What does it mean to truly take care of your people?In Episode 06 of the Old Dawg Leadership Podcast, Adam Hoots and Mike Chiles sit down with Cal Beyer for an important conversation about mental health, suicide prevention, substance use, recovery, and the role construction leaders can play in creating a culture of care.Cal has spent decades helping the construction industry move beyond awareness toward prevention, readiness, and response. In this episode, he shares why mental health, substance use, suicide, overdose, and recovery need to be part of one connected conversation focused on whole-person wellbeing.The conversation also explores Cal’s Three V’s of leadership: visible, vocal, and vulnerable. For leaders, that can be as practical as walking the jobsite, knowing your people, starting conversations, and recognizing when someone’s normal behavior changes.In this episode:- Building a culture of care in construction- Mental health and suicide prevention- Substance use, recovery, and whole-person wellbeing- Moving from awareness to readiness and response- The Three V’s: visible, vocal, and vulnerable- Recognizing when someone may be struggling- Creating stronger connections between workers and available resources- The role everyday leadership can play in changing construction cultureCal also discusses resources available to construction leaders and workers, including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, Construction Suicide Prevention Week, SAFE Project, VitalCog, safeTALK, and QPR.The takeaway for leaders is simple: know your people, be willing to have the conversation, and be ready to connect someone with help when they need it.As Cal reminds us at the end of the episode: “If not you, then who? If not now, then when?”🎙️ Old Dawg Leadership PodcastReal leaders. Real lessons learned. Direct, practical, and no bullshido.Built by those who do. Shared for those who will.This episode’s Community Spotlight is Brent Darnell International, providing executive coaching for construction professionals from the field to the boardroom.Whether you're leading a crew, managing projects, or just beginning your career in construction, this kickoff episode offers practical wisdom you can put to work immediately. Join the conversation and discover why the best leaders don't create followers. They create more leaders.Connect with the Old Dawg Builder's CommunitySkool: skool.com/olddawgYouTube: @OldDawgsLinkedIn: Old Dawgs Builder's Community

In Part 3 of the Old Dawg Leadership Podcast’s Emotional Intelligence Series, Adam Hoots and Mike Chiles welcome Brent Darnell back to turn everything discussed in Parts 1 and 2 into practical action.

The big question in this episode is simple: Once you understand emotional intelligence, how do you actually improve it?

Brent walks through his Emotional Intelligence Roadmap, a practical framework for understanding where you are today, identifying where you want to improve, and creating a plan to get there. The conversation begins with knowing your own story and recognizing the patterns, triggers, strengths, and experiences that have shaped the way you lead.

From there, the conversation moves into self-awareness, self-leadership, communication, empathy, emotional regulation, resilience, and decision-making under pressure.

A major theme throughout the episode is that emotions are information. Learning to recognize emotions before they escalate gives leaders an opportunity to pause, process what is happening, and choose a better response. The group also discusses how stress can affect problem-solving and why managing your emotional state matters when making decisions in high-pressure situations.

In this episode:

• Identifying patterns in your own story
• Building stronger self-awareness
• Balancing assertiveness with empathy
• Communicating more clearly
• Recognizing emotional triggers
• Making better decisions under stress
• Building resilience and optimism
• Creating a written development plan
• Using reflection and accountability to support lasting behavior change

One of the biggest takeaways from this three-part series is that emotional intelligence takes practice. Brent compares it to building any other skill. Growth comes through repetition, reflection, accountability, and time. Small changes in how you respond can eventually become lasting changes in how you lead.

And the work does not stop at the final mile marker.

The goal is lifelong learning: create a plan, measure your progress, find people who will hold you accountable, reflect on what is working, and keep moving forward.

Special thanks to J Mikel Solutions, our Community Spotlight sponsor for this episode.

Built by those who do. Shared for those who will.

In Part 2 of our three-part Emotional Intelligence Series, things get personal.Adam Hoots and Mike Chiles welcome Brent Darnell back to the Old Dawg Leadership Podcast, this time putting their own emotional intelligence and nutrition assessment results on the table for an honest conversation about vulnerability, stress, accountability, and personal growth.Brent walks Adam and Mike through their results and explains how emotional patterns can influence leadership, relationships, physical well-being, and performance. They dig into profiles like self-sacrifice, conflict avoidance, and “chasing shiny objects,” along with what those tendencies can look like on the job and at home.The conversation also explores the connection between emotional and physical health. From nutrition and burnout to stress and recovery, Brent challenges leaders to consider the whole person when thinking about performance and development.One of the biggest themes throughout the episode is accountability. Recognizing a behavior is only the beginning. Real growth requires practice, feedback, and people who are willing to call you out when old habits show up.

