Were my quality standards too high? Had I been specific enough in my expectations? At that time, I felt like I was ill-equipped to handle this type of situation adequately. Since this was not my first time, it was time to fix it! In the renovation field, potential conflict situations are legion, whether it be related to the state of the construction sites, delivery times or the quality of the final result.

Developing your power of influence and motivation

As I was driving home, I remembered a book on conflict resolution, negotiation, and human behavior, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. As I read it again that evening, I was speechless as I slowly uncovered all the mistakes I had made over the past few years. There had been many times when, faced with tight deadlines, I had pushed employees to speed up their work because we were too slow and not productive enough. Of course, this had the effect of demoralizing them and, ironically, hurting their productivity.

Charles Schwab, a prominent 20th century businessman, said that it is by encouraging others that we reveal and develop our best gifts. How can we apply this principle to successfully influence an employee or contractor to want to give their best at work?

Put yourself in someone else's shoes

Henry Ford also said, "One of the secrets of success is the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and to look at things from their point of view as well as your own." If this great entrepreneur lived by this principle, I thought it was probably a good idea to put it into practice as well in order to improve my relationships with others. After all, isn't the golden rule to treat others the way you would like to be treated? It is often easier to find fault and blame than to try to understand. Experience has taught me that criticism is a futile act that only puts a person on the defensive and tarnishes their sense of importance. These are truths that have definitely challenged my management skills. Being understanding and forgiving requires character and self-control, a mastery that can be acquired if one desires it.

Engage and communicate

When I started in business, when an employee made a mistake, my first reaction was to reprimand him without even having his version of the facts. I clumsily managed my team by giving direct orders, which I believed to be clear and obvious. Experience has taught me that it is more effective to formulate my directive differently, in the form of a question for example, and to put myself in his shoes to better understand and engage him in the way of achieving the result.

Recently, I had this incident: I had given instructions to protect the newly installed floors and when I arrived, they were covered in debris. But this time, my reaction was two-fold. First, I emphasized what had been done well: “the installation work is impeccable.” Then, I added a constructive, engaging and empathetic comment: “I know how important it is to you, as it is to me, that the work is done well. By better protecting the floors, we will be able to maintain our quality standard until the end of the project. Since then, the floors have always been protected. I have become aware of the importance of regularly highlighting my employees’ accomplishments rather than emphasizing their areas for improvement.

Behind the greatest challenges lie the greatest opportunities

With my recent $1 million real estate project in Saint-Lambert, my most ambitious to date, I managed over 30 subcontractors and 60 suppliers, alongside my team of employees on a daily basis. This was a unique opportunity to learn how to develop my management and leadership skills. Although each conflict left a bitter taste, it represented an opportunity for growth and learning. If I had to take away a single lesson from my 6 years in business, it would be that the best leaders are those who know how to communicate effectively, especially when problems arise.