Tarina is working on delegating, especially the deep house cleaning. Nic and Tarina report having a hard conversation about Nic’s travel schedule and his to-do list. And Nic, for the first time ever, went ice fishing with Jason and Derrick and actually drove on the ice.

Both Nic and Tarina share stories about receiving a kind word and how it made them feel. Examples range from recognition and appreciation and a compliment. Often this can serve as affirmation for keep doing good and being kind.

And it’s important to say the kind word aloud and not just keep it inside. People are hungry to matter and as Nic points out, kindness is leadership in action. Things flow better when leaders shine a light on what’s going right and not just what needs to improve.

Kindness can also be shown as well as said. It takes courage to pray for a waitress at a restaurant, overcoming our hesitation of sounding weird.

Nic ends with a story worth hearing.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at [email protected].

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to [email protected].

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic judged a grade school speech competition and had to tell a couple of kids, “No snacks for you.” He enjoyed it because he got to exercise one of his spiritual gifts: judging people. Tarina also points out that Nic is hard to make toast for.

The idea of this episode is to build the profile of your ideal week. If you don’t have a profile and life just happens. It’s better to be intentional.

What Nic and Tarina found out that life fills up spaces not blocked off. Your schedule reflects what you care about, says Tarina. Whether it’s vacation, work, relaxation, or a workout—it’s important to have it scheduled.

Nic says it’s important to ask the question, “What do I want?” Then says we have to ask, “What am I willing to do to get it?” This helps identify our priorities and our non-negotiables.

If you don’t put what’s most important to you on your calendar, someone will be happy to fill your calendar for you.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at [email protected].

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to [email protected].

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic received two packages—and on a Saturday of all days. Tarina says she never gets packages on Saturdays. One of them is a new “sock cap” for Nic’s bald head because it’s still cold in Oklahoma.

The most important proof of leadership is Ownership. This is the fifth and final proof. When you make a mistake do you “own it” or do you make excuses?

We all struggle with admitting when we mess up, especially when holding a leadership position. For some, there’s an explanation for everything. When things go wrong, these folks don’t take responsibility and avoid accountability.

The work of “owning it” takes development (see Proof #4). This applies whether it is in the rearing of kids or raising up future leaders at your organization. Ownership is fundamental to building trust as a leader and in modeling (see Proof #3) for potential leaders how to build trust.

Mistakes are not the problem—perfection isn’t the goal. Performance issues often are fixable. When someone justifies their actions or makes excuses, this is an integrity issue. When we bend the truth we risk breaking trust.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at [email protected].

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to [email protected].

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic and Tarina mention “snow-megadon” in Oklahoma. While they were looking for warm clothes to fight the chill, Tarina wanted her robber mask. Nic, bumfuzzled, confirms they have plenty of robber/ski masks.

In this episode, Nic says that when leadership happens we’re developing others. This is the fourth proof of leadership.

It’s important to note that teaching and development are not the same thing. Teaching a skill is one thing. Developing the person is different. Leaders focus on technical skills, on the how-to, whereas developing focuses on a person’s capacity.

Teaching is showing. Developing someone’s capacity is drawing out and raising up—and it takes patience. Capacity to handle more responsibility, make better judgments, or handle more stress—this takes patience and a focus on the long-term.

As a leader, you show proof of your leadership by asking more questions, engaging your team in thinking for themselves. You also show proof of leadership where you let your people struggle and figure it out.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at [email protected].

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to [email protected].

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Tarina launches with a question for Nic: “Can you help me improve?” Nic immediately knows it’s a trap—and he questions whether to take the bait, which he does.

In this episode, Nic and Tarina talk about the third Proof of Leadership: Model. They take the idea of leading by example further—giving substance to the practice of modeling the behavior you want to see in others.

The question they ask themselves: If we aren’t leading by example, then what happens to our influence? Modeling is a discipline not just a skill. You have to develop the capacity to do the hard things, whether it’s strapping on the tool belt or doing the paperwork.

The easy thing is to just send an email or schedule a Zoom call. The hard thing is to go to the job site, pull on your steel-toe boots, the hardhat, and look at the crusty sheet metal workers in the eye. Behavior is communication and doing the hard thing builds trust over time.

