Let’s Talk Leadership: Sitdown with Karen Barefoot, Guest Speaker at ABCC Summer Construction Convention: Part 2

This is the 2nd in a two-part series featuring Karen Barefoot.

After a long and successful career as a basketball player and coach, Karen Barefoot began a new career leading organizational development for a construction company, Industrial Reliability and Repair (IRR). Karen will be a keynote speaker at the upcoming ABC Carolinas’ Construction Convention in Charleston, SC. GroundBreak’s Lauren Gallagher had the opportunity to sit down with Karen to learn more about her interesting background and get a preview of what attendees can expect from her keynote.

What strategies do you employ to motivate and inspire your team members in the construction industry, drawing upon your experiences as a basketball player and coach?

Constant communication is key to success, as I always said to my teams a quiet gym is a losing gym. I have been blessed to be a Hall of Fame player and coach and the key has been communication and positive leadership. Every Monday morning, I lead IRR our weekly coordination meetings. Being energetic, positive, and motivating to start the week off while talking about our goals, problem solving, and needs and leads. I like to leave our team with a motivation quote as I had one on every practice plan while coaching basketball. Follow ups are important throughout the week to lead and meet our goals.

How do you balance the need for assertiveness and decisiveness as a leader in the construction industry with the more collaborative and democratic aspects of basketball team dynamics?

Some strategies to strike a balance include establishing clear vision and direction, effective communication, delegating and empowering others, consensus-building and buy-in, recognizing true expertise and fostering learning and development, adopting a flexible leadership style, promoting trust and transparency, and fostering a positive team culture. Employing these strategies requires finding the right blend of authority, teamwork, communication, and trust to drive project success while valuing and respecting the contributions of each team member.

What lessons have you learned from your basketball career that have been instrumental in fostering a culture of accountability and responsibility within your construction company?

First and foremost–lead by example. In basketball, team captains and star players often lead by example through their dedication, work ethic, and commitment to the team’s success. Similarly, in a corporate environment, leaders should embody the values of accountability and responsibility, demonstrating their commitment to deadlines, quality, and safety. When leaders set the right example, it encourages employees to follow suit. Also, we must always strive to foster a culture of learning. Basketball teams continuously learn and adapt strategies to improve their performance. Similarly, leaders in an organization should foster a culture of learning and development by encouraging employees to expand their knowledge, attend training sessions, and share best practices. Promoting a learning culture cultivates a sense of responsibility for individual growth and the overall success of the organization. Furthermore, efforts in continuous learning should be both recognized and rewarded. In basketball, players are often recognized and rewarded for their outstanding performances. Likewise, in a construction company, leaders should acknowledge and celebrate the achievements and contributions of employees as it will reinforce accountability and motivate employees to take responsibility for their work.

How do you foster a growth mindset among your team members, encouraging them to embrace challenges and continuously improve, similar to how athletes strive for continuous improvement in basketball?

Fostering a growth mindset among team members in a construction company, like the continuous improvement mindset in basketball, involves creating an environment that values learning, embraces challenges, and encourages personal and professional growth. In addition to some of the areas addressed mentioned above such as leading by example and encouraging learning and development, leaders and organizations must embrace challenges as opportunities, encourage risk-taking and innovation, create an environment for constructive feedback, foster knowledge sharing, celebrate growth and progress, and support autonomy and ownership. Adopting and implementing these strategies as an organizational mindset cultivates resilience, a hunger for improvement, and a commitment to personal and professional growth, leading to higher levels of innovation, productivity, and success.

As a leader, how do you leverage your experience in basketball to create a positive and inclusive work environment within the construction industry?

Basketball is a team sport that relies on effective teamwork and collaboration. Leaders can adopt this approach by promoting a culture of teamwork throughout the organization. By encouraging employees to work together, to value each other’s contributions, and to collaborate on projects, an environment can be created where diverse perspectives are respected, and teamwork is celebrated. In terms of creating an inclusive work environment, basketball teams are often composed of individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, and skill sets. It is often this diversity that breeds the most success. As leaders in any organization, we must recognize the value in diversity (i.e., various professional or educational backgrounds, skills and training, cultures, and ethnicities, etc.) to promote an inclusive workplace culture where everyone feels valued and respected for their unique contributions.

What advice would you give to aspiring leaders in the construction industry who may not have a sports background but are looking to develop their leadership skills?

Not all effective leaders have a sports background, and not everyone with a sports background is an effective leader. Leadership is truly a journey, and it takes time and practice to develop and refine your skills. Stay committed, be open to learning, and seize opportunities to grow as a leader within the construction industry. Some of the easiest ways to accomplish this are to seek out diverse experiences that will broaden your skill set and perspective, learn from other leaders you admire, invest in leadership development, develop strong communications skills, build relationships and networks, and practice empathy and emotional intelligence. Most importantly, cultivate a humbling sense of self-awareness. Take the time to reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, values, and leadership style and understand how your own actions and behaviors impact others. Seek out and accept feedback from colleagues, superiors, and subordinates to gain valuable insights into your leadership approach – it will only make you better.

Karen Barefoot is Director of Organizational Effectiveness for Industrial Reliability and Repair. She can be reaches at Kbarefoot@irr-us.com.