, or not at all. To win the war for talent,

organizations will need to master the art of identifying and

developing high-potential talent, yet far too many have not

even started the process.

While less common, the best organizations in the industry

have identified a clear and consistent process for identifying

and developing high potentials. They have built the inter-

nal systems and structures needed to ensure that their next

generation of leaders is continually developing its skills. This

greatly contributes to longer-term loyalty because leaders

who believe that you are investing in their long-term poten-

tial have a greater sense of commitment to your organization.

By helping leaders clarify their short- and long-term devel-

opmental goals, you are sending a strong signal that you are

interested in their career growth and potential to take on ad-

ditional challenges and roles. This type of proactive develop-

ment is an intentional, focused, and purposeful process that

is planned out and implemented. This approach takes time

Winning theWar for Talent:

Developing Your High-Potential Leaders

By Emily Livorsi and Tim Tokarczyk

Continued on page 10