Today in 5 Minutes or less, you’ll learn why leadership habits matter:
✔ The Authenticity Advantage → Why vulnerability isn’t weakness, but a leadership superpower.
✔ Empathy in Action → How genuine understanding builds unshakeable team loyalty.
✔ Purpose-Driven Decision Making → The secret to making choices that align with your company’s mission.
✔ The Growth Mindset Shift → Why embracing challenges leads to unprecedented business growth.
✔ Courageous Accountability → How holding yourself and others to high standards drives results for all.
Are you struggling to build a thriving contracting business that makes a real difference in the lives of your team?
Many contractors focus solely on profits, neglecting the human element that drives success. I’ve been there too…
I was chasing the next dollar in my contracting business and missing the call to impact-driven leadership that my team was craving.
I recently had the privilege of interviewing Tyler Dickerhoof on this very topic. Tyler is a top network marketer and leadership expert with loads of wisdom on impact-driven leadership and how it makes a difference in every area of your life and business
Many home service contractors struggle with developing a leadership style that truly inspires their team. This leads to disengagement, high turnover, and missed opportunities. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Let’s tackle this head-on with a practical approach. I’ve seen these habits work wonders for hundreds of contractors, and they align closely with Tyler’s expertise.
Here’s how to create a powerful leadership style that attracts top talent and drives results. All in just five simple habits.
The Leadership Trap: Why Most Contractors Get It Wrong
Leadership isn’t just what you do—it’s who you are. In the contracting world, your leadership style shapes every aspect of your business, from team morale to customer satisfaction.
Top-performing companies don’t leave leadership to chance. They cultivate it intentionally to align with their values and vision. Yet, many contractors think strong leadership will just happen naturally as they grow.
That’s a huge mistake.
Tyler Dickerhoof emphasizes, “Impact-driven leadership is not about success. It’s not about what I can gain. How can I help others and serve others? How can I help them reach their purpose or live out their giftings?”
Traditional approaches focus on top-down authority and maintaining a stoic facade. These miss the mark entirely.
A fancy truck and a firm handshake aren’t leadership. They’re surface-level perks.
The most effective leaders start with self-awareness and a commitment to personal growth. Then they build their leadership style around those foundations. This aligns every aspect of the business with its fundamental purpose.
Let’s break down how to do this for your contracting business.
Habit 1: Embrace Authentic Vulnerability
False Belief: Showing vulnerability makes you look weak and incompetent.
This is the crucial first step in building your impact-driven leadership style.
Your willingness to be genuine and open sets the tone for everything else. It’s not about oversharing or being emotional. It’s about being real and relatable.
Dickerhoof shares from experience: “I’ve had to recognize, oh, that’s what makes it uncomfortable. And that’s when my insecurity is showing. And so it comes back to, you know, when you’re willing to recognize that, hey, my job is to help you do your job better. It isn’t about what I know or what I can do but how I can serve you.”
“I’ve had to recognize that discomfort often signals when my insecurity is showing. When you’re willing to recognize that, you realize your job is to help others do their job better. It’s not about what I know or what I can do— it’s about how I can serve you.”
Consider these examples:
- Admitting when you don’t have all the answers
- Sharing lessons learned from past mistakes
- Asking for help or input from your team
- Acknowledging your own areas for improvement
Each of these actions builds trust and respect. Take time to practice this regularly.
Many of us start with the belief that we need to appear perfect and all-knowing. That’s not enough.
Avoiding vulnerability leads to a disconnected leadership style. You might end up with a team that fears making mistakes and hides problems. Or worse, you could build a culture of distrust and blame.
Remember, vulnerability isn’t just about you. It gives permission for your entire team to be more open and honest.
Habit 2: Cultivate Active Empathy
False Belief: Empathy is a “soft skill” that doesn’t impact the bottom line.
Your ability to truly understand and connect with your team is a massive motivator. It should be specific and practiced daily.
Don’t rush this habit. A superficial approach to empathy will leave your team feeling unheard and undervalued. If you don’t cultivate it intentionally, you’re likely to create a culture of disengagement.
Tyler Dickerhoof offers a unique perspective on empathy: “Empathy is like coming alongside someone, putting your arm around them, and walking together. When you do this, there’s a crucial component: you must be genuine. You can’t truly empathize without being authentic.”
