Do not index
Do not index
Subject: Stop babysitting your team (for real this time)
Preview: The simple 3-step accountability system that gets people performing without you hovering over their shoulder.
Your people aren’t underperforming because they’re lazy.
They’re underperforming because nobody ever showed them exactly what “great” looks like, and then coached and enforced it consistently.
In a recent Contractor Training Room, I walked through the secret to getting your team to perform without micromanaging. We broke down the “chaos zone” between assumed standards and clear standards, the three-step accountability system, and how to use it at every stage of your business so A-players stay and low performers opt out on their own.
If you want the full framework with the visuals and stage-by-stage breakdown, watch the replay of this episode HERE.
Here’s what I’ll unpack in this recap:
- Why assumed standards quietly create chaos and drama
- The 3-step system: define, coach, enforce
- How to get performance and self-selection without micromanaging
Too many contractors live in a constant tug-of-war. You either micromanage everything and feel like a babysitter, or you “trust your people” with vague expectations and hope it works out. Neither is leadership. When you learn to set clear standards, build a coaching rhythm, and enforce like a pro, you stop chasing people and start leading a team that actually wants to perform.
Let’s break it donw.
Get out of the chaos zone
If you’re like a lot of contractors I coach, your standards live in one of two places: in your head or in a quick conversation you had once and assumed everyone remembered.
In the episode, I drew a simple picture: on one side you have assumed standards. On the other side you have clear standards. In the middle is what I call the chaos zone.
Assumed standards sound like:
- “Sell as much as you can.”
- “Just make it a great client experience.”
- “Get the bookkeeping done.”
- “Work as many hours as possible.”
Nobody knows where the line is. Nobody knows what “good” or “enough” actually means. So they guess. And every time they guess, your stress goes up.
Clear standards sound like:
- “You need to sell 10 jobs a month.”
- “You must run 10 inspections a week.”
- “Take 10 photos per slope and 10 per elevation in this exact order.”
- “Here are our core values, written down, with specific behaviors that match each one.”
When standards are clear, they’re coach-able and measurable. When they’re fuzzy, they’re just wishes.
Key idea: If you can’t coach to it or measure it, it’s not a standard. It’s a hope.
Step 1: Define standards people can actually see
The first step is simple to say and hard to do: define what “great” looks like so clearly that nobody has to guess.
This starts with translating what’s in your head into something your team can see:
- For sales, that might be: 10 appointments per week, 5 written contracts, 3 jobs ready for build.
- For behavior, it’s your core values with real examples. Not just “integrity” on a wall, but “we call the adjuster when they overpay us, even when it costs us money.”
- For operations, it’s checklists and milestones: lead, inspection, proposal, build, collect—with tasks under each.
The test is simple: could a brand-new person read your standards and know exactly what “done” looks like? If not, you’re still in fuzzy territory.
Once you define standards, something powerful happens. People can find themselves on the scale. They know if they’re winning or not without you hovering over them.
Step 2: Build a real coaching rhythm
Clear standards without coaching just create pressure. The bridge between “they understand it” and “they actually do it” is your coaching rhythm.
In the show, I drew a bridge between two cliffs:
- On one side: understanding (they know the standard)
- On the other side: execution (they hit the standard)
- In the middle: coaching
Most contractors only coach when something blows up. A big job goes sideways, a customer complains, numbers tank, and then we sit down to “have a talk.” That’s not coaching. That’s damage control.
Instead, you need a predictable rhythm. At the friends-and-family and getting-serious stages, a simple weekly 1-3-1 check-in works wonders:
- 1 Win: “What was your biggest win this week?”
- 3 KPIs: Review their three most important numbers (inspections, contracts, jobs ready, etc.).
- 1 Improvement: “What’s one thing we’re going to improve next week?”
That rhythm turns standards into conversations, not surprises. People know when they’ll talk to you, what you’ll talk about, and how you’ll help them improve.
Key idea: You can’t hold anyone accountable to something you’ve never equipped or coached them for.
Step 3: Enforce like a pro, not a tyrant
This is where most leaders fall apart. They either avoid enforcement altogether or swing to the other extreme and blow up emotionally.
In the episode, I contrasted two enforcement styles:
- Punitive enforcement – Emotional, unpredictable, fear-based. One week something is okay, the next week it gets someone chewed out. People walk on eggshells and hide problems from you.
- Professional enforcement – Calm, consistent, predictable. People always know what the standard is, what happens when they hit it, and what happens when they don’t.
Professional enforcement sounds like:
“Our standard is 10 inspections a week. You hit 6. Help me understand what got in your way and let’s build a plan for next week.”
Or:
“Our core value is honesty. What happened on that estimate doesn’t line up with that. Here’s what living that value looks like instead.”
When you define, coach, and enforce like this, two things happen:
- Your high performers thrive. A-players love clear standards. They finally feel like they’re on a real team.
- Your low performers self-select out. When the expectations are clear and the coaching is consistent, people who don’t want to rise will eventually raise their hand and say, “This isn’t for me.”
That’s how you stop micromanaging without letting standards slide. The system does the heavy lifting.
Thanks for hanging out with me and taking a hard look at how you’re leading your team—not just how hard you’re working.
Jim
P.S. If you’re tired of guessing how to lead at your stage and want help turning standards, coaching, and accountability into an actual system, ContractorSage gives you 24/7 access to stage-specific guidance based on The Contractor’s Blueprint. Ask it questions like, “What standards should I have for my sales team at my revenue level?” or “How do I build a simple coaching rhythm?” and it will point you to the right moves so you stop babysitting and start leading on purpose.