As a GM or leader, are you trying to do everything? Who on the worksite is just there for the ride-along while you carry more? Do you feel like you’re the only one thinking on your job?

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to travel with Tarina? Imagine being Nic and Tarina’s new son-in-law on your first vacation with the Bittle Ranch. What if traveling meant being trapped on a boat for seven days with unlimited access to ice cream and a lactose-intolerant brother-in-law?

There is a lot of life in this episode. If you listen carefully, you may catch a little leadership.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Have you ever wanted to be heard and respected better? Do you have trouble being understood? Or, perhaps, your people do the opposite of what you said?

Tarina shares what she recently learned from a Jefferson Fisher podcast on short and concise answers. Will Nic agree or disagree with this titan of communication? Listen to find out.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

They are going on a family vacation soon. Nic claims Tarina will bring 70 pounds of clothes, and he’ll take a tank top and swimsuit.

This conversation returns to Episode 5 and Nic shares the lesson of being confident and owning his decision after a small and funny run in at a Las Vegas Spa.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Today’s episode is about the damage done from unspoken kindness—Part 2 of The Power of a Kind Word. The unspoken kind word or constant criticism can do untold harm.

Tarina tells a story about a top athlete in high school who was under constant criticism at home and felt she could never do good enough. This young woman couldn’t wait to quit sports and does not have fond memories about that time in her life.

Nic realizes that in golf you count every stroke—where the objective is to count every “mistake.” He asks, “What if on every missed shot in basketball they deducted 2 points?”

Silence is a real issue—we often take it as disapproval. If a leader walks into a room and greets everyone but one person, that individual will wonder inside, “What’s wrong with me? What did I do wrong?” The leader’s silence echoing in his mind.

The leader’s job is to bring in the right criticism or correction to develop his/her people. If you’re naturally critical, it’d be best to keep it to yourself. If in doubt, use the filter: is it true, is it kind, is it necessary. Most criticism isn’t necessary.

Consider two things: If your gift is always finding fault, that’s not a gift. Also, silence is a deadly trap we can fall into. Be aware that both of these are problems.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Both Nic and Tarina share stories about receiving a kind word and how it made them feel. Examples range from recognition and appreciation and a compliment. Often this can serve as affirmation for keep doing good and being kind.

And it’s important to say the kind word aloud and not just keep it inside. People are hungry to matter and as Nic points out, kindness is leadership in action. Things flow better when leaders shine a light on what’s going right and not just what needs to improve.

Kindness can also be shown as well as said. It takes courage to pray for a waitress at a restaurant, overcoming our hesitation of sounding weird.

Nic ends with a story worth hearing.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

The idea of this episode is to build the profile of your ideal week. If you don’t have a profile and life just happens. It’s better to be intentional.

What Nic and Tarina found out that life fills up spaces not blocked off. Your schedule reflects what you care about, says Tarina. Whether it’s vacation, work, relaxation, or a workout—it’s important to have it scheduled.

Nic says it’s important to ask the question, “What do I want?” Then says we have to ask, “What am I willing to do to get it?” This helps identify our priorities and our non-negotiables.

If you don’t put what’s most important to you on your calendar, someone will be happy to fill your calendar for you.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

The most important proof of leadership is Ownership. This is the fifth and final proof. When you make a mistake do you “own it” or do you make excuses?

We all struggle with admitting when we mess up, especially when holding a leadership position. For some, there’s an explanation for everything. When things go wrong, these folks don’t take responsibility and avoid accountability.

The work of “owning it” takes development (see Proof #4). This applies whether it is in the rearing of kids or raising up future leaders at your organization. Ownership is fundamental to building trust as a leader and in modeling (see Proof #3) for potential leaders how to build trust.

Mistakes are not the problem—perfection isn’t the goal. Performance issues often are fixable. When someone justifies their actions or makes excuses, this is an integrity issue. When we bend the truth we risk breaking trust.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode, Nic says that when leadership happens we’re developing others. This is the fourth proof of leadership.

It’s important to note that teaching and development are not the same thing. Teaching a skill is one thing. Developing the person is different. Leaders focus on technical skills, on the how-to, whereas developing focuses on a person’s capacity.

Teaching is showing. Developing someone’s capacity is drawing out and raising up—and it takes patience. Capacity to handle more responsibility, make better judgments, or handle more stress—this takes patience and a focus on the long-term.

As a leader, you show proof of your leadership by asking more questions, engaging your team in thinking for themselves. You also show proof of leadership where you let your people struggle and figure it out.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode, Nic and Tarina talk about the third Proof of Leadership: Model. They take the idea of leading by example further—giving substance to the practice of modeling the behavior you want to see in others.

The question they ask themselves: If we aren’t leading by example, then what happens to our influence? Modeling is a discipline not just a skill. You have to develop the capacity to do the hard things, whether it’s strapping on the tool belt or doing the paperwork.

The easy thing is to just send an email or schedule a Zoom call. The hard thing is to go to the job site, pull on your steel-toe boots, the hardhat, and look at the crusty sheet metal workers in the eye. Behavior is communication and doing the hard thing builds trust over time.

Nic shares a story about how to model the communication you want to see. He concludes, “Just because information is bad doesn’t give you permission not to communicate it.”

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here

In this episode, Nic and Tarina talk about the second Proof of Leadership: Clarity. They provide personal examples of how successful they are together when they communicate with clarity. And they agree that it’s important to say it not just think it.

A (new) hard Nic Bittle rule: “Lack of capacity does not excuse lack of communication.” In other words, you’re inability to say something aloud doesn’t give you permission to make assumptions about the another person’s grasp of what’s most important—or how you want things to get done.

One area people drop the ball when it comes to clarity is, as Tarina shares, if a leader does not clarify directions and the team executes based on what the leader says and consequently the results are not what the leader wanted, the leader gets upset at the team.

As a leader, are you telling your team “Just get it done” or “This is how I want you to get it done”? This is how you set clear expectations if you want good results.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In the episode, Nic introduces The 5 Proofs of Leadership: Evidence that Leadership is Happening. The first proof that you are competent leader is: You Protect.

They discuss different lenses (environments) where you lead. The question: How do you protect those around you? It’s about carrying the load—absorbing the stress and tension as people grow and develop.

One way to handle the tension is to have someone on your team that you can vent to. Protection as a leader also means not passing the load onto your family or bringing it into your life. Protection is about self-sacrifice—stepping in between the danger and your people.

To protect your people is one of the five proofs of leadership.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic launches the conversation with an important question: “How do you keep someone as big of a deal like me coming home?” He claims getting that asked a lot.

Nic and Tarina have been married for 25 years. One thing they agree contributes to their success is they like each other. They choose each other and pursue one another every day.

They admit this isn’t magic. They act on showing love—bridging the knowing-doing gap on a daily basis. And when they experienced areas which needed improvement, they sought outside counsel. They did this in their tenth year of marriage.

One thing they’ve learned is to share their individual expectations with each other, especially when they travel together. This reduces possible frustration and disappointment. And they share insights with one another—things they notice about themselves, how they raise their personal awareness and communicating this with the family.

They cover a number of important best practices, so grab a notebook and pen.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode, Nic and Tarina talk about both: what to look for in a mate and how to be a good mate. Answer the questions: What traits do you want your future spouse to have? What traits are they looking for in you?

Nic asks, “Are you the person, or trying to become the person, to be the person they want?” Said another way—Nic doesn’t pull any punches—quit training to be a loser and make something of yourself and become the person someone you want would be attracted to.

Tarina adds, “You can’t have high standards of the person you want to marry, but have no standards for yourself.”

If you’re dating, be deliberate and find someone with similar values and makes similar decisions. Unity on basic core values should stay the same.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode, Nic and Tarina don’t talk about new year resolutions. One question Nic is struggling with as he look at 2026: Is this the year he slows down a bit?

In this episode they talk about being more intentional in 2026.

Tarina talks about how she has already started to saying more often what she thinks/feels, like picking up the phone and thanking people or writing a quick note. It’s about being deliberate in doing what you think—the power of a kind word

As Tarina points out, this level of intentional kindness takes courage for some people, especially when you admire someone. The reality is everyone, no matter who they are, appreciates being shown kindness.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode, Tarina and Nic express gratitude for a few listeners and all listeners. They celebrate their most downloaded episode (#73) which featured their new son-in-law, Micah Graf, as well all 12 of their guests over the past year.

