Blue Collar Leadership
By Mack Story
There are two types of influence: 1) Artificial influence which comes with a title, position, or rank and is reserved for those who have formal authority over others; and 2) Authentic influence which is based on a person's character and the relationships they build, and it's available to anyone with or without a position of authority because it's based on moral authority (who you are and how you do what you do).
Blue Collar LeadershipMay 08, 2020
396: Executive VP in a large MEP construction company shares tips for success!!!
In this interview, Ken Kilgore Sr. discusses:
- His roller coaster of a career from starting out on the front lines to becoming a business executive
- His first construction job carrying shingles for a nickel a bundle at 10 years old
- How he didn’t like to read and wasn’t a great student in school but became an avid reader of personal growth content
- Why you should be willing to do anything you ask others to do
- Why he’s still fully engaged at 77 years old with no plans on retiring
- Why he remains growth-oriented at this stage of his career
Ken Kilgore Sr. is former CEO and currently an Executive Vice-President with Kilgore Industries headquartered in Houston, TX. He earned his Journeyman Electrician License in 2023, turned 77 in 2024, and is currently working toward his Master Electrician License.
Ken is still working full-time, goes to the gym a few times each week, and teaches several classes each week.
Website: https://kilgoreind.com/
Email: kkilgoresr@kilgoreind.com
Cell Phone: (713) 516-3565
Don't miss the 10th episode of the "Real People Getting Real Results!" interview series featuring Ken Kilgore Sr. interviewed by Mack Story.
Watch this episode on the Blue-Collar Leadership YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@bluecollarleadership and check out the previous interviews in this series which can be found under the playlist titled "Real People Getting Real Results!"
Be sure to subscribe while you're there, and tap the 🔔 to be notified of future releases in this series.
395: Losers find an excuse; winners find a way.
(Part 27 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 27 Responsibility Sells: Losers find an excuse; winners find a way.
394: He created “A Warrior Support Foundation.” Now, he’s telling his story.
In this interview, Bren Briggs discusses:
- Having to have his face rebuilt after an accident in a combat zone
- How being lonely in ICU while going through 6 surgeries led him to create The Eden Project
- Getting a divorce and being homeless
- The Eden Project’s Peer Program
- Warrior Centric Holistic Reintegration
With 28 years of military service (8 years USMC; 20 years ARMY), Bren Briggs is the Founder and Director at The Eden Project, A Warrior Support Foundation, a registered 501 (c) 3. His desire is to inspire through example, act with integrity, and lead with honor.
The mission of The Eden Project, is “to provide world class, community-based, reintegration programs for the warrior and his or her support group.”
The Eden Project’s philosophy is to create this holistic, multi-disciplinary support network in each community to facilitate reintegration for warriors and their families.
The Eden Project’s primary emphasis is on Encouraging, Engaging, and Empowering the warrior and his or her support system to promote and sustain the reintegration process. The transition from a military to a civilian career can be a difficult journey, but it doesn’t have to be. It is made even more difficult if the warrior has experienced physical and/or emotional trauma, long or multiple deployments away from their family or both.
The Eden Project believes the path to healing starts with a foundation that consists of four main pillars; adequate health care, a strong support system, a sense of purpose, and faith.
The Eden Project has begun assembling a coalition of veteran focused organizations and will lead this partnership as it addresses the needs of our veteran community.
Website: https://eden-project.com/
Watch this and feel what the Eden Project is doing: https://eden-project.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Britt-Family-V2_n.mp4
Email: bbriggs@eden-project.com
Don't miss the 9th episode of the "Real People Getting Real Results!" interview series featuring Bren Briggs interviewed by Mack Story.
Watch this episode on the Blue-Collar Leadership YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@bluecollarleadership and check out the previous interviews in this series which can be found under the playlist titled "Real People Getting Real Results!"
Be sure to subscribe while you're there, and tap the 🔔 to be notified of future releases in this series.
393: Don't whine...shine! Attitude matters!!
(Part 26 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 26 Attitude Sells: Don't whine...shine!
392: His mission is to ensure skilled trades and craft workers are valued and respected.
