Future Foundations: Retaining and Attracting Next-Gen Construction Talent

In this episode of The Construction Insiders, we take a deep dive into one of the industry’s most urgent topics: how to attract and retain the next generation of construction professionals. Host Jessica Busch sits down with Christine Mosholder, Chief Development Officer at Cumming Group, to explore why investing in team development is a strategic imperative in today’s fast-paced construction landscape.

[00:00:00] Jessica Busch: On today’s episode of the Construction Insiders podcast, we’re going to change gears a bit and talk about how to retain and attract the next generation of construction professionals. Today with me, I’m sitting down with Christine Mosholder. She is Cumming Group’s chief development officer, a newly developed position, but one that we thought was imperative to create due to all the changes in the industry and really taking our team member development and retention seriously.

[00:00:27] Jessica Busch: Thank you for joining me today. I’d really like to dive into how you are investing in our people and our future. Um, so, so thank you.

[00:00:36] Christine Mosholder: Absolutely. So, um, this new role is super exciting for me personally, because, um, as I always told my team, They’re what gets me out of bed every day. Um, really important, particularly in a consulting business, um, like we are to take really good care of the people. So, um, I think first and foremost, the development of the people is really about understanding who they are and what makes them tick.

[00:01:04] Christine Mosholder: And that takes time. That takes, uh, a culture where people are invested in learning, in coaching, and mentoring. Um, and people are at all different stages and you sort of have to meet them where they are. But this new role to me is something that really sort of puts our money where our mouth is as far as, um, investing in exclusively what makes us all successful and that is our team members.

[00:01:34] Jessica Busch: So it’s an interesting role when you think about the construction industry in general. We’re thinking, you know, deadlines, technical demands, those requirements taking center stage. So how, as the people person, how do you make sure that staff development, team member development remains a top priority.

[00:01:58] Christine Mosholder: So I’m really fortunate because I grew up in the industry as a project manager and construction sites. Um, and a lot of the learning actually happens in the field, but there are other things to compliment that, right? So clearly our, our team members and our clients come first. And if we take care of our team members, we will take better care of our clients.

[00:02:21] Christine Mosholder: But ultimately. It sort of starts from the top, as far as making it a priority. Every, every day you’re prioritizing, right? And I think by working a lot of that, um, development, training, modeling the way into the daily routine, and bringing people along with you, I think it happens somewhat organically, but then it also gets complemented with a more, um, structured, um, training program, coaching program, those types of things.

[00:02:50] Jessica Busch: Which I’m sure we’ll get into a bit later, but you just mentioned kind of your upbringing in the industry was on the ground. You were in the trenches. What have you seen over the years is really needed for a project success when we’re talking about team members?

[00:03:08] Christine Mosholder: So I think the most important thing is the fit with the client and the approach to the project and that fit is really something that happens through sort of what your approach is, what you’re, what you value. And you know, by the time we get to, as an example, by the time we get to sort of the short list in an interview for a competitive bid situation, more than likely the two or three groups who are sitting at the table are technically competent. It’s really the fit. It’s who that client is going to connect with, who that client feels they can trust on the next big project. Um, and that trust then really is the overarching piece that makes the project successful longterm. Because like I tell people all the time, you’re building goodwill throughout the project.

[00:04:06] Christine Mosholder: You really only need goodwill when things go sideways, right? Goodwill’s great, but you really need it when things. start to, things that you thought you had all planned out suddenly fall apart, right?

[00:04:19] Jessica Busch: Unforeseen issues.

[00:04:20] Christine Mosholder: Exactly. And so that goodwill that you’ve built is really because you, you’ve shown respect and trust to the partners on the project, to the client, and that’s when everybody really comes together and you have contingency plans and you’re taking care of the client ultimately as a result of that relationship you’ve built over the course of that project.

[00:04:42] Jessica Busch: I see. Okay. So in the construction industry, for years now, we’ve been talking about labor costs, all these other issues that are kind of floating around what we’re just trying to do and do our job well. But how is, when we’re talking about labor, how is the industry as a whole now trying to tackle that challenge in terms of getting that qualified talent, most importantly, then retaining The best of the best, not just the qualified.

[00:05:13] Jessica Busch: Um, and so what have you seen that’s working? What, what’s not working?

[00:05:19] Christine Mosholder: Yeah. So I think it does start with the recruiting process. And, um, as far as that recruiting and onboarding, it’s really important that the folks you’re talking to, to recruit for your team understand what they’re joining. Right?

