In this episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast, Randy Goruk talks with Mike Matalone, founder and chief talent officer of the XP3 Talent System and author of Hire, Train, and Retain. Together they unpack why most business problems are really people problems in disguise and why you can’t hire great teams; you have to build them.

Drawing on years of work with CEOs and leadership teams, Mike explains how to:

• Use two critical hiring filters: are they smart enough to learn and are they coachable?
• Replace vague job descriptions with clear definitions of success, results, time frames, and required behaviors.
• Build an integrated people system that connects hiring, training, coaching, and career paths.
• Create true employee engagement by linking people to your mission, vision, and values.
• Tap into discretionary effort, the extra 40–60% of performance most employees never give.
• Dramatically reduce turnover and increase productivity, illustrated by a case study that cut sales turnover from 80% to 23%.

If you lead sales teams, manufacturing operations, distribution, or construction crews and feel too busy “just surviving the day” to focus on people, this conversation will challenge you to slow down, get better before you get bigger, and treat training and development as your best investment.

Website: https://www.xp3talent.com/

Hire, Train, Retain Book:
https://www.amazon.com/Hire-Train-Retain-high-performing-organizational/dp/B0F8Z4KQ84

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-matalone-6029b87/

In this episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast, Randy Goruk talks with Carol DeMarco, veteran counselor, author, and creator of “Pearls of Wisdom” (POWs), about how to build a resilient mindset before and during life’s toughest moments.

Drawing on more than four decades of helping people through conflict, change, and crisis, Carol shares practical, memorable tools leaders can use to bounce back, adapt, and move forward—at work, at home, and on the jobsite.

Through real-world scenarios from the construction and building materials industry, Randy and Carol explore how resilient leaders think and act when facing shrinking markets, high turnover, safety hypocrisy, and “mediocre” performance.

Carol’s POWs give listeners simple language and strategies they can immediately put into practice.

• Listeners will also discover how to:
• Understand resilience as a learned mindset, not an inborn trait
• Separate what they can control from what they can’t, especially under pressure
• Replace automatic negative thoughts with more constructive thinking
• Use small, practical steps to get out of their comfort zone and build confidence
• Lead more effectively by ensuring people feel understood and appreciated
• Handle tough realities like turnover, safety conflicts, and performance issues without reacting emotionally or taking everything personally
• Start using short, “sticky” POWs to reinforce better choices and strengthen resilience every day

Website: https://www.powlistenup.com/

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-demarco-34309a375/

In this episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast, host Randy Goruk talks with Sean Phelps, President of College Works Painting, about one of the toughest and most misunderstood leadership responsibilities: accountability.

After coaching more than 10,000 college students to run real businesses and generate over $100 million in revenue, Sean has turned accountability into a practical, repeatable system leaders can use every day.

Listeners will discover:

• Why traditional “browbeating” and quick consequences actually destroy accountability
• Seans reframe of accountability as “account + ability” gives people space to explain what really happened
• A simple question-based framework to diagnose whether a miss is about clarity, skill, effort, or control
• How to use carrots before sticks: clarity, coaching, and incentives before consequences
• Why one-on-one conversations are non‑negotiable for real accountability
• The “don’t blame the lettuce” mindset for growing people instead of yelling at them
• How neutral thinking and “it takes what it takes” keep leaders focused on actions, not drama

If you want a more caring, highly accountable culture where people own their goals, come with solutions, and help your organization scale, this conversation with Sean Phelps is packed with practical insights you can start using this week.

Sean Phelps LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-phelps-2754782/

College Works Painting Website: https://collegeworks.com/

In this episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast, host Randy Goruk talks with safety expert and author Brian Fielkow about why sustainable workplace safety is fundamentally a leadership and culture issue, not just a compliance exercise.

Drawing on his experience leading high‑hazard operations and his new book Making Safety Happen, Brian explains how the best organizations move beyond policies and inspections to create environments where employees choose to work safely because they know leadership genuinely cares about them.

Listeners will discover:

• The critical difference between compliance and a living safety culture
• Why safety must be treated as a core value, not a shifting priority
• The pivotal role of frontline supervisors in translating policy into real-world behavior
• How leaders unintentionally undermine safety
• Practical ways to build credibility, communication, and accountability without creating fear
• How to address a “we’ve always done it this way” mindset
• How to spot perception gaps between executives and frontline workers.
• How to create accountability without fear

Brian’s website: https://brianfielkow.com/

Brian’s email address: brian@brianfielkow.com

Brian’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfielkow/

Randy’s 5-Day Safety Leadership Challenge:
https://leadersedge360.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/5-Day-Challenge-1.pdf

In this solo episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast, Randy Goruk shares practical leadership insights for navigating a slow market in the building materials and construction industry.