In this interview, Adam Hoots discusses:
- Helping people discover their own answers
- The importance of asking well designed questions, more open-ended questions to inspire thought
- Thoughts on white-collar and blue-collar people
- The challenge of defining who he really is and then doing the work to improve
- How we (Mack and Ria Story) have inspired him to improve his marriage
With over 20 years of experience in the architectural and construction industries, he is a passionate advocate and practitioner of lean construction principles. Adam is currently a Professor and PhD Candidate at Clemson University, where he teaches and researches topics related to construction science and management.
Adam is the Lean Shepherd at Construction ACHE Solutions, a licensed general contractor in South Carolina that helps clients apply lean manufacturing principles to the construction industry.
He also hosts “The Lean Builder” podcast where he shares insights and best practices on lean construction.
Adam is a TedX speaker, co-author of the “Old Dawg Lean Thesaurus: Making Lean Simple,” and a kidney transplant survivor.
Website: ConstructionACHEsolutions.com
Website: OldDawgLeanThesaurus.com
Don't miss the 8th episode of the "Real People Getting Real Results!" interview series featuring Adam Hoots interviewed by Mack Story.
You can also watch the video version of this episode on the Blue-Collar Leadership YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@bluecollarleadership and check out the previous interviews in this series which can be found under the playlist titled "Real People Getting Real Results!"
Be sure to subscribe while you're there, and tap the 🔔 to be notified of future releases in this series.
391: If you're in sales, everything is your job!
(Part 25 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 25 Supporting Sells: When you're there for your customer, they'll be there for you.
390: This high impact leader is helping first-time managers be awesome at their jobs.
In this interview, Matthew McGrath reveals:
- New leaders who overestimate themselves and underestimate the difficulty of their new job do the worst.
- 30% of newly promoted leaders will fail or lose their job within the first 1 1/2 years.
- Every new leader doesn’t have the ability to say…”I’m a beginner. I don’t know.”
- Leaders should see every promotion as a brand new job, a brand new career.
- Character, discipline, hard work are blue-collar values, and that’s the kind of influence I need.
- We all have a calling, a purpose: When the phone rings, are you going to answer?
Over the past 20 years, Matthew has coached over a thousand individuals globally. What gets him out of bed is the motivation of seeing others succeed through his coaching.
Matthew has coached leaders at all levels, including C-Level executives, founders and entrepreneurs, but the place where he feels he can most impact the world's leadership is right where it starts: with newly promoted managers.
Today, Matthew is on a mission to build the world’s premiere community of first-time managers and help them be awesome at their jobs.
Website: JustGotPromoted.com
Email: matthew@justgotpromoted.com
Don't miss the 7th episode of the "Real People Getting Real Results!" interview series featuring Matthew McGrath interviewed by Mack Story.
You can also watch the video version of this episode on the Blue-Collar Leadership YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@bluecollarleadership and check out the previous interviews in this series which can be found under the playlist titled "Real People Getting Real Results!"
Be sure to subscribe while you're there, and tap the 🔔 to be notified of future releases in this series.
389: Squint with Your Ears
(Part 24 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 24 Understanding Sells: Squint with Your Ears; Listen with Your Eyes
388: This high impact leader believes in those who are turning wrenches and digging trenches.
In this interview, Nathan Hammer reveals:
- There’s a big need for workers in the pipeline industry
- Why Blue-Collar Leadership got his attention in 2017
- How intentional growth has helped him arrive at the place he’s at today
- Focusing on personal growth helped him deal with the loss of his mother
Nathan is a high impact leader that believes we should never get complacent, we should never quit learning, and we must never stop growing, personally or professionally
Nathan is proud to be in the oil & gas industry.
Nathan Hammer is the Co-founder of Trunkline, Inc. in Midland, TX, Founder of PSR SkySense, and VP of Environment, Quality, and Technologies at Premier Safety Resources. He’s from the Cushing, OK area and is an experienced entrepreneur and problem-solver focused on optimizing complex and heavily-regulated industries through innovative process improvements and technology-driven solutions.
Websites: psrok.com & trunkline.com
Nathan seamlessly blends his 16 years of hands-on experience in field services, construction, operations, maintenance, technology, and environmental & safety compliance (USEPA, CISA, PHMSA, DOT, OSHA).