They also reflect on feedback received from the last episode (#97). Based on a listener question, Nic shares that we need to look at the emotion behind whether we are complaining or venting. He encourages us to ask ourselves, “What do I want in this moment—for someone to listen or to do something?”

Be sure to listen to Nic’s encouragement at the end.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode, they talk about conflict: the difference between venting and complaining. Venting is relieving pressure—getting something off your chest. Complaining is expecting a fix. Conflict happens is when someone is venting and we think they are complaining or the opposite.

When you complain it is because you want something fixed. Tarina often complains—like about how her computer isn’t working right. When you vent it’s because you want to be heard. Nic often vents—he just needs to Tarina listen about the ache in his shoulder.

Together they discover that Nic is more people focused and Tarina is more task focused. This influences how they each approach venting versus complaining. Tarina wants things fixed and Nic will listen to discover.

As Nic and Tarina wisely observe our job is to listen without judgment. This doesn’t erase tension in the moment but can lead to better and more caring resolutions.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic asks Tarina: What is a success that we’ve experienced together?

To answer this question for yourself, consider even the small achievements you made every day. As the phrase goes: People overestimate what they can accomplish in a day and under estimate what they can accomplish in a year.

They reflect how that they are nearing their 100th podcast episode in 2025 and Nic has done over 500 Leadership Drips on YouTube. We should give ourselves more credit for what we accomplish and not diminish our actual achievements.

Nic shares that he believes more in what he is doing and that he’s making a real difference. He appreciates the momentum he’s built and the good reputation he has. It’s the 1000 small steps and incremental factors about being in the arena.

They recount a couple of lessons learned over the year. And they encourage you, the listeners, to share with Nic and Tarina successes you’ve had and lessons you’ve learned in 2025. Email them at info@nicbittle.com.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Tarina has a question for listeners: If you have a budget for a present, and you pay significantly less that regular retail, do you buy two of the item? Is it about how much you spend or about the gift itself?

In this episode, Tarina picks up where she left off with explaining her PAUSE before the Holidays method. The acronym Tarina created for herself is PAUSE. P is for Pray. A is for Aerobic. U is for understand. S is for Sit. E is for Express.

When we seek to Understand the people’s perspective, it is most likely coming from a good place. As Nic says, “We often judge others by their behaviors and judge ourselves by our intentions.”

To sit, as Tarina explains, means to take time for yourself. If there is something meaningful to work through, time the time to sit with the emotions, environment, or anticipation of the experience.

The PAUSE idea is designed to give you a practical framework for approaching the holidays with grace and power.

Email info@nicbittle.com to receive a “pretty big deal” Christmas card from Nic and Tarina.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode Tarina sets up the conversation with a question: How do we prepare for the holidays to be kind, generous, and not cause a fuss?

To help, Tarina created an acronym: PAUSE. Pray, Aerobics, Understand, Sit, Express. She created it to give herself pause before meeting with different personalities in what could be stressful times over the holidays.

Tarina points out that PAUSE takes time—in order to be the best person we can be. Nic puts it in his own words that to Pray means to go vertical to God before going horizontal with people.

“A” for Aerobics means to move your body especially in nature. It lowers your blood pressure and releases endorphins. And it’s something you can even do in real time—calm starts in the body and so does stress.

Listen to next week's episode to hear part 2 of PAUSE.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic meets a guy who carries human tissue to the airport every day. When Nic asked, the guy said the heads go in smaller boxes—now he can’t sleep.

Shifting gears means the struggle we all experience when going through life transitions. Kids go through transition every six months or so. Parenting has its own transitions when the kids go from child to teenager.

Nic brings up how some parents don’t shift gears—they fight their kids’ battles. He shares the example of how a mom called an employer after her 21-year-old son got fired.

Transitions are hard. Nic and Tarina will be empty nesters soon, so they are preparing for how they will shift gears. They are having lots of honest conversations together and asking, “What does empty nesting look like?”

In the construction world, there are journeymen who become a foreman, but they never step up and actually lead. The new gear means what got you here won’t get you there. It’s a shift in mindset to being the best journeyman to being a great boss.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode, Nic and Tarina discuss ways to make hard decisions easier. One step Nic mentions is to take the emotion out of the decisions. Time can sometimes be used to help take the emotion out of a decision. “You can’t take a year to do it, though.”

They also talk about what often stops people from making decisions. Nic often is brought in to be a neutral third party—which is another option for people who are stuck. Find someone who doesn’t have a “dog in the hunt” to help provide perspective.

As you will learn in this episode, hard decisions may never be not hard, but there are ways to make them a little less hard. It’s important to remember that sometimes the hard thing and the right thing are the same thing.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

After working in the sugar industry in Hawaii, David moved to Oklahoma. In 2010, he took over both the Kansas and Oklahoma SMACNA (Sheet Metal Air Conditioning Contractors National Association) chapters. Today he is the only chapter manager who oversees all the trades: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Sheet Metal Air Rail Transport (SMART), and United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UAPP).

From his perch David sees the differences in the various trades: the massive shortage in labor as well as a shortage of good leaders who can manage teams to get jobs done.

Together, Nic and David created the Oklahoma NECA Leadership Academy. They built a program for future leaders to see the value in assuming the role of a foreman or supervisor. In an environment where many say being a foreman or supervisor not worth the headache, Nic has identified how messaging the value of being a leader is the real opportunity.

One thing for contractors David advises: “Don’t get trapped in the old ways. There are so many opportunities out there that do not require a college degree.” He highlights how some of the big tech firms do not require a degree but today look for skills.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Before Carl ran his own concrete company, now he’s training men and women in the trades in how to implement AI in their work and life. He is the founder of Iron Thread Consulting and a family man. One use case Carl’s mentions is how to let AI produce a safety briefing, manually verify its accuracy, and save a lot of time in the process.

In his trainings Carl shows individuals how to build agents and GPTs to help automate some of the mundane tasks and other time-consuming tasks. Personally, he has uses it to help him improve his diet and nutrition as well as produce images for his presentations.

They discuss the barriers to people using AI and recognize how those who know AI will likely be the ones who keep their jobs or replace those who don’t know how to use AI.

You can reach out to Carl at http://www.ironthread.online/.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

As Nic says, “We’re all in the people business.” Patrick adds how our work is to create more human connections. “The magic happens through the conversations we have and the connections we make.”

The question we want to ask: How can I create a connection with this person? And in the process help them thrive?

Building on the last week’s episode, it is important to develop strong communication skills because how we communicate reflects how we lead.

You can reach him at patrick@punchn.io. This is the second of two episodes with Patrick. 

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Patrick is the CEO of Punchn Communications (www.punchn.io), a growing communication and organizational change consulting firm. At the heart of his communications training is the belief that powerful communications isn’t just about speaking—it’s about creating moments of connection that spark engagement and inspire action. Additionally, Patrick believes that the best leaders are great communicators—and should invest in themselves as Nic recommends.

Together, Nic and Patrick discuss how communication is a hard skill and should treated as such. They explore the reasons why communication training doesn’t get more attention. And Patrick also provides a couple of useful frameworks leaders can use to communicate more efficiently and more effectively. 

As he says, “Just because I own a hammer, doesn’t make me a good carpenter. Similarly, just because I know how to talk doesn’t make me a good communicator.” 

You can reach him at patrick@punchn.io. This is the first of two episodes with Patrick. 

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

What's next for Nic? He's writing a new book on creating connections. Tarina asks if this is part of Nic’s sensitivity training, which it is not. His purpose is to help people be more human.

The idea is that relationships will open doors, the key to life, and the key to success. Tarina adds that relationships are the key to fulfillment.

Nic shares a story about speaking at church about video games to a group of 6th and 7th grade boys. In his own words, he unloaded both barrels. Tarina asks tongue-in-cheek, “Did you connect with them?”

When the Bittles host the football team for dinner before home games, Nic and Tarina have a basket for the boys to leave their phones. It’s building teamwork and connection before the game. The noise level is less desirable (Nic and Tarina are “old and crunchy”), but the engagement is worth every decibel.

What you will learn in this episode is behaving in a way that the human in front of you is more important than your device, your podcast, your video game, or your doom scroll. Because we all crave connection and fulfillment, we need to remove the barriers to connecting with people.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode, Nic and Tarina lead a conversation on what it takes to be a great leader.

