Podcast Episode Show Notes

Adrian Gillman is a registered carpenter and owner of Kingsford Building and Carpentry in Melbourne, also vice president of the West Coburg Football Club. Here, Adrian shares 5 leadership lessons for trades business owners: leading through actions and attitude, understanding people before judging them, breaking the "grumpy tradie" culture, building culture from small things, and instructing the next generation of apprentices.

David Mehmel has spent 16 years in and around the automotive industry, the last three working full-time as an apprentice trainer and mentor in a dealership environment. Here, Dave shares 5 leadership lessons for tradies leading apprentices: understanding learning styles, treating apprentices as people, building confidence, improving retention and culture, and self-care as a mentor.

Leon Simmons left a secure, well-paid career to start again as an apprentice electrician in his 30s and built an online community documenting the journey. Here, Leon shares 5 leadership lessons for tradies: leadership without a title, building confidence as a junior onsite, taking responsibility beyond your job description, what makes a good mentor, and building an online community. Grounded, humble, and full of real apprentice-floor wisdom.

Harry Murtough has spent years telling the trade industry's stories as editor of The Tradie Magazine, giving him a front-row seat to the patterns behind good, and overlooked, leadership. Here, Harry shares 5 leadership lessons for tradies: the difference between knowledge and wisdom, why sharing your story matters, listening as a leadership skill, why empathy matters, and self-awareness as the throughline of great leaders. Thoughtful and genuinely insightful.

Gavin Cribb started as an apprentice at Ford over 30 years ago and now leads a team of 70 automotive trainers, with a clear view on what actually attracts and keeps the next generation of tradies. Here, Gavin shares 5 leadership lessons for tradies: what it means to lead a workshop team, leading different generations, writing better apprenticeship job ads, collaborating across competing businesses, and why every level of a trade career comes with leadership. Practical and har

Raman Badekar started out as a maintenance mechanic apprentice and went on to mentor World Skills medallists and lead skilling projects across Australia, New Zealand, India and China. Here, Raman shares 5 leadership lessons for tradies: showing up reliably as a mentor, why mentoring apprentices matters, building trust early, why people skills outlast technical skills, and practical tips for mentoring without formal training. Grounded, generous, and full of tools you can actua

Matt Gilbert didn't set out to be a leader, he just kept getting handed the job. From diesel mechanic in transport to workshop manager at a large civil mining company, he's spent his career learning how to lead. Here, Matt shares 5 practical leadership lessons for tradies: finding your own leadership style, handling rebellious crews, communicating well as a supervisor, building apprentice confidence, and why diverse teams make for a more professional site.