He invites you to reach out to him by email at nathan@trunkline.com or you can find him by searching for “Nathan Hammer” on LinkedIn.
Be sure to check out his “Regular-atory Compliance” newsletter while you’re there.
You can also watch the video version of this episode on the Blue-Collar Leadership YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@bluecollarleadership and check out the previous interviews in this series which can be found under the playlist titled "Real People Getting Real Results!"
Be sure to subscribe while you're there, and tap the 🔔 to be notified of future releases in this series.
387: Until You Sell Yourself, You Can't Build a Relationship
(Part 23 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 23 Relationships Sell: Until You Sell Yourself, You Can't Build a Relationship.
386: High impact construction leader believes character development may be the missing link.
In this interview, Leandris Weeden reveals:
- how and when he developed a hunger for personal development
- why he chooses positivity when there’s so much negativity in the world
- how you can separate yourself from the crowd
Leandris is a high impact leader and a consistent reader. When asked the most important thing he learned from years of reading, he replied, “Who you are matters.”
Throughout this episode, Leandris shares many of the golden nuggets of wisdom he’s learned.
Leandris is proud to be in the construction industry. He says, “Construction is in my DNA…I’ve been around it since I was a kid. My Dad, my Grandfather, and my Great-Grandfather all came up in the carpentry industry. I’ve been in the construction industry for 19 years, primarily in healthcare construction. But, I started working and helping with fire restoration jobs when I was 12 years old.”
Leandris Weeden is a Building Scientist and Superintendent/Lean Manager at Layton Construction in Nashville, TN. He’s an avid student of personal growth and leadership development content. He invites you to reach out to him by email at Lee_215@hotmail.com or you can find him by searching for “L.R. Weeden” on LinkedIn.
Don't miss the 5th episode of the "Real People Getting Real Results!" interview series featuring Leandris Weeden interviewed by Mack Story.
Listen to it here, or watch it on the Blue-Collar Leadership YouTube channel and check out the other interviews in this series which can be found under the playlist titled "Real People Getting Real Results!"
Be sure to subscribe while you're there, and tap the 🔔 to be notified of future releases in this series.
385: Stop Selling; Start Helping
(Part 22 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 22 Helping Sells: Stop Selling; Start Helping.
384: High impact leader inspires team to increase productivity 300% in 10 months!!
Asad Murdock pulls back the curtain and shares how developing himself positioned him to engage, encourage, and empower his team.
Discover what made Asad a fan of Blue-Collar Leadership and how he’s leveraged the principles to develop himself and his team.
Asad discovered that if he will pour into his team, as high impact leaders do, the results will come. What kind of results? 300% increase in productivity in just 10 months!!
Listen and learn as he shares much of what he did to motivate and inspire his team to perform at a higher level. He says, "They’re just getting warmed up!!"
Develop an understanding of how Asad used Blue-Collar Leadership to develop not only his English speaking team members, but also his Spanish speaking team members. He set them up for success!
Asad Murdock is the Operations Manager at Creative Foodworks located in San Antonio, TX. He also describes himself as an avid student of Blue-Collar Leadership. Feel free to reach out to him by email at asadmurdock@yahoo.com or search for Asad on LinkedIn at Roderick “Asad” Murdock.
Don't miss the 4th episode of the "Real People Getting Real Results!" interview series featuring Asad Murdock interviewed by Mack Story.
Listen to it here, or watch it on the Blue-Collar Leadership YouTube channel and check out the other interviews in this series which can be found under the playlist titled "Real People Getting Real Results!"
Be sure to subscribe while you're there, and tap the 🔔 to be notified of future releases in this series.
383: I'm like you, so it's ok to like me.
(Part 21 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 21 Rapport Sells: When you value the customer, the customer will value you.
382: He was doing the work. Now, he's leading the team!
Eric Armour discusses how he faced the challenge of transitioning from a technician servicing and repairing heavy equipment in the shop to leading techs working in the shop and the field (on the road working out of a truck).
- Learn about the trying times he and his team went through during the 10 months when they didn't have a service manager (before he became the service manager).
