Krystal Gutierrez of MFRG-ICON Construction On The Five Ways To Develop More ‘Grit’

An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

At the beginning, you’re only as good as you’re trained. I found this out the hard way. There was a lot of figuring out things for myself through the years and it’s not the most ideal way to build a career. So when you’re put into a leadership role, remember that. It’s now my personal goal to be the best leader and trainer for others.

As a part of our series called “Grit: The Most Overlooked Ingredient of Success” I had the pleasure of interviewing Krystal Gutierrez of MFRG-ICON Construction.

Krystal never could imagine her receptionist job at the age of 19 would lead her into a construction career that’s now almost 10 years in the making. As a single mother in college, she treated the position as a means to an end to provide for her daughter. Now she holds a leadership position as a preconstruction specialist at MFRG-ICON Construction, heading a new department with one of the leading renovation companies in the affordable housing industry.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what events have drawn you to this specific career path.

When I started out in the construction industry, I didn’t have a college degree in any field of construction, nor could I tell you a single thing about it. I thought the receptionist position I held with a subcontractor company was going to be a typical 9–5 job. Two months in, I was fascinated by all of it and my eagerness to learn turned into me becoming the only estimator in the company. Unfortunately, I was still performing both positions, working as a receptionist and an estimator for a good year and a half but I wasn’t making the money to show for it. I knew the worth of the work I was doing. After I was denied a raise, I used the experience I gained as a stepping stone and took an entry-level position in general contracting. I’ve relentlessly worked my way up in the construction world over the past decade. I’ve learned that believing in myself and continuing to strive for more in my career has led me down a path for success.

Can you share your story about “Grit and Success”? First can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?

Starting out in my early 20s, as a female with close to no experience in this field, was a challenge in itself. I spent a lot of my early years extremely quiet in meetings, conversations and especially on construction sites. About 90% of the time, I was not only the youngest but the only female in these settings. I knew I needed to learn as much as I could before I could actually be involved in a conversation where I would not only be heard, but taken seriously. Once I felt I had the knowledge to speak on something, I had to find my confidence to even say “Excuse me, I’d like to add to that.” It was a very long road to where I am now, being able to lead meetings with our clients, architects and training new team members. I had to continuously prove to everyone that I belonged in my position. Being a single mom at a young age also gave me the drive to succeed.

Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?

I accepted the fact that I would fail, but never allowed myself to give up. I reminded myself constantly of my daughter and what I needed to do for her and for us as a family. I’ve faced many hardships over the years, but every time I have, I’ve reflected on how I came from nothing. I knew that whatever I was dealing with wasn’t enough to stop from pushing on. So, I guess I found the drive within myself!

So how did Grit lead to your eventual success? How did Grit turn things around?

I’ve been in many different positions within the construction industry, performing various tasks from estimating to project managing, to training new team members. I never stopped developing my knowledge of this industry, each different position or learning experience came with its own challenges. But I always showed up and put my best foot forward. So I would continue on and try my best, until I figured it out. I have made a good career for myself and am proud of where I’m at in my career.

Based on your experience, can you share your “5 Things You Need To Know To Develop More Grit”? (Please share a story or example for each)

1. At the beginning, you’re only as good as you’re trained. I found this out the hard way. There was a lot of figuring out things for myself through the years and it’s not the most ideal way to build a career. So when you’re put into a leadership role, remember that. It’s now my personal goal to be the best leader and trainer for others.
2. The hard work, long hours, and strong work ethic, are only worth as much as a company that recognizes it. Never sell yourself short. After you’ve shown up for yourself and others so many times, it’s not just about feeling “grateful for the opportunity.” Know that you earned that opportunity.
3. Never forget where you came from. When you are put in a leadership position, reach out your hand for the next person in line and help them grow. Always put yourself in their shoes and think back to what you needed when you were in their position.
4. You have to have a lot of nerve to stand up for what you believe in, and for what’s right. I’ve been in situations where people have not behaved morally or ethically, or maybe took the easy way out. Be the person who always does what’s right and holds others accountable. It takes courage to push others to be their best, because you also have to portray your best and lead by example.
5. Find the drive and leader within yourself. You can have people you admire and look up to, but you need to find the power and confidence within yourself. I don’t look at the people I admire and think “I want to be like them,” but rather think, “I need to find my power and greatness, all while being my authentic self.” By projecting your own characteristics, your energy becomes a magnet for others and they will naturally gravitate towards you.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped you when things were tough? Can you share a story about that?

Two very influential people come to mind, Justin Kreuger who is the leader of our company and Michael Chacon who was a director and close mentor I worked alongside for a couple of years. Justin is one of the most humble and down to earth people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. He saw the potential in me very early on and not only gave me a chance in a leadership position, but also continuously guides me professionally to be the best I can be. He gives great advice from his own experiences all while being his true self. He has taught me to always learn from my mistakes.

Michael, and his wealth of construction knowledge, provided so much guidance for me, and also for anyone around him. He genuinely cares to take the time and help others grow into their own. He’s an amazing leader who selflessly gives so much professionally. I learned a great deal from him about how to build relationships and trust in others.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I was fortunate enough to find a company where its sole mission is rebuilding the lives of others, by renovating apartments and giving residents a better place to live and call home. I use my experiences at MFRG-ICON to develop and grow others so they can also achieve their career goals.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

What I am doing now is a brand new department, a new initiative, where we are working to order materials ahead of time. Currently, with where supply and demand is, it can be really hard to get anything on site right now. This pushes back timelines, creates extra expenses and additional obstacles. With this new initiative I’m spearheading, we’re working to get everything ordered and prepped right now so everything can be executed on time on the job sites.

What advice would you give to other executives or founders to help their employees to thrive?

Build meaningful relationships with your team/employees. This cultivates a team that will go to battle for you and your company, which is so valuable and important. In order to build that, you have to show you’d do the same for them. You have to genuinely care about the ones that make up your company. I’ve gone above and beyond for my company countless times because our leader has gone above and beyond for us. Trust and loyalty are so important.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I plan to continue to focus on my work in this industry to help our company thrive so we can continue to help others. By improving how we work, we can better what we are putting out. I love helping people and that’s what our company does.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Appreciate where you are in your journey, even if it’s not where you want to be. Every season deserves a purpose.” I’ve learned from my struggles to not be afraid to get back up again, whether it be personally or professionally. You can’t let a hard lesson harden your heart or outlook on life, because I’ve found life’s best lessons are often learned from at the worst times and from the worst mistakes.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

I’m on LinkedIn! You can find me at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystal-gutierrez-415ba2132

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.