I believe that reminders are the lifeline to success. Most likely, you will have heard something or everything I say here. But it’s worth reading because these reminders come from hundreds of hours in interviews with construction companies, seeing dozens of processes, talking with hundreds of candidates, and spending countless hours discussing with presidents and CEOs of different companies about their struggles and successes. These are simply some reflections that I believe, if properly implemented, can really help your company.  

Build Teams That Last

Most companies I work with are in the high-end residential space, general contractors, architects, subcontractors that are building multi-million dollar homes that are built to last. I am here to help them in consulting and recruiting to build teams that last as well.
In the construction space, your team is your company from its best moments and accomplishments to its worst. You need great people. Personally, I don’t call people “talent” like a lot of this industry does. It’s a mindset. These are people; they have talent. But they are people. Caring for them in such a way is a gateway to success.
You can’t scale quality work without project managers who think ahead, supers who own the field, coordinators who keep the team informed, and EAs who keep you moving. Having a mindset that values people and team is how great companies are built because great companies are great because great people work for them.

Yet, high turnover is rampant. Why? Because owners often focus on output, not alignment. Focus often falls to making more money instead of providing more value. The attention goes to the clients more than the team members. A healthy home base is a strong offense. And top people tend to leave when they feel unseen or stagnant, when they feel a lack of that alignment… 

Simply put: Prioritize your team, not your ego. When you count others as more significant than yourself—seeking to serve rather than be served—you create an environment people want to stay in. Look to the needs of your people, and the company will take care of itself because it will have self-disciplined, hard-working, great people running it.

What That Looks Like:

• Lead with humility, not hierarchy

• Removing any obstructions so that your team can do their best work

• Celebrate wins publicly; address issues privately (as much as possible)

• Make clarity and care (via communication) your leadership baseline

• Understanding what their goals are and helping them achieve those goals through your company. Win-win.

When people feel seen, supported, and respected—they usually stick around.

Foundations of Retention in Construction:

1. Clarity of Role and Expectations

• Are your team members clear on how success is measured?

• Do they know what’s in their lane and what’s not?

“The number one driver of top performer turnover is a disconnect between what the person was hired to do and what they are actually doing.”

— Geoff Smart & Randy Street, WHO

2. Meaningful Feedback

• Construction pros want direct feedback, not fluff. Are you reviewing performance regularly? (I have heard this from MANY people as something they wish they had…) 

• Do they know how to level up or move up? Help them grow.

3. A Vision They Resinate With

• Share the firm’s direction—what you’re building, who you’re becoming.

• Connect each person’s role to the larger mission and then don't change it… Let it be a foundation to the structure you build–unchanged, supportive, and key to everything else you do. Help them see how that vision aligns with their goals.

4. Trust & Autonomy

• High performers hate micromanagement; seriously, I have talked to hundreds of construction professionals, and this is a common theme. Let them run, check in by all means, but let them run! 

5. Stability & Process

• Are your systems chaotic or streamlined? People burn out in disorder, and they burn out in repetition. If you can try not to make people do processes that are duplicates. Cut the fat and rely on the people to do a good job - then they will want to do a good job.  

• Do your internal tools (Procore, Buildertrend, Gantt charts) help or hinder? What is essential, and what is duplication?

Thoughtful Leadership Looks Like:

• Having quarterly check-ins—even informal ones.

• Noticing when people go the extra mile and acknowledging it.

• Providing training or mentorship that’s practical, not corporate.

• Listening to people and helping them achieve their goals by aligning them with the company’s needs.

• Finding problems and solving them making the company a better place to be.

You don’t have to do a whole lot of things to retain people. You just need to lead with consistency, clarity, and care.
“The most important decisions that business people make are not what decisions, but who decisions.”
— Jim Collins, Good to Great

As always, I hope that the reminders serve as a springboard to greater companies, including yours.
God bless,

Gabriel Johnson
Executive Construction Recruiter | Artisan Recruiting
(763) 244-2722
Gabriel@artisan-recruiting.com

>> Learn more about my process here. <<