The Leadership and Learning Podcast

The Leadership and Learning Podcast is a professional development resource for the building materials industry.The target audience is for all levels of leaders in any industry. However, it is definitely the podcast for you if you're an emerging leader or involved in managing / leading anyone in the building material industry. You will benefit from this podcast if you're in manufacturing, distribution, sales, accounting, human resources, customer service or technical support or active. Industry associations, college and high school students will also benefit from the lessons shared in this podcast.We will bring you an abundance of valuable leadership content. We'll do this by bringing you recorded conversations on leadership lessons and insights from various building material industry leaders, industry legends and subject matter experts.On occasion, the host, Randy Goruk will share his leadership experiences and expertise by offering you relevant and actionable leadership tips to e

The Leadership and Learning Podcast is a business podcast hosted by Randy Goruk, with 170 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Randy Goruk hosts The Leadership and Learning Podcast, a business show with 170 episodes published.

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  The Leadership and Learning Podcast

  Episode #171 - High Performance Culture for Competitive Advantage with Brian Gottlieb, Inspirational Business Leader

  Aug 18, 202625 minS4

  In this episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast , host Randy Goruk talks with Brian Gottlieb, an inspirational business leader who grew a home services company from a plastic folding table and $3,000 to more than 600 employees and nearly $1 billion in lifetime sales. Together, Randy and Brian explore how to intentionally build, grow, and sustain a high‑performance culture for competitive advantage. Brian shares practical, hard‑earned lessons on: What culture really is. The true levers of culture. When subcultures are healthy and when they become "cancerous" to the organization. Why technical fixes often fail. How to sustain culture as you scale. The power of team-based vision statements. Shifting from chaos to disciplined profitability as your business grows. Developing managers as true custodians of culture. Getting everyone on the team to think and act like owners, Practical advice for new graduates and aspiring leaders who want to stand out and get promoted Brian's website: https://briangottlieb.com/ Brian's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-gottlieb-bb66094/ Brian's book: https://briangottlieb.com/book/

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  Episode #170

  Episode #170 - Hire – Train – Retain with Mike Matalone, Founder and Chief Talent Officer XP3System

  Jul 29, 202639 minS4

  In this episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast, Randy Goruk talks with Mike Matalone, founder and chief talent officer of the XP3 Talent System and author of Hire, Train, and Retain . Together they unpack why most business problems are really people problems in disguise and why you can't hire great teams; you have to build them. Drawing on years of work with CEOs and leadership teams, Mike explains how to: Use two critical hiring filters: are they smart enough to learn and are they coachable? Replace vague job descriptions with clear definitions of success, results, time frames, and required behaviors. Build an integrated people system that connects hiring, training, coaching, and career paths. Create true employee engagement by linking people to your mission, vision, and values. Tap into discretionary effort, the extra 40–60% of performance most employees never give. Dramatically reduce turnover and increase productivity, illustrated by a case study that cut sales turnover from 80% to 23%. If you lead sales teams, manufacturing operations, distribution, or construction crews and feel too busy "just surviving the day" to focus on people, this conversation will challenge you to slow down, get better before you get bigger, and treat training and development as your best investment. Website: https://www.xp3talent.com/ Hire, Train, Retain Book: https://www.amazon.com/Hire-Train-Retain-high-performing-organizational/dp/B0F8Z4KQ84 LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-matalone-6029b87/

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  Episode #169

  Episode #169 - Resilient Leadership: Choose Your Thoughts, Change Your Results with Carol Demarco

  Jul 21, 202639 minS4

  In this episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast, Randy Goruk talks with Carol DeMarco, veteran counselor, author, and creator of "Pearls of Wisdom" (POWs), about how to build a resilient mindset before and during life's toughest moments. Drawing on more than four decades of helping people through conflict, change, and crisis, Carol shares practical, memorable tools leaders can use to bounce back, adapt, and move forward—at work, at home, and on the jobsite. Through real-world scenarios from the construction and building materials industry, Randy and Carol explore how resilient leaders think and act when facing shrinking markets, high turnover, safety hypocrisy, and "mediocre" performance. Carol's POWs give listeners simple language and strategies they can immediately put into practice. Listeners will also discover how to: Understand resilience as a learned mindset, not an inborn trait Separate what they can control from what they can't, especially under pressure Replace automatic negative thoughts with more constructive thinking Use small, practical steps to get out of their comfort zone and build confidence Lead more effectively by ensuring people feel understood and appreciated Handle tough realities like turnover, safety conflicts, and performance issues without reacting emotionally or taking everything personally Start using short, "sticky" POWs to reinforce better choices and strengthen resilience every day Website: https://www.powlistenup.com/ LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-demarco-34309a375/

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  Episode #168

  Episode #168 Scaling Your Business Through Coaching and Accountability with Sean Phelps, President, College Works Painting

  Jul 13, 202637 minS4

  In this episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast, host Randy Goruk talks with Sean Phelps, President of College Works Painting, about one of the toughest and most misunderstood leadership responsibilities: accountability. After coaching more than 10,000 college students to run real businesses and generate over $100 million in revenue, Sean has turned accountability into a practical, repeatable system leaders can use every day. Listeners will discover: Why traditional "browbeating" and quick consequences actually destroy accountability Seans reframe of accountability as "account + ability" gives people space to explain what really happened A simple question-based framework to diagnose whether a miss is about clarity, skill, effort, or control How to use carrots before sticks: clarity, coaching, and incentives before consequences Why one-on-one conversations are non‑negotiable for real accountability The "don't blame the lettuce" mindset for growing people instead of yelling at them How neutral thinking and "it takes what it takes" keep leaders focused on actions, not drama If you want a more caring, highly accountable culture where people own their goals, come with solutions, and help your organization scale, this conversation with Sean Phelps is packed with practical insights you can start using this week. Sean Phelps LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-phelps-2754782/ College Works Painting Website: https://collegeworks.com/

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  Episode #167

  Episode #167 – Making Safety Happen with Safety Expert and Author Brian Fielkow

  Jun 3, 202634 minS4

  In this episode of the Leadership and Learning Podcast, host Randy Goruk talks with safety expert and author Brian Fielkow about why sustainable workplace safety is fundamentally a leadership and culture issue, not just a compliance exercise. Drawing on his experience leading high ‑ hazard operations and his new book Making Safety Happen, Brian explains how the best organizations move beyond policies and inspections to create environments where employees choose to work safely because they know leadership genuinely cares about them. Listeners will discover: The critical difference between compliance and a living safety culture Why safety must be treated as a core value, not a shifting priority The pivotal role of frontline supervisors in translating policy into real-world behavior How leaders unintentionally undermine safety Practical ways to build credibility, communication, and accountability without creating fear How to address a "we've always done it this way" mindset How to spot perception gaps between executives and frontline workers. How to create accountability without fear Brian's website: https://brianfielkow.com/ Brian's email address: brian@brianfielkow.com Brian's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfielkow/ Randy's 5-Day Safety Leadership Challenge: https://leadersedge360.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/5-Day-Challenge-1.pdf

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