There is a new word beginning to creep into the vocabulary of construction companies, especially growing or already existing large companies. Virtual!

I was introduced to the term several years ago while doing some leadership training for Compaq, before they merged with H-P. Most of their young technical managers worked through created teams that would each take on special projects for the company. However, what made the leading of such teams so difficult was that most of the team members or project teams were located in different cites around the world.

One leader might have a project member or team in Bangkok, one in Toronto, and one in London, beside Los Angeles and Boston. Therefore, the leader running several teams had to almost be virtually everywhere at once...but couldn't! Thus the need to stretch the leader's skills to be able to oversee, coach, inspect, etc. multiple projects at different locations.

Now, your company may not have a project crew in another country, or even another state but if you lead multiple crews and they are all not on one job site, you completely understand the almost helpless feeling of wanting to be everywhere when you know you can't be. Let me provide you with a few action steps that will help expand your leadership impact to multiple crews at different project sites.

Virtual Tip No. 1
Over-Emphasize "Pre-Con" Planning
This should happen even if your project is across the street from your own office; however it is especially important when you're not going to be on a job site daily. To put this thought bluntly, most construction fails miserably on a good and consistent pre-construction effort. Line up the players, processes, protocols and procedures that will be engaged and executed and plan every step possible for the project. Literally address the 5Ws & H for the project. (Who, what, where, why, when, and how!)