Six Traits of Builders

As a team leader, do you consider yourself a “Builder”?

Builders bind their personal fate to the outcomes of the business—economically and reputationally. They treat every dollar like it’s their own, take calculated risks with guardrails, and keep the long view through cycles.

The Ownership Advantage whitepaper by Manas Gautam explores how enduring companies are built and sustained by leaders who exemplify six distinct traits. It’s fascinating to see the parallels between Manas’ six traits of Builders and the best advisory team leaders I have had the privilege to coach.

Below are excerpts from my conversation with Manas on what he calls “The Six Traits of Builders,” including takeaways for your reflection.

1) Customer Obsession

David: Start with the customer—how do true builders operationalize that?
Manas: They work backward from real customer pain, embedding speed, trust, and safety into the product, then reinvest relentlessly where customers feel it. Done well, market share tends to follow.

Advisor takeaways:

A) Remember the three dimensions of trust: visceral, objective, experiential—which translate to the following questions: Do they like you? Are you able to carry the conversation about the big market memes of the day? What does it feel like to be your client?

B) Make “wow moments” a metric. Celebrate them in team meetings so customer delight becomes a habit, not a slogan.

2) Contrarian Thinking

David: What separates being a contrarian from simply being “different”?
Manas: In markets that reward conformity, great Builders earn their edge by their willingness to question premises. It is disciplined non-consensus work that aligns incentives.

Advisor takeaways:

A)     When markets reward complacency and cross-currents create confusion, lead with clarity and conviction. Your team gets paid to have an opinion.

B)     Equip your team to have the tough, de‑risking  or risk-on conversations with clients when rebalancing is appropriate.

3) Grit

David: Cycles test conviction. What does grit look like from the inside?
Manas: Builders absorb short‑term pain, fix what customers feel first (unit economics, reliability, quality), and sequence improvements intelligently—secure runway, prove per‑unit profitability, scale only when the data supports it.

Advisor takeaways:

A)     In volatile markets, increase proactive outreach. Your clients yearn to hear from you.

B)     Remember the six C’s of client conversation during periods of market turmoil: calm, context, candor, clarity, collaboration, commitment.

4) Disciplined Capital Allocation

David: You emphasize opportunity cost. Why is that the builder’s superpower?
Manas: Capital allocation is the engine of per‑share value creation. Builders weigh reinvestment, M&A, deleveraging, dividends, and buybacks—only funding what raises long‑term returns while keeping leverage and bureaucracy low.

Advisor takeaways:

A)     Treat team time and budget like scarce capital.

B)      Build capacity ahead of need.

5) Long‑Term Vision

David: Long‑termism often gets dismissed as a platitude. What makes it real?
Manas: Builders set a clear destination, invest through cycles, and build capabilities that get stronger with scale (data, distribution, manufacturing, talent). Long‑term vision is operational, not rhetorical.

Advisor takeaways:

A)     Write your “master plan” and revisit it annually.

B)     Build for succession early.

6) Knowledge of Capital Markets

David: How do the best leaders use public markets without being used by them?
Manas: They respect market psychology but stay anchored to fundamentals: separating businesses for clarity, repurchasing when mispriced, or structuring financing to preserve control. The goal is durable per‑share compounding, not momentary applause.

Advisor takeaways:

A)     Develop team isms and theses to demonstrate your knowledge of capital markets.

B)     Never fall victim to confirmation bias by always challenging the team’s consensus view.

David: If you could provide one closing thought on the concept of Builders, what would it be?

Manas: Consider this: If the entire company were yours, would you run it any differently? When the answer is “no,” a true Builder is likely at the helm—someone worth partnering with through every cycle.

David: That’s a powerful lens. For advisory teams, a similar question applies: Knowing everything your clients know about your team, if they could invest in your team as if it were a stock, would they do so?

Bottom Line:
Integrating the six traits of Builders—customer obsession, contrarian thinking, grit, disciplined capital allocation, long-term vision, and knowledge of capital markets—sets the foundation for leading an enduring team. These principles are not only for company founders; they are a roadmap for any leader committed to building lasting value, inspiring trust, and navigating growth with conviction.