Latest / The Mobilization Mindset / Episode 151 | Building the Teams That Build America with Courtney Noik
Transcript
- 0:00SPEAKER_01: think one interaction or one connection can change the trajectory of someone's life.
- 0:04SPEAKER_01: I think that's pretty powerful.
- 0:06SPEAKER_01: Just taking that little extra time even though we're all busy of replying back to a text or replying back to a call or reaching out or making a good connection even if you don't know what's going to happen.
- 0:18SPEAKER_00: I think the folks that find time to do the things that are inefficient, that clear are clearly extra time, extra effort are gonna go so much farther today's day when everyone's trying to make things more efficient or using AI.
- 0:33SPEAKER_00: If you do those old school things that people just know hey they really went out of their way to do that.
- 0:38SPEAKER_00: That's not normal.
- 0:39SPEAKER_00: That goes even farther than it used to welcome everybody to the next episode of the mobilization mindset.
- 0:52SPEAKER_00: My name is Scott Pieper CEO and founder of mobilization funding and today we're going to be talking about how do you get talent into your organization, recruiting talent into your organization as well as maintaining and keeping the talent you have in your organization.
- 1:09SPEAKER_00: I have the perfect person here to talk about not only the ways to go about keeping and retaining your talent but what do your project managers your superintendents your internal folks that are really driving value inside your company what do they need to see feel and hear inside your organization?
- 1:27SPEAKER_00: That's what we're going to be touching on and we have the perfect expert today to talk about that.
- 1:32SPEAKER_00: I have with me Courtney Noick.
- 1:34SPEAKER_00: She is the founder, the CEO, the VP of recruiting and any other title that's needed inside her organization.
- 1:42SPEAKER_00: And she is uh you probably may recognize her she's been on our show before but she is going to talk all about that.
- 1:48SPEAKER_01: Courtney welcome thank you good morning thank you for having me.
- 1:52SPEAKER_00: Yes you're welcome now also you guys will be able to find this on mobilizationfunding.com our YouTube channel which is also mobilization funding.
- 2:02SPEAKER_00: So if you're listening you can also find all the video right on our website or on our YouTube channel as well.
- 2:09SPEAKER_00: So Courtney how you been very good.
- 2:13SPEAKER_01: It's been a a busy year which is good.
- 2:15SPEAKER_00: We'd all rather it be busy than not so oh yeah of course there's a lot of movement going on in the construction industry and I assume if that's happening you're probably seeing a lot of movement among people and personnel too huh?
- 2:27SPEAKER_00: Absolutely yeah for sure what's driving the majority of change inside of an organization whether it's a commercial subcontractor or a general contractor what's driving people to go from one company to another um I think overall people in general are pretty fatigued from the last six years.
- 2:49SPEAKER_01: So I think people are trying to balance what's working for their careers and then also their personal life.
- 2:55SPEAKER_01: And as we know that can be can be difficult to do.
- 3:00SPEAKER_00: Oh absolutely so when you when you're hearing about let's start let's start on the one end let's let's say you have a general contractor or commercial subcontractor in the trades and they're they're contacting you and they're saying look I need to recruit for more project managers more superintendents I'm growing my geographical projects are growing and I really need a highly qualified skilled project manager superintendent.
- