The Leadership and Learning Podcast

In this episode, w ith over 40 – years of experience and having founded two successful eco-friendly companies in the design build and manufacturing space, my guest, life-long entrepreneur and sustainability advocate, Jonathan Orpin shares several areas of interest for leaders in the construction industry.   In this episode you will learn: ·         Why wood is the best material to build with. ·   ...

In this episode, Leon Leinbach, Founder of Keystone Construction takes us on his journey as a young construction worker with a vision and work ethic to a successful entrepreneur. He shares his experience and insights on entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship and the success they bring to the individual and the organization.  In this episode you will learn: What it takes for a construction entrepren...

Tommy Whitehead is the President & Owner of TomCo Solutions, Inc. a full-service property makeover, disaster restoration, and residential renovations company. In this episode, we had an insightful conversation on the value of networking and his new book, Building Success – A Toolbox for Coming Out on Top.   In this episode you will learn:   ·         The 3 – main lessons he's learned so far in the...

Tori Baires is a Group Talent Acquisition Manager at Granite Construction. She is one of the founding members and current leaders of Granite's Military Employee Resource Group (Supporting and Recognizing our Veteran Community). She has also created and implemented a military/veteran hiring and retention program across all of Granite. Tori also partners with various departments at Granite aiding in...

Running a small, or a family business is no easy task. Particularly when it comes to scaling the business or planning for succession. My guest, Jim Moody, Consulting Director of the Misura Group shares his knowledge, experience, and expertise on the key elements for both scaling and succession. In this episode, Jim offers plenty of tips and lessons on: The importance of having balance between work...

Jennifer Todd, owner of LMS General Contractors went from receptionist at a construction company to successfully building her own construction company over the past 16 – years. She knows a thing or two about hard work and relationships. In this episode, Jennifer talks about how L.O.V.E.E. language for leaders can help you sharpen your leadership skills while developing and strengthening your busin...

Creating a safety culture is what most companies in the construction and manufacturing industries strive for ... as they should. My guest, Steven McKenney shares his 30+ years of experience with building safety cultures, fixing broken safety cultures and providing best practices to help you reinforce your safety culture. Steve is the Western Region Safety Manager for Roseburg Forest Products, and...

Creating and implementing an effective onboarding process for new employees has proven to be critical to individual and organizational retention success. In this episode, onboarding expert, Cody B. Loveland explains what onboarding really is, why it's important and the outcome all organizations should strive for. Listen in as we uncover the key principles behind effective onboarding, the importanc...

In this episode, host Randy Goruk shares content from a recent webinar he presented for Team Engine. If you are interested in being an even better coach of your team, you are bound to pick up at least one nugget to help you get there. In this episode you will learn: Why coaching for managers is important. What coaching is. 3 – universal truths about coaching. Techniques for inspiring your team. Te...

In this episode, host Randy Goruk has a conversation about hazardous waste management, waste to energy and leadership with Heather Johnson, CEO of INGENIUM, a leading hazardous waste management provider focusing on providing sustainable solutions before implementing traditional disposal options. You will learn: The biggest hazardous waste management challenges manufacturers and distributors of bui...

Host Randy Goruk shares a classic audio recording of a speech the late U.S. Army Lieutenant General Melvin Zais gave to the Armed Forces Staff College many decades ago.  The audio recording is over 40 years old so it has a few blemishes but hang in there because if you listen carefully, the powerful message for leaders is delivered with precision and great thought. This special message will cause...

Host Randy Goruk has a conversation with Todd Eichholz, CEO of A&A Paving about his business success. Todd shares the leadership practices that have helped him turn an old, tired paving, sealing company he bought ten years ago, into a growing, thriving jewel of a company today. You can do the same with your business if you know what winning looks like. In this episode you will learn about the impo...

Host Randy Goruk has a serious conversation with CEO Jimmy Greene of Jimmy Greene and Associates about the cost of success. Jimmy Greene is an experienced construction industry professional who has so much personal experience to share, and he does. Get ready for a unique set of perspectives on the topic of success. In this episode you will stop and think about: What is success. How you spend your...

Host Randy Goruk has a fun and insightful conversation with subject matter expert, world famous professional speaker and author, Kathy Dempsey. The topic is shedding. Shedding bad habits, negativity, relationships, processes, or procedures. In this episode you will learn: ·         What the SHEDDING philosophy is and how it came about. ·         A few common examples of where we all could benefit...

Host Randy Goruk has a conversation with author, professional speaker and cyber security expert, Robert Siciliano about the trends in cyber security that leaders need to pay attention to.  As leaders, we all have a responsibility to keep our businesses, our employees and our families safe. This episode is full of information that will help you do exactly that. They discuss a great number of import...

In this episode, host Randy Goruk encourages listeners to develop and refine their coaching skills.   Not all leaders are great coaches. Some leaders may be good at barking out orders or telling someone what to do, but they're not very good at coaching someone through a situation … they can be, but they have never taken the time to develop the skills nor positioned themselves to coach. He shares h...

Have you ever experienced someone not meeting your expectations? Or perhaps being disappointed in someone who didn't deliver on the expectation you set for them? We are often disappointed when expectations we set for someone are not met. In this episode, host Randy Goruk lays out his proven steps to minimize the disappointment of expectations not being met.

Host Randy Goruk discusses the difference between motivation and inspiration, how to create an environment where people are motivated. He then he shares several tips and techniques on how to inspire your team.

Host Randy Goruk recently had a lengthy conversation with process and lean manufacturing expert Todd Drummond. They talked about a number of leadership issues which have are being shared in three focused episodes. This episode addresses industry leadership weaknesses and what you should look for in candidates you're considering for a leadership promotion.   In the previous episodes with Todd, he s...

Host Randy Goruk recently had a lengthy conversation with process and lean manufacturing expert Todd Drummond. They talked about a number of leadership issues which have are being shared in three focused episodes. This episode addresses advice for emerging leaders. They discuss career mistakes to avoid. In our conversation, Todd shares career mistakes to avoid and offers suggestions on what emergi...

Host Randy Goruk recently had a lengthy conversation with process and lean manufacturing expert Todd Drummond. They talked about a number of leadership issues which are being shared in three focused episodes. This episode addresses data he has shared in an article, indicating the current labor shortage challenge is worse than most understand and getting worse. In the conversation, Todd walks us th...

In this episode of The Leadership and Learning Podcast, host Randy Goruk has an in-depth conversation about company culture with company culture expert Stephanie Angelo. During this episode you will learn: What company culture. Elements of culture that most organizations strive for.   The impact the pandemic has had on company culture and a few steps a leader should be taking to regain or rebuild...

Alan Laing has been in the homebuilding space for 40 years working in various leadership, executive and board member roles in companies like Tridel, Canada's premier condo builder, Pulte Homes, Taylor Morrison, Rock Wool a Danish multinational manufacturer of mineral wool products to name a few. Here's what you can expect: Key leadership lessons learned along Alan's leadership journey that have be...

The shared values and practices of employees shape the culture of companies. Leaders have tremendous influence on those values and practices. Their influence comes from their strategies, controllable actions, and inaction.    Their influence can be positive and constructive in forming the company culture and employee retention. Or their influence can be damaging and destructive to achieving the cu...

In this episode of The Leadership and Learning Podcast, host Randy Goruk, has a conversation with Sara McElroy, a former hustle culture devotee, ex-chief marketing officer, the Wall Street Journal's poster girl for pandemic career burnout, and a two-time member of the Great Resignation: class of 2021  and  2022.   In this episode you will learn: About Raze to Rise, an organization created to ampli...