How to Lead a Construction Crew When You’re the Youngest on the Site
You’ve been promoted to foreman. You’re pumped—until you realize every single guy on your crew has more years in the field than you have on Earth.
Now what?
That’s the exact spot ProfitDig’s Jeff Spencer found himself in when he got the foreman role at just 23. In a recent ProfitDig Live episode, Jeff laid it all out: the nerves, the resistance, and the tough choices he had to make to earn his crew’s respect.
The Hardest Part? Not the Job—The People.
Jeff’s story starts with a crew that ran like a well-oiled machine—until the long-time foreman stepped down into an operator role. Jeff, the new young gun, stepped up to lead the same crew he’d once taken orders from. Awkward? Oh yeah.
“It was intimidating,” Jeff said. “One guy in particular just would not accept me giving him orders.”
And that guy? A seasoned operator who thought he should’ve been promoted instead.
Jeff tried everything—reasoning, explaining that he was the one held responsible if production didn’t happen. But the conflict just kept simmering. “I lost sleep over it,” Jeff admitted. “It got to where I didn’t want to go to work in the mornings.”
When Tough Decisions Become Inevitable
Eventually, Jeff realized he had to act. If the crew saw one guy constantly bucking authority and getting away with it, that attitude would spread. So, he did the unthinkable—fired the guy. Right there in front of the crew.
“It tore me up,” he said. “But I knew I couldn’t lead with that kind of resistance on the job.”
Turns out, that was the turning point. The rest of the crew fell in line—not out of fear, but out of respect. “They realized this was real. I was in charge.”
Leadership Means Earning Trust (Not Demanding It)
The real takeaway here isn’t about firing people—it’s about building trust. Jeff made a point to lean on his crew’s experience, ask questions when he needed to, and show that he wasn’t above the work.
“I never asked a man to do something I wouldn’t do myself,” he said.
Eventually, even that fired employee came back years later—and worked under Jeff again, with no issues.
So What Should a New Foreman Do?
If you’re new to leadership in the construction world, here are some golden nuggets from the conversation:
- Establish the hierarchy early – You’re in charge, but be respectful about it.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions – Lean on your experienced crew when you need to.
- Address problems directly – The longer you wait, the worse it gets.
- If someone’s poisoning the team? – You may have to make the hard call.
- Be confident, but stay humble – Let your crew know you’re there to get the job done with them, not just above them.
Got a story of your own about leading a crew or getting started as a young contractor? We want to hear it. Drop us a comment or visit ProfitDig.com to learn more about our easy-to-use construction bidding and costing software.
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