[00:05:37] Christine Mosholder: So, you want to make it really clear the type of organization you are, what you value, the types of people they’re going to be working with so that there are no surprises, and the transparency and respect for each other. Um, a, it helps recruit people, but it also shows there’s no surprises once they arrive.

[00:05:56] Christine Mosholder: They know exactly what to expect or generally what to expect on their first day. Um, that piece, along with then sort of the nurturing that comes along with retaining employees is key. One thing we’ve talked a lot about is connecting people to purpose. And that can be multifaceted. First and foremost, you’re connecting people to the purpose of your organization.

[00:06:22] Christine Mosholder: And that’s just not, you know, construction, project management, cost management, schedule. It’s also about the values, taking care of clients, taking care of each other, the quality of the work, the integrity that we need to have going into every relationship. The other piece that’s, um, a bit more indirect as far as purpose is the types of projects we’re working on, right?

[00:06:46] Christine Mosholder: So I know I’ve worked on a lot of lab projects over the years.

[00:06:50] Jessica Busch: Which is what we talked about last time.

[00:06:51] Christine Mosholder: It’s exactly right. That’s right.

[00:06:53] Jessica Busch: Changed gears a bit.

[00:06:53] Christine Mosholder: Exactly. So. You know, the purpose in that case is we’re not the scientists solving the next big vaccine challenge, but we are the people building that state of the art lab, keeping people safe, making sure they have all of the equipment they need.

[00:07:10] Christine Mosholder: And it’s being done as expeditiously as possible to get that research online. So we do have a hand in it. We may not be actually creating the end result, but we are a piece of that solution and I think that is kind of a cool thing to think about from a purpose perspective as well.

[00:07:26] Jessica Busch: So, we get the talent in the door. They’re the best of the best in our minds. And we get on these projects, and they can be years long.

[00:07:35] Christine Mosholder: Mm hmm.

[00:07:36] Jessica Busch: Scope can change. Technology can change. How do you ensure that the team member you selected from the get go is still the best team member throughout a project that’s years long as it evolves?

[00:07:51] Christine Mosholder: So part of that is who you choose as the fit from the beginning.

[00:07:54] Christine Mosholder: But I will say, um, resiliency and sort of flexibility, particularly now with the rate that things are changing, whether it’s technology. Or, um, conditions on a site or supply chain, all of those things, you have to be really ready to adapt and pivot at any time. And there’s going to be days where that’s going to feel really challenging.

[00:08:21] Christine Mosholder: I think that’s where you’re relying on your team. We might have a bench. Um, in that particular location that can really help during some of those peaks in activity. It goes back to also caring about each other, right? And, and that you, you know, that may get used a lot, but really the care in. Some days people are up, some days people are down.

[00:08:44] Christine Mosholder: You need to know you have that safety net. And, um, I think that collaboration is really important. Again, getting to know each other really well. Same with partners, right? We may have architects, engineers, construction managers that we’re relying on collectively for the success of the project. And those same behaviors and how people are treated should get extended. And that starts with us.

[00:09:08] Jessica Busch: As different personalities.

[00:09:09] Christine Mosholder: Exactly. Exactly.

[00:09:12] Jessica Busch: So, mentioning the component of care, really caring about your team members, and kind of translating that into then, what does development in terms of keeping your staff ready for the next big thing, what does staff development look like these days?

[00:09:34] Jessica Busch: Or what should it?

[00:09:35] Christine Mosholder: So I think it, it starts with, um, understanding what they care about.

[00:09:42] Jessica Busch: Okay.

[00:09:42] Christine Mosholder: And you know, back in like business school days, we talked a lot about managing by walking around. Um, which probably is showing my age a little bit because now with the hybrid, um, workplace, that walking around needs to translate into some other creative solutions and ways you can connect with your team members.

[00:10:01] Jessica Busch: Right.

[00:10:02] Christine Mosholder: And it’s still equally as important. It just manifests itself a little bit differently. So you might have to work a little harder to plant a coffee, right? Or you may just need to connect online in any mode of technology you can to make sure you’re really checking in with people. You know, I send a quick text and just say, how was your weekend?

[00:10:23] Christine Mosholder: What’s going on this week? There’s just a lot of change out there right now, not only in your direct workplace, but at a macro level, right? There’s a lot going on and people need support. People need support and you need to check in with them. And at the end of the day, people talk a lot about culture. I think culture.

[00:10:46] Christine Mosholder: The word has been used, almost overused, and at the end of the day.

[00:10:50] Jessica Busch: You’re catching me smiling about you saying that word.

[00:10:52] Christine Mosholder: Yeah, I mean, honestly, for me, what culture is, it’s, it’s your people. And what your people care about equals your culture.

[00:11:01] Jessica Busch: Right.

[00:11:01] Christine Mosholder: Right? So if you don’t know what your people care about.

[00:11:04] Jessica Busch: It is important.

[00:11:04] Christine Mosholder: It should, exactly.

[00:11:06] Christine Mosholder: Um, if you don’t know what they care about because you’re not in touch with them Then you really can’t help nurture them going forward. The other really key piece is everybody wants to know they have a path that someone’s thinking about and working with them, um, on their career path, right? And that might be individual contributors.

[00:11:25] Christine Mosholder: It might be subject matter experts. It might be people managers, but you need to be in touch with those folks. You need to be coaching and mentoring. And that all is based in care at the end of the day.

[00:11:38] Jessica Busch: So you’re ahead of me once again, your coaching philosophy.

[00:11:42] Christine Mosholder: Yes.

[00:11:43] Jessica Busch: I’m assuming you’ve had quite an evolution over the years.

[00:11:47] Christine Mosholder: So, um, yeah, my coaching philosophies come from a few different places. Not the least of which is coaching my children at lacrosse and soccer, but you learn a lot in those. In those situations,

[00:11:58] Jessica Busch: the dos and don’ts,

[00:11:59] Christine Mosholder: Um, how to motivate, right? How to motivate all different types of people.

[00:12:03] Jessica Busch: That’s fair.

[00:12:04] Christine Mosholder: Um, and again, unless you’re in touch with them, you don’t know what motivates them.

[00:12:08] Christine Mosholder: You don’t know what their stressors are.

[00:12:10] Jessica Busch: Mm-hmm .

[00:12:10] Christine Mosholder: And those things change over time.

[00:12:12] Jessica Busch: Mm-hmm .

[00:12:12] Christine Mosholder: Right? You hope to have employees with you for many years, decades, if you can.

[00:12:17] Jessica Busch: Right.

[00:12:18] Christine Mosholder: And so, you know, everybody’s balance changes, what’s happening at home changes, and you just need to really care enough to know generally what’s going on, what motivates them, what is, what are their challenges at that point, and where do they see themselves.

[00:12:33] Christine Mosholder: Sometimes they need your help in figuring that out as well.

[00:12:36] Jessica Busch: Well, and that takes the moment to actually have a conversation with these team members. And I’m assuming they’re all not pleasant conversations that you look forward to as a great coach, but what do those conversations, those difficult ones need to look like?

[00:12:54] Christine Mosholder: Yeah. So I think some of the best skills. we can help build in our team members is emotional intelligence and that includes difficult conversations. So you have to have the courage and the candor to bring up some difficult topics, right? And you can do that in a constructive way out of a place of caring.

[00:13:20] Christine Mosholder: And if it’s coming from a place of caring, um,

[00:13:24] Jessica Busch: And you’ve built that relationship with that employee from the start.

[00:13:28] Christine Mosholder: Exactly. And again, that’s sort of the goodwill, the trust, um, it still might be painful.

[00:13:35] Jessica Busch: Sure

[00:13:37] Christine Mosholder: But my experience is when you get to the other side, you actually have a stronger relationship. And they can choose to do what they want with the advice or the feedback.

[00:13:48] Christine Mosholder: But um, it’s really key for us to teach our team members how to have those conversations as well, because that’s what really then makes them better people managers and better project managers, frankly.

[00:14:02] Jessica Busch: Right. So changing the subject a bit and going back to something you touched on earlier, the construction industry as a whole, we are seeing rapid growth.

[00:14:13] Jessica Busch: It seems every day there’s some sort of change or a different way to use AI or a platform solution that’s coming out. Seems stressful as a team member, but how do you, you really balance supporting the team through that while also maintaining high performance standards?

[00:14:41] Christine Mosholder: Yeah. So, um, first of all, you need to be empathetic to the rate of the changes that are occurring.

[00:14:47] Jessica Busch: It’s a lot.

[00:14:48] Christine Mosholder: It’s a serious multiplier from even just five years ago.

[00:14:51] Jessica Busch: Right.

[00:14:52] Christine Mosholder: Right.

