Tradies Who Lead

What Separates Good Builders from the Rest (It's Less Technical Than You Think)

What does leadership look like when you've sat across from hundreds of builders, tradies, and business owners right across Australia? Aaron "Az" Ng is the founder of The Good Builder, Australia's leading media and intelligence platform for the residential construction industry. After years of conversations with builders and trade business owners right across the country, Az knows exactly what separates the ones who last from the ones who don't. In this conversation, we get into: • Why low trust in the building industry is a business problem • How relationships are the foundation of every great business • Why ego is the first thing that must go if you want to lead well Chapters: 0:00 Coming Up 1:56 Meet Aaron Ng, Co-Founder of The Good Builder 3:11 Essential Leadership Skills and Attitudes 6:47 No Such Thing as a “Great” Leader 7:56 Can You Be “Too Nice” as a Leader 9:25 Why Leaders Need to Know Themselves 12:25 How Poor Leadership is Creating Low Trust inConstruction 15:46 Why A Beautiful Home Isn’t Enough 17:34 The Mindset That Makes Trade Businesses Great 19:02 What Strong Performance and Relationships Needs 20:40 Leading Different People 23:08 How Listening and Empathy Improve YourLeadership 24:54 Conclusion Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/tradieswholead/⁠], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/tradieswholead⁠], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TradiesWhoLead] or TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@tradieswholead⁠] for more from the Tradies Who Lead community.   Tradies Who Lead is powered by Blue Leader. If you're looking for support in building leadership skills within your team, reach out here [https://www.blueleader.com.au/].   Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership [https://blue-leader.kit.com/15e61c8b46] If you want to connect with Aaron or The Good Builder, you can reach him via https://linktr.ee/TheGoodBuilder

Beyond Plumbing: Building Culture and Leadership from the Ground Up with Cat and Dave McCarthy from McCarthy Plumbing Group

Join me for the first episode of Tradies Who Lead as I chat with Dave [https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mccarthy-583204bb/] and Cat [https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-mccarthy-5a8057127/] McCarthy, the founders of the award-winning business McCarthy Plumbing Group [http://www.mccarthyplumbinggroup.com.au]. In this conversation, we dive into the leadership nuances of making the leap from managing someone else's business to running your own.   We explore the power of authentic company culture and the importance of continuous improvement at all levels – from individual development to team dynamics and the entire organisation.   Ready to level up your everyday leadership? Listen now and learn practical insights from two inspiring business leaders who've mastered the art of leadership in their business! Chapters - (00:00) Meet Cat & David McCarthy from McCarthy Plumbing (01:29) Why start a plumbing business (02:23) How management skills and experience support running a trade business (05:05) How to lead by example as a tradie and business owner (05:59) Why you need authenticity and transparency as a trade business leader (07:34) How to create a good team culture in trade businesses and trade teams for better retention and talent attraction (12:52) How to grow a trade business (14:07) How to apply continuous improvement in a trade business (17:38) Why you should collaborate instead of competing with other businesses (20:14) Advice to tradies and trade business owners about how they can practice leadership (22:03) Conclusion  Don’t miss out! New episodes drop every fortnight. Follow Tradies Who Lead on socials for exclusive sneak peeks of upcoming guests and more!   Insta: https://www.instagram.com/tradieswholead/ [https://www.instagram.com/tradieswholead/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tradieswholead [https://www.facebook.com/tradieswholead] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tradieswholead [https://www.tiktok.com/@tradieswholead] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tradieswholead [https://www.youtube.com/@tradieswholead]   If you have an everyday leadership story to share or want to be featured on Tradies Who Lead, submit your expression of interest via the website [https://www.ashleybelteky.com/podcast] – we'd love to hear from you!   Want to follow McCarthy Plumbing Group? Connect with them here: Insta: https://www.instagram.com/mccarthyplumbinggroup/ [https://www.instagram.com/mccarthyplumbinggroup/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mccarthyplumbinggp [https://www.facebook.com/mccarthyplumbinggp] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mccarthyplumbinggroup [https://www.tiktok.com/@mccarthyplumbinggroup]

Hard Conversations & Inclusive Sites: Changing Worksite Culture from the Ground Up with Jasmyn Smith