Their discussion can be summed up in a simple phrase: “Own it.” Among the attributes and activities of great leaders, here are a few they talk about:

• A leader protects his people
• A leader walks into danger first
• A leader leads with empathy
• A leader is about influence not authority
• A leader lives with the consequences of their decisions

As Nic observes, the construction industry needs good leaders. The hard part to swallow is many are promoted to a leadership position who don’t want the responsibility nor do they have the ability to lead well.

Leadership, as Nic and Tarina share, is a sacred responsibility and an important skill.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

They start their discussion with a focus on the Swiss VET System. VET stands for “Vocational, Educational, and Training.” The system is designed to assess high school students’ aptitude, how they are wired, and then put them on a track that includes job skills training.

The kids graduate ready to enter the workforce and make a real contribution rather than wait to learn everything on the job.

Nic observes, “There’s something magical about being a producer and not just a consumer.”

Jason shares his story about choosing accounting over becoming an architect. His heart is clear: we need to find a way for our school systems to do a better job. The statistics in Switzerland show two-thirds of kids going into the trades. In the United States, two-thirds go to college and half of them never finish college.

The realization is not every kid is academically wired. Jason’s desire is for high school to be both “life prep” and “college prep.” He wants to believe there’s a better way for kids to find their path that allows them to contribute to society in a meaningful way.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic shares a correction on the previous episode about Charlie Kirk. Nic believes people feel connected with Charlie because he was courageous. A lot of people are inspired by his example of boldness in faith, work, and life.

Tarina and Nic just returned from the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) National Conference in Chicago. Nic spoke about how to have hard conversations while there. This is one of the skills Nic loves teaching. It takes courage to tell somebody they can do better.

In a standing-room only session, Nic talked about being able to do an assessment on your leadership style. A lot of people afterwards came up with questions and feedback.

It was a great time to catch up with people, connecting in person, and invite them to be on the podcast.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

While Nic sees him as a greater debater, he didn’t feel like he knew him like some folks have expressed online. They both see him living boldly his values: You know where he stood on his beliefs and his perspective.

Do you want to do a better job of connecting? You have to let people in, be vulnerable, practice humility, and be more curious not judgmental. You also need to be aware and available, not on your device, and have conversations.

Ask yourself the question: Do people really know me? Why or why not?

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

To listen to Nic and Tarina’s early days and what they struggled through, you can go back to early episodes. 

“Everyone is fighting a fight that the rest of the world knows nothing about.” 

When we are vulnerable and share, it builds trust and connection. Leaders who share their own struggles will build stronger teams because it makes them relatable and human.

Often, when we’re going through it, we sometimes feel like the only one. The reality is we’re all going through something. And sharing can help others heal in small ways. 

As Nic says, people are more inspired by your failures than your successes. Sometimes we are too eager to impress and less eager to connect.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In today’s episode, Nic and Tarina talk about Patrick Lencioni’s book The Ideal Team Player, a book Nic recommends to all his clients.

The top three virtues of an ideal team player are: Humble, Hungry, and Smart.

Here’s a link to the TedX Talk Nic and Tarina reference.

Hunger is that desire to a do a little bit more. Humility is the C.S. Lewis definition: It’s not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less often. Smart isn’t about IQ or how good you are at what you do. Smart is about having emotional intelligence, EQ.

(For a primer on being good with people and improving your EQ, listen to episodes 20-24.)

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic makes a point by honoring a potential customer with a phone call rather than just replying to a text. He prioritizes creating a connection with the person and understanding what they want.

He wants people to know they matter. A phone conversation is one way he does this.

Nic tells the story about a young man who said he’d never leave the company. Why? Nic asked. Because Harold, the owner, took the young man out to lunch and had a conversation. This took place eight years before Nic heard about it.

That’s the power of creating a connection. People are looking for significance.

When we connect with someone we create trust with someone. As Nic says, “Trust travels so much faster than technology.”

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

“If someone can do it 80% as good as you, let them do it,” Tarina quotes. Nic adds, “When in doubt, sub it out.” Our job is to do the thing we do best and ask others to do the rest.

Nic talks about an activity he does in his workshops. He observes how these leaders he speaks to are achievers and doers, but they don’t delegate. He has them write down every task they do in a day, then go back and circle those items which create your value.

In the context of work, your value to an organization is where you make your money. Nic recounts how he used to be a one-man band—chief cook and bottle washer. He knows now that his real value is in creating and delivering leadership content.

When looking at your list ask: What is the busy work? This is the stuff you avoid doing or don’t do well. Delegating has freed up his time to focus what’s most important and deliver more value to his clients.

What’s important for leaders to realize is to delegate ownership of the project not just the task. When we transfer ownership of that project only then do free ourselves from the mental stress.

When you delegate you might identify a future leader. As a leader, a primary reason for why you get paid what you get paid is to develop future leaders. 

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

When you don’t share your opinion, it is not humility. Combined with lying to ourselves this points to our insecurity. We are exactly in the place we find ourselves because of the choices we’ve made—which includes choosing to be honest or not be honest.

Nic explains that it is self-deception—not being honesty with yourself—is the root of underachievement. When we lie to ourselves we are not holding ourselves accountable.

When we lie to ourselves and to others there are consequences. It erodes trust. And when we break trust we might miss the promotion or worse. Don’t sell your soul for some cheat lie because you’re afraid to admit when you screw up.

It’s about being human and making mistakes and owning the mistake. Honesty says, “I dropped the ball. I screwed up.” This is especially important for leaders, as well as just apprentices and new hires. Brushing things under the rug shows a lack of courage.

Honesty simplifies life. Ask yourself: When was the last time I told the truth and even though it cost me something? With courage there is a cost.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode, they ask the question: What jobs will AI disrupt or replace?

One thing it’s irreplaceable is connection. It is already damaging human connection. The jobs AI is coming for are where we’ve already taken the human out of the work.

One conclusion Nic and Tarina make about AI is having judgement, or discernment.

Other jobs or fields they discuss include transportation, surgery, cyber security, and coding. The jobs it won’t impact are the plumbers, pipe fitters, and electricians.

Nic reminds us the two most important questions to answer for yourself: 1) What do you want? And 2) What are you willing to do to get it?

AI is coming for jobs that don’t require problem solving, human connection, or physically do the work. “Other than that, it’s coming for you.”

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic is receiving a lot of requests for “sensitivity training.” As Nic jokes, “Kids today who never had to learn how to hold the flashlight for their dad.” Kids who never had the opportunity to take direction under pressure.

The question out there among a lot of seasoned leaders who are direct is, “Why is this generation so soft?” The problem is not that leaders are too hard. The problem is some of these leaders expect the moon and don’t teach.

Tarina comments, “Teaching is hard.” It’s the weak leader, Nic says, who tells a worker he/she is a piece of trash.

Nic wants to empower leaders to care enough about this next generation to teach them. The other place weak leaders skirt teaching is they lie to them, telling them they’re doing a good job when they are not doing a good job.

It’s about constructive criticism that changes behavior and leading through strength. It’s the courage to teach and train.

Ultimately it’s about practicing “clear is kind.”

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

It was Mark’s grandfather, a furniture maker, who inspired him to learn a craft and it launched his career as a field technician after completing the Electrical Construction program at Albert Lea Technical College. Today, he has enjoyed working in a hands-on role.

Mark is famous for saying, “Don’t lose your people in the numbers.” He also stresses how Egan Company had the right processes in place before they focused on the people. He asks the question, “Where do you lay your head at night?”

His point is to get to know your people and knowing where people are from and digging into their lives. It’s more than saying “Hi” in the hallway. It’s about asking about the soccer tournament or their vacation.

In this interview, you will hear Mark’s focus and heart on people and building relationships.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Josh has been a driving force in bringing cutting edge technology to the construction industry. In his early days he worked with mechanical design teams and has consistently championed innovation. His expertise is in bridging the gap between technology and real-world construction practices. He is a speaker and thought-leader and shares his insights with professionals nationwide.

Josh shares how his driving force is connecting with people, as well as purpose and curiosity. He talks about how in his 27-year career he has helped companies manage change, especially when it comes to technology.

This is a big and important conversation with keen insights and practical implications—everything from absenteeism to how data is the new oil to the use of artificial intelligence.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

They talk about farming in western Oklahoma, which includes scaring up wild pigs. His favorite part of farmer is corn harvest. He also posts drone footage on Instagram @Oklahoma_Farming, capturing the seasons of farming. Check out the mile-long, 100 bushel corn harvest while a storm rolls in here.