In Episode 03 of the Old Dawg Leadership Podcast, hosts Adam Hoots and Mike Chiles sit down with Brent Darnell, a longtime leader in emotional intelligence for the construction industry, to talk about what emotional intelligence looks like on the job and why it matters.Brent shares his journey from construction and acting into emotional intelligence and breaks down the science of EI in a practical way leaders can apply to their teams.The conversation covers alpha and control/perfectionist leadership profiles, emotional literacy, vulnerability, and the importance of understanding the root cause behind employee non-performance. Brent also shares his simple 1-to-10 check-in method and explains how leaders can recognize when they’ve slipped into emotionally disconnected “robot mode.”At the heart of the conversation is a challenge for the construction industry: healthier cultures start with leaders who are willing to understand themselves, communicate differently, and show up better for their people.In this episode:• What emotional intelligence really means• Alpha and control/perfectionist leadership tendencies• Brent’s 1-to-10 check-in method• Building emotional literacy and managing emotions• Finding the root cause of non-performance• Why vulnerability takes courage• Recognizing “robot mode”• Creating healthier cultures in constructionLearn more about Brent Darnell and access his free emotional intelligence test, nutrition survey, and body battery inventory at BrentDarnell.com.Special thanks to Jason Jacobson and J Michael Solutions for supporting this episode.Subscribe to the Old Dawg Leadership Podcast for more candid conversations about leadership, people, performance, and building stronger teams.#OldDawgLeadership #ConstructionLeadership #EmotionalIntelligence #Leadership #ConstructionIndustry

In this episode, Adam Hoots and Mike Chiles sit down with Jesse Hernandez — lean coach, founder of Depth Builder, and co-host of No BS with Jen and Jess — for a raw, honest conversation about what it really takes to grow as a leader in the construction industry.

What You'll Hear:

Jesse's Origin Story — Pain and failure are what shaped Jesse most. He came up as a competitive, aggressive tradesman whose only goal was to outperform everyone around him — until a mentor named Jim Jones delivered a hard truth: "If you don't change how you lead, don't complain when these guys are your boss."

The Selfish Servant Framework — Jesse reframes selfishness as a leadership asset. The decisions that honored his own values and callings ultimately made him a better servant to the people in front of him.

Kindergarten Metrics vs. Hot Sauce Leadership — Jesse breaks down why schedule, budget, and dollar volume are "kindergarten metrics" — easy to hit, but zero impact on people development. Hot sauce leaders invest in their people even when there's no system rewarding them for it.

Management Skills vs. Leadership Skills — It's not either/or. You need both. But most organizations only measure one.

The Lean Manager Story — Jesse shares a masterclass in earning trust on a jobsite that didn't want him there: show up, observe, suppress your agenda, find their pain point, and demonstrate a solution before you pitch anything.

The Birth of Depth Builder & No BS with Jen and Jess — How COVID forced a reckoning that led Jesse to leave a dream job, launch his own coaching business, and eventually partner with Jen Nguyen to build one of construction's most vulnerable and authentic online communities.

What the Industry Actually Needs Right Now — With 41% of the workforce retiring in the next five years, throwing money at the problem won't work anymore. Jesse makes the case for celebrating the unsung leaders — the ones taking all the blame and none of the glory — and why podcasts like this one are critical to that mission.

Key Quotes:

• "Pain and failure are the primary contributors to who I am."

• "Pick your leader — forget the benefits, forget the money."

• "Let the problem pull the tool."

• "Do not complain about anything you're not prepared to take action upon."

• "I want to introduce people to the promise they're intended to be."

Connect with Jesse Hernandez:

• Depth Builder

• No BS with Jen and Jess (livestreams)

Community Sponsor: Brent Darnell — brentdarnell.com — Online courses and tools to help you operate at the highest levels of mental, physical, and emotional performance.

What is leadership, and what is it supposed to produce?

In the very first episode of the Old Dawg Leadership Podcast, Adam Hoots sits down with construction veterans James Gable and Mike Chiles to explore one of the most important questions in the industry. Through stories from the field, hard-earned lessons, and practical leadership principles, they discuss why true leadership isn't about titles or authority. It's about influence, communication, and developing the next generation of leaders. From the "best finisher becomes foreman" dilemma to the 87/13 principle and the idea that leadership is caught more than it's taught, this conversation lays the foundation for everything the Old Dawg community stands for. 

Whether you're leading a crew, managing projects, or just beginning your career in construction, this kickoff episode offers practical wisdom you can put to work immediately. Join the conversation and discover why the best leaders don't create followers. They create more leaders.

Connect with the Old Dawg Builder's Community

•  Skool: skool.com/olddawg 
•  YouTube: @OldDawgs 
•  LinkedIn: Old Dawgs Builder's Community