7 Traits You Need to Have to Be a Successful and Reliable Contractor
What does it take to be a successful and reliable contractor? You should be curious, humble, and thick-skinned, but there are many other qualities that you should possess. Here are some traits to have that will make you not only successful and reliable but will have clients and subcontractors willing to work with you more often.
#1: Good Communication Skills
As a contractor, your main responsibility will be to organize all parts of building and remodeling projects. You will be working with designers, architects, and subcontractors, such as plumbers and electricians. Most importantly, you will be communicating with your clients. You will want to make sure that you can effectively execute what your clients want, as well as make sure that everyone else involved has a clear understanding of the building project.
#2: Focus and Discipline
Focus is important in every job, so it is no different for contractors. Goals for a project should be clearly defined and communicated, and a successful contractor will see them through. Multitasking is tough since the human mind can’t focus (at least at 100%) on more than one task at a time. This is why contractors should not take on more projects than they can handle. They should be able to give the same amount of time, attention, and effort into every project they do.
The ability to focus requires discipline. There may be urges to cut corners to save on money, but a successful contractor knows when this is a viable option and when this could produce disastrous results.
#3: Integrity
A successful and reliable contractor will possess the quality of being moral, upright, and honest, and won’t do anything to compromise their integrity. It’s safe to say that no contractor would want to do something that might compromise their integrity or the integrity of their business. Immoral actions can result in the loss of license(s).
#4: Flexibility and Innovation
Things may not always go as planned, and it is important for a successful contractor to understand that. It’s also important to be able to see the big picture in order to make sure smart calls are made. With flexibility comes innovativeness, which allows successful contractors to find creative solutions to various problems.
#5: Leadership Skills
Another important skill that a successful contractor should have is that of leadership. As mentioned with communication, you will be in charge of many different projects being carried out by subcontractors. These subcontractors may run into issues and have questions, and it’s your responsibility as a leader to help your team.
#6: Persistence
This relates back to flexibility and innovation. While things may not go as planned the first time, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the first solution will always work. The first few solutions may not go as planned either. This is why a successful contractor must be persistent and not give up on a project. Some major changes may have to be made, but that’s where communication and integrity come in as well.
#7: Optimism and Willingness to Learn
When it seems like everything is going wrong, it is important for a successful contractor to stay optimistic. This is also important to help motivate subcontractors and other team members. You should see setbacks as an opportunity for creative solutions and mistakes as a teaching moment.
Everyone can learn from mistakes and a good contractor knows that he or she should never stop learning. That is why successful residential contractors take continued education in home building to not only keep their license updated, but learn more things related to the industry.
Working in any sector of construction is one of the most desired job opportunities today, and if you have any of these traits, then you’re likely to be a successful and reliable contractor.
Of course, all of these skills can be developed, so don’t lose hope if you don’t have all of them. If this is your passion, then these seven traits will come easily to you.