Micah’s brother (Instagram: @That_Gun_Guy) got him started using thermals for rifle shooting and is on the Pulsar Pro Staff. Oklahoma farming often requires shooting pigs and coyotes, what Nic comments “thin them out.”

Nic asks him, “What do you think will be the biggest challenge of married life?” Micah says it’ll be his work schedule as a farmer and all the hours involved.

Nic shared some Nic Bittle Crap with Micah when he asked permission to marry Elle. He said, “My family isn’t getting bigger. You’re creating a new family and that comes first. You got to have the courage to say no.”

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

They laugh about cold plunges, soft-sided tackle boxes, and losing sunglasses at the beach. Life is good at the Bittle ranch. 

Regarding the college or career question, Nic and Tarina received some good feedback. They review a few of these, continuing the conversation about viable paths to take and the value of each. 

One conclusion they make is that relationships matter whether one chooses college or career after high school. 

A key question they ask: What kind of pain do we want to expose our kids to, so they grow up and become successful adults? It’s the pain in life that teaches us responsibility. Life is not pain free and parents can’t protect their kids from all of life’s bumps and bruises.

Nic shares a comment from a high school teacher he met recently who said, “Kids today are over-mothered and under-fathered.” In other words, they observe how comfort seems to matter more than discomfort. What’s needed helping kids choose their hard. 

The pivotal question: What kind of life do you want? Then reverse engineer it. Choosing college or career ultimately depends on the future you want to create for yourself and who you want to serve.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

The point of the curriculum is to help students come up with their own answers rather than a fill-in-the-blank right answer. It was designed as a journey of self-discovery. At first, students main question is, “Will this be graded?”

“If we’re going to build a successful next generation, we have to get them to think on their own,” says Nic.

Especially in the age of AI, cheating is not a technology issue. It’s an integrity issue.

Nic chose to build the curriculum to give something back. Leading means teaching the virtues that it takes to have a successful and fulfilling life.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

They discuss the various options available to craft a life and career that doesn’t require a college degree. Cruze has expressed wanting to do what Nic does for a living, so Nic breaks down what it’d take to become a speaker/trainer.

Cruze has also said he wants the “college experience.” What is that? Is it gaining the Freshmen 15? Having a professional gym is appealing, though.

If you have insights or perspective, Nic and Tarina welcome your thoughts—just email them at info@nicbittle.com.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Jumping in where they left off from Episode 68 (start there), Nic and Brett talk about the difficulties and opportunities to sow the right seeds to build strong leaders and a strong leadership culture. Brett identifies the importance of recognizing just how hard good leadership is.

The reality is a strong culture is the result of well-trained and strong leaders.

Brett Russell is the Fire Chief for the City of Clinton, Oklahoma, where he has served since 2017. With a fire service career that began in 1998, Brett brings over 25 years of experience in emergency response and leadership. He is also the founder of Classic Marble Design, a kitchen and bath company he started with his wife and parents in 1997.

Brett’s passions are faith, family, and leadership—in that order. His relationship with Christ shapes every area of his life and leadership. A strong believer in servant leadership, Brett also serves as Chairman of the Board for Western Oklahoma Christian School, a PreK–6th grade elementary school dedicated to Christ-centered education.

As Nic quotes Cruze, “There is going to be a hard in your life.” So, choose your hard. It’s hard to go to the gym every day or hard at the pool and be out of shape. It’s hard to build a business and it’s hard to be broke. “Which hard do you want?”

Final thought: “I need to be less concerned to seeing what the seeds produce,” says Brett. “Instead, I ask what am I committed to?” We are all called to something, and you got to find what that is for you.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Brett emphasizes how he wants his guys to feel they are a part of something bigger than themselves. He wants everyone to feel like they are making an impact. It’s about doing all the little things well, even the things they don’t like to do like truck checks.

Brett Russell is the Fire Chief for the City of Clinton, Oklahoma, where he has served since 2017. With a fire service career that began in 1998, Brett brings over 25 years of experience in emergency response and leadership. He is also the founder of Classic Marble Design, a kitchen and bath company he started with his wife and parents in 1997.

Brett’s passions are faith, family, and leadership—in that order. His relationship with Christ shapes every area of his life and leadership. A strong believer in servant leadership, Brett also serves as Chairman of the Board for Western Oklahoma Christian School, a PreK–6th grade elementary school dedicated to Christ-centered education.

Whether leading in the firehouse, the business world, or the community, Brett is committed to serving others with purpose, integrity, and humility.

Final thought: Brett believes reading is one of the biggest attributes of a leader—even though it wasn’t one of his favorite things to do at first.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

If you want to pilot Nic’s new online Leadership Academy, reach out and let him know. 

When you’re right on the edge of having a meltdown and you feel drained and about to give up. In the construction industry it’s called burnout—and you almost give up. This is what Nic also calls emotional fatigue.

Everything is getting done, but sometimes we just need to be more present. Tarina admits to not giving herself downtown and then she crashes.

Some of the guys Nic works with start at 0300. And they jump straight into work mode from the moment their alarm goes off.

Is there joy in what you’re doing? Are you feeling if there’s any end in sight to all the work? Are you losing patience and being short with your team or your family?   

Emotional fatigue and decision fatigue should cause us to pause personally and professionally. Vince Lombardi once said, “Fatigue makes cowards us of all.” Health, finances, family—are types of silent pressures which contribute to our fatigue.

To learn ways to “fix what you won’t face” take a listen to this episode.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

“Everybody loves change, don’t they?” Nic says with a bit of sarcasm.

Think of a time when you struggled with change and it turned out not to be that big of a deal.

Nic shares how he resisted moving to Corn. He believed it’d be the end of his career—and how horrible the change would be in his life. He admits how he created a false narrative.

Tarina talks about their friend, Burt, who says, “You kind of live life in seasons and decades.” It’s about knowing change will happen—how it's just around the corner. This can help you prepare for change.

The reality is we are programmed to stay the same. “Men are happiest when they are improving themselves physically, mentally, and financially. An idle man is a depressed man.” It all requires change.

All we are called to do is take the first step.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Cruze it out of school. Elle is home. And they have a busy summer planned—including Elle’s wedding.

Tarina points out that one of the biggest problems with listening is thinking about how we’re going to respond. This is not true listening. You cannot think and listen at the same time.

Nic says a lot of men want to solve problems, so keeping their mouth shut and just listen is really hard. Men want to prove themselves.

“It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid rather than open it and remove all doubt.”

Men, Nic says, don’t do a good job of checking their emotions in a conversation. Self-control leaves. Tarina corrects him and says it’s not a battle of the sexes—women do the same thing.

Breathing is not a sexy topic when talking about communication. Taking a deep breath through your nose is a key tool for emotional control. Tarina observes how Nic’s body language changes when he gets frustrated—his breathing gets shallow.

A good resource to learn how to listen better Nic and Tarina recommend is Jefferson Fisher. You can see his videos here.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Chapter 35 from Know This Do That is about doing the right thing. Building your character— regardless of the cost—is the struggle all good leaders face.

Nic identifies the three ways to build trust. The leader who stands in front of his/her crew and is honest and clear, paves the way to be highly trusted. 

Chapter 36: Give Something Back. Nic quotes Denzel Washington, “[Life] is about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better.” 

Nic asks Tarina: What’s the balance between living a full life and leaving an inheritance for our kids? Giving something back means making a difference in the lives of others, and not being in the crew just for yourself.

Listen to how Nic unpacks what it means to make a difference, to give something back. He outlines his model for engaging head, heart, and hands. When you begin to apply Nic’s model, you actually open a door for someone to receive what you have to give.

And you have something to give.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Be sure to listen to the surprise Tarina found for Nic: An inflatable butt-mat. “Seat cushion,” Tarina corrects him. 

The question behind “What drives you?” is “Why do you do what you do?” 

Tarina became a nurse because she wanted to help people. Nic is a speaker because he wants to make a difference. 

Nic quotes his son, Cruze, from one of his TikTok videos: “The fastest way to kill something is to compare it something else.”

We can easily fall into the trap of bigger is better or more is better. The first step is to look back before you look forward. Nic shares how he was always chasing money but then spoke to a high school graduating class. It’s where he felt the most alive and it fueled his drive.

If you’re looking for your why, remember that “purpose leaves clues in our past” and tied to our emotions. 

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Tarina and Nic talk about what it means to become a leader. Nic starts the discussion with a quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger: “You can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pocket.”

Having a position, authority, or title does not make you a leader. A great leader is a good teacher and able to make hard decisions. 

