Backing yourself to show up as a leader takes more than a title – it takes the discipline to keep showing up when no one’s making you.

Les Wikiriwhi came up through the tools and founded Stand-Up Recruitment, a Trans-Tasman company helping Kiwi tradies build a better future in Australia. He’s honest about the early struggles and the habits that keep him consistent.

In this conversation, we get into:

• The discipline it takes to lead from the front

• How to handle pressure and take ownership of your next move

• The behaviours that build trust with the people around you

• The mindset shifts that help you unlock your best self

Chapters:

0:00 Meet Les Wikiriwhi

1:53 Set A Strong Leadership Example

4:19 Accepting Leadership Responsibility

5:10 Leading Without Certainty

7:12 Supporting Kiwis to Move to Australia

8:51 Finding Your Purpose to Handle Challenges

10:46 Building Discipline and Mindset

14:02 Embracing Total Responsibility

16:37 Normalising Mistakes in the Trades

18:21 How Leaders Set the Culture

21:08 Lead Yourself First

23:19 Wrap Up

Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok for more from the Tradies Who Lead community.

Tradies Who Lead is powered by Blue Leader. If you're looking for support in building leadership skills within your team, reach out here.

Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership

If you want to connect with Les or Stand Up Recruitment, you can reach them via:

Website: https://standuprecruitment.co.nz/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/les-wikiriwhi/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DApnRxdQf/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/les_wikiriwhi/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@les.wikiriwhi

Whether it’s getting paid on time or leading a team, success is about the quality of your communication skills and business systems.

George Dib is a Senior Commercial Manager at Credit Protect and a former accountant who’s helped hundreds of Aussie tradies tackle unpaid invoices. He’s seen the stress and the money left on the table, and he gives tradies the leverage big businesses take for granted.

In this conversation, we get into:

• How to chase money without becoming the bad guy

• The hidden cost of unpaid invoices on your business

• Why boundaries and communication are essential leadership skills

• The mindset shifts that help you lead yourself and your team with confidence

Chapters:

0:00 Meet George Dib

1:43 Servant Leadership Style

3:18 Learning from Good & Bad Examples of Leaders

5:08 How to Deliver Value to Others

8:02 Reduce Unpaid Invoices

10:35 Handling Difficult Conversations with Empathy

14:00 How to Lead from the Front

16:54 Embrace Your Gaps

17:53 What Sets Successful Trade Businesses Apart

22:27 The ROI of Investing in Your Team

25:21 Focus on Doing Good Work

27:03 Wrap Up

Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok for more from the Tradies Who Lead community.

Tradies Who Lead is powered by Blue Leader. If you're looking for support in building leadership skills within your team, reach out here.

Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership

If you want to connect with George, you can reach out on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeanthonydib/

When your people and your customers’ expectations keep changing, the way you lead must evolve if you want to keep up.

Kosta Kantilaftis is a second-generation technician, workshop owner and industry advocate with nearly two decades in the game. He started his first business at 19 and now leads Dulwich Hill Automotive and SMART Mechanic Sydney, and co-founded The Garage Network, a community of almost 6,000 technicians and workshop owners.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Managing new workplace expectations

• How to lead and develop the next generation

• Ways the industry can lift capability through training and community

• Building high-performing teams who take ownership

Chapters:

0:00 Meet Kosta Kantilaftis

2:53 Letting Go of Control for Freedom

4:15 Building Process to Empower Decisions

6:42 Creating Healthy Culture Around Mistakes

8:19 Leadership in The Garage Network

10:35 Mindset to Evolve with Industry & Workforce Changes

12:24 Building a Sellable Trade Business

14:15 Leading the Next Generation with Emotional Intelligence

17:33 Adapting for Different People

19:27 Creating Strong Team Culture

21:12 Understand Your Team’s Goals

22:41 Build Your Accountability

23:44 Wrap Up

Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok for more from the Tradies Who Lead community.

Tradies Who Lead is powered by Blue Leader. If you're looking for support in building leadership skills within your team, reach out here.

Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership

If you want to connect with Kosta, you can reach him via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kosta-kantilaftis-bbb870204/

Website: https://dulwichhillautomotive.com.au/

The Garage Network: https://www.thegaragenetwork.com.au/

A decade into business, and the challenges change: how do you continue to build systems on the go, stay visible to your crew off the tools, and keep family and work from swallowing each other?

Cam and Matt are brothers-in-law turned business partners and the founders of Limitless Build and its sister brand, Melbourne Decks and Pergolas. They’ve grown a word-of-mouth carpentry business into a full-service building company without ever sitting in an office.

