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What the best price for training in the skilled trades? Free. As long as it isn't a big waste of time or just some marketing scheme to transform your employees into the salesforce for the next construction industry gimmick. Give The DYOJO Podcast 5 minutes to prove that 1) this seasons series on construction project management is worth your time as a business owner, manager, and aspiring construction professional; and 2) isn't just a marketing gimmick. We are going to try to sell you our books, because we wrote them and need to feed our families, but the content will be real work experience that will help your team members develop. This clip from Episode 122 of The DYOJO Podcast introduces six keys to success for construction project managers. The discussion emphasizes the importance in completing tasks on scope, budget, and schedule. The video highlights the multifaceted role of project management. Key milestones for success include delivering the agreed-upon scope, meeting the client timeline, providing quality controls, and maintaining a safe, orderly worksite. Project managers play a critical role in achieving client satisfaction and profitability which are crucial for business continuity. Thursdays are for The DYOJO Podcast - helping contractors shorten their DANG learning curve. Join host Jon Isaacson as we explore contractor stories, experiences, and best practices to help listeners thrive in the skilled trades.  Thank you to our advertiser - The Spring Experience - a must attend event for cleaning and restoration professionals. Join us in Punta Gorda, Florida April 8 - 10, 2025. For more information go to ExperienceTheEvents.com.
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Project management in the construction industry can feel like juggling flaming swords while balancing on a tightrope. The stakes are high, and the expectations—completing projects on scope, on budget, and on time—are unforgiving. Yet, achieving these benchmarks is the cornerstone of profitability and customer satisfaction. In Episode 121 of The DYOJO Podcast, host Jon Isaacson delves into the realities of project management, offering insights to help contractors and their teams level up. The Core Challenges of Project Management At first glance, the basics of project management seem straightforward:
However, the execution is where many stumble. Mismanaged communication, unclear expectations, and failure to track changes can derail even the best-laid plans. For example:
Learning and Adapting as a Project Manager Episode 121 dives into these pitfalls and provides practical advice for navigating them. Key takeaways include the importance of tracking legitimate change orders, empowering project managers with the right tools and training, and fostering clear communication across all levels of an organization. Isaacson emphasizes that a project’s success isn’t just about meeting benchmarks but about building systems that balance customer satisfaction with organizational profitability. What’s Next for Project Management Professionals? The upcoming Episode 122 of The DYOJO Podcast promises to expand on these themes, exploring foundational skills for those pursuing a career in project management. Whether you’re a seasoned contractor or a newcomer to the trades, these episodes are packed with actionable advice to refine your approach and achieve better outcomes. Don’t just survive in the challenging world of construction—thrive. Tune into The DYOJO Podcast to gain the tools and insights you need to sharpen your project management skills and lead your teams to success. Ready to level up? Listen to Episode 121 and prepare for Episode 122 of The DYOJO Podcast today! A Message from our Advertisers
The Spring Experience is coming April 8th through 10th, 2025, in Punta Gorda, Florida. This is the must-attend event for the Cleaning and Restoration Industry. We’re talking two action-packed days in the Exhibit Hall, hands-on demos, networking with industry leaders—it’s where you’ll find the tools and connections to level up your business. Go to ExperienceTheEvents.com to learn more. Sign up for email updates while you’re there. It’s like having your own event GPS in your inbox so you’re always in the know. Now here’s an insider tip: for the first time ever, they’re rolling out Tier 1 pricing, and trust me, it’s not going to last. It’s already live, and when all the spots at the lowest price are gone, they’re gone. Do you really want to pay more because you waited too long? Yeah, didn’t think so. And if you’re still on the fence, join the LIVE on LinkedIn December 17th for an exclusive sneak peek at 2025. Kayla McGowan, Editor-in-Chief of R&R, and Alexis Diaz, Senior Event Marketing Strategist for BNP Engage, are spilling all the details—agenda highlights, location insights, maybe even a surprise or two. If you can believe it, there was a time when I was entrusted to coach young athletes in the beautiful sport (aka soccer). Inevitably I hit a wall of frustration that many managers and leaders can relate to: no one was listening. In the heat of the moment, I remembered the approach from my own childhood sports experiences—“Just make ’em run!”—which was often more about punishment than productivity. While enforcing discipline is key to sports and business, on this grass field surrounded by little rascals I had a brief moment of revelation and decided to try something different.  Instead of demanding compliance with an order to run laps, I made a small tweak and reframed discipline into something engaging. I threw a soccer ball out onto the field and turned it into a competitive drill. Two players raced to the ball: one played offense and the other defense. They ran, hustled, and worked hard—but instead of complaints, there was enthusiasm and laughter. This simple shift got the kids moving (run you turds) but also improved their skills in dribbling, defending, and competing under pressure. That moment of innovation didn’t just help me on the soccer field; it taught me a valuable lesson that applies to leading teams in the workplace. Achieving goals isn’t always about doubling down on discipline, it’s about finding creative solutions that make the process engaging and effective. Transforming Frustration into Employee Engagement For many managers, training employees can feel like shouting into the void. Traditional methods—long meetings, repetitive workshops, or endless checklists—often fail to inspire engagement. Employees may check the box but aren’t always learning or improving. Similar to my soccer coaching experience, doing what you have learned from prior managers, i.e. repeating old mindsets and habits, likely results in resistance, frustration, and minimal results for all involved. However, a little creativity can turn routine training into a purpose-driven activity that achieves more than just compliance.  Three Ideas for Practical Employee Engagement Here are three strategies to rethink how you train and engage your team: 1. Reframe Challenges as Games Just like turning running drills into a competitive soccer exercise, you can gamify training tasks in the workplace. Gamification taps into employees' intrinsic motivation by adding elements of competition, collaboration, and rewards.
2. Focus on the Underlying Goal When I shifted my focus from “get them to run” to “help them develop skills while running,” the results improved drastically. In the workplace, this means thinking critically about what you want employees to achieve, not just the tasks you want them to complete.
3. Build Skills Through Real-World Practice The best training happens when employees are actively doing, not just observing. Like the soccer players learning to dribble under pressure, employees benefit most from hands-on experiences that mirror the challenges they’ll face in their roles.
 Speaking of creative ways to help your employees thrive - Check out the latest book from Jon Isaacson and The DYOJO - P2T: Preparing 2 Thrive in the Modern Workplace available for $9.99 from Amazon. Employee Engagement Leads to Achieving Company Goals As managers, it’s easy to get stuck in frustration when employees don’t respond as expected. But as I learned on the soccer field, stagnation should be a prompt for innovation. Instead of doubling down on what isn’t working, step back and ask yourself these questions:
This mindset shift can lead to breakthroughs that benefit your team, your sanity, and your achievement of organizational goals. When I introduced the competitive running drill to my soccer players, it didn’t just solve the problem of getting them to listen—it made the practice more enjoyable, increased their skills, and improved our overall performance. Similarly, in the workplace, creative training strategies don’t just address immediate challenges; they also build stronger, more capable teams. Employees who feel engaged and valued are more likely to invest in their work and collaborate effectively. Rather than rinse, repeat, and reuse old methodologies, taking time to step back can lead to simple innovations with drastic long-term outcomes. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to transform your training approach. Often, a simple tweak—like reframing a task as a game or connecting training to real-world applications—can make a significant difference. Take the time to observe what isn’t working, brainstorm creative solutions, and experiment with new ideas. As you see results, continue refining your methods and sharing your successes with your team. Together, you can turn training into a powerful tool for achieving company goals, one creative solution at a time. Success isn’t always about running harder; often it is the result of simply engaging with your team over a series of small but meaningful improvements.  Keywords:
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