The Ups and Downs of Construction Management and Leadership With Elly Hart

In this episode of the She Who Dares Wins podcast, I speak with Elly Hart, a former apprentice carpenter who recently moved into a management role. She went from apprentice carpenter to lead carpenter to a management role within a span of 4 years. She shares her struggles in a position of leadership and how she’s learning to overcome and be better at it daily. Listen in to learn the importance of equipping people with leadership skills before promoting them to leadership or managerial positions. You will also learn the importance of creating a safe environment and mental health avenues for team members at the workplace as a leader.

Key Takeaways: How to be clear about your responsibilities to ensure you’re not being taken advantage of. The importance of supporting and training people before giving them leadership positions. How to be self-compassionate as a leader trying to make a difference in the construction industry. The value of forming powerful relationships at the workplace as a way of creating a safe environment.

Key Moments:

[1:48] Elly explains how she progressed from an apprentice carpenter to a management role in just a few years.

[5:29] How she learned to define her responsibilities at work to protect her wellbeing.

[9:30] Why she’s pushing for a more humane environment to change the culture in construction.

[11:06] Elly on her struggles with leading her peers and how she’s handling it every day.

[18:20] The frustrating nature of the price-driven construction industry.

[22:30] Why she’s advocating for the importance of equipping people with soft skills before promoting them.

[24:54] The factors that are slowing the construction industry and how we can contribute to advance the industry.

[31:19] How she mastered communication fundamentals as a leader to ensure everyone has a fun experience.

[35:42] How to take responsibility for your team’s mistake as a leader and find the solution.

[39:44] How to be self-compassionate as you support your team.

[44:14] How to create an environment where employees feel safe to talk about their feelings.

[56:15] Elly encourages young people who want to pursue construction management.

Quotes: “The thing with the construction industry is that we’re scared to try new things because it is labor-intensive, it is risky, and the results are not guaranteed.”- Elly [25:00] 

“It’s a tough job for leaders because you have to take on the mistakes of your crew.”- Elly [36:33]

“It’s important to have self-compassion for yourself because otherwise it’ll just eat away at you and it will be relentless.”- Elly [39:45]

“Take stock and look at the situation, not everything is within your control.”- Michelle [43:40]

“The job has more meaning for me when I think about the people that are working with me rather than just this thing that I made.”- Elly [54:21]

Relevant Links: Check us out on Instagram @shewhodareswins_ https://www.shewhodareswins.com/ For more great stories and Merch! Find Elly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellytheapprentice/