Construction Industry Leaders Forum

Tuesday September 18, 2012 cocktails and dinner at the Bravi Restaurant

Wednesday September 19, 2012 (8 AM – 4 PM) Construction Industry Leaders Forum at the Albany Club

Sponsored by:  

Leadership: New Directions was the theme of the 2012 Construction Industry Leaders’ Forum that took place in Toronto September 18 - 19. Sponsored by B4 Consulting and Reed Construction Data, this year’s conference focused not only on the different styles of leadership required to lead the current and future workforce, but also what leadership role will be required from the Canadian construction industry to deliver its projects.

Leslie: Hands-on Approach for Modern Workforce

The day kicked off with a keynote presentation from retired Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie, whose experience leading troops in Yugoslavia and Afghanistan and in the command centres of the military provided an excellent background to explore the transformation of leadership.

Leslie spoke about the types of employees who make up the modern workforce. As a group, Leslie noted, they are smarter, better connected, and better informed than ever before. It requires a more hands-on and understanding approach to lead the modern workforce. “You can’t lead from inside your office,” Leslie told the group of about 80 leaders in the Canadian construction industry. “You can manage. But you cannot lead.”

Perspectives on Leadership and Harnessing It for Success

Leslie’s opening address set the stage for other sessions. First, a multi-generational panel examined the changing directions of leadership, including presentations from Michael Butt of Buttcon Ltd, Al Miller of Canem Systems, and Jim Harrison of Comstock Canada. Each provided their own perspectives on leadership, and how the industry can better prepare for changing demographics in its workforce. Following that, a luncheon presentation from leadership consultant Jim Wuest explored the different ways organizations can identify leaders and harness their leadership skills for success.

Owners’ Panel: More Collaboration and Teaming

To close out the day, the Construction Industry Leaders Forum held an owners’ panel, which featured representatives from the public and private sector, to discuss what trends may impact the construction industry on future projects. Representatives of the owners’ panel included Daniel Benjamin of Defence Construction Canada, Brian Soutar of Alberta Infrastructure, Tom Eichenbaum from the City of Burlington, and Jeff Murva from CB Richard Ellis. Some topics included greater use of PPP models, new technologies, and new project delivery mechanisms such as integrated project delivery. The panel also pointed out that lifecycle of projects is playing a more important role, which is resulting in more collaboration and team approaches to projects.