In this episode, we cover:

• How to build systems and routines that create more freedom

• Transitioning from the Tools to Leadership

• Creating Visibility for Better Teamwork

• How to get started creating a Trade Business

Chapters:

0:00 Meet Matt & Cam from Limitless Build

3:43 Create Visibility with Written Records

5:12 Embracing Your Team’s Input

6:45 Applying Continuous Improvement

8:32 Mindset for Transitioning off the Tools

10:51 Measuring Performance in the Business

13:18 Consulting Your Team’s Knowledge

14:15 Coaching Your Team to Problem Solve

15:04 Tips for Starting Your Own Trade Business

17:35 Work Life Harmony as a Business Owner

19:55 Invest Time in Your Family

21:07 Remember Rest & Reward

21:55 Wrap Up

Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok for more from the Tradies Who Lead community.

Tradies Who Lead is powered by Blue Leader. If you're looking for support in building leadership skills within your team, reach out here.

Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership

If you want to connect with Cam and Matt, you can reach them via:Websites – www.limitlessbuild.com.au OR www.melbournedecksandpergolas.com.auFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/limitlessbuildInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/limitlessbuild/LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/limitless-build-724447347

Building something every Australian knows didn’t come from systems alone — it came from staying personally connected to the people doing the work.

Jim Penman is the founder and CEO of Jim’s Group, which grew from a one-man mowing round into a network of 5,500-plus franchisees across 50+ divisions. Behind the scale is a leader driven by people, purpose and genuine care.

In this conversation, we get into:

• Creating purpose and value-driven leadership

• Investing in your development and health for success

• Why you need to be customer-focused in business

• How to embrace different types of leadership at every level

Chapters:

0:00 Meet Jim Penman

1:37 Values Driven Leadership

5:31 Importance of Community

6:38 The Biggest Threat to Business Owners

7:55 Supporting Mental Health in Your Team

10:33 Tips for a Successful Trade Business

10:47 Be Endlessly Self-Critical

12:50 Recognise Different Performers

14:06 Be Customer Focused

14:58 Invest in Your Health

18:15 Employing the Right People

19:46 Success from Failure

21:16 Build Your Resilience

22:00 Jim Penman’s Research into Society

23:36 “No Other Success” Book

27:42 Leadership Comes at Every Level

28:02 Leadership as a Parent

29:13 Find Purpose in Your Work

31:33 Wrap Up

Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok for more from the Tradies Who Lead community.

Tradies Who Lead is powered by Blue Leader. If you're looking for support in building leadership skills within your team, reach out here.

Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership

If you want to connect with Jim, you can reach him online or on socials at:

Website: https://jims.net/ OR http://www.jimpenman.com.au/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejimpenman/

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/thejimpenman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejimpenman

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thejimpenman

The goal isn’t a team that needs your sign-off on everything. It’s a team that can make the call without you in the room.

Adam Hall is the Managing Director and Co-Founder of AH Fencing, one of Australia’s fastest-growing commercial security fencing companies. He’s grown it from a start-up to a multi-state operation on culture and empowered leadership.

In this conversation, we get into:

• How to empower your team to make decisions without your approval

• Practical ways to coach tradespeople into leadership roles

• How Adam keeps sharpening his own leadership as the business grows

• How leadership solves skill and efficiency problems in a trade business

Chapters:

0:00 Meet Adam Hall of AH Fencing

1:50 Leaders Will Never Outgrow the Boss

3:26 Creating A Vision Others Will Follow

4:32 Invest in Personal & Professional Development

6:25 Empowering Decisions in Your Team

9:19 Practical Ways to Coach Others

12:46 Vulnerability for Strong Culture

16:19 Top Skills of a Great Leader

19:26 Practical Ways to Lead

22:56 Implement Good Advice

23:49 Leadership Solves the Skill Shortage

26:45 Lead Yourself through Attitude

28:00 Wrap Up

Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok for more from the Tradies Who Lead community.

Tradies Who Lead is powered by Blue Leader. If you're looking for support in building leadership skills within your team, reach out here.

Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership

If you want to connect with Adam, you can reach him at:

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/the_adamhall

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the_adamhall

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-hall-ahfencing/

Most builders don’t get held back by their trade skills. It’s the leadership blind spots they can’t see that cost them the team.

Mick Hawes is the host of The Toolshed Podcast and founder of Builders Business Blackbelt. He’s spent years coaching builders to turn stressful, time-poor operations into businesses that actually work.

In this conversation, we get into:

• The leadership blind spots that quietly hold builders back

• The habits that make or break a team

• Why Listening is the Biggest Leadership Gap

• The most surprising lessons from years of coaching builders

Chapters:

0:00 Meet Mick Hawes

4:15 Impossible to Lead Others Without Self-Leadership

5:31 Leading as a Coach & Mentor

7:28 Creating Work Life Harmony

10:49 Build Your Emotional Fitness

14:53 Power of a Pause

19:13 Listening is Essential for Effective Communication

22:10 Break Out of the Shark Cage

26:55 Stop Being the Bottleneck

28:35 Encouraging Mistakes for Performance

32:37 Build a Personal Success Ritual

34:09 Wrap Up

Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok for more from the Tradies Who Lead community.

