Podium Developments staff gather for the grand opening of a residential development in Kingston, Ont.Provided
You might not think of public speaking as an important skill for a project manager in construction to learn. But that’s one of many external courses that Podium Development Corp. reimburses its employees for – a sign that the Toronto-based real estate development and building company is thinking outside the box.
“If it’s something I want to do to grow my skill set, it’s supported,” says Hani Agha, who started at Podium right out of university six years ago and has worked his way up to his current role as a project manager in construction. “They focus on both technical and soft skills, and we’re encouraged to grow both.”
Agha, who has also taken a course in construction law, uses his public speaking skills both externally and internally to give presentations to building owners and contractors and chairing staff meetings.
“Effective communication is something we’re big on at Podium, and being able to vocalize ideas and speak to your team is important,” he says. “We have biweekly meetings where we share our experiences and what we learned from them, and discuss how other team members can use them to tackle any issues they come across.”
Christian Huggett, vice-president, development, says Podium’s culture is based around establishing a positive workplace where employees are encouraged to share their ideas and collaborate with each other.
“We’re not that big and we’re not that hierarchical, so new ideas are welcome,” he says. “We have a lot of touchpoints with our team throughout the week, as well as social gatherings. Particularly during the pandemic, it became most important to create those moments for people to get together and share ideas.”
Another important focus is on helping employees develop their skills and careers in a supportive environment, which has resulted in a low staff turnover rate. Podium team members undertake an annual planning exercise to discuss their professional goals, and if they’re interested in pursuing a professional certification or course in asset management, finance or real estate, they’ll be supported.
“We don’t have a formal mentoring process, but team members are informally mentored all the time,” says Huggett. “They’re exposed to multiple facets of the real estate business and can learn a wide spectrum of skills – everything from buying a site to getting approvals and building, leasing or selling it. There are lots of opportunities to grow.”
Agha says that from the day that Podium reps came to his university building science class, he knew he wanted to work there. And he appreciates the fact that he’s had the chance to be part of some exciting projects, including Kingston’s first zero-carbon residential building.
“Podium is a very innovative place,” he says. “They’re not afraid of taking risks, trying new technologies and new ideas. That stood out to me, and I wanted to be part of it. It’s a great place to grow, with a lot of room to develop new ideas and expand your skill set. I feel like that has been happening since I joined, and it hasn’t stopped.”
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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.