“The expectations I have for you, you are not meeting,” is something a leader is willing to say to his people—especially one of his buddies. This is why it’s so important to set expectations up front.

A great leader fills in the gaps of communications. Nic asks Tarina, “Why is communications an issue?” As Nic explains, when folks don’t communicate well, we let the gaps in communication drive the narrative. And these gaps usually fill with the negative.

And you don’t have wait to be the boss to be a leader now.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

The feeling that you’re less-than or that you’re not enough is often called imposter syndrome. Tarina asks about the line between feeling not-enough and arrogance.

Feeling not-enough and arrogance are both negatives.

What Nic is talking about is the internal voice of judgment which beats us up whenever something doesn’t work out perfect. Tarina shares the pressure she feels on a daily basis as a mom and wife and Nic shares how he doesn’t always feel qualified reach out to certain conferences.

The books that are never written, the songs never sung, the businesses never started—and what stops us is fear. “I say I don’t have a fear of failure, but I know I do,” Nic says. 

So, what’s the solution? Tarina mentions how friends and spouses help because they bring allow us to bring these things into the light. Community makes us stronger. Our community reminds us we are enough.

Here’s a link to the movie Nic and Tarina talked about. “It’s about moving forward and believe,” says Tarina. 

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

He then rants about how some people don’t know the rules of airline travel. Tarina’s water bottle—which does not leak—was placed in the overhead bin. You can guess what happened next. 

Together they discuss Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers and the 10,000-hour rule—and how you have to put in the time. The important example from the book are the Beatles and how they had performed 1200 live concerts before going big. 

“What we don’t see,” Nic says, “is the hours of time, the headache, the practice that it takes to be great at what you do.” 

He recalls his conversation with Manley Feinberg and the training work he did for Menards. As Manley said, putting in the reps made him a more successful speaker. 

Tarina talks about the book Grit Don’t Quit—and what to do in the waiting. “Get out. Work out. Clean out.” Paying your dues requires wisdom to reach mastery, but it’s not just about being skilled in a trade. Competence also means working on yourself. It means investing your time in you and your relationships.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode they dig into Chapter 27: Invest the Time from Know This Do That. 

Nic and Tarina talk about how good things—like a career or rearing kids—takes time and patience. The opposite is also true: too much time spent on the wrong things create a problem if we let it. Where you invest your time and how you invest your time determines your ultimate success.

Stay the course. Stick it out. Building a career means building a reputation and a good reputation fuels more significant relationships. Doors will open. 

As some have said, “The overnight success story is 10 years in the making.” And it might take 20 years. This is not an easy path—a better life awaits those who put in the work, sweat, and tears. A better life is the result of heartache, wins, and losses. 

The nonnegotiable is to invest. And the one thing we all have is time. Keep on keeping on to make the return you desire. There’s magic in the struggle. 

“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create hard times.” (G. Michael Hoff)

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

You may remember Clint from a previous episode. She is a mom of one adult son and would tell you she’s engaged to an amazing life partner, Clint. The two of them just happened to drop in to the Studio for a conversation.

Heather completed the IBEW/NECA Limited Energy Technician apprenticeship program then spent 12 years in the field as a Limited Energy Technician and Technician Foreman

She worked for 7 years with the Des Moines IBEW/NECA Training center as a full-time instructor of Limited Energy and Electrical Apprentices. For the past 5 years has worked at the Electrical Training Alliance as an Assistant Director of Limited Energy Curriculum Development.

Together they discuss the state of apprentice training programs and the opportunity for both young women and men to learn a trade. Heather shares how the classroom today combines online learning modules with hands-on application.

Altogether, her work reaches nearly 45,000 individuals across the country.

If you have a son or daughter who is still looking for a career, or has already decided college isn’t for them, send them this episode. They will be glad you did.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Today’s discussion centers on a question Nic’s mentor Mark LeBlanc asked him a long time ago. The question is: What do you want? As Nic explains, this isn’t about wanting a new pair of sneakers. It’s about the life we want and how we want to live, not merely material things.

This question—What do I want?—is actually the second hardest question. The hardest question you will ever have to answer is: What are I willing to do get what I want?

The truth is there’s a cost to pursuing what we want—sacrifices, compromises, and reality checks. It’s these questions which force you to make decisions and better decisions.

Tarina and Nic share some of their personal wants and the hard decisions they each had to make to achieve what was most important to them. They give listeners an peak behind the curtain at the Bittle Ranch.

As Nic points out, to do what we have to do to achieve what we want might only need three seconds of courage. The first victory comes in having the courage to figure out what you really want. The second victory comes in pursuing it.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

For years, he has led his agency to live out the simple motto of providing personal service. Early on, despite having the credentials and licenses to sell, Carlin realized he lacked the skills to consistently deliver the results that he and his clients expected.

This sparked a journey of self-improvement through books and training, which transformed his approach. From this, he developed the concept of elevating value—a philosophy of growth through enhancing character, vision, and skills.

Along the way he learned the principle: “The answers you get are based on the quality of your questions.” He shares how a few years ago he wanted to memorize the Book of Proverbs. His initial question produced good verses to memorize, but not a strategy for actually memorizing the whole book.

Because he asked a different question, he found techniques and 1.5 years ago he completed memorizing Proverbs. His other party trick, though, is memorizing the order in a deck of cards. His best time is 1:24 minutes.

As Carlin says, “You can’t remember anything you didn’t remember.” It’s about paying attention. They discuss both the importance of remembering names and how Carlin remembered people’s names perfectly at Nic’s Full Auto program.

His life and leadership inspired his weekly newsletter, Elevating Value, where he shares practical insights for personal and professional development. You can find Carlin on X (Twitter) @elevatingvalue. Or subscribe to his newsletter at www.ElevatingValue.com.

Nic and Carlin discuss a number of topics from how to connect with people, how to make warm calls to customers, and what inspires them on a daily basis. And with each new topic to talk about, Carlin shares a Proverb that applies.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

James shares how he started his career as an accountant with Eide Bailley then how he served as a leadership development advisor. He took on the Chief Financial Officer role at Egan Company after 20 years in accounting.

Today, as its Chief Executive Officer, he provides best practice strategies for optimizing operations and company performance. His curiosity and natural tendency to focus on the future motivates others to take action.

James attributes his interest in the industry to his father who installed flooring for a living as well as the people within the industry: “hard-working, no-nonsense people who are focused on getting the job done . . . hands down, my favorite part of working at Egan is our amazing people.”

Nic observes James’ ability to create a culture of connection at Egan Company. James attributes this to hiring good people and promote good people—and good people attract other good people. James says he’s only building on Egan’s 80-year history of good people doing good work.

Together James and Nic discuss a variety of topics from company culture and leadership to taking responsibility and making hard decisions. James shares his four operational principles, the most important was the shift they made to put people first and numbers last. He also advises apprentices to raise their hand, to volunteer to do something new.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic goes into more detail about how he helps apprentices understand finding the right fit career. So, he expands on his “Three Circles” idea: 1) What are you passionate about? 2) What are your skills? 3) What will the market pay for?

Together they map Nic’s path for how got to where he is today as a professional speaker. He figured out that he’s good at taking complex ideas and breaking them down into easy-to-understand simple solutions. And how his real passion is helping people—to which Tarina replies, “See, you like helping people, too!” But Nic eventually took a 30,000-foot view to fully appreciate 1) what he was passionate about; 2) what he was good at; and (most importantly) 3) what the market would pay for.

What Nic and Tarina find important about this topic is the tendency of many people to focus on only one aspect of the Three Circles. As Nic says, “When we find ourselves taking a job or a career because of the money. If we only look at what it pays, we’re going to find ourselves in a career that we’re miserable in.” This they see as a major cause of burnout.

The leader’s job in these situations, especially when they see burnout in one of their people, is to apply the breaks for them. This is important for both parents and leaders. So, it’s not a day off people need. They may need you to help make sure they take a little breather. And it’s about giving them the protection, the air cover, they need to do a little less so they can realign and keep going.

And sometimes even leaders need to take a step back. If things aren’t working, the right thing to do is the hard thing to do. This might look like a foreman stepping up to step out and return to working a journeyman again.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Figure out what you’re good at. Know your strengths. Know your weaknesses. This is how Nic summarizes what it means to know what makes you tick.

In this episode, Nic and Tarina discuss the importance of understanding yourself. Nic outlines a 3-part system for identifying a career. The mistake he sees most people make is choosing only what they’re passionate about—but it may not be something the market wants to pay for or something they’re good at.