Tradies Who Lead is powered by Blue Leader. If you're looking for support in building leadership skills within your team, reach out here.

Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership

If you want to connect with Mick Hawes, you can reach him on social and via his website:

Website: https://buildersbusinessblackbelt.com.au/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickhawes/

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/builders_business_blackbelt

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/buildersbusinessblackbelt/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mick.hawes

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheToolShedPodcast

You don’t need a title to lead. You just need to take more responsibility — and Leon backed that belief by walking away from job security to start again on the tools.

Leon Simmons is a 4th-year electrical apprentice in Melbourne who left high pay and security to chase a new career in the trade. He documents life as a mature-aged apprentice and turned it into a community of tradies.

In this conversation, we get into:

• How to lead without any formal authority or rank

• Why responsibility is a mindset, not a position

• What good mentoring looks like onsite

• How sharing your story can build a community around you

Chapters:

0:00 Meet Leon Simmons

2:04 Leading as an Apprentice

3:56 Transferable Leadership Skills

5:46 Taking More Responsibility

7:24 Understanding the Big Picture

9:17 Challenges of Mature-Aged Apprenticeships

10:50 What Great Mentorship Looks Like

15:19 Managing Confidence after Criticism

16:42 Showing Up Online as an Apprentice

20:10 Trade Online Community

21:42 Be Nice to Lead Better

22:50 Wrap Up

Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok for more from the Tradies Who Lead community.

Tradies Who Lead is powered by Blue Leader. If you're looking for support in building leadership skills within your team, reach out here.

Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership

If you want to connect with Leon, you can follow him on Instagram at @sparky_simmons OR https://www.instagram.com/sparky_simmons

After 20 years of listening to tradies, you recognise the patterns in the challenges and leadership role models that span industries.

Harry Murtough is the editor of The Tradie magazine, a trusted industry voice that spotlights and supports the trades. He takes us behind the scenes of telling the trade’s stories and shows how self-awareness relates to showing up for others.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Power of Sharing Your Story

• Common Problems Harry Hears from The Ground

• Why Sharing Knowledge Builds a Stronger Industry

• How Self-Awareness and Wisdom Improve Your Leadership

Chapters:

0:00 Meet Harry Murtough

1:21 The Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom

2:44 Mentoring Your Juniors

3:59 What is The Tradie Magazine

5:39 Why Stories Matter in Leadership

11:13 Importance of Listening

13:10 Recognising the Empathy Gap

18:32 Prime Creative Media’s Industry Events

21:31 Self-Awareness and the Big Picture

23:42 Wrap Up

Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok for more from the Tradies Who Lead community.

Tradies Who Lead is powered by Blue Leader. If you're looking for support in building leadership skills within your team, reach out here.

Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership

Use the code CONVERGE50 to get a discount on your ticket to the Major Projects Stage for the Converge Expo on the 17th to 18th of September.

If you want to connect with Harry, you can reach him via LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harry-murtough-b582a5124/

If you want to check out The Tradie Magazine, you can visit the website or follow them on socials:

Website: https://www.tradiemagazine.com.au/

Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/TheTradieMagazine/

Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/thetradiettt/

Managing and leading aren’t the same thing. And on a job site, knowing the difference is what builds a crew that performs under pressure.

Dave Malone from SMD Projects has two decades of construction experience. He’s blunt about the mistakes he made and what they taught him about owning your mistakes, communicating to ensure understanding and leading diverse teams.

In this conversation, we get into:

• The real difference between managing and leading onsite

• Why owning your mistakes builds more trust than hiding them

• How to communicate clearly when the pressure’s on

Chapters:

0:00 Meet Dave Malone of SMD Projects

1:42 Adjusting Your Leadership to Your Team’s Needs

3:54 The Difference Between Managing and Leading

5:05 How to Develop Your Leadership Skills

6:08 Tips to Lead a High-Performing Team

7:11 Create Extremely Clear Communication

8:37 Scheduling for Wellbeing as a Leader

10:31 Leading When Plans Fall Apart

11:27 Sharing Mistakes as a Leader

13:59 Benefits of Supporting Your Local Community

15:13 Support Your Team to Mentor Apprentices

16:03 Being Your Best is Enough

16:32 Wrap Up

Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok for more from the Tradies Who Lead community.

Tradies Who Lead is powered by Blue Leader. If you're looking for support in building leadership skills within your team, reach out here.

Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership

If you want to connect with @SMD_Projects on Instagram, @smd.projects on TikTok or their website at https://www.smdprojects.com.au/