Professional development that starts on day one ensures a strong foundation for future success

By Peggy Newquist, Director, Learning & Development

In today’s business landscape, where industries continually evolve and demand excellence, few of them face as much scrutiny as construction. Constantly changing, this dynamic field requires employees to continually acquire new skills and embrace new technologies. However, many in the construction industry do not keep up with the training that is needed to manage their often multi-million-dollar projects.

“What other industry outside of construction turns over hundreds of millions of dollars of work to folks that they do not prepare adequately for the job?” is a question posed by Mark Breslin, CEO of United Contractors.

“More importantly, how much longer can we fool ourselves around the crucial conclusion that field leaders in this critical profit leadership position need new skills, tools and strategies?” he adds.

It’s an interesting quandary that Clune is committed to combatting. We value a continuous improvement mindset and recognize that the old adage, “throw them in the deep end, and they’ll sink or swim,” can no longer apply to construction. Clune’s robust training initiatives not only invest in the continued development of our employees, but they also further emphasize The Clune Way, which is defined by our values, behaviors, customer focus, and dedicated support of each member of Team Clune.

Clune is committed to providing professional development at every level of employment.  Our leadership development starts with our Field Assistants and Project Engineers and extends through to the C-Suite.

Laying a Strong Foundation  

Field Assistants and Project Engineers attend a Boot Camp in the first year of employment. In a week-long session, these employees learn the why behind our processes and procedures. They also learn the important role they play in the overall success of a project, develop presentation skills, how to communicate more effectively, and hold productive meetings. These skills will serve them as they grow in their careers and provide a foundation for peer-to-peer connection and learning across all seven of our offices.

To promote continued learning, employees at all levels can take advantage of bi-monthly webinars on topics ranging from conflict resolution to building trust within your team. Clune employees also participate in DiSC workshops. This behavioral self-assessment tool helps team members understand each other’s workplace style preferences and how to work better together while appreciating and respecting individual differences.

Leveling Up

Clune’s Next Up leadership development program was created to allow high-potential employees to learn and practice leadership skills before they are promoted into their next role. This year-long program covers topics such as leading people, managing tasks, emotional intelligence, building high-performing teams, creating an inclusive culture, and the basics of hiring and performance reviews. The participants work in groups on an Action Learning Project focusing on a real-world issue that Clune faces, and then they make a final presentation to leadership as the culmination of what they have learned in the program.

Elevating Leadership

All employees at Clune’s officer level are given the opportunity to participate in the Clune Vistage experience. Vistage is the world’s largest executive coaching organization for small and midsize business leaders. The two-year Vistage program at Clune provides opportunities for experienced leaders to receive individual coaching and gain exposure to exemplary leadership behaviors and practices. They also hear from expert speakers on business-related topics such as creating and leading accountable teams, executive presence and execution. Under the guidance of a Vistage Chair, participants become more self-aware, examine their workplace styles, develop stronger communication skills, and learn to apply leadership concepts to strengthen their teams and lead Clune successfully into the future.

Sustained Commitment to Leadership Excellence

Clune continually invests in training our employees at all levels, so our leaders are prepared to tackle any challenge that comes their way – whether it be leading a diverse project team or expanding Clune’s geographical reach by opening a new office location.

Leadership development at Clune is not a “one-and-done” process. We believe supporting professional development through all stages of an employee’s career is vital to building a strong culture and healthy workplace.