Tarina asks an important question, “How do you figure out what you’re good at?” Nic’s answer: pay attention. In other words, look for the bread crumbs.

Nic and Tarina then shift to Chapter 25 of Know This Do That and talk about the importance of having a strong work ethic. Nic reminds listeners of his friend Clint Bailey who said be the hardest worker in the room.

When Nic and Tarina talk about knowing your destination they emphasize having an end in mind. As the old quote goes, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

As Nic says, “My job finds me mostly in airports.” He shares the best places he’s gotten to stay as well as some scary places. 

It’s clear in this episode how committed Nic is to the work of developing men and women to be better leaders. It’s also clear how much he loves his family and lives by the values he teaches. 

It’s not a glamorous life being a professional speaker and traveling everywhere. It has given him a chance to visit places he may not have ever seen and people he may never have gotten to meet. It can also get lonely. 

The best part of every trip he says is the flight home. Some may take this the wrong way. But if you know Nic, how could he say it any differently?

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

And Tarina shares her “more this, less that” list as an alternative to goals for the new year or new year’s resolutions. It surprised Nic that Tarina didn’t have items for his goal and resolution list for the year.

Nic quotes Charlie Tremendous Jones: “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you met and the books you read.”

To invest in yourself requires a commitment to relationships and filling your mind with good information. An investment in yourself is an investment in your growth. To invest in anything means to expect a future return—and as Nic writes in Know This Do That, “reading one hour a day will put you in the top 1% of income earners.”

From Chapter 23, they talk about learning from our pasts but letting go of the hurts, the mistakes, the regrets. This is easy to say and hard to do. It takes both self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others.

Holding on to the past holds us back. Leaving it behind you is a practice—something you have to do every day. And that’s okay. Keep at it and over time you will realize freedom, growth, and new opportunities for a richer life.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic and Tarina discuss the power of connection and then immediately share their own failures at remembering people’s names.

One of the tips Nic uses is called word association. It’s a best practice he brings into Full Auto because knowing everyone’s name is a safety issue. Lanyards are a no-go.

When we choose to not remember someone’s name are we telling them, “I don’t care enough about you”? Nic takes responsibility for a couple of real life events where he did not care enough—and times when he has remembered and the effect it had on each of the people.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

They talk about Cruze’s favorite sport (spoiler alert: it’s not football). And spend some time going through Cruze’s morning routine. 

Nic compliments his son as being one of the most disciplined people he knows. Cruze says he started his discipline journey when he decided to workout and get in shape. Getting six-pack abs became an obsession. And the ability to say no to Honey Buns is always hard, but if you want something bad enough then the discipline isn’t really a loss. 

To check out Cruze’s reflections online from his daily reading go to his Instagram @Cruze_Bittle or TikTok @Cruze.Bittle.

As Cruze shares, “Discipline is just who I am now.” It’s not easy they conclude, but it’s worth it. 

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people. 

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode, they return to Know This Do That and how It’s all about the return on investment [CH19] and getting over yourself [CH20]. 

It’s wise to realize sooner rather than later that your work and your wages depend on you producing more value than what it costs. The return isn’t only about money—it could show up in better quality work, supporting your team, or getting things done a little faster. Those are real, tangible returns employers notice. 

And while it’s human nature to think it’s “all about me,” your career success may be waiting for you to drop the attitude, drop the personal style, drop the substance and show up to do the job. 

Nic quotes Scott Hamilton, the former Olympic figure skater (because Nic is kind of a big deal), “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” His point is your career is bigger and more important to you in the long run than whatever you believe is so critical today. 

If you enjoy the podcast please share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Together they return to Nic’s book Know This Do That. Nic quotes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Be humble. Be hungry. And always be the hardest worker in the room.”

Success is determined, Nic says, not by what you know or the power of your ideas but what you do. He shares a story for an idea he had and never did anything with it. Then at a farm show two years later, with his free yard stick in hand, he saw someone had actually done something with “his” idea.

As Nic’s mentor, Mark, told him: Don’t put too much time into the idea. Go sell it. Then build it and make it better.

If you enjoy the podcast please share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

At the age of 20, Brett started a marble countertop store. He began his 26-year career in the fire department as a volunteer firefighter—and did it for 2 years before taking a paid position.

He talks about setting goals—even 20 year goals—and being undettered. Brett says he encourages people to look at the big picture and asks the key question, “Where do you want to end up?”

As Brett blends a strong faith into his tradecraft, what you hear is how his leadership is rooted in caring for his people and their success. The core of creating a leadership culture, he says, is caring enough to get to know his guys—who they’re dating, their goals and dreams.

It’s in this culture that Brett creates a place where even alpha males can safely say, “I’m struggling.”

WARNING: In the second hour, Brett shares true stories of being a first responder. With real compassion and sensitivity he talks about responding to suicides and death—and how he led his crew through loss and heart rendering moments.

If you enjoy the podcast please share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Because Christmas is a time for family and friends, Nic and Tarina talk about the five love languages. Together they go through the languages and the people in their lives who represent each.

In this episode, you experience the love and appreciation Nic and Tarina have for each other and for those they cherish. Their admiration for the people and their love language is clear and wonderful to hear.

Click the link to find your love language.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Tarina shares about how her mom would sew—and her Dad would be the one to pick out the fabric. Nic would open presents Christmas morning, feed the cattle, then spend the day with grandparents in Stillwater.

He tells the story about how he and his older brother used a riding lawn mower to create a 5-mile trap line. Always the entrepreneurs, they created a micro-business with the hides they caught and skinned. When Nic starts to describe how they would harvest skunk essence, Tarina comments, “I think we’re losing our family friendly rating.”

Among all the memories and laughs, Nic reflects how the beauty of the season is about being content. And Tarina admires Nic’s inventiveness growing up—and how things haven’t really changed. They both miss and appreciate the opportunity they had as kids to dream, to work, and to give and receive love. 

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic and Tarina Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendations go a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

They cover a range of topics including why it's important to show up on video like you care and how the goal of all communication is to connect with another human.

Patrick McGowan is the owner of Punchn Communications, an advisory firm committed to empowering more human connection. He is a leading expert on transforming people and teams through the way they talk.

He started Punchn in 2020 because he looked like a potato on camera—and has since helped dozens of professionals achieve more clarity and confidence across the lens. He is a teacher, facilitator, and student of how to communicate with power, presence, and credibility.

Patrick works with leaders who want to grow their influence and professionals who want to expand their reach. In a world full of noise and distraction, it’s critical the way one communicates is clear, confident, and compelling.

After a 25+ year career leading healthcare innovation, managing a manufacturing startup, and even serving as a pastor of a church (to name a few), he has the experience, tools, frameworks, and understanding for how changing the way we talk can change the way we work.

People choose to work with Patrick because of his probing questions, how he colors outside the lines (always has, according to his big sister), and his calm confidence. His customers report that he makes them look good: giving them more confidence, more energy, and more impact. He produces podcasts for professionals who have a message that deserves to reach more people.

You can connect with Patrick at patrick@punchn.io for communications training, team facilitation, video or audio production, and leadership coaching.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Frequent listeners of the podcast already appreciate how Nic and Tarina discuss their values every week and provide insight into key life skills. This episode shows us more of their heart for readying people—especially young people—to live good and fulfilling lives.

The Life Ready Curriculum is a transformative journey designed to go beyond the traditional high school curriculum and provide students with what they truly need to succeed.

Because students want real-life skills that prepare them to thrive, Life Ready does more than give facts and figures. The program introduces 36 virtues through an innovative micro-learning format that students can digest and immediately apply to their lives.

Through guided discussions, reflection, and journaling, students embark on a personal journey that reveals how each virtue can become foundational to their growth and success. Life Ready fosters a deeper connection to personal values. It equips students to lead fulfilling and purpose-driven lives after graduation and beyond.

To learn more about the Life Ready Curriculum click the link below.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode, Manley shares the story about rock climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park in California. It was the climb of a lifetime, and for one of the climbers, a real life or death situation.

It’s worth checking out Manley’s website (www.verticallessons.com). When you watch his 3-minute video you'll see the scale, grandeur, and danger of the climb. Then come back to listen to the episode. If you’re not familiar with El Capitan, this gives you a good picture as Manley tells his story.