Nic shares a story about how to model the communication you want to see. He concludes, “Just because information is bad doesn’t give you permission not to communicate it.”

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at [email protected].

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to [email protected].

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here

Nic nearly Wreck-it-Ralph’d his Corn studio because he couldn’t get his microphones working—only to find out his speakers were off. And evidently, Tarina loves a good gas station hotdog (not).

In this episode, Nic and Tarina talk about the second Proof of Leadership: Clarity. They provide personal examples of how successful they are together when they communicate with clarity. And they agree that it’s important to say it not just think it.

A (new) hard Nic Bittle rule: “Lack of capacity does not excuse lack of communication.” In other words, you’re inability to say something aloud doesn’t give you permission to make assumptions about the another person’s grasp of what’s most important—or how you want things to get done.

One area people drop the ball when it comes to clarity is, as Tarina shares, if a leader does not clarify directions and the team executes based on what the leader says and consequently the results are not what the leader wanted, the leader gets upset at the team.

As a leader, are you telling your team “Just get it done” or “This is how I want you to get it done”? This is how you set clear expectations if you want good results.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at [email protected].

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to [email protected].

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic and Tarina talk about some comments they received from the recent episode on marriage. Nic then informs listeners that Tarina is “fancy”—which we already knew.

In the episode, Nic introduces The 5 Proofs of Leadership: Evidence that Leadership is Happening. The first proof that you are competent leader is: You Protect.

They discuss different lenses (environments) where you lead. The question: How do you protect those around you? It’s about carrying the load—absorbing the stress and tension as people grow and develop.

One way to handle the tension is to have someone on your team that you can vent to. Protection as a leader also means not passing the load onto your family or bringing it into your life. Protection is about self-sacrifice—stepping in between the danger and your people.

To protect your people is one of the five proofs of leadership.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at [email protected].

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to [email protected].

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

On Marriage: PART 2

Nic launches the conversation with an important question: “How do you keep someone as big of a deal like me coming home?” He claims getting that asked a lot.

Nic and Tarina have been married for 25 years. One thing they agree contributes to their success is they like each other. They choose each other and pursue one another every day.

They admit this isn’t magic. They act on showing love—bridging the knowing-doing gap on a daily basis. And when they experienced areas which needed improvement, they sought outside counsel. They did this in their tenth year of marriage.

One thing they’ve learned is to share their individual expectations with each other, especially when they travel together. This reduces possible frustration and disappointment. And they share insights with one another—things they notice about themselves, how they raise their personal awareness and communicating this with the family.

They cover a number of important best practices, so grab a notebook and pen.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at [email protected].

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to [email protected].

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

According to Tarina, Nic has a “pretty” bald head. And the week Nic was on the road, the Bittle compound experienced peace and quiet.

In this episode, Nic and Tarina talk about both: what to look for in a mate and how to be a good mate. Answer the questions: What traits do you want your future spouse to have? What traits are they looking for in you?

Nic asks, “Are you the person, or trying to become the person, to be the person they want?” Said another way—Nic doesn’t pull any punches—quit training to be a loser and make something of yourself and become the person someone you want would be attracted to.

Tarina adds, “You can’t have high standards of the person you want to marry, but have no standards for yourself.”

If you’re dating, be deliberate and find someone with similar values and makes similar decisions. Unity on basic core values should stay the same.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at [email protected].

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to [email protected].

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic asks Tarina about her new wardrobe item: a “dickie.” Tarina claims it’s a “collar bib.” And, of course, it’s bedazzled. Christmas was good and enjoyable—cherishing time with friends and family.

In this episode, Nic and Tarina don’t talk about new year resolutions. One question Nic is struggling with as he look at 2026: Is this the year he slows down a bit?

In this episode they talk about being more intentional in 2026.

Tarina talks about how she has already started to saying more often what she thinks/feels, like picking up the phone and thanking people or writing a quick note. It’s about being deliberate in doing what you think—the power of a kind word

As Tarina points out, this level of intentional kindness takes courage for some people, especially when you admire someone. The reality is everyone, no matter who they are, appreciates being shown kindness.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at [email protected].

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to [email protected].

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.