Tradies Who Lead

Blue Leader
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Are you a tradie who wants to be a better leader? Whether you're on the tools or leading a team, Tradies Who Lead is the podcast bringing practical leadership skills to every tradesperson. Hosted by diesel mechanic Ashley Belteky, every episode covers real stories and practical leadership insights from across the trades. Because when we lead better onsite, we lift the whole team.

  1. 3d ago

    What Running a Funeral Home Taught this Tradie About Leading Trade Teams Better with Adrian Gillman

    Today we're joined by Adrian Gillman, a registered carpenter and owner of Kingsford Building and Carpentry in Metro Melbourne, with over 15 years in the trade specialising in bathrooms, extensions and detailed internal fitouts. Adrian's career has taken him off the tools and into a corporate role running a funeral home, an experience that forced him to learn how to understand people before reacting to them. He's brought that lesson straight back into his carpentry business and into his leadership role in community clubs, where he's building culture from the ground up. We unpack: 🗣️ How leadership starts with action 🤝 Why understanding people better changes the way you lead 🏗️ How to get the best out of your apprentices by building connection Chapters: 0:00 – Coming Up 0:48 – Meet Adrian Gillman 2:43 – Early Leadership Skills for Tradies 3:56 – How Tradies Become Leaders Onsite 4:46 – How a Good Attitude is Leadership 8:00 – Leadership Communication Skills 13:14 – Trade Leadership Lessons From a Funeral Home 17:56 – Building Culture in Trade Teams 22:45 – Real Challenges in the Apprenticeship System 26:10 – Finding Common Ground With the Next Generation 28:13 – How to Lead Through Understanding Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok 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.   Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership If you want to connect with Adrian, you can reach him via: Website - www.kingsfordcarpentry.com.au Insta - @kingsfordcarpentry Facebook - @kingsfordcarpentry

  2. Aug 3

    A Toolbox Talk Won't Protect You or Your Team When Something Goes Wrong Onsite with Luke Canham

    Today we're joined by Luke Canham, who's spent over 30 years leading teams across some of the highest-risk work in the trades, including construction and scaffolding. After a serious workplace safety incident and a decade caught up in the court system, Luke walked away with one realisation: every business is a training business, whether it knows it or not. He's since built Multiply Me, a video-based training platform that helps business owners and supervisors close the gap between what regulators expect and what happens on-site before it costs them everything. We unpack: 💪 Why a strong safety culture only works if people believe in it 🙌 How to practice letting go of control as a team leader 📱 How short video is changing the way trade teams communicate and learn Chapters:0:00 – Coming Up0:38 – Meet Luke Canham: Founder of Multiply Me2:07 – What Leadership Means in the Trades3:10 – Leading Like a Footy Team Onsite5:29 – Letting Go of Control as a Leader8:27 – Why Small Details Make a Difference9:16 – How Culture Is the Real Safety System12:52 – The Accident That Changed His Leadership16:19 – Why Trade Business Owners Face Jail Time18:33 – Meet Toolbox Tom: Safety Training Tool20:51 – Building Influence Through Video Content23:45 – Getting Supervisors On Board With Safety25:48 – Luke's Advice for Growing a Trade Business Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok 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.   Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership If you want to contact Luke, you can reach him via: Website: https://multiplyme.com.au/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/multiply_me_system/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukecanham63/

  3. Jul 20

    Leaning Into Your Strengths and Setting the Standard as a Leader in Mining with Kurt Checketts