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Manley is the founder of Vertical Lessons, Inc. He is an award-winning international keynote speaker, business leader and best-selling author. Leveraging more than thirty years of business, professional speaking and adventure experience, his insight and energy will inspire and equip you to step up and reach your next summit.

He is the author of Reaching Your Next Summit! 9 Vertical Lessons for Leading with More Impact.

Manley’s 11 years of leadership influence contributed to a workplace culture that landed Build-A-Bear Workshop on the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® List four years in a row. Manley served two terms as the president of the St. Louis chapter of the National Speakers Association.

On a personal note, Manley likes to sleep on the side of mountains. Who doesn’t? Even more shocking is that his wife has been encouraging that for more than three decades, and his two kids still kiss him on the cheek in front of their friends.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Manley is the founder of Vertical Lessons, Inc. He is an award-winning international keynote speaker, business leader and best-selling author. Leveraging more than thirty years of business, professional speaking and adventure experience, his insight and energy will inspire and equip you to step up and reach your next summit.

He is the author of Reaching Your Next Summit: 9 Vertical Lessons for Leading with More Impact.

Manley’s 11 years of leadership influence contributed to a workplace culture that landed Build-A-Bear Workshop on the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® List four years in a row. Manley served two terms as the president of the St. Louis chapter of the National Speakers Association.

Learn more about Manley here.

On a personal note, Manley likes to sleep on the side of mountains. Who doesn’t? Even more shocking is that his wife has been encouraging that for more than three decades, and his two kids still kiss him on the cheek in front of their friends.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Manley is the founder of Vertical Lessons, Inc. He is an award-winning international keynote speaker, business leader and best-selling author. Leveraging more than thirty years of business, professional speaking and adventure experience, his insight and energy will inspire and equip you to step up and reach your next summit.

He is the author of Reaching Your Next Summit! 9 Vertical Lessons for Leading with More Impact.

Manley’s 11 years of leadership influence contributed to a workplace culture that landed Build-A-Bear Workshop on the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® List four years in a row. Manley served two terms as the president of the St. Louis chapter of the National Speakers Association.

Learn more about Manley here.

On a personal note, Manley likes to sleep on the side of mountains. Who doesn’t? Even more shocking is that his wife has been encouraging that for more than three decades, and his two kids still kiss him on the cheek in front of their friends.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Mark LeBlanc, CSP, CPAE has been on his own virtually his entire adult life. He once had a job for six months and was inspired by the two words, “You’re fired!” At the ripe, young age of 21, he vowed he would do whatever it would take to make it on his own. And he has.

He recently celebrated his 40th anniversary in business! He has experienced the good, bad, ugly, and great of being his own boss. And in 2023, after 40 years as a professional speaker, Mark was inducted into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame. You can see his acceptance speech here.

He and Nic talk about the ups and downs (a lot of downs) of business, life, and leadership. Mark shares how what you do every day matters way more than what you do every once in a while. And he discusses what he learned from the great Judith when he walked the El Camino (a short 400 mile hike in Spain) for the first time.

His keynote speech titled Never Be the Same (and book by the same name) is a catalyst for how consistency plays a vital role in achieving in times of challenge and change. While he shares unique insights and ideas on commitment, his reveal on resolve will change the way your people take action for the rest of their lives.

If there was one thing to take from this conversation is this: Mark believes in you more than you may believe in yourself.

The author and co-author of seven books, Mark resides in Minneapolis, MN.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic and Tarina, in this episode, talk about Chapter 17 from Know This. Do That. They point out how even the menial and mundane tasks demand excellence. No job is too small, or insignificant, for someone to be good at it.

As Nic says, the foreman on an oil field needs to tell the fire watch, “You’re the most important guy on the job. When you’re not here, my welders can’t weld.”

And just like sealing duct work, leadership is messy, sticky work—and sometimes thankless. But a lot of leaders, unfortunately, feel it’s not their job to inspire their apprentices and workers to deliver greatness.

Nic shares how growing up on the farm his dad was tough on him and his brother. It was hard because consequences were high. He also talks about failing his first driving test.

When you care with intensity, you will do great work. You gotta care.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode, Nic and Tarina talk more about fear and the fear of failure. They take a break from discussing Nic’s book, Know This. Do That.

A question they ask is: Are you one of those whose tombstone should read, “Died at 30 - Buried at 60”?

Failure is not the end of the world. If you fail, pick yourself up and do something new. We might think we’re playing it safe by not pursuing what we want. But you can fail at what you don’t want in life just as easily as what you do want.

This is a deeply personal conversation about failure and how to overcome it.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In San Diego, they took a pedal taxi to a Ralph’s grocery store so they didn’t pay $7 for a bottle of water at their hotel. The punch line was how much Nic had to pay for a ride that was shorter than the song Piano Man by Billy Joel. But they did save $5 on their bottled water!

They return to Know This. Do That. and discuss how it is important for apprentices to fail early and fail often. Reflecting on their own experience and failures, Nic asks, “Why is failure such a dirty word?”

The saddest thing about failure is we don’t share it. Our ego tries to make us look smart and successful—we are often too proud to admit it. Nic encourages all of us to not be perfect. We will screw up and we learn and we will get better.

And the greatest quality of a leader is the ability and willingness to fail and learn from it. Failure is something we can’t avoid—but progress is defined by those who learn how to do it better and not repeat their mistakes.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

The corner post project—and Nic’s procrastination over way too much time—triggered the question: Why do we procrastinate?  “I often build up projects in my mind into a near-impossible task.” As they discuss, we tell ourselves lies so we kick the can down the road. Nic admits to falling into the Perfection Trap—only one of nine ways we put off or avoid the work that needs to get done. But once he tackled the corner post, his Milwaukee Sawzall in hand, it took him about five minutes.

They return to Know This Do That—being smart about spending money you have and not money you don’t have; and being constant students about your craft and sharpening your saw.

And the other day the mailman, Scott, delivers 11 packages to Nic, not Tarina.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

With over four book completed, Nic knows the ups and downs, ins and outs, of writing and publishing. His dedication and commitment to developing leaders is clear. You’ll want to stay to the end to hear about his latest project: how he has adapted his work into a leadership training curriculum for high school students called Life Ready (see link below).

Here are some key take-aways:

• Micro learning is essential for effective leadership training.
• Personal relationships can influence professional growth.
• Writing a book requires a clear purpose and target audience.
• Feedback is crucial in the writing process.
• Collaboration can enhance the quality of your content.
• Self-publishing offers flexibility but comes with challenges.
• Storytelling is a powerful tool in engaging readers.
• Curriculum development should address the needs of your audience.
• Every writing experience contributes to personal and professional development.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic and Tarina continue their discussion on his book, Know This Do That. First up to bat is the need for apprentices to eliminate the phrase, “I know.” Why? It’s important to demonstrate humility and coachability. Even if you to do know, listen for Nic’s suggestion for how to respond when asked, “Do you know how to do this?”

“No one accomplishes anything great alone,” says Nic’s mentor, Mark LeBlanc. Tarina shares how a coach kicked her out of high school basketball practice for talking back. This proved a transformational moment in her life, helping her make better choices. Nic’s gratitude for the mentors he’s had in his life is worth the listen.

Great mentors go beyond the hard skills of the trade. Great mentors focus on building on your smart skills, the knowledge and ability to navigate difficult relationships, the right things to say, and showing up on time. If you’ve got a decade or more experience, then find someone to be a mentor to.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

---

 🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode, they talk about Chapters 8-11 of Nic’s book, Know This Do That. The negative question a lot of people to ask themselves sound like, “Why does the coach hate me?” The positive version soundS like, “What can I do to getter better, faster, stronger?” It’s about taking responsibility for your actions and not blaming anyone or anything.

“You are where you are because of the decisions you’ve made.” Just because you weren’t born into a Big Oil family doesn’t give you permission to make excuses or not fly commercial. To paraphrase Confucius, the best time to plant a tree was ten years ago. The next best time is today.

This episode is about four things that will help you grow into becoming a high-value employee. You make not like the answers Nic and Tarina give, but they are true and practical. As Nic shares, we all have the same job: It’s to solve problems. Solving problems is the pathway to being more valuable. We all choose our path, our mindset, and how we talk to ourselves.

Someone smart enough to apply these insights will be happier and do bigger and better work. Why? Because it’s what’s needed. Because it works.  

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

---

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

During the orientation session for parents, they explained the “W” model and the likely path and feelings their new freshman would experience their first year. It always starts with a honeymoon period followed by culture shock then a rebound. It’s a lot of ups and downs and parents have a job to self-regulate and refrain from trying to fix everything.