[00:14:52] Christine Mosholder: So when I’m out talking to people, just doing one on ones and kind of doing a vibe check with people, One of the common themes is, I’m exhausted from all of the different initiatives and change, right? It could be a reorg. It could be a new technology platform.

[00:15:09] Christine Mosholder: Um, AI, like, honestly, nobody knows exactly how that’s gonna impact everything, right?

[00:15:16] Jessica Busch: We’re all just guessing at this point.

[00:15:17] Christine Mosholder: Right, and almost the unknown is exhausting. Right?

[00:15:20] Jessica Busch: Fair.

[00:15:20] Christine Mosholder: So, I think knowing they have people to go to is really key. Um, and knowing that they’re that we’re supporting some kind of abalance and some days that’s really hard to do Because we do answer to our clients.

[00:15:36] Christine Mosholder: We’re consultants, right? But I think by role modeling as well that helps them sort of see Where they can go what the future holds for them and acknowledging I’m not the person who’s necessarily going to be the innovator when it comes to technology. I love having smarter people around me. Let me rely on you for this you for that I don’t have to be the expert in all of those things and that really gives other people a path, frankly, with all of the new innovations that are coming out.

[00:16:13] Jessica Busch: So with the culture of caring and even making sure who you’re hiring around you might be smarter or better at something than the actual leader to help, um, move things along. The industry is known to be one that’s pretty traditional in terms of approaches. And so When we’re talking about, you know, checking in, being people managers, really caring, having empathy, how do you really cultivate a distinct culture?

[00:16:46] Jessica Busch: I guess we can call it, that retains that top talent and you don’t just get lost in the mix of different firm.

[00:16:53] Christine Mosholder: Yeah. So I think the learning and the coaching top to bottom, bottom to top is key. Okay. I know, um, you know, in our organization, the continuous process improvement, the growth, those are pillars for us.

[00:17:10] Christine Mosholder: And people know that. These things are socialized. It shouldn’t be a surprise to folks that these are some of the things that we support. Um, and I think if that sort of permeates everything that we do. And again, you can have leaders and role models at every level. It doesn’t have to be necessarily senior leadership.

[00:17:29] Christine Mosholder: We have plenty of junior team members. Who are setting an amazing example and probably are better at some of the technology, pushing technology, solving some of the, um, simple day to day challenges we have with a new way of looking at things. So I think the key is meeting everybody where they are but looking for opportunity at every level in the organization.

[00:17:58] Jessica Busch: So my mind just kind of jumped to cohesive culture as a company, but Knowing that, you know, us as a firm, you know, we specialize hospitality, manufacturing, life science, you name it, education. So how do you maintain that cohesive culture or build on it, but still develop subject matter experts as the firm scales?

[00:18:27] Jessica Busch: Like, how do we maintain that balance, I guess, is my, my question.

[00:18:30] Christine Mosholder: Yeah, so I think the values are what holds everybody together. So you have a common set of values. That everybody, um, is socialized with is living and then what you have is how it manifests itself in these different, whether it’s in sectors, in regions, you know, geographically, people may live those values a little bit differently in one area than another.

[00:18:56] Christine Mosholder: Um, but at the end of the day, those values are what hold people together. And that behavior holds people together. Um, I think whether it’s a subject matter expert. Or a people manager or an individual contributor, all of these people have a role and value to the greater community. I also think people are looking for community.

[00:19:24] Christine Mosholder: And when we, we have scaled rapidly, those subsets, those smaller communities, whether it’s a community that’s rallied around a sector or a service or a particular geography, it’s important that people feel part of some of those smaller communities and don’t feel like they got lost in the larger organization.

[00:19:47] Christine Mosholder: Now that, you know, we’re international, that can happen.

[00:19:50] Jessica Busch: Right.

[00:19:51] Jessica Busch: Well, and you know what them lost. And it’s also, um, you know, the trust, right? So it’s critical not only just in personal relationships, it’s also critical on the job site. It’s critical with the client. How as a firm like ours scales, how do you build and maintain that trust from the top down? How does that even translate to our client relationships? Right?

[00:20:15] Christine Mosholder: So emotional intelligence has always been important, but I’m like more acutely aware of it now. And maybe it’s just maturing and a new role, but emotional intelligence is as important as the technical aspects of what we do every day.

[00:20:34] Christine Mosholder: And so that applies to not only managing our people, but our client relationships, our partner relationships, and. It goes back to understanding what makes people tick. What do they care about? How do they approach problem solving? How do they approach conflicts, right?