- Discover how he overcame the odds being stacked against him with the field techs because he had no experience as a field tech.
- Develop an understanding of how applying leadership principles to develop your team can be much more challenging than applying them to develop yourself.
Eric Armour shares a bit of the path he's traveled to be where he is today, how choosing to become intentional about personal development has helped him personally as he's become much better at unleashing his team's potential, and how it's helped him professionally as he makes his climb up the corporate ladder.
Eric is the Service Manager at Yancey Bros. Co. where he leads a team of service technicians in the shop and in the field. He and his team focus exclusively on maintaining heavy duty Caterpillar equipment.
Don't miss the 3rd episode of the "Real People Getting Real Results!" interview series featuring Eric Armour interviewed by Mack Story.
To watch the video version and other episodes, visit the Blue-Collar Leadership YouTube channel and look for it within the "Real People Getting Real Results" playlist.
381: Principles apply in all situations; practices apply in some situations.
(Part 20 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 20 Principles Sell: Principles apply in all situations; practices apply in some situations.
380: He was suicidal and struggling to find himself, but he did!
In this interview, Rene Duron slowly pulls back the curtain to reveal some dark and bright moments from his life. To help others who may be facing similar challenges, he chose to be courageous and share his inspirational story of overcoming himself and his suicidal thoughts in the past.
Rene shares his personal journey of finding himself, overcoming obstacles, and achieving personal transformation. This episode highlights his motivational story and how he intentionally developed a growth mindset.
• His personal transformation is obvious as he shares his journey from struggle to self-discovery and personal success.
• Success for Rene didn't just happen. He set himself on fire and launched like a rocket.
• Rene's journey reveals to us that overcoming challenges requires a strong internal drive and a high degree of resilience.
Rene is a Father, Husband, Disciple, Podcast Editor, and Construction Management Inspector at San Antonio Water System in San Antonio, TX.
Today, he's in "sponge mode" soaking up all kinds of knowledge as he intentionally climbs from one level to the next.
Don't miss the 2nd episode in the "Real People Getting Real Results!" interview series featuring Rene "the Sponge" Duron interviewed by Mack Story.
To watch the video version of this episode, visit the Blue-Collar Leadership YouTube channel and look for it within the "Real People Getting Real Results" playlist.
379: Connection leverages communication.
(Part 19 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 19 Connection Sells: Connection leverages communication.
378: Real examples of high impact leadership in action!
Discover how developing high impact character traits will allow you to excel as a leader in the construction industry.
- Developing himself first allowed Jason Denam to learn the importance of intentionally developing his team.
- Becoming intentional about developing people at all levels is key to ensuring your team becomes a competitive advantage in the construction industry.
Don't miss the 1st episode of the "Real People Getting Real Results!" interview series featuring Jason Denam interviewed by Mack Story.
Learn how Jason Denam, VP of Electrical Construction, is developing his blue-collar workforce and those who lead and support them within the electrical construction division of Kilgore Industries, a large MEP construction company.
Watch this interview and others on the Blue-Collar Leadership YouTube channel under the "Real People Getting Real Results" playlist.
377.5: Special Announcement about "Real People Getting Real Results"
Introduction and details related to our new "Real People Getting Real Results" interview series. You can watch episodes related to this new series on the Blue-Collar Leadership YouTube channel under a playlist by the same title.
377: Gratitude allows you to demonstrate respect and to show appreciation.
(Part 18 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 18 Gratitude Sells: Gratitude allows you to demonstrate respect and to show appreciation.
376: Make and keep commitments.
(Part 17 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 17 Integrity Sells: Make and keep commitments.
375: Transparency is telling the truth when you don't have to simply because you want to.
(Part 16 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 16 Transparency Sells: Transparency is telling the truth when you don't have to simply because you want to.
374: Don't tell them what they want to hear; tell them the truth.
(Part 15 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 15 Truth Sells: Don't tell them what they want to hear; tell them the truth.
373: Authenticity is about being, not appearing to be.
(Part 14 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 14 Authenticity Sells: Authenticity is about being, not appearing to be.
372: Think Long Term
(Part 13 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 13 Think Long Term: I want them to buy from me again.
