A culture of team dedication and collaboration is crucial in the commercial construction industry. From creating a successful partnership between stakeholders to working together to complete a deadline, fostering collaboration, and empowering individuals to flourish are all essential for project success. At Crain, we refer to this as “team dedication.”
Team Dedication is one of our core values that shape the way we approach every project. It involves putting the goals of the team before your own interest and maintaining our commitment to doing the right thing. Team dedication also means investing in our employees and looking for opportunities to help them thrive while contributing to our collective success.
In this blog post, we will take a closer look at Crain’s approach to team dedication — where everyone feels valued, empowered, and respected. We will also share some of the benefits of this approach and how it has helped us to achieve success.
4 Ways Crain Incorporates Team Dedication & Collaboration in Commercial Construction
Here are four specific ways we work to create a spirit of team dedication across every area of our company:
1. We foster a relationship-first mindset and work strategically to create alignment among stakeholders.
After more than 90 years in the construction industry, we’ve learned that a successful project requires everyone involved pulling in the same direction while also bringing their individual talents and welcoming the strengths of others.
As a result, we are incredibly intentional about cultivating solid relationships with project owners. We believe in partnering with architects and collaborating with design teams during the pre-construction process. Our trade partners offer so much value and expertise in their particular scopes of work, and we recognize it’s crucial to listen and learn from them.
2. Our entire team is committed to pitching in and doing whatever it takes to get the job done.
Most construction firms consider everyone doing their job and working together to be successful. While we do that at Crain, we take it a step further by doing whatever it takes to help our teammates. Practically speaking, it’s looking at the shared goal of the project and pitching in wherever needed to help get that done.
You rarely hear anyone at Crain say, “I’m not doing that. It’s not my job.” Where we can, we help our teammates for the ultimate success. If a project manager needs to take a break and vacation with his family, you will often see one of our VPs step into their role until they return.
3. We want every team member to thrive and lead in a way that cultivates their strengths.
As a family-owned company, we treat our employees like an extension of our family. This mentality impacts the way we lead in a variety of ways. First, our leaders and managers take the time to build genuine relationships with each person on their team. We want to know everyone’s strengths, professional goals, and life aspirations. Our executive team deliberately creates opportunities for employees to exercise their strengths and grow professionally. As our forepersons or project managers lead a project, they constantly look at how they can develop their team.
4. We embrace a collaborative approach to decision-making.
Decision-making is where we are the most conscious about fostering a spirit of collaboration. We don’t want to make big decisions in a vacuum. One proverb says, “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.” Over the years, we’ve found that multiple perspectives often lead to a more holistic understanding and result in better decisions. We intentionally create a culture of respect and collaboration for the decisions we make at every level of the company.
A Construction Firm Built on Collaboration & Relationships
We’ll be the first to admit that we aren’t perfect. But our culture of collaboration, support, and general care for people makes Crain unique, which is why so many employees believe it is a great place to work. Many of our employees from other commercial construction areas often say our culture is the best thing about working for Crain.
If you’re a developer interested in learning more about our approach or how we can help with your next project, we’d love to talk.
If you’re looking for a job in construction, you can get an inside look at what it’s like to work at Crain and explore our current job openings.