To build your empathy muscle:
- Schedule regular one-on-one meetings focused solely on listening
- Practice rephrasing what you’ve heard to ensure understanding
- Consider how decisions will impact different team members before acting
- Look for non-verbal cues that might indicate unspoken concerns
- Ask thoughtful follow-up questions to dig deeper into issues
This process creates a culture of psychological safety and belonging. It gives your team a compelling reason to bring their best selves to work each day.
Habit 3: Lead with Purpose-Driven Decision Making
False Belief: Business decisions should be based primarily on profit potential.
This habit forms the foundation of your company’s behavior and long-term success.
Don’t rush it. Many companies make decisions based purely on short-term financial gain. That’s not what we’re doing here.
Dickerhoof emphasizes the importance of purpose: “If you pursue legacy, it becomes very selfish, but if you pursue impact, that leaves a legacy.”
To align your decisions with your purpose, ask these questions:
- How does this choice reflect our core values?
- Will this move us closer to our long-term vision?
- How does this impact our team, customers, and community?
- Are we sacrificing long-term success for short-term gains?
- What message does this decision send about our priorities?
- How will this choice be viewed 5 or 10 years from now?
This “purpose check” ensures your decisions are genuine and meaningful. It prevents you from simply chasing profits at the expense of your culture. If you have a leadership team, involve them in this process to create buy-in.
Once you have clear purpose-driven decision-making habits, they’ll serve as a powerful filter for growth opportunities and daily operations. This makes building and maintaining your impact-driven leadership much easier moving forward.
Here’s a real-world example: A contracting company turned down a lucrative but ethically questionable project because it violated their core value of integrity. Result? They attracted even more high-quality clients who appreciated their principled stance.
Living your purpose pays off in more ways than you ever expect.
Habit 4: Cultivate a Growth Mindset
False Belief: Leadership skills are innate – you either have them or you don’t.
Your commitment to continuous learning and improvement sets the tone for your entire organization.
It should naturally emerge from your other leadership habits. Look for opportunities to grow in your daily work. Perhaps it’s:
- Reading leadership books and discussing insights with your team
- Seeking out mentors or joining peer groups in the industry
- Encouraging and rewarding innovation and calculated risk-taking
- Viewing setbacks as learning opportunities rather than failures
- Investing in training and development for yourself and your team
Model this growth mindset in your words and actions. This becomes a rallying cry for your team and a differentiator in the market. It truly shows what you value and why you lead.
Your commitment to growth should be so apparent that your team is inspired to continuously improve too!
Remember, people want more than a paycheck. They want to develop their skills and be part of a forward-thinking organization.
Habit 5: Practice Courageous Accountability
False Belief: Holding people accountable damages relationships and morale.
This is where all your other habits come together. It’s time for “courageous conversations”.
Regularly address both positive and negative performance. Make your expectations clear and follow through consistently.
Dickerhoof highlights the importance of addressing issues directly: “There are two great outcomes from every difficult conversation. You either grow in relationship, or you go, ‘That’s it.’ Either way, you’ve gained clarity. When you approach these conversations with empathy, you’re more likely to grow together.”
Watch closely for three types of reactions:
- Appreciation and motivation: People who value the clarity and opportunity to improve
- Initial discomfort but openness: Those who need time to adjust but are willing to grow
- Defensiveness or repeated excuses: People who may not align with your culture
Those in the first two groups will likely thrive under your impact-driven leadership. The third group may need extra support or may not be a long-term fit.
If you execute on accountability correctly, you’ll see one of two outcomes with that third group: They’ll either have a complete turnaround, or they’ll choose to leave within six months.
Think of accountability like the spice that brings out the flavor in your leadership recipe. The main ingredients are vulnerability, empathy, purpose, and growth – but accountability gives it the kick that drives results.
Impact-driven leadership isn’t built overnight.
Consistently practice these habits in your daily interactions, hiring decisions, and strategic planning.
If you’re not talking about it, not modeling it, and not encouraging it, your leadership impact will fade.
Your intentional efforts will create a powerful, authentic leadership style that pushes your business forward with more consistency.
Dickerhoof sums it up perfectly: “Impact-driven leadership is not about success or what you can gain. It’s about how you can help others and serve others. How can you help them reach their purpose or live out their gifts?”
By implementing these habits, you’ll create a magnetic culture where top talent wants to work for you. Your team will become more engaged, problems will get solved faster, and you’ll feel renewed purpose in your work.
Start small. Pick one habit to focus on this week. You might be surprised at how quickly you see positive changes.
– Jim Johnson
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