Developing Employees Requires Engaging Them

a/e/c construction executives a/e/c leadership development aec conference keynote aec industry aec labor shortage aec leadership development aec succession planning architecture industry business growth business leaders commercial construction communication coach communication coaching communication skills training communications keynote speaker engineering executives engineering industry executive coaching succession planning May 13, 2026

Leadership and succession planning are top priorities in A/E/C today, but there's a common factor behind their success.

Employee acquisition and retention in our ongoing labor shortage pose unique challenges.

These challenges, at their core, all circle back to communication.

Your communication is the foundation for addressing labor and leadership struggles.

👉We're often quick to pass the buck to our post-COVID world.

👉Or to Gen Z and their phone addictions.

👉Or to TikTok influencers and trendy memes.

Look, no one is to "blame" for the industry's struggles with interpersonal communication.

To improve, we must acknowledge our shared responsibility and act on it.

Like a drone, business and personal growth require us to see the big picture.

This framework will get you started:

Exploring: Thousands of years ago, curious cave dwellers went on daily quests to find food. The word "quest" is the root of questions.

Reflect on whether you are asking yourself the right questions to uncover the root of what your team really needs.

Consider if conversations and meetings are nourishing and feeding your team.

Sometimes, team members may feel depleted and unable to prioritize tasks.

Leaders often ask staff low-level questions. They receive insights that aren't revealing or helpful.

Evaluate the quality of questions you ask yourself.

People who are willing to explore their weaknesses and evolve are true leaders.

A recent Gartner survey says that some 80 percent of employees want their firm to see them as a person.

Still, only 45 percent of workers believe their employers view them this way.

This gap is directly related to low engagement levels.

Employees need to feel like their contributions are valuable. Or they will head for the door.

Assess how you communicate value to your staff and other leaders.

Now, let's look at evolving: You may want to celebrate success in training and mentoring younger staff—but remember that employee transformation isn't about you.

😮Signing a check is easy because others are doing the heavy lifting.

Leadership and communication involve the evolution and revolution of your team — and YOU!

You are together in this work, in the firm industry, and in the human race.

We often commend executives for grooming the next generation of leaders.

It's time to flip the mirror: How are YOU evolving and growing?🎯

Take steps to truly understand

Work on asking the right questions to help ease your team's daily struggles.

Here are some common struggles A/E/C teams express:

✅They feel inept when thrown into last-minute meetings.

✅They feel burnt out and overworked.

✅They want time management skills so they can prioritize tasks efficiently.

Leaders who regularly hear these same complaints are going in circles.

Communication gaps often take a back burner to profitability.😮

Strong revenue means little if your leadership and communication skills stagnate. What is that costing you?