    Today we're joined by Kurt Checketts, a light-vehicle mechanic-turned-diesel-fitter who spent 12 years in the mining industry, five of those leading crews in one of the highest-stakes environments in the trades. Kurt learned firsthand what it costs when standards slip, and what it takes to build a team that holds the line when the pressure is on. Since leaving site, Kurt's taken everything mining taught him about leadership, discipline and financial pressure and built Blue Collar Money, a mortgage broking business made specifically for tradies and FIFO workers looking to turn hard work into real financial results. We unpack: 🔥 Why leaning into your strengths beats trying to fix every weakness 🧠 The situational leadership model that guides how you manage different people 💪 Why the small standards you walk past are the ones that catch up with you Chapters: 0:00 – Coming Up 0:32 – Meet Kurt Checketts, Mining Leader 2:14 – What Leadership Means to Kurt 2:42 – A Sink-or-Swim Start in the Mines 4:11 –Leaning Into Your Strengths 6:37 – How to Find Your Own Leadership Strengths 9:23 – What the Best Leaders Do Differently 11:34 – Getting to Know Your Team as Individuals 13:30 – The Situational Leadership Model Explained 15:43 – When Small Standards Get Walked Past 18:21 – The Mining Incident That Changed Everything 20:47 – Building Blue Collar Money 23:28 – Kurt's Advice for Everyday Leaders Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok 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.   Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership If you want to connect with Kurt, you can reach them via: Website: www.bluecollarmoney.com.au Instagram: @the_savvyprospector or @bluecollarmoneyau

  4. Jul 6

    How 10 Minutes of Planned Communication Can Save Half a Day of Chaos with Jason Loft

    There's a gap most tradies don't see coming when they step into leadership. It's not technical. It's not experience. It's everything that happens after you put down the tools and start trying to get results through other people. Jason Loft is the Managing Director and Co-founder of PROTRADE United, with over 16 years of experience supporting trade and construction businesses across Australia and New Zealand. He's seen what separates the teams that grow sustainable, and the teams that stall. In this episode, we get into: - Why influence is the foundation of leadership - The GROW model for working through conflict onsite - A simple toolbox structure to get ahead of chaos - The mindset shift tradies need to move from the tools to leading teams Chapters: 0:00 Coming Up 0:35 What Is Leadership? 2:16 What Influence Looks Like on the Tools 4:42 Jason's Leadership Journey 7:00 Habits That Build Strong Leaders 8:24 Listening as a Leadership Skill 9:15 How to Seek and Use Feedback 10:33 Meeting Rhythms and Toolbox Structure 13:15 How to Run a Daily Standup 15:28 Motivating Different Personalities 16:11 From the Tools to Leadership 17:45 Respected vs Liked 19:44 What Business Sustainability Looks Like 21:05 Leading Through Uncertainty 24:28 Wrap Up Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok 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.   Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership If you want to connect with Jason or PROTRADE United, you can reach them via: Website: www.protradeunited.com.au Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/protrade_united/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@protradeunited

  5. Jun 22

    The Missing Habit Holding Your Apprentice Back (and it's Not Your Apprentice's Fault)

    Most tradies have played a mentoring role at some point, yet very few have been taught how to do it well. David Mehmel is an Apprentice Trainer, Mentor, and Safety Coordinator with 16 years in and around the automotive industry. With his sole focus on apprentice development, he knows which strategies yield the best results for workplace performance and engagement. In this conversation, we get into: - How to build rapport for better mentoring outcomes - Why relationships are the foundation of any team that performs - How to engage the next generation of apprentices Chapters: 0.00 Coming Up 1.25 Meet David Mehmel 5:12 The Key to Mentoring an Apprentice 6:52 How to Foster Stronger Relationships With Your Team 9:07 Getting Through to Disengaged Team Members 12:50 How to Build Confidence in Apprentices 16:28 Improving Apprentice Retention through Leadership 18:25 Practical Ways to Improve Team Culture 20:56 How to Teach Your First Apprentice 23:18 Look After Yourself to Lead Better 25:28 Conclusion Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok 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.   Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership If you want to connect with David, you can reach him via https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mehmel-90879a165/

  6. Jun 8

    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, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok 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.   Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership If you want to connect with Aaron or The Good Builder, you can reach him via https://linktr.ee/TheGoodBuilder

  7. May 25

    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, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok 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.   Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership 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/

  8. May 11

    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, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok 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.   Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership If you want to connect with Matt, you can reach him via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathew-w-30903b82/

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About

Are you a tradie who wants to be a better leader? Whether you're on the tools or leading a team, Tradies Who Lead is the podcast bringing practical leadership skills to every tradesperson. Hosted by diesel mechanic Ashley Belteky, every episode covers real stories and practical leadership insights from across the trades. Because when we lead better onsite, we lift the whole team.

Information

  • Creator
    Blue Leader
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Blue Leader
  • Show Website
    Tradies Who Lead

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