Handling disengaged project managers in construction

There is a particular kind of leadership failure that is very difficult to see from the outside. Not the dramatic failure, the poor decision, the public misstep, the conflict that forces a change. Those are visible and generate a response. The system, however imperfectly, moves to address them. The failure I am describing is more insidious. It is the leader who is technically present, technically compliant, and technically performing the role but who has withdrawn from the parts of the role that are hardest and matter most. The difficult conversation that is perpetually postponed, the feedback that arrives late, or not at all, or in a form so generic it carries no real information. The decision that sits unresolved for longer than it should because making it feels costly. This is not a failure of competence. In many cases, the person has the competence. It is a failure of engagement and its origins are rarely in laziness or indifference. In my experience, it is most commonly rooted in prolonged stress, role overload, or a growing misalignment between what the role demands and what the individual feels equipped to provide. That distinction matters enormously for how organizations should respond. A leader who has withdrawn is not helped by additional scrutiny, or by escalating performance expectations, or by being labelled as a problem. They are helped by the same things that re-engage any professional who has lost their footing, clarity about what is expected and why it matters, genuine support in the form of coaching or peer connection, and a reduction in the isolation that typically accompanies disengagement. The organizations that manage this well are the ones that treat withdrawal as a signal not a verdict and respond accordingly. #LeadershipBurnout #EngagedLeadership #LeadershipSupport #OrganisationalBehaviour #Leadership

I recently helped a client who was dealing with a lot of last-minute project fires, causing chaos and delays. They assumed they had poor performing project managers. I did some digging and found a culture of leadership holding the PMs accountable for EVERY project issue. What I told them shook them to their core. I said, "Project managers are not accountable for projects. Business leaders (sponsors) are accountable for the outcomes of projects. You cannot delegate accountability. PMs are only responsible for monitoring and controlling projects and escalating issues." It turns out their PMs had been trying to solve every issue on their own and never reported “red” statuses, for fear of it looking as if they weren’t doing their job. So, they reported everything as “green” with an occasional “yellow”. But what is green on the outside and red on the inside? A watermelon! Watermelon statuses are WORSE than red statuses, because they mask the truth and rob leaders of opportunities to do THEIR jobs. PMs need a culture where reporting red statuses is not only acceptable but encouraged. They also need the confidence to push back on leadership when they are being held accountable for project outcomes without leadership support. Leaders need to create a culture where PMs can go to them for support and push back when that support is denied, and they are being held accountable. Leaders also need to not immediately dismiss green statuses, thinking the PM is being 100% transparent and everything is fine. They should do some occasional digging to verify those claims. Here’s a short blog post I wrote on the subject: https://lnkd.in/ehRM8fCi Have you had any similar experiences?

Stop wasting energy on the wrong people. Focus on the ones who WANT to grow. After coaching 650+ CEOs, I keep seeing the same pattern. The leaders with the strongest teams refuse to manage everyone the same way. They diagnose each person individually and adjust their approach to fit. One of the simplest tools for this is the Skill/Will Matrix, created by Max Landsberg. It plots every team member on two axes: skill (their ability and experience) and will (their motivation and drive). The result is four very different types of people, each needing a very different leadership response. 🟡 Top Performers sit in the high-skill, high-will quadrant. They deliver, they push themselves, and they raise the bar for everyone around them. These are the people you build the future of the company around. Give them ownership. Ask for their input. Raise expectations over time. Recognize them often. The mistake is overloading them just because they can handle it. Stretch them, but invest in them too. 🟢 High Potentials have the will but not yet the skill. They are eager, hungry, and ready to grow. They just need reps. Coach them. Break their work into small wins. Celebrate progress over perfection. Pair them with a mentor. These are your future Top Performers if you develop them well. 🔵 Disengaged Experts are the trickiest group. They have the skill, but the motivation has gone. They might be bored, burnt out, or quietly outgrowing the role. Ask what's behind the disconnect. Reconnect them to the mission. Adjust their goals or responsibilities. Set a clear timeline for change. If nothing changes, you have your answer. 🔴 Low Performers drain energy from the rest of the team. They lack the skill and the drive to build it. Set clear expectations, give one chance to improve, and exit respectfully if nothing changes. Keeping them in place tells everyone else that your standards are negotiable. If you want a deeper playbook for leading each of these groups, I'm running a free masterclass on building a high-performing team. Save your seat here: https://lnkd.in/euExgT54 People will not always fit neatly into one box, and skill and will both shift over time. The point of the matrix is to lead each person according to where they are right now. That's where your energy compounds. What's the best framework you've used to lead a team? Share below. P.S. Want a PDF of my Skill/Will Matrix Cheat Sheet? Get it free here: ericpartaker.com/linkedin ♻️ Repost to help a CEO in your network. — 📢 Want to become a world-class CEO? Join my free live training: "How to Attract, Retain & Develop Top Talent in Your Company" Wed, May 6th, 2:00 PM EDT / 19:00 UK https://lnkd.in/euExgT54

Your top guy just quit. Two weeks before breaking ground on your biggest contract. Most CEOs would panic. Smart ones sigh in relief --- because they prepared for this exact moment. I've watched construction companies lose millions when their project manager walks. Operations grind to a halt. Clients lose confidence. Teams scramble without direction. But here's what separates leaders who survive from those who thrive: The 4-Layer Protection Framework 1. Shadow assignments starting NOW Every critical role has someone watching, learning, documenting. Not next quarter --- this week. 2. Cross-train before crisis Your superintendent knows estimating basics. Your foreman can read project finances. Your PM understands field operations. 3. Document while doing That knowledge in your top guy's head? Get it on paper --- processes, contacts, decision trees. Make expertise transferable. Create assets for everything that repeats. Pdf, Digital or Video --- capture it and make it work for you exponentially. 4. Promote readiness, not panic When someone quits, you're choosing from prepared candidates. Not desperately searching. The brutal truth: If one person leaving breaks your operation, you've already failed as a leader. Building redundancy isn't negative thinking. It's building a business that runs not just without you --- but also without any single person. Your move: Identify your three most critical roles today. Who shadows them? Who could step up tomorrow? If the answer makes you nervous, you know what to fix. Risk mitigation isn't reactive. It's what you do today that saves you tomorrow. #ConstructionLeadership #RiskMitigation #CrossTraining #BusinessContinuity #CEOStrategy