Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a leader in the construction industry? Or maybe you’ve wondered if you have what it takes to become one. If we told you that all it took was blood, sweat and tears, we’d only be telling you half of the truth.

We sat down with Superintendent Steve Jessop to talk about his 15-year career with Clark/Sullivan Construction and what he thinks it takes to become a leader in the fast-paced construction industry.

What qualities did you originally possess that helped you along your journey to superintendent?

Willingness to learn and ability to do it quickly. It’s really important to make sure that you are ready to take in all the knowledge you can get. In this industry, you’re exposed to so many different things that you have to make sure you’re ready to learn at all times or you’re going to miss something and fall behind. Also, be ready to learn from others. Take the best things from each person that you learn from then create who you are.

What qualities/skills did you need to learn to get to where you are?

Learning how to communicate with people is huge! There are so many different types of people and everyone reacts differently to instructions. Because your crew can change from job to job, you need to learn different people skills and different approaches for who you are talking with.

If you could give advice to someone wanting to become a superintendent, what would you tell them?

Follow your dream and do the best you can at it and it will come to you faster than you think. Even if it’s not your dream (my dream was always to become a fire fighter), just do the best at what you are doing at that time. I was taught to be as good as I could at whatever I was doing. Although this career path wasn’t what I had originally intended on doing, it has been very rewarding for my family and me.

Think you have what it takes to become a construction industry leader? Send your resume to info@clarksullivan.com and you may just hear from us next time we are hiring.