Chapter 6 and 7 of Nic’s book Know This Do That are discussed. As Nic highlights, putting a man on the moon takes someone who’s willing to push a broom and clean a toilet. What we take pride in ultimately reflects who we are.

The same is true for who we surround ourselves with. If your friends, Nic says, are talking more about what video games they’re playing than what investments they’re making, you may want to switch things up a bit.

Parents do this intentionally when they pick what city to live in, what school to send their kids to, and what church to attend. Nic tells of being the beneficiary of some “Larry Bittle Crap” (runs in the family, I guess) about choosing what pond Nic would fish in. The proof is in the pudding since Nic reeled in Tarina and got his proud angler award.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode, Nic and Tarina talk about the in’s and out’s, do’s and don’ts of constructive criticism. First, on the punch list knowing that for criticism to be constructive it has to be information that someone can use to do better.

Unfortunately, many superintendents and foremen call “constructive criticism” isn’t constructive at all. It’s just plain insulting. So, when done badly, you run the risk of creating resentment, not improvement.

Kind of like Nic’s dad, you want your apprentice or direct report to “find Jesus somewhere between the church pew and the door.” Your criticism, then, needs to be done in private and after you’ve already created an environment where praise for what your people do well is heard more often than what they do wrong.

A lot of us lead the way we were led. And despite all his know-how, Nic confesses how in the heat of the moment (especially in an airport—almost always in an airport) he has to consciously channel the best version of himself. If he doesn’t, he says he’ll probably get tazed or give the person he yells at a $96 tip (true story).

Real leaders develop their people. They give them time and space to discover how they can do better—which is more effective than the old school way of “if it stings it sticks” method. People are going to make mistakes. Most of them are survivable. You and your team, though, will grow when they know you’ve got their back—especially as they learn their way to success. It’s sometimes hard, but you can leave them better off.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

She shares wisdom from her 8+ years in the construction industry, crediting her inspiration for the industry to her tradesman husband stating, “The humble pride of the trades, the craftsmanship and the ability to create and build, inspires me. The passion I see when he’s pointing out projects he’s been part of… now I get to see that passion everyday across all trades at Egan.” 

In addition to teasing Nic about his Chanel bag (he uses it for his audio equipment), Elise shares how her favorite part of working at Egan is the people – how its friendly, caring, and supportive approach starts at the top and makes the work everyone does together both meaningful and enjoyable.

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🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Then he and Tarina discuss chapters 4 and 5 from Know This Do That. Your career and life are about taking initiative and getting people to like you.

Can you make people laugh? Do they see you as someone they know they can trust?

As Tarina says, “You have to be memorable.” Sometimes this means saying something funny to a group of girls. Sometimes it means having a cup of coffee with your super before your shift officially starts.

The boys in Nic’s charge did not take the initiative, but he did. You can take the initiative, too. Do the right things and get to know your boss and let your boss get to know you. And when the time is right, just say, “That’s a weird name for a dog.”   

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

---

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Chapter 2 of Nic’s book, Know This. Do That, is about being on time. Someone building a career (see Chapter 1) aims to build good relationships. The first step to building good relationships, especially with your boss, requires you to be on time. Why? Because it shows initiative and helps you become known as someone the boss can trust.

Nic and Tarina also talk about Chapter 3: Move Like a Shark. An apprentice who shows up on time and is always moving is someone who is considered valuable to the operation. As Nic shares, you won’t get fired if you at least show up, but that’s not enough to help you advance your career.

Your employer sees when you care about your job and support the team. It’s their job to observe you and your work. The two behaviors discussed in this episode show the right people that you are someone they can trust.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

---

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode, they discuss the first chapter about building a career. Nic shares how it’s important to know the difference between having a career mindset versus a job mindset. He shares the example how someone with a career mindset is willing to invest in themselves; whereas someone with a job mindset expects to get paid to read a book or spend a day in training.

They talk through various examples, identifying the tradeoffs. It’s about expanding your perspective, appreciating how short-term gains often mean long-term loss.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the LIKE button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

---

 🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

They talk about Nic’s recent week of air travel and how after multiple delays (way more than normal) he identified his own Struggler Mindset. Tarina shares how she managed home and hearth in Nic’s absence—recognizing how both her Achiever Mindset and Struggler Mindset worked for and against her at times. Together they discuss a major family transition. As their daughter prepares her move to college, they appreciate their own difficulties in preparing themselves to be ready for the possibility their daughter may fail at times. As parents, Nic says, our job is not to pave the way and make our kids’ lives easy. Why? Because they need to be able to make a bad decision and learn how to recover from it.

This episode is about meeting yourself and your mindsets in the wild as life happens.

Shoot Nic an email at info@nicbittle.com if you want a cheat sheet on the Four Mindsets.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and enjoy listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

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🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In this episode they also tie together the four mindsets. For example, Tarina may have The Achiever mindset in a situation which throws Nic into The Struggler mindset. As Nic says, The Struggler is just an Achiever in a temporary moment of struggle.

The key to mastering the mindsets starts with being aware of the mindsets. You may remember how in the first episode on mindsets, Nic and Tarina talked about having a framework for communication. It’s like having X-Ray vision into human relationships. This framework gives you—whether you’re a spouse, a parent, or a foreman—the know-how needed to build real connection. 

Shoot Nic an email at info@nicbittle.com if you want a cheat sheet on the Four Mindsets.

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🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Listen for Nic’s “Rule #2.” You know you’ve handle the relationship right with The Doer when she says to herself, “I called the right guy.” For most people, The Doer is a temporary mindset just like The Struggler and The Thinker. When you’re working with your spouse or your foremen and they have a list of things that need to get done right now, take a moment to seek clarity on the deliverables and the timeline. Nic’s framework for better communication does not take a lot of time, but it does require a higher level of awareness and patience.

When we pause, we increase our ability to curb our knee-jerk attitude and we demonstrate that we care. We show that what’s important to The Doer and is important to us.

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🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic tells the story about his son, at 5 years old, with an unlimited number of options, was trying to pick out a treat at the gas station. A perfect picture of the second mindset: The Thinker. But, as Nic reflects, if you take away the choice from The Thinker, you rob them of the joy that comes from making a decision. Choices are real and personal—and because The Thinker wants to make the right decision, helping them achieve clarity is an act of kindness. Unfortunately, impatience leads many to make The Thinker feel stupid rather than walk them, in the moment, through the process.

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🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic and Tarina build on their previous podcasts about communication. As a foreman or site manager, this framework offers you curbs and gutters as you seek understanding before being understood. Like a lot of things in your trade, a framework is a tool you use to do the job of communicating better. Whether you’re a foreman or a parent, you step into our Boulder Bag with suspenders so you have on-hand the approach you need to help solve the right problem, not just what you think the problem is.

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🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

They echo the value of not making assumptions and asking clarifying questions. As they talk about, the mistake a lot people make is not pausing. You’re a better foreman, speaker, or parent, if you take a breath and learn to be comfortable with a bit of silence. Listening is a clear sign to others that you care and it also gives you time to verify what you’ve heard.  As Nic has said in previous episodes, much of what he shares comes from mistakes he’s made. 

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🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

They also talk about how good communicators seek clarification—which is just another way of being curious and not making assumptions. While foremen and site leaders are very skilled in their trade, good communication is often seen as a “soft skill” and automatic. As Nic points out, the next best step may be to slow down, pace the conversation, or take a pause. Ultimately, though, just because you’re talking doesn’t mean you’re communicating. As a leader, it’s on you to seek understanding before being understood.

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🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Clint Bailey is a licensed journeyman electrician, BICSI registered Communications Distribution Designer, Certified NICET Level II Fire Alarm Technician, Certified State of Iowa Electrical Examining Board CEC Instructor, 20 Year IBEW/NECA Apprenticeship Instructor, and 10 Years managing a limited energy division in Des Moines for Commonwealth Electric of the Midwest.

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🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

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🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

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🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

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💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here. 

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💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here. 

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💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here. 

---

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here. 

Good foremen recognize that for many of the people they lead, this is their first real job. And they choose to lead as they were led in their first jobs. Good foremen see the men and women on their crew as valuable not for what they already know, but for their ability to learn and grow. It’s the difference between being curious versus judgmental. Good foremen decide to look for and invest in people’s potential.

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💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.  

---

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.  

---

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.  

---

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.  

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💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.