Lead Your Subs Like a General Contractor – Not From the Hip
Most contractors think their “sub problems” are about unreliable people:
Guys who don’t show up when they say they will
Sloppy work and messy job sites
Poor communication and last-minute schedule changes
Cigarette butts, energy drink cans, tools everywhere
All of that shows up on the surface. But the real issue almost always lives one layer deeper:
Subs rise or fail based on the clarity, structure, and leadership you give them.
Great subs perform better for great leaders.
Average subs become good under great leaders.
And even great subs will become average under weak, chaotic leadership.
If you want smoother projects, happier clients, and tighter schedules, you don’t start by “finding better subs.” You start by becoming a better leader of the subs you already have.
The Job Starts Before the Job Starts
Most contractors treat the job start as the day tools hit the floor.
In reality, the job starts long before that.
Your subs need more than an address and “start Monday”:
They need:
Scope – Exactly what’s in and what’s out
Drawings – If you have drawings, get them a set
Timeline – Start date, target completion, and critical milestones
Job site expectations – Cleanup standards, protection standards, access rules
Code of conduct – How we behave on site, and how we don’t
Communication protocol – Who they call, how they update, where notes live
Client boundaries – What to do and not do with the homeowner
Subs are not mind readers.
They’re running multiple jobs, juggling multiple GCs, and making decisions fast. If you don’t fill the gaps with direction, they’ll fill the gaps with guesses.
And that’s when things blow up.
Run a Pre-Job Meeting Like a Pro
One of the biggest missed leadership moves in residential construction is the pre-job meeting with your subs.
Most contractors skip it.
Here’s what a simple, effective pre-job meeting covers:
“Here’s the scope.”
“Here’s the sequence: who’s going first, second, third.”
“Here’s the schedule: when you’re on and when you’re off.”
“Here’s what the client cares about most.”
“Here’s what to absolutely avoid.”
“Here’s how we communicate and where we document changes.”
“Here are the non-negotiables on this job.”
If you do this well, you’ll eliminate 80% of your sub-related issues before they ever show up.
It’s not fancy. It’s leadership.
One Point of Contact, One Voice of Leadership
This one is hard, but it’s critical:
Subs need one point of contact.
The minute you step off the job, who does the homeowner go to?
The sub.
If your subs don’t clearly understand your process and chain of command, here’s what happens:
The homeowner asks the sub a question.
The sub—trying to be helpful—starts making decisions.
Or your field guy who isn’t authorized to direct subs starts telling them what to do.
Changes get made. Nobody tells you.
You show up and you’re the last one to know.
That’s how scope creep, free work, and misalignment show up.
Fix it by:
Establishing you or your PM as the single point of contact.
Allowing normal conversation, but insisting someone reduces decisions to writing.
Using your project management software for daily logs, notes, and direction.
Leadership needs one clear voice, not five different people giving mixed messages.
Set Non-Negotiables (Then Actually Enforce Them)
If you don’t define your standards clearly, you can’t enforce them.
Your subs should know:
What must happen
What must not happen
What details matter most
What the client expects
What your standards are and where the line is
Examples of non-negotiables:
No smoking on site
Music at a reasonable level (and nothing obscene or offensive)
Floor and wall protection in place and maintained
Job site broom clean at the end of every day
Little to no direct communication with the homeowner about scope or changes
No helping themselves to the client’s kitchen, fridge, or microwave
No extra work performed without written approval
If a sub does extra work without a signed change order:
“If you don’t get a signature, I can’t pay you. That’s the rule.”
You’re not being difficult. You’re being clear.
Non-negotiables protect you, the client, and the sub.
Inspections > Assumptions
Never assume the job is going fine just because you haven’t heard anything.
Inspections are always better than assumptions.
You need to physically show up and check:
Progress
Accuracy
Sequencing (is work happening in the right order?)
Cleanliness
Communication (does everyone understand what’s next?)
Subs perform better when they know you’re present and paying attention.
Things don’t get swept under the rug when you’re the leader who shows up.
Praise the Good Subs, Replace the Bad Ones (Quickly)
There are really two groups of subs:
The ones who elevate your business:
They show up when they say they will
They take pride in their work
They communicate clearly
They charge appropriately so you can still make margin
They respect your client and your standards
These people are gold. Take care of them.
The ones who hold you back:
They disappear after promising to be there Monday
They leave messes and argue about standards
They blow up your schedule and make you look bad
They’re disrespectful to clients or act one way with you and another with them
Replace those quickly—not emotionally, but decisively.
“I can’t run a professional business with this level of reliability. I need a different kind of relationship.”
Simple. Firm. Clear.
Build a “Sub Startup Packet”
Before your next project, treat it like a fresh canvas and create a Sub Startup Packet you give to everyone who steps on your job.
Inside that packet:
Scope of work
Drawings (if applicable)
Timeline and milestones
Job site rules and expectations
Code of conduct
Communication protocol and software usage
Non-negotiables (cleanup, client boundaries, change orders, etc.)
Payment schedule — when and how they’ll be paid
Then go over it with them. Don’t just email it and hope they read it.
This one move will save you massive headaches, callbacks, and uncomfortable client conversations.
Reflection Questions for You as the GC
Take a minute and ask yourself:
Where am I unclear with my subs?
Do I assume too much and communicate too little?
Do I have a true pre-job process, or am I winging it?
Which subs elevate my business, and which ones hold it back?
If a brand-new project started tomorrow, could I hand my subs a clear startup packet?
You don’t have to be perfect.
Subs don’t need perfection.
They need leadership.
Final Thought
When you lead your subs like a true general contractor—not from the hip—everything tightens up:
Jobs run smoother
Clients feel safer and more confident
Problems shrink
Schedules tighten
And because your schedule tightens, you can often do one or two more projects a year
That extra capacity goes straight to your bottom line.
You don’t build a great contracting business in spite of your subs.
You build it by leading your subcontractors well.
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