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Although there will always be a necessary chain of command within a construction project – starting with the client and finishing with the specialist workers on site – it takes a team effort to get the job done. However, simply getting the job done won’t cut it at a time when clients are considering every penny spent and contractor margins are being ever more tightly squeezed.

There are lots of things that can go wrong on site, and responsibility is always a sensitive subject. But, without focusing on the legalities, responsibility should not be sensitive.

There are countless examples of environments in which everyone takes individual responsibility and the results speak for themselves – construction does not have to be any different.

It is essential that everyone feels that they win together and lose together. There should be no passengers and no superstars

Before I began my construction career, I spent several years working in professional rugby performance analysis at London Irish RFC and Wasps RFC. I still use the lessons I learnt about high performing teams and mentality today, which is why I am certain that the construction industry has a thing or two to learn from professional sport.

Everyone has a role to play, but, if key figures – such as site managers – help to build each individual’s confidence, then overall productivity can be increased. The challenge for many will be finding the time to focus on other people, but this is a key part of building togetherness.

It is essential that everyone feels that they win together and lose together. There should be no passengers and no superstars.

For example, morning briefings cannot be a tick-box exercise – they need to be personal and engaging. Discussion needs to be encouraged, and workers must feel prepared and inspired to do their bit every day.

Two heads are better than one is the saying, but on a construction site there is potential for a much greater number of people to use their experience and expertise collectively. In my own experience, the best performing sites are the ones that adopt this mentality and maintain a sense of unity.

It is not always as simple as saying to yourself that you want to work to the highest standard. But, when you are part of a team, there will be facilitators there to help keep everyone moving in the same direction.

In professional sport, real-time performance analysis is carried out during training and competitive matches. This opportunity is also available within construction with the assistance of specialist technology, but the commitment to betterment is more important than the analysis itself.

In the same way that training all week means a rugby team knows it’s ready for matchday, construction teams should be reassured that their own training and briefings have readied them for the job

When players – or workers in a construction environment – are driven to succeed, the likelihood of positive outcomes is increased. Knowing that others want you to succeed and wanting to make your own significant contribution is part of the recipe for a supportive atmosphere.

Creating this type of atmosphere can also help with issues such as mental health. In an industry that has a concerning connection to male suicide, the power of relationships and purpose can offer everyday wellbeing benefits – and people are able to spot signs and communicate more easily.

Confidence can come from different sources, one of which is repeatability. In the same way that training all week means a rugby team knows it’s ready for matchday, construction teams should be reassured that their own training and briefings have readied them for the job. It can be inspiring and reassuring to know that you are contributing to something that is bigger than you and nothing is a given. Complacency should be the biggest concern, whereas potential should be a key motivator.

The right mentality and singing from the same hymn sheet can remove barriers to success. Sport is a results driven business, so why can’t construction be the same?

Stuart Ware is a senior customer success manager at MSite and a former Premiership rugby performance analyst