The Ascent

NOW AVAILABLE

The Ascent

The Climb to Accountability and Caring Leadership

by Steven J. Tusa, CSP, ARM
★★★★★  Amazon Reviews

How do you become the kind of leader others want to follow,  not have to follow? In The Ascent, Steve Tusa shares a deeply personal and practical playbook for intentional leadership, drawn from decades spent navigating job sites, business deals, family challenges, and his own inner terrain.

A real-world guide for leaders in construction and blue-collar industries who want to grow their teams, build trust, and leave a legacy worth following.

Buy on Amazon
WATCH THE TRAILER

See What the Climb Is All About

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Playbook for Leaders Who Build With Their Hands and Lead With Their Hearts

Through candid stories and field-tested principles, Steve shows how to lead yourself first, then others – without losing your integrity, your energy, or your sanity.

Inside, you’ll learn how to:

  • Create clarity when the plan changes (because it always does).
  • Build a team culture that wins and lasts.
  • Manage conflict, pressure, and doubt with courage.
  • Communicate in ways that build alignment.
  • Stay grounded as a leader, partner, and parent.

“Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about showing up, staying curious, and committing to the climb.”

WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR

  • Project managers and superintendents on the jobsite
  • Business owners in construction and industrial sectors
  • Safety and risk management professionals
  • Leaders at any level ready to lead with intention
  • Anyone just starting their leadership climb
TABLE OF CONTENTS

What You’ll Discover Chapter by Chapter

  • Intro  Introduction
  • Ch. 1  The Foundation of World-Class Safety: Accountability, Leadership, Care
  • Ch. 2  Conventional Safety Delivers Limited Results
  • Ch. 3  Why Do We Act the Way We Do?
  • Ch. 4  Creating a Culture of Accountability, The Right Way
  • Ch. 5  The Power of Feedback
  • Ch. 6  Creating Safety Engagement
  • Ch. 7  The Power of Three
  • Ch. 8  Keeping Score
  • Ch. 9  Highly Effective Recognition
  • Ch. 10  Leadership Development
  • Ch. 11  Safety Task Force — Empowerment and Continuous Improvement
  • Ch. 12  Learning from Incidents — Lessons Learned
  • Ch. 13  Psychological Safety
  • End  Conclusion
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

Praise for The Ascent

 

  • Steve has taken a perspective, primarily in the traditional top down ‘do what I say’ construction industry and works to shake it up! He provides a practical approach to engage and evolve your people to success. Their success will drive your success. Well done sherpa.

    Rick Johnson, CEO

  • Steve Tusa’s book The Ascent is both inspiring and down-to-earth. It’s an easy read that’s genuinely motivating without feeling preachy or over-polished. You can walk away with practical ideas to start to use & implement immediately to help strengthen the culture (in safety and other areas). It’s a motivating read that should be read by all levels of leadership in any organization big or small. I highly recommend this book. If your organization needs a boost in safety culture- contact Steve direct- his team is outstanding.

    Heather C., CEO

  • I rarely write reviews, but Steve Tusa’s The Ascent: Lead the Climb deserves every one of these five stars.

    As someone who has worked directly with Steve and implemented the principles outlined in this book, I can attest that these are not just theories—they are battle-tested, practical strategies that drive real-world results.

    Rolando Perez, President & CEO

MEET THE AUTHOR

Steve Tusa, CSP, ARM

Steve Tusa is the risk and safety advisory executive and partner at Ascent Works. For 30 years, he has been guiding leadership teams in building accountable, high-engagement safety cultures for construction and industrial organizations. Known in the field as “Sherpa Steve,” he has led more than 1,000 organizations to safer, stronger operations.

What sets Steve apart is his belief that safety transformation begins with care, and that people protect what they feel valued by. The Ascent is the distillation of three decades of fieldwork, relationships, and hard-won lessons.

 

View Steve’s Speaker Page Work With Steve
FOR YOUR TEAM OR EVENT

Order Bulk Copies for Your Organization

Bring The Ascent to your entire leadership team, safety conference, or company retreat. Bulk orders available — contact Steve directly for pricing and personalized copies.

Contact Steve for Bulk Orders

Ready to Start the Climb?

Whether you’re a project manager, business owner, or just beginning your leadership journey — The Ascent is your next step.

Available in paperback and Kindle

Buy on Amazon Order for Your Team