Remote teams and culture: is that even possible? Sandra Muller, owner and managing director of True North Content, joined me on the podcast to talk about building and leading a fully remote team of creative specialists. In 2024, Sandra bought the business she helped build as a contractor.

We talk about how she creates culture when her team is not only remote, but staffed mostly with contractors:

• Sandra’s ‘secret’ to making sure new and returning contractors are supported
• Prioritising the little moments when culture is created without making it feel forced or like ‘we’re here to create culture’
• And how this culture of trust amongst the team is impacting the client output
• Why an outcomes-over-hours culture works really well for this team
• Flexibility and how that attracts really committed people
• Sandra’s wish to continue to grow a profitable business, but also one that fits this culture she has built, and maintains the quality of the work and the culture.

You can connect with Sandra Muller on LinkedIn, and learn more about her work, and her company, True North Content, here.

In the third of my construction industry conversations with electrical project manager Adam Evans, we move into one of the hardest parts of leading in construction: mental health. Adam is candid about why he thinks the industry carries such a high suicide rate.

We also cover:

• The yelling-and-screaming culture. Escalation as a default management style, and Adam's observation that the best-run sites are precisely the ones without it.
• The implications of a very young workforce, who doesn’t quite have the self-awareness tools to deal with the pressures of the tough environment.
• The self-awareness problem. If the senior people won't engage with the "fluffy" leadership work, they can't extend a hand to anyone else.
• Does gender change the conversation? A third-year apprentice became the only person a struggling colleague would talk to - and got him back to work when nobody else could reach him.
• The business case for investing in team development, and its friction – the reality of a labour industry where every hour is billable and training costs both the course fee and the hours, and can feel hard to justify.
• Not everyone should lead: some people are better off staying technical specialists.

It’s a fascinating conversation, no matter what industry you lead in, but particularly if you work in or with the construction industry.

This episode discusses suicide and mental health. If it raises anything for you, please reach out to a local crisis line — in Australia, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636; MATES in Construction on 1300 642 111 or TIACS for tradies and people working in rural industries.

If you would like to connect with Adam or read more about his experience, you can find him on LinkedIn.

If some of the challenges Adam and I talk about feel familiar, you’ll find more practical support for navigating them, and becoming the leader you want to be (even under pressure), here.

Construction sites are some of the hardest environments to work in. And that’s before we even get to the psychological pressure. It’s no wonder that it can lead to aggressive behaviour, frustration and pent-up energy. Talking to Adam Evans, who leads electrical teams on major construction projects, reminded me just how different leadership in construction can look when there is no room for ‘good enough’

He talks us through an example of what a workday can look like for him (it involves being called out of bed at 4am, and that’s the easiest part about it).

One of the threads running through my conversations with Adam is how much changed when he became more aware of his own preferences, and started recognising that other people don’t necessarily think, communicate or work the way he does. (It’s also something we explore through the Team Management Profile (TMP), if you suspect that might be a roadblock for your team too).

We also talked about the challenges of motivating a team beyond money, retaining good people, building a culture, and becoming the guy whose projects people always want to be on. (By the way, if that’s something you’re thinking about too, my Guide to Motivating Your Team is still a useful place to start). Really, about what leadership looks like in construction, an industry so much more complex than the public perception of it.

If you work in construction, whether you’re a project manager, team leader, tradie or work alongside the industry, I think this is a conversation worth hearing.

Towards the end of the episode, we briefly touch on suicide and the troublingly high suicide rate in the construction industry. If you or anyone you know is struggling or the topic brings anything up for you, there is free, confidential support available through TIACS (This Is A Conversation Starter), the mental health counselling service founded by TradeMutt.

If you would like to connect with Adam or read more about his experience, you can find him on LinkedIn.

If some of the challenges Adam and I talk about feel familiar (even if the industry is not), you’ll find more practical support for navigating them, and becoming the leader you want to be under pressure, here.