How to Get Your Team to Run the Business Like You Would

I'm hopeful that over the last several weeks you have started to see how the pieces of the puzzle fit together and the steps you can take to address the challenges you are experiencing with the people part of your business. I know how overwhelming all the bits can feel and that's why I wanted to lay them out in a relatively clear manner so wherever you are experiencing your biggest challenge, you can see how to start approaching the fix.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve discussed:

• Why your construction business feels stuck and how delegation is the key to breaking through. (Read it here.) 

• How to delegate effectively so you’re not the bottleneck anymore. (Read it here.) 

• Who your first (or next) leadership hire should be and how to find or develop the right person. (Read it here.)

However, even if you’ve hired great people, you might find yourself asking "Why does everything still fall apart when I'm not here?"

If that sounds familiar, you don’t have a people problem, you have an accountability problem.

Your team needs to take ownership, not just follow orders.

So today we are going to talk about how to build accountability within your company - how to build a culture where your people think like owners, solve problems on their own, and run the business the way you would, even when you’re not there.

Why Accountability Is the #1 Missing Piece in Most Construction Teams

Just due to the nature of the work we do, most construction businesses don’t have an execution problem, what they have is a follow-through problem.

Here’s how that usually plays out:

1. The owner lays out a plan. 

2. The team nods and agrees. 

3. Two weeks later… nothing has changed.

4. The owner gets frustrated and the team gets back to doing things as they are used to.

It’s not that your team doesn’t want to perform, it’s that they have no support or direction in the growth and accountability isn’t built into your business.

When there’s no accountability, everything relies on you to follow up, check in, and push things forward.

And that means you’re stuck in the weeds, instead of focusing on scaling the business.

How to Get Employees to Take Ownership Instead of Just Following Orders

If your team is waiting for you to tell them what to do instead of thinking like leaders, try this shift:

• Instead of just assigning tasks, give them outcomes to own. You can tell them what you need done or how to do something, do not tell them both. Give them the opportunity to do some problem solving, to figure it out on their own (within their range of responsibilities). For example, instead of “Call the supplier and arrange for the delivery of this list of materials for Wednesday”, say “We need the materials onsite to start work Thursday morning”.

• Instead of jumping in to fix problems, coach them to solve it themselves. Coaching through challenges is the best way to support the growth of your people. It is supportive and trusting. It gives your people the opportunity to think and take risks both of which builds confidence. Instead of “Here’s what to do,” ask “What do you think the best approach is?”

• Instead of assuming alignment, require clarity. When something seems really obvious to you, it may seem obvious to no one else. Make zero assumptions when something is important - especially in the early days when everyone is attempting to figure out what this new way of doing things will look like. Ask: “Based on what we discussed, what’s your next step?” If they can’t answer, they didn’t fully understand.

Accountability starts when you let go of controlling everything and support your team to own results, not just tasks. 

The 5-Part System to Ensure Quality, Consistency, and Productivity

It may seem overly simple, however, it's important to remember that simplicity scales. It is difficult to run complex systems, predictably and the more complex you make them, the more likely they are to fail. To create a high-accountability culture, build these five simple systems into your business:

1. Clear Expectations – Every role should have defined deliverables and responsibilities. People need to know what success looks like.

2. Structured Check-Ins – Weekly or bi-weekly meetings to review progress, hold people accountable, and keep things moving forward.

3. Transparent Scorecards – Metrics that show individual and team performance, so accountability is visible to everyone.

4. Ownership Culture – Reward initiative, responsibility, and decision-making, not just hard work.

5. Consequences for Lack of Accountability – If there’s no follow-through, there must be real consequences. Otherwise, you’re enabling bad habits. You teach people what is acceptable by the consequences you are either willing, or unwilling to enforce.

When these five elements are in place, your business runs like a well-oiled machine, even when you’re not there.

What’s Next? Turning Your Business into a Scalable, Self-Sufficient Machine

We’ve now covered the core pieces of scaling your construction business

beyond you:

✅ Delegation – Letting go and stepping into leadership. 

✅ Leadership Hiring – Finding the right people. 

✅ Accountability – Ensuring follow-through.

However, real freedom comes when your business runs without your constant involvement.

If you’re ready to implement these systems into your business, let’s talk. I help construction business owners build scalable, self-sufficient companies, so they can stop working 80-hour weeks and actually enjoy the business they built.

Reach out if you're ready for things to be different.

Drop a comment, I’d love to hear your experience.