Diggers and Dirt: The Secret to Effective Leadership

There is a big difference between leaders who skim the surface and those who dig deep. In construction, the ability to dig, to probe, and to uncover what is really going on in a project is what separates successful organizations from those that flounder.

I was speaking recently with a potential client about organizational structure. We discussed how project managers and superintendents typically manage three projects, sometimes five at most, and report up to project executives or project directors. Those executives in turn report to directors of operations or integrators who support the COO. The problem arises when these leaders are spread too thin. Once they take on too much, they become ineffective.

But there is another trap even more damaging: putting optimists in key leadership positions. I once worked with a general superintendent who, when reviewing a troubled project with unsuitable soil and repeated flooding, brushed everything off with hopeful statements like, “It should be fine this time.” Despite evidence to the contrary, he refused to dig into the data. That mindset ended his career in that role.

This is why I say that in these senior positions, you must have diggers. Diggers are people who refuse to settle for surface-level answers. They ask tough questions. They verify claims. They demand to see the data. When someone says the budget is fine, a digger asks to see the projections. When someone says the schedule is on track, a digger wants to see the plan, the sequencing, and the risks.

Leaders who are only optimists tend to passively encourage without solving problems. But leaders who dig model accountability. They show project managers and superintendents what it means to hold teams responsible for performance. Without that, organizations drift into mediocrity.

The digger is only half the equation, though. The other half is dirt. Dirt represents the actual information: the schedule, the zone maps, the logistics plans, the risk and opportunity registers, the procurement logs, and the financial projections. Dirt is the raw material that diggers need to find the truth. Without dirt, even the best leader cannot dig.

I once used the analogy of our family dog. She has the instinct to bury her bone, but if she does not have real dirt, she injures herself trying to bury it in a blanket. Leaders are the same way. You can have someone who naturally digs, but without data and visual systems, their efforts go nowhere and even cause harm.

When organizations lack detailed schedules, proper financial forecasts, procurement logs, and risk registers, they deprive their leaders of dirt. Without that dirt, leaders cannot dig, and the organization is left blind. The result is a cycle of surprises, roadblocks, and firefighting that destroys flow.

On the other hand, when leaders have both diggers and dirt, remarkable things happen. A digger with accurate data sees problems early. They bring the team together to solve issues before they become crises. They model accountability and teach their direct reports to lead with rigor instead of wishful thinking.

This is why I emphasize that project executives, directors, and integrators must be diggers, and their organizations must provide dirt. Together, diggers and dirt create clarity, consistency, and confidence in execution. Without both, projects struggle and organizations stall.

If you are building your leadership team, look for diggers. Look for those who ask questions until they uncover the truth, who are not satisfied with surface answers, and who can model accountability with respect. Then equip them with dirt: the schedules, the plans, the metrics, and the systems that give them something to dig into.

With diggers and dirt working together, projects flow, teams align, and organizations thrive.

Key Takeaway
Successful construction organizations require both diggers and dirt. Leaders must dig relentlessly for the truth, and organizations must provide the schedules, projections, and data that allow them to uncover it.