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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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P2T: Preparing 2 Thrive in the Modern Workplace by Jon Isaacson is now available as an AUDIOBOOK through Amazon.  INTRO (excerpt). Two types of people will receive and read this book. We call them Young Professional A (YPA) and Young Professional B (YPB). At the start of their career, there isn't much that separates YPA from YPB. They both have few resources, little work experience, and low knowledge about the working world. Both young professionals are going to struggle to get a job. Both young professionals have people that care about them. The difference is that one of these young professionals will listen to what the good influences around them are saying. The young professional with the right road map and the willingness to learn, will set themselves up for success. P2T creates win-wins for employers and employees. P2T is book one in the Resources for Young Pros series. Organizations win when their young professionals are engaged. Young pros win when they have a road map for success. The stories, examples, and principles shared in this book are from real world experience. P2T will prepare readers to thrive in the modern workplace. Prepared to thrive in any job interview. Prepared to thrive in any new job. Prepared to thrive as emerging professionals. Employers are be handing P2T out by the dozens to new hires P2T is available in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook through Amazon. Get your copy today! #CareerOpportunities #CareerGrowth #careerdevelopment #careers #book #audiobook #youngprofessionals How does a consumer know whether a contractor is competent enough to complete remodeling and repair work? Author Ron Alford provides insights into the four types of contractors in his book, designed for property owners, titled How to Win the Insurance Claim Game (available on Amazon). In this video we review those four types of contractors, Ron's tests of competence, and how the consumer can better protect themselves when hiring a construction professional. This discussion is also helpful to business owners and managers looking to elevate their team's abilities to seek, sell, and produce quality projects.  Business owners and managers complain about the lack of quality applicants and employees who won't stick around. We take a look at some examples of terrible job descriptions for ways construction professionals can better navigate the recruitment process. We will also review some clips of hilariously bad job interviews for ways modern businesses can better connect with young professionals. IN EPISODE 113 of THE DYOJO PODCAST:
Clips were used in this Episode from * Too Apree on YouTube * TDP 49 with Al Erisman, author of The ServiceMaster Story * P2T: Preparing 2 Thrive in the Modern Workplace (book) Chapter 5 LAST EPISODE TDP 112 Creating a Competitive Business Advantage in 2024 NEXT EPISODE Join us as we discuss hard construction lessons learned from a failed nuclear power plant in Elma, Washington. 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. The job interview. If your interview habits are not helping your business achieve the goals of attracting, hiring, and retaining good talent, it's time to review the process. This text is from an excerpt from Episode 113 of The DYOJO Podcast. This blog discussion will benefit business owners, managers, parents, and educators as they look to understand and engage with young professionals. As our friend and fellow author, Tony Canas said in Episode 112, "You've got to show them [emerging professionals] a path to success." This content will also be a benefit to those aspiring professionals that maybe stumbled across this wonderful podcast to learn some tips on what current and future employers are looking for. Young professionals will receive valuable tips for
Emerging professionals don't just want a job, they want to find a place where they can grow and thrive. Our discussion extends to how new employees can set themselves up for those critical first 30, 60, and 90 days in a new job. Understanding how to achieve goals once a job has been acquired. New Book for Young ProfessionalsFor those of you reading, who are actually preparing for an interview, we will help you Prepare 2 Thrive. For those business owners, managers, parents, educators, you will want to share this information with young professionals preparing for interviews. What we discuss in this blog and the accompanying video will help job seekers stand out and thrive in a job interview. You'll recognize some of these tips from my latest book, P2T: Preparing 2 Thrive in the Modern Workplace. This book provides new hires with a path to success. This is resources for young pros book one.  Tips for Thriving in a Job InterviewHere are the tips for thriving in a job interview that we share in P2T: Preparing 2 Thrive in the Modern Workplace
Read about these tips and many more in P2T: Preparing 2 Thrive in the Modern Workplace by Jon Isaacson. P2T: Chapter FiveThis blog and the accompanying video share Chapter Five: The Job Desription from my new book P2T: Preparing 2 Thrive in the Modern Workplace. When a company writes a job description, they are giving applicants clues about what they are looking for. You shouldn’t have to dig too deep into the job description to find a few things that you understand and relate to the knowledge, experience, and abilities you have demonstrated in your life (see Chapter 12 for more on these Four Elements). What is the title of the position? If the title is something like entry-level customer service representative, what does this tell you? Entry-level usually means that they are hiring someone with little to no prior experience. Customer service can mean many things, but it usually requires the employees to interact directly with the public. Read what the listing says about a few key elements. Qualifications. This is where they tell you what prior knowledge, experience, and/or abilities they expect applicants to have. Roles and/or responsibilities. This is where they try to paint a picture of what applicants will be doing if they get hired. Compensation. Some organizations will tell you what the salary or hourly wage range is, and others will not. You will want to try to determine if the qualifications are required or recommended. For example, the employer may prefer that you have an Associates Degree (AA/AS) but they don’t require it. Even if they say they require a degree, you may roll the dice and apply anyway. What experiences do you have that are relevant to the roles and responsibilities outlined in the job description? If you have demonstrated knowledge, experience, or abilities that could be worth more than a degree, you will want to use the cover letter to communicate this. If they don’t specify the compensation, this is a question you can ask in the interview. Asking, “How much does this job pay,” is a reasonable question. Instead, try asking it another way. For example, “Is the compensation rate at or above minimum wage?” Sounds a little more intelligent. Then you can follow up with, “What is the process and timeline for becoming eligible for a promotion.” This approach communicates that you understand that if you work hard you will earn more. Some jobs have a review after 90 days. Others may provide training or certification that opens up more pathways to greater responsibilities and higher pay. Be proud of the fact that you want to thrive. You should leave the interview with a sense of clarity about what your options for advancement are. P2T: Preparing 2 Thrive in the Modern Workplace, the new book by Jon Isaacson. LEARN MORE about P2T or BUY NOW from Amazon. My new book will help business owners better engage young professionals and help them articulate a pathway to success. Organizations need to show the incoming workforce a path to success. This is a win-win for employers and employees. We take a trip down memory lane with a REPLAY plus of Episode 22 of The DYOJO Podcast. We discussed growing your business without compromising your values with guest Lex Sisney, author of Organizational Physics and Designed to Scale.  Structuring Your Business for Growth and other topics we discuss with Lex Sisney in this BONUS Episode 0:00 Jon is traveling to Winter Break 4:12 Review of an old episode 8:51 Business structure vs. process 15:14 Organization design is not a democratic process 23:52 Creating change THANK YOU SPONSORS: Actionable Insights now has a Xactimate Profile similar to the Contractor & Carrier Profiles that come with Xactimate. Along with access to all the Insights Sheet Macros, the profile includes Actionable’s industry-standard default preferences that focus on accurate and transparent estimating. EPIC Estimates - Any estimate, anywhere, anytime. Let the award-winning EPIC Estimates help your team write the next Xactimate or Symbility estimate. Freeing your team up to do what their good at, while helping your business maximize productivity and profitability. Restoration Industry Association (RIA) - Connect and collaborate with your industry peers through the largest non-profit professional trade association dedicated to the unique plight of restoration contractors. Join us April 8-10, 2024 in Dallas for the Restoration Industry Association Convention and Industry Expo. Discounts are available for early registration. P2T: Preparing 2 Thrive in the Modern Workplace is the latest book from Jon Isaacson. P2T was written to help young professionals develop the mindsets and habits to thrive in the modern workplace. Employers are handing P2T out to new hires by the DOZENS.  The DYOJO Podcast for Contractors
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