Dig Deep The Human Element of Reliability: Why Tradies Culture is the Backbone of Mining Success
In today's episode, we speak with Gerard Wood, founder of Turbo Leadership Coaching and Wood & Media, and someone well known across the mining and industrial sectors for his practical, no-nonsense approach to leadership, culture, and performance.
Gerard has spent decades working alongside leaders, frontline teams, and tradespeople, helping businesses close the gap between strategy and execution. Many of you will know him as the author of 'Simplifying Mining Maintenance', a book that challenged how our industry thinks about reliability, accountability, and systems.
Our conversation centres on Gerard’s new book, 'Only Tradies Improve Reliability', due to be released in late-February which takes those ideas further, focusing on leadership, culture, and the often-overlooked role of tradies in building high-performing organisations.
We’ll be unpacking why this book needed to be written, what prompted Gerard to write it now, and how leaders can extract real, practical value from it in their own businesses. We’ll also explore why Gerard cares so deeply about tradies, how leaders can recognise when cultural change is required, and how this book builds on the foundations laid in Simplifying Mining Maintenance.
If you’re a leader looking to improve performance, engagement, and culture, particularly in operational environments, this is a conversation you’ll want to stay tuned for.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- While technical reliability tools (like RCM or RCA) are essential, they are ineffective without a positive trades culture. True reliability is built on the floor, not just in an office.
- Reliability issues often stem from "normalised" defects. Tradies and leaders may stop noticing problems because they have become part of the daily environment, requiring a shift in standards to correct.
- High turnover is a primary indicator of a poor culture. A healthy environment is one where leaders genuinely care for their teams and employees feel valued enough to speak openly about problems.
BEST MOMENTS
"If you can't talk about the problems openly and honestly, you have no ability to improve."
"Reliability of equipment... is all centred around getting the culture around trades to be effective and doing good quality work."
"Culture is not something that you just let happen. Because if you just let it happen, you may not get the one you want."
GUEST RESOURCES
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerard-wood-146a3212/
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Mail: rob@mining-international.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/
X: https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast
Web: http://www.mining-international.org
CONTACT METHOD
rob@mining-international.org
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/
Podcast Description
Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/