[00:20:56] Jessica Busch: Those soft skills.

[00:20:58] Christine Mosholder: Yes, and that’s something that in my new role, really important to help managers gain those skills and be confident about coaching and the soft skills, right?

[00:21:10] Christine Mosholder: That conflict resolution, in our role, we’re kind of like the hub. And we’re mediating a lot of things every day. Every day. Every day. And it can be really stressful. Right. And so having some good tips and techniques around conflict resolution, providing constructive feedback, some of those difficult conversations, um, I think makes people, first of all, do their job better.

[00:21:33] Jessica Busch: Yes.

[00:21:34] Christine Mosholder: But also feel better when they go home at night saying, you know what? I did that. I do hard things. Exactly. Exactly.

[00:21:41] Jessica Busch: So to change gears on your Another topic we’re seeing brought up in the construction industry a lot as a lot of leadership is looking to move on into their, you know, second career, retirement, get a sailboat, what have you.

[00:21:58] Jessica Busch: A lot of construction firms are struggling with succession planning. So what are your kind of thoughts on that approach to this challenge and what strategies are key?

[00:22:12] Christine Mosholder: It’s a really common theme right now, given people are sort of aging out or just choosing to retire at this stage. Um, so I think it’s not something you can think about three months before the person’s choosing to leave.

[00:22:31] Christine Mosholder: Right. So you need to be in touch with sort of what people’s timelines are. But you also need to be identifying those leaders and the high potential people managers early in the process. And. it doesn’t necessarily always have to be a people manager. It can be an individual contributor as well, but you need to identify those folks.

[00:22:51] Christine Mosholder: You need to be on the lookout for sort of key behaviors. You need to reward those key behaviors because that’s what keeps people on the team. Exactly. And then they’re being acknowledged, right? So that’s something we talk a lot about. Um, you know, there’s the added challenge, depending on the structure of your organization where you’re growing these folks organically.

[00:23:12] Christine Mosholder: You’re also potentially acquiring new companies that have a great bench of high performers.

[00:23:19] Jessica Busch: And looking out for that angle as well.

[00:23:21] Christine Mosholder: Exactly. And sort of seeing where they could land five years from now is really key. Um, and teaching other managers to be on the same lookout for the future, you know, not what’s right in front of us, but what are our.

[00:23:37] Jessica Busch: Needs going to be in five, 10 years as a firm?

[00:23:42] Jessica Busch: So for our listeners, before we wrap up, if you were to look ahead, um, just kind of from what, you know, and what you’re keeping your eye on, what would you say would be the most critical factors in terms of attracting and retaining this next generation of construction professionals?

[00:24:03] Christine Mosholder: I think you need to just really focus on what people care about.

[00:24:08] Christine Mosholder: And I think, um, people want to know they’re part of something bigger. That there’s a bigger purpose, but that people are also looking out for their specific path.

[00:24:24] Jessica Busch: Right.

[00:24:24] Christine Mosholder: Right? So it’s individual, but it’s also that bigger sense of community. And sometimes that’s like threading the needle depending on the day and the week and the clients they’re working with, the accounts.

[00:24:36] Christine Mosholder: Um, so I go back to the emotional intelligence, really key to be able to pick up on those things. Right. And bring people along. So they’re going to be the next round of coaches and that learning environment just continues. I think the continuous process improvement, people want to be part of something that’s growing.

[00:25:01] Jessica Busch: Yes.

[00:25:02] Christine Mosholder: They may not always be on the exact projects they want to be on, but as an organization, we need to ensure they feel that we’re supporting them and we’re looking out for their future.

[00:25:13] Jessica Busch: Security. And motivation.

[00:25:15] Christine Mosholder: Yeah, well right now it’s, it’s tough because there’s so many things that are destabilizing that if we can provide some stability and security, people want that.

[00:25:25] Jessica Busch: That’s a major benefit.

[00:25:26] Christine Mosholder: Mm hmm.

[00:25:27] Jessica Busch: Well, thank you. I, I won’t keep you any longer. Um, I know you got a jet, but, uh, Once again, thank you. Always.

[00:25:33] Christine Mosholder: Of course, of course. Anytime.

[00:25:35] Jessica Busch: I’m sure. Well, don’t say that because I will come knocking. So thank you. Thank you.

[00:25:39] Christine Mosholder: Thanks Jess. And we’ll talk soon.