As projects slow down, margins tighten, and competition intensifies, many organizations fall into reactive thinking. Randy challenges leaders to think differently. Instead of lowering prices, defending volume, or relying on customer entertainment, he explains why the real opportunity during difficult markets is gaining market share.

Drawing on more than 40 years of leadership experience, Randy discusses:
• why markets slow down
• how manufacturers and distributors typically react
• the dangers of price-driven thinking
• why most companies fail to properly measure market share
• strategic questions leaders should ask customers right now
• how to become more valuable during uncertain times

This episode is a practical discussion about leadership, strategy, customer value, and long-term thinking during challenging business conditions.

Key Takeaways:
• Slow markets expose weak leadership and weak value propositions
• Lowering price is often a reaction, not a strategy
• Market share should become a major leadership focus during difficult markets
• Strong customer relationships are built by helping customers grow
• Strategic questions create better customer conversations than pricing discussions
• Leaders who think ahead outperform leaders who simply react

If you’re a leader in construction, distribution, manufacturing, or building materials, this episode will challenge how you think about winning in a slow market.

In this episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast, host Randy Goruk sits down with Eric “Coach Rev” Reveno, James C. Gaither Associate Head Coach and General Manager for Stanford Men’s Basketball, to discuss why great leaders often emerge from great teammates.

Drawing on three decades of Division I coaching experience, Coach Rev shares practical insights on leadership, authenticity, accountability, relationships, and team culture that easily apply to construction, manufacturing, building materials, and business environments.

Listen to this episode and you will learn:

• The attributes of great leaders and coaches
• Why authenticity matters more than copying leadership styles
• The difference between being senior and being a great teammate
• How leaders shape culture through standards and behavior
• Practical ways to strengthen teamwork immediately

Coach Rev also introduces his STORM framework for great teammates:

• Showing Up
• Taking Care of Relationships
• Owning Your Own Power
• Raising Up Others
• Maintaining a Mission Focus

Whether you lead a crew, project, department, or organization, this episode will challenge you to rethink leadership as a commitment to serving and strengthening the team around you.

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-reveno-3b5a985/

Website: https://gostanford.com/sports/mens-basketball

In this episode, host Randy Goruk has a conversation with Ed DeAngelis, CEO of EDA Contractors, about how construction leaders can evolve from old school, command-and-control styles to adapt to a people-first, emotionally intelligent approach.

Ed shares his personal journey from grinder and stress overload to servant leader and explains why he now treats humanity as a strategy investing in emotional intelligence, psychological safety, and holistic worker experiences as core business drivers, not “soft” add-ons.

Listeners will also learn:

• Why traditional “old school” command-and-control leadership is rapidly losing effectiveness in today’s construction workforce.
• What “humanity as a strategy” is all about.
• How emotional intelligence applies to construction.
• Specific ways to create psychologically safe job sites where people feel respected, heard, and valued.
• Practical first steps for old school leaders such as pausing and breathing before reacting.
• How focusing on people can still drive safety, profitability, and performance.
• How to introduce emotional intelligence into a skeptical culture.
• The connection between leadership and the current labor shortage.
• How better leadership can help attract and retain workers.
• What younger workers are looking for today.
• The role of growth mindset and continuous learning.
• A vision of the future of construction.

Website: https://www.edacontractors.com/

Ed DeAngelis LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwarddeangelis/

In this episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast, host Randy Goruk sits down with Andrea Piering, President of Sun State Builders, to explore how leaders can better attract, recruit, and retain women in construction.

Listeners will learn:

• How Andrea Piering went from working job sites as a teenager to becoming President of Sun State Builders
• Why construction can be a fulfilling and creative career path for women, even if they didn’t grow up around it
• How schools and industry messaging can change misconceptions that construction is only dirty, outdoor, “in the hot sun” work
• The wide variety of roles women can have in construction
• Common misconceptions women have about entering construction and how ongoing learning makes the industry accessible
• Common misconceptions male leaders have about hiring or promoting women, and how those are changing with new generations of leaders
• Practical ways to help women succeed in the field
• How companies fall short when they don’t provide a spectrum of entry points for women
• Why equal pay and feeling valued are critical to retaining women in construction
• How flexibility and empathy for family responsibilities impact retention
• Concrete ideas for leaders to attract and recruit more women
• How to retain women by simply asking them directly about their challenges, listening for blind spots, and making fixable improvements
• The importance of women in the industry seeing each other as allies, not competitors and growing together
• That there is a clear, needed place for women in construction, and how leadership development programs can support their growth

Website: https://sunstatebuilders.com/

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-piering-55b14880/