Episode 209: The Hidden Cost of Letting It Slide - Core Values in Trades Leadership
Release Date: 05/15/2025
Episode 214: Gratitude-Driven Leadership: Closing the Chapter with Traci Austin
The People Strategy Podcast
What if gratitude could transform how you lead through endings and unlock your next breakthrough? Here's what most leaders get wrong: You think finishing strong means immediately jumping to the next big thing. But what if I told you that the leaders who create lasting impact know a secret about endings that changes everything? After four transformative years and 213 episodes, I'm sharing the most counterintuitive leadership lesson I've learned, and it might surprise you. This isn't just about saying goodbye to my podcast. It's about why the way you close chapters determines whether your next...
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Episode 213: Meeting People Where They Are: Lessons from Rolling Tides
The People Strategy Podcast
At , people aren’t just employees—they’re the heart of the company. CEO has built a culture that truly cares about its team, fostering an environment where individuals feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow. This people-first approach is more than a philosophy—it’s a business strategy that drives loyalty, engagement, and success. Matt shares how Rolling Tides demonstrates care through authentic storytelling, meaningful connections, and intentional support. From spotlighting team members on social media to creating mentorship programs and wellness initiatives, the company...
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Episode 212: Engineering Spaces for Belonging: The Power of Intentional Culture-Building
The People Strategy Podcast
What if the most successful companies aren't the ones with the best perks or highest salaries, but the ones that have cracked the code on engineering authentic human connection? , Co-Founder of , stumbled upon this truth during focus groups that were supposed to validate a technology solution. Instead, he uncovered a startling revelation: people weren't craving another digital tool; they were desperately seeking genuine connection in their workplaces. This unexpected discovery sparked a seven-year experiment that's been quietly revolutionizing how forward-thinking leaders approach culture. The...
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Episode 211: Elevating Our Tradespeople: Building Culture, Clarity, and Passion on the Jobsite
The People Strategy Podcast
The trades have often been seen as a fallback rather than a first-choice career. But what if we challenged that narrative and recognized the skilled trades as a vital, dignified profession with immense opportunity? , President and Founder of , brings decades of experience bridging technology and the trades to shed light on how we can elevate the workforce from within. His passion for creating environments where every worker feels respected and empowered makes him a leading voice in the industry’s transformation. James understands the unique challenges faced by tradespeople—many enter the...
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Episode 210: From High Turnover to High Commitment: How a Janitorial Company Became a People-First Powerhouse
The People Strategy Podcast
What if the issue isn’t who you’re hiring, but what they’re walking into? That was the pivotal question Greg Brouwer asked himself when he took the reins of , overseeing a team of more than 200 employees and facing turnover rates nearing 200%. Instead of defaulting to reactive hiring or higher pay, Greg chose a different path... one centred on building belonging, not just bandwidth. “What if we focused less on finding more people,” Greg asked, “and more on becoming a place worth staying in?” Greg’s approach reframed leadership from task oversight to culture stewardship. He...
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Episode 209: The Hidden Cost of Letting It Slide - Core Values in Trades Leadership
The People Strategy Podcast
When you think about core values in your workplace, what comes to mind? A few words painted on the breakroom wall? A mission statement buried in an onboarding deck? For many organizations, especially in fast-paced, high-pressure industries like the trades, core values become background noise. But if you're leading a team, here's the uncomfortable truth: your culture isn't built by what you say you believe. It's built by what you tolerate. And if those values aren’t actively guiding behavior, they’re not values—they’re decoration. So, how do you make core values actually work? How do...
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Episode 208: Purpose-Driven Construction: Building Homes and Businesses That Actually Last
The People Strategy Podcast
If you’ve ever inherited more than a business—like a legacy, a mission, or a responsibility that feels deeply personal—this episode will resonate. For trades entrepreneur Craig Lenard, taking over wasn’t just about business continuity. It was about honouring a foundation while building something stronger on top. When his mother was diagnosed with cancer and both parents stepped away from the company, Craig returned—not as the same man, but as a builder shaped by experience, reflection, and purpose. Once a teacher, now a systems-minded leader, Craig brought fresh eyes and a deeper...
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Episode 207: Rebuilding a Business That Serves Your Life
The People Strategy Podcast
If you've ever led a business that looked impressive on paper but felt like it was quietly eroding your well-being behind the scenes, this episode will meet you exactly where you are. Many trades entrepreneurs begin with a craft, not a company blueprint. They hustle hard, fueled by grit, only to find themselves imprisoned by the very business they built—exhausted, reactive, and disconnected from the purpose that sparked it all. That’s the real story behind Richard Walsh’s success... and collapse. After two decades running a nationally recognized, award-winning water feature company,...
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Episode 206: Head, Heart, Hustle: Building Trust and Culture Across Trades Teams
The People Strategy Podcast
In the trades, it’s not the perks that define culture—it’s how your people show up when things get hard. On job sites, in tight deadlines, across five generations—real culture is built through clarity, trust, and showing up every day. And that doesn’t happen by accident. Too often, trade businesses measure success in activity: 500 calls made, back-to-back shifts worked, 100 tasks checked off. But when output becomes the goal, people burn out, trust breaks down, and culture becomes just another line in the handbook. In this episode of The People Strategy Podcast, talks with ,...
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Episode 205: Stop Yelling Into the Void: How to Actually Get Through to Your Trades Team
The People Strategy Podcast
If your communication strategy only works for half your crew, it's not a strategy—it's a risk. And in the trades, that risk doesn’t just affect productivity—it affects safety, morale, and retention. Today’s job sites are made up of multiple generations working side by side, each with their own preferences, assumptions, and expectations around communication. You've got Boomers printing out emails, Gen Xers living by their calendars, Millennials juggling inboxes and Slack messages, and Gen Zers who'd prefer a quick text over a long meeting. When leaders fail to adapt their...
info_outlineWhen you think about core values in your workplace, what comes to mind? A few words painted on the breakroom wall? A mission statement buried in an onboarding deck? For many organizations, especially in fast-paced, high-pressure industries like the trades, core values become background noise. But if you're leading a team, here's the uncomfortable truth: your culture isn't built by what you say you believe. It's built by what you tolerate. And if those values aren’t actively guiding behavior, they’re not values—they’re decoration. So, how do you make core values actually work? How do you turn them from empty statements into a foundation that builds trust, accountability, and long-term growth?
John Knowlton has spent years helping leaders get clear on what drives their teams. With a background as a United Methodist pastor and a business coach for trades and service companies, John understands that values aren’t just about inspiration—they’re about alignment. According to him, culture is not defined by what’s printed on your website. It’s defined by behavior. And too often, leaders create unspoken double standards. High performers are rewarded—even when their behavior undermines the team. Values are quoted in meetings but ignored on the jobsite. Over time, this erodes trust and breeds inconsistency.
When your team sees misalignment between what’s said and what’s done, they stop believing. And that’s when turnover, burnout, and disengagement start to rise. But when core values are clear, consistent, and practiced daily? They become your most effective leadership tool.
In this episode of The People Strategy Podcast, Traci Austin sits down with with leadership coach John Knowlton for a candid, practical conversation about how to bring core values to life, especially in trades-based businesses. Together, they unpack what it really means to operationalize core values in the everyday: from crafting interview questions that reveal alignment, to navigating difficult decisions when two values seem to conflict. They explore how to hold high performers accountable when their behavior clashes with team culture, and how to embed values into performance reviews, peer feedback, and daily communication. This episode offers more than just theory—it provides actionable tools for leaders ready to stop reacting to culture and start shaping it. Because, as John says, “Your culture is happening whether you lead it or not."