What does leadership look like when your title isn’t ‘manager’, ‘supervisor’ or ‘boss’ and you’re trying to change an industry while still on the tools? Jasmyn Smith is a Tassie sparky and co-founder of The GO Company, a business built around a problem that’s been on worksites for years but rarely talked about: access to basic hygiene onsite. Jazz has turned her experience into a movement raising standards across the industry. In this conversation, we get into: • The courage it takes to start the hard conversations • Why making challenges visible is what lifts an industry • What sites getting inclusion right are doing differently • How everyday leadership shows up when you don’t hold the title Chapters: 0:00 Meet Jasmyn Smith from The GO Company 3:04 Leading as a Role Model 4:12 Mentoring Women in Trade 5:26 Origins of The GO Company 8:54 Discussing Hygiene Access Onsite 11:16 Creating Visibility to Influence Change 13:12 Building a Business on the Tools 15:24 The Cost of Not Speaking Up 18:02 Set Up Sites Better for Inclusion 20:38 Acknowledge Your Progress 22:25 Wrap Up Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/tradieswholead/⁠], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/tradieswholead⁠], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TradiesWhoLead] or TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@tradieswholead⁠] for more from the Tradies Who Lead community.   Tradies Who Lead is powered by Blue Leader. If you're looking for support in building leadership skills within your team, reach out here [https://www.blueleader.com.au/].   Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership [https://blue-leader.kit.com/15e61c8b46] If you want to connect with The GO Company, you can reach them via: Website - https://www.thegocompany.com.au/ Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-go-company-358029320/ TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@the.go.company Insta - https://www.instagram.com/thegocompanytas/

Stop Fighting Fires and Build Consistent Work & Training Standards at Scale with Matt Wyatt

Creating clear standards and real accountability with one filter: if it doesn’t work on the floor, it doesn’t belong in the program. Matt Wyatt is a trade-qualified leader with over 30 years in the heavy vehicle industry. He started as an apprentice, worked through operational and national leadership roles, and has spent the last 15 years focused on developing people. In this conversation, we get into: • Stepping out of firefighting mode and finding solutions • Holding the line on standards across numerous teams • What most trade businesses get wrong when developing apprentices • Why you need to develop stronger relationships as a leader Chapters: 0:00 Meet Matt Wyatt 1:56 Setting Standards and Building Trust 4:56 Earning Respect from your Team 6:10 Sharing the Big Picture 7:31 How to Stop Fighting Fires 9:16 Delivering Training That Sticks 11:38 How KPIs Can Hurt Apprentices 14:03 Creating Change from the Ground Up 16:34 Maintain Standards Across Numerous Job Sites 18:51 The Aha Moment in Training 20:11 Demonstrate Leadership Everyday 21:40 Wrap Up Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/tradieswholead/⁠], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/tradieswholead⁠], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TradiesWhoLead] or TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@tradieswholead⁠] for more from the Tradies Who Lead community.   Tradies Who Lead is powered by Blue Leader. If you're looking for support in building leadership skills within your team, reach out here [https://www.blueleader.com.au/].   Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership [https://blue-leader.kit.com/15e61c8b46] If you want to connect with Matt, you can reach him via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathew-w-30903b82/

Over-Communication and the Role of Automation and 3D Printing in Construction with Tom Macrokanis

Bringing people along on a vision they can’t see yet is its own kind of leadership, and it’s how Tom’s building things that didn’t exist before. Tom Macrokanis is a qualified boilermaker who started his first business at 17. Since then, he’s founded Macro3D, a concrete 3D printing company tackling housing affordability, and directs Macro Constructions Group across steel, concrete and light-gauge steel framing. In this conversation, we get into: • Leveraging AI to address the skill shortage • Leading industry changes when the road ahead isn’t clear • Communicating effectively with diverse stakeholders • Handling setbacks without losing momentum Chapters: 0:00 Meet Tom Macrokanis 2:00 Extreme Ownership as a Leader 3:30 Leading Through Action Instead of Words 5:05 Tom’s Journey to Entrepreneurship 7:38 Finding the Right Mentor 9:26 Funding the New Version of Construction 12:26 Not Taking Setbacks to Heart 13:26 Working Effectively with Stakeholders 15:28 Automation and 3D Printing in Construction 19:50 Over-Communicate for Better Results 20:21 Wrap Up Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/tradieswholead/⁠], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/tradieswholead⁠], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@TradiesWhoLead] or TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@tradieswholead⁠] for more from the Tradies Who Lead community.   Tradies Who Lead is powered by Blue Leader. If you're looking for support in building leadership skills within your team, reach out here [https://www.blueleader.com.au/].   Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership [https://blue-leader.kit.com/15e61c8b46] If you want to connect with Tom, you can reach him via: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-macrokanis-2b3b00120/ Website - https://www.tommacrokanis.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tommacrokanis__/