What actually makes a good builder?

It’s one of those questions that can spark a bit of healthy debate on site and it came up in a podcast we released today with Greg McGee from Ryse Constructions. Greg’s been around the traps for decades, worked through the GFC, built businesses from the ground up, and learnt a few lessons along the way.

So when he says something about the kind of builder people want to work with, we tend to listen.

Greg’s been in the game long enough to see the difference between builders who people want to work for, and those they just have to work for, and while there’s no perfect formula, he reckons there are a few things that always stand out.

“What makes a good builder is a person who’s empathetic but also aggressive.”

“You’ve got to have your own balance.”

Empathy doesn’t mean softness. It means being aware of how your trades are tracking, whether your apprentice is about to burn out, or how the client’s feeling after a tough delay.

The ‘aggressive’ part? It’s about knowing when to make decisions, hold your ground, and push for the right outcome.

It’s not enough to know how to read a plan or run a schedule. These days, builders are expected to wear many hats, communicator, problem solver, mentor, and business owner.

If you’ve ever worked under someone who lacked people skills, you know how quickly a site can turn sour. On the flip side, when a builder leads well, it lifts the whole team.

Greg spoke about the kind of energy he tries to bring to site every day:

“Be that person the trades want to work for… that’s how you run a great site.”

The best builders lead by example with how they manage pressure, how they speak to people, and how they show up when things go pear-shaped.

WorkSafe and mental health advocates across the industry have been sounding the alarm for years: construction workers face higher rates of stress, burnout, and suicide risk than most industries.

In a 2023 report by MATES in Construction, nearly 1 in 5 construction workers reported experiencing severe or extremely severe depression. Leadership, culture, and team dynamics on site can either help ease that load or make it worse.

So while it might seem like a stretch, how you manage your site culture when it comes to pressure and being able to have honest conversations is a serious issue.

Greg’s reflection wasn’t just about his current role. He opened up about what he got wrong earlier in his career, when ego took the wheel and he thought being a good builder meant doing it all himself.

“I built a team dependent on me as the foundation,” he said. “It was breaking me. And it was crippling the business.”

He’s since shifted gears. These days, he values shared leadership, systems, and stepping back so others can step up.

“Trade secrets don’t exist,” Greg said. “Why aren’t we talking more about design? About energy efficiency? About how to help the end user?”

That’s the kind of thinking we love at The Good Builder.

It’s about building homes and building sustainable businesses with great people working in them.

If you’re wondering whether you’re being the kind of builder people want to work with, here are a few things to ask yourself following on from our chat with Greg:

• Do your trades respect you or just tolerate you?
• Are you open to feedback or always needing to be right?
• Do you pay on time and communicate clearly?
• Do you run a site people feel proud to be part of?
• Are you training the next generation?

Being a good builder isn’t about knowing it all. It’s about knowing what matters, who you’re building with, and how you treat people along the way.

Head over to Spotify to listen to the full podcast with Greg.

Author: The Good Builder

The Good Builder is a media platform that provides news and insights for Australia’s home building industry. From exclusive stories and curated insights to bold industry perspectives, we deliver the news and updates that keep builders, suppliers, and the entire home building industry inspired and ahead of the curve.