In this episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast, host Randy Goruk welcomes Akul Modi, Vice President of Estimating and Business Development at EDA Contractors, to explore a practical relationship model Akul and his team use every day: the cold–warm–hot relationship playbook.

With more than 18 years of experience in construction, architecture, estimating, and business development, Akul shares how EDA turns what many consider “soft skills” into a disciplined business strategy for winning work, serving clients, and building high-performing teams.

Randy and Akul break down what it really means to move a relationship from cold to warm to hot, why non-transactional relationships are critical in a small industry, and how values like humanity, humility, honesty, and “selling real” build trust over time. Akul also introduces the concept of “WNGO – When Nothing Going On” as a way to stay genuinely connected even when there’s no active project, and he offers candid insight on what to do when relationships go south, how to protect your reputation, and how courage and acceptance can help repair damaged trust.

In this episode, listeners will learn:

• The “Cold–Warm–Hot” relationship model and how it works as a business strategy.
• How to assess the “temperature” of a relationship (cold, warm, hot) with clients, partners, and coworkers.
• Why non-transactional relationships matter and how “your network is your net worth” in business development.
• Practical ways to move from cold to warm.
• What truly defines a “hot” relationship, and why it is rare.
• Key behaviors that build strong relationships.
• How to move from warm to hot.
• When and how to walk away from a relationship.
• Managing relationships that go south.
• Protecting your reputation in a small industry.
• How to repair damaged relationships.
• Insights into EDA Contractors’ culture (“the EDA way”).

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

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akul-modi/

In this episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast, host Randy Goruk is joined by Jake Thompson, International keynote speaker, author, and performance coach, to explore three essentials every leader must get right: delegation, expectations, and feedback.

Drawing on real-world examples from construction and field operations, Randy and Jake unpack why capable leaders struggle to let go of tasks, how “clear in my head” communication turns into “clear as mud” for the crew, and what to do when people can meet expectations but don’t do it consistently. They discuss practical tools like having team members “walk me through your understanding,” using Loom videos and SOPs to create clarity, and the “Well – Better – How” framework to build a habit of self-evaluation.

You’ll also hear how to balance positive and corrective feedback so people don’t tune you out, how to encourage healthy pushback without inviting chaos, and what truly signals that someone is ready for greater responsibility—beyond just being a strong individual performer.

Listeners will learn how to:

• Shift from being a “doer” to a leader who gets results through others
• Delegate in a way that develops people instead of just unloading tasks
• Set expectations that are reasonable, understood, and actionable
• Spot and grow future leaders who can elevate the performance of others
• Communicate expectations with clarity
• Improve consistency and accountability
• Give feedback people actually use
• Spot and develop future leaders

This episode is especially valuable for leaders and supervisors who want to strengthen their leadership impact on Monday morning without becoming a micromanager.

Website: https://www.competeeveryday.com/

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakethompsonspeaks/

In this episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast, host Randy Goruk talks with Brian Gottlieb, an inspirational business leader who grew a home services company from a plastic folding table and $3,000 to more than 600 employees and nearly $1 billion in lifetime sales.

Together, Randy and Brian explore how to intentionally build, grow, and sustain a high‑performance culture for competitive advantage.

Brian shares practical, hard‑earned lessons on:

• What culture really is.
• The true levers of culture.
• When subcultures are healthy and when they become “cancerous” to the organization.
• Why technical fixes often fail.
• How to sustain culture as you scale.
• The power of team-based vision statements.
• Shifting from chaos to disciplined profitability as your business grows.
• Developing managers as true custodians of culture.
• Getting everyone on the team to think and act like owners,
• Practical advice for new graduates and aspiring leaders who want to stand out and get promoted

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

Brian’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-gottlieb-bb66094/

Brian’s book: https://briangottlieb.com/book/

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.