Links

The book : https://gerardwood.com.au/product/only-tradies-improve-reliability/

Gerard's profile : https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerard-wood-146a3212/

Summary

In this episode, I sat down with Gerard Wood, author of Only Tradies Improve Reliability, for one of the most honest conversations we’ve had on the podcast about maintenance culture, leadership, and what really drives reliability outcomes.

Gerard shares why he believes reliability is not primarily a systems problem, but a trades culture problem. We unpack why good tradies can still produce poor outcomes, the difference between “don’t know”, “don’t care”, and “don’t see”, and the simple routines high-performing sites use to make quality visible every day.

What I enjoyed most about this conversation is that it cuts through a lot of the complexity our industry often creates. Gerard brings the discussion back to pride in work, ownership, feedback, and craftsmanship and why those things matter more than most people realise.

If you work in maintenance, reliability, or operations leadership, I think this episode will genuinely make you reflect on the culture at your site and what actually drives long-term reliability improvement.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Gerard Wood's Journey

02:58 The Importance of Culture in Reliability

05:28 The Uncomfortable Truth About Systems and Culture

08:49 Understanding the 'Don't Know, Don't Care, Don't See' Phenomenon

16:08 Making Quality Visible for Improvement

20:32 Identifying and Addressing Equipment Issues

24:39 The Impact of Ownership and Pride in Work

27:25 Creating a Culture of Openness and Learning

32:17 The Future of Trades and Technology

35:14 Quickfire Insights on Reliability and Culture

Keywords

Reliability, Maintenance Culture, Mining, Continuous Improvement, Leadership, Quality Work, Reliability Engineering, Organizational Culture, Safety, AI in Maintenance