In 1979, I remember walking into a new, beautiful country manor. The two-story foyer was painted in Williamsburg Blue with a curving, rising stairwell on the left side.

And, in the middle of this grand foyer, hung a pigtail — not a grand chandelier or a builder-grade candelabra, but a bare 150W light bulb dangling from two or three wires that emerged from the smooth, flat white ceiling.

I was told that a chandelier had been ordered during construction, which was to be the centerpiece of the foyer. But as the house was being completed, the fixture was backordered. When the home was finished, the family moved in, but the fixture never arrived.

Over time, the family grew accustomed to the pigtail; in the everyday bustle of life, it became acceptable. And so, the pigtail remained, a chandelier was never hung, and the owner’s vision was never completed.

As many construction entrepreneurs turned executives begin to contemplate their next chapter (stepping back, easing out, spending more time with the family, enjoying life, etc.), they often dwell on the things they wanted to do that never got done — their pigtails.

These pigtails sometimes become a reason (or excuse) to postpone their next chapter and stay around long enough to check a few more items off the list. Somehow, they believe that they now have whatever was lacking before (time, focus, energy, skill set, etc.) to get it done if they just hang around a little longer. So, the next step is postponed, and the pigtails keep hanging around.

This article explores strategic planning through a scenario that dives into management vs. leadership, addresses pigtails, and discusses a strategy to help leaders pivot to successfully achieve a mission and vision.

The Scenario: Management Succession Planning

I watched a construction entrepreneur present during a meeting recently. The discussion was about management succession planning and the related organizational changes in leadership at a construction company. Seated around the conference table were company leaders and outside consultants.

This entrepreneur was passionately defending their position of being hesitant about change. They bounced from topic to topic, declaring all the things that needed to be done and how the potential successors needed to be aware of each of these items and their importance, all while simultaneously saying how the gathered successors may not have what it takes to get these imperatives completed their way.

Left unsaid was that these imperatives were in fact the pigtails that had been ignored for years while the entrepreneur was the chair, CEO, and president of the organization all at the same time.

Unreasonableness as an Asset (& a Liability)

While this phenomenon is not limited to entrepreneurs who become executives, it seems to happen with more frequency than with managers. Entrepreneurial spirit is, at its best, an untamable force. The journey is exciting, and each day is dynamic. Why would such unbounded spirit and drive ever need to be corralled or focused? Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw stated it well: “Nothing was ever accomplished by a reasonable man. The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

While an entrepreneur’s success may depend on their unreasonableness, this trait often lends itself to hesitancy in turning over the reins of leadership and management to others, even when successors are well-suited — or maybe even better suited — for the tasks at hand. Add to that the high risk and fast pace of the construction industry, and you have a person who “leaps tall buildings in a single bound” — or at least that’s how they may perceive themselves.

A construction entrepreneur who evolves into a leader is an amazingly adaptive creature. The mentality must often evolve from get it built to build others, which can transform an organization. The question at hand is, “How can a construction financial professional (CFP) with a seat at the executive table facilitate this evolution?” Or it might be, “How can a CFP gain a seat at the executive table by facilitating this evolution?”

A Pivot

As a colleague and I debriefed the previously mentioned meeting during our drive from the contractor’s office, he shared a poignant observation.

When an outside executive came into the room, the construction entrepreneur’s demeanor shifted. This shift was dramatic, yet so natural, and it told of a possibility.

The construction entrepreneur pivoted instantly from tactical to strategic, setting about communicating their vision for the company’s future and all the possibilities and opportunities that awaited each leader in the room. The entrepreneur became animated as they delivered the message, and, in turn, the other leaders leaned in and engaged in the conversation.

Except for their mere presence, the outside executive brought nothing into the room to spark this shift. However, the entrepreneur had a perceived expectation that the outsider had a perception of the entrepreneur’s leadership ability. And through that perceived expectation, the entrepreneur’s behavior changed, even if temporarily, into a leader and a visionary.

The entrepreneur had a new set of eyes and ears in the room — a new audience. And they performed as if on cue, energized the conversation, presented opportunities, and painted the vision. They were, in fact and action, a leader.

What If There Was a Better Way?  

So, what if an organization was structured to intentionally pivot that entrepreneur into leadership mode? Could that allow the vision, energy, and those great ideas to blossom earlier and more often? What if much of the busyness, overscheduling, and day-to-day management was no longer a priority? What if the first step to the next chapter was a step toward being a leader rather than a manager?

The entrepreneur must want to pivot. And to do so, they need to gain the perspective of the outside executive walking into the room and expect themselves to be a leader. How do we create that desire to pivot?