In construction, the most important material isn’t steel, concrete, or pipe; it’s PEOPLE. And if you’re serious about building the next generation of leaders, you can’t just focus on projects. You’ve got to master the way you communicate, coach, and expand perspective.

That’s where three overlooked but game-changing leadership levers come into play: lingo, time zones, and zoom levels. Nail these, and you won’t just build projects you’ll build people who want to stay, grow, and take your company further.

Why does lingo make or break leadership?

Let’s be real: field crews, foremen, and office staff don’t always speak the same language. An installer cares about linear feet of pipe. A foreman thinks in labor hours. A project manager? Dollars.

When leaders throw around “budget overruns” and “burn rates,” it’s noise to someone who just wants to know how many joints they need to weld before lunch. That disconnect creates friction, resentment, and missed opportunities.

Great leaders are translators. They don’t just bark numbers they break them down in terms that fit the listener’s frame of reference. Want your crew to advance? Teach them the next level of lingo. Want retention? Make the office understand what’s real in the field.

If you become multilingual in your organization’s lingo, you become indispensable. More importantly, you empower your people to grow beyond today’s role.

How do time zones shape how your team thinks?

And no we’re not talking about Central vs. Pacific. We’re talking about the time horizon people operate in.

Installers often live check to check. They’re focused on today’s production. Foremen stretch to weekly or monthly outputs. Executives? They’re talking five-year strategies.

Here’s the leadership mistake: assuming everyone automatically “levels up” their time zone just because they got promoted. Wrong. Thinking further ahead is a habit, and it takes time to develop.

If you want to grow talent, you’ve got to time-warp into your people’s horizon. Talk today with the installer, the month with your foreman, and the long-game with your managers. Then slowly stretch them forward. One day to three days. A week to two weeks. Six months to a year. That progression builds leaders who can think beyond their next paycheck and into the future of your company.

Adjust your coaching to their time zone, and you’ll accelerate their growth.

Why do zoom levels determine career growth?

When you start out in the trades, the zoom lens is tight: How fast can I outperform the guy next to me? It’s personal. But leadership is about zooming out.

First, from “me” to “my crew.” Then to “my company.” Then to “my industry.” Each level requires you to care less about your individual scoreboard and more about collective impact.

Here’s the kicker: our industry often rewards the wrong zoom level. We hand out recognition to the lone wolf who puts in crazy hours, even if their decisions undercut the team. That system builds burnout and turnover.

True leadership growth means deliberately zooming out. Start coaching your crew to think about how their choices affect the team. Start coaching foremen to see beyond their crew and into company goals. And as an executive, stop hoarding top talent in silos deploy them where they raise the tide for everyone.

Expanding your zoom level is the single fastest way to grow your influence and career.

The blueprint for developing talent in construction

So, what does this look like on Monday morning?

• Check your lingo. Translate budget talk into production metrics, and production talk into financial outcomes. Make your people bilingual.

• Stretch their time zones. Meet them where they’re at, then pull them forward week by week.

• Expand their zoom levels. Celebrate team wins, not lone wolves. Reward decisions that benefit the company and the industry, not just an individual.

If you’re serious about developing talent in construction, stop leaving growth to chance. Build it into every conversation, every coaching moment, every decision.

Because when you master these three levers, you don’t just retain your people; you ignite them.

Ready to lead differently?

If this hit home, here’s your next step: Join the Self First Time Mastery Movement to learn how to take control of your calendar and create the margin you need to invest in your people.

Because the truth is this: you don’t need more hours. You need a better system. It’s time to Do the Damn Thing👊