By Giovanni Cautillo
Special to Ontario Construction News
So, what is leadership anyway? A definition of leadership is: the art of appropriately motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a mutual and/or common goal.
In construction, this translates to safely directing multiple participants throughout the design and building process to actively and collaboratively obtain the end result: the final completion of the intended project.
A simple concept in principle, but without the proper vision at the helm, the ship can quickly veer off course and into some stormy waters. The leaders who can succinctly navigate these murky waters are the ones that continually win with their workers, subtrades, stakeholders, and above all, the buyers of construction.
On March 5, the OGCA launched our three-day Leadership Series to highlight how the OGCA and all of its members have been a driving force for health and safety change and how leadership can benefit all areas of our businesses.
Historically, this annual recognition day would be delivered in-person and encapsulated into a single all-day event. However, it needed to be adapted and expanded over three program sessions, both to accommodate our new COVID current situation but to adequately demonstrate the overall theme of leadership as well.
We had the honour of being addressed by both the Honourable Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training, and Skills Development as well as Chief Prevention Office Ron Kelusky.
Both the Minister and Ron recognized the efforts of the OGCA members in keeping construction safe and open during this pandemic. Minister McNaughton, who has been a staunch advocate for construction, stated clearly that, “the OGCA leadership has kept business going during these most difficult times.”
The Minister then went on to hail the ICI construction sector as the “back bone of construction” and leaders in managing COVID-19. This was evidenced by the industry rising to the challenge and developing and sharing the functional industry safety standard titled: “Construction Site Health and Safety During COVID-19 Guide to Employers.” The Minister and Ron also noted that OGCA members made a difference and naturally rose to lead all other sectors of construction, as well as other industries, through their clear and committed actions.
The members of the OGCA have long understood and encapsulated the need to lead by example, and this is further compounded when gauging matters through a health and safety lens. Our association has had a longstanding historical commitment to the health and safety of our workers, partners, subtrades and the supply chain when engaging in construction. Since almost our inception, it was quickly recognized that a focus on health and safety actually translated into a synergistic effect on the entire construction chain. But this can only truly occur when there is true leadership that is committed to that fundamental practice.
Saying one is safe does not directly equate to demonstrating that element. As we say in construction, you need not just “talk the talk,” but instead you must “walk the walk.” Quantifiable and demonstrable is what is needed to truly be a health and safety leader.
The members of the OGCA have been clear in their overall commitment to true health and safety leadership by pioneering for CORTM to be brought to Ontario, and recognizing it as the industry benchmark.
Furthermore, the League of Champions was formulated with the desire for companies to further advance and share their best practices and connect with like-minded leaders who would champion the movement of health and safety to not only the construction industry, but beyond.
Although the format of this year’s Leadership Series has been slightly altered, the content is key to providing all OGCA leaders with both insight and direction to continue to navigate the unprecedented situation with which the entire global community continues to contend.
With that in mind, the upcoming panel discussions tabled for the series will reveal information to help any industry successfully manage its operations.
Today, (March 12) at 8:30 a.m., the panel discussion is titled: “Leadership During a Crisis.” This subject is clearly poignant and topical for our current shared situation and any guidance during these uncertain times will be welcome. Register at this link.
Then on Friday, March 19, the panel will focus on: “Building an Effective Strategy to Manage Worker Safety,” furthering the deep dive that all OGCA members do to continually ensure the safety of all workers. You can register at this link.
Each panel will feature industry leaders who can provide a unique and personalized perspective of the subject matter and anecdotal recommendations on how they dealt with the issue as a leader and as a company.
Please join us for March 12 and 19 as we continue with our three day Leadership Series.
Giovanni Cautillo is the president of the Ontario General Contractors’ Association (OGCA).