371: Think Short Term
(Part 12 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 12 Think Short Term: I want them to buy from me.
370: Emotions Rule!
(Part 11 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 11 Emotions Rule: Actions are based on emotions.
369: Want to Soar in 2024? Stop making excuses!
WARNING CONTAINS LEADERSHIP TRUTH: Stop making excuses! If you like making excuses, you won't like this podcast. But, I hope you choose to listen anyway. Leadership truth is like a surgeon's scalpel. It might sting or even hurt a bit. But, it's meant to help.
368: Happy New Year! Let's open the door for 2024!
10 thought-provoking quotes to motivate and inspire you to climb to the next level and beyond in 2024. Keep climbing!
367: Don't Be a Salespuppet!
(Part 10 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 10 Don't Be a Salespuppet! The best sales people motivate. The worst sales people manipulate.
366: What's Your Motive?
(Part 9 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 9 What's Your Motive? Your intention is your first impression.
365: Leverage Your Character
(Part 8 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 8 Leverage Your Character: Your character will either launch you or limit you.
364: Meet Jason Haines
Jason Haines, a Lean Manufacturing Consultant based in the Phoenix, AZ area, discovered my Blue Collar Leadership podcast soon after I began releasing episodes in 2018. During this interview, he shares how the podcast (and my books) have impacted him personally and professionally.
363: Do your homework!
(Part 7 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 7 Do Your Homework! The customer expects you to know what you're talking about.
362: Are you trustworthy?
(Part 6 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 6 Are You Trustworthy? It's all about WHO you are and WHAT you know.
361: The question every potential customer is asking.
(Part 5 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 5 Why Should I Buy from You? The unspoken question every customer wants answered.
360: Who's Buying You?
(Part 4 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 4 Who's Buying You? Until you sell yourself, you won't sell much.
359: What are the people you meet saying about you?
(Part 3 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 3 Word of Mouth: What are the people you meet saying about you?
358: Today, buyers are often more informed than sellers.
(Part 2 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 2 Seller Beware: Today, buyers are often more informed than sellers.
357: The Foundation of Selling
(Part 1 of 30) Who's Buying You? Until You Sell Yourself, You Won't Sell Much...Ch. 1 The Foundation of Selling: When you increase your influence, you will increase your sales.
356: Don't let the fear of speaking hold you back!
Discover The 7 Stages of Speaker Development, why you should strive to become a person who isn't afraid of speaking in front of a crowd, and how you can begin to climb through these levels in an effort to increase your influence.
355: The 7 Levels of Personal Awareness
Discover The 7 Levels of Awareness, how to determine which level you're at, and how to intentionally climb from one level to the next.
354: The Quality of the Leader is Revealed by the Character of the Followers
The character of the followers is simply a reflection of the leader's values.
353: 10 Reasons Why Bosses Don't or Won't Lead
Bosses have no desire to lead. But why?!? There are many different reasons. Dive in and discover 10 of the most common reasons. Some may surprise you.
352: Defining Influence - Discover the 3 Definitions of Influence
Merriam-Webster provides three distinct definitions of influence. Mack Story shares the three definitions and helps you understand each of them. This episode is based on content from Chapter 1 in his book, Defining Influence: Increasing Your Influence Increases Your Options.
351: How I Write a Book in 7 Days
Discover Mack Story's method for writing a 90 page book in just 7 days. You'll learn three key lessons: 1) How to select a topic; 2) Where to self-publish your book for free; 3) How to quickly develop an outline that will accelerate and simplify the process of writing a book that people want to read.
350: Leading People with Shared Values vs Managing People with Mixed Values
Discover some of the benefits of leading people with shared values and some of the challenges of managing people with mixed values.
349: Be Relentless - Until you quit, you haven't failed.
(Part 30 of 30) Blue-Collar Leadership & Teamwork: 30 Traits of High Impact Players...Ch. 30 Be Relentless: Until you quit, you haven't failed.
348: Be Realistic - Your values are the foundation of your circumstances.
(Part 29 of 30) Blue-Collar Leadership & Teamwork: 30 Traits of High Impact Players...Ch. 29 Be Realistic: Your values are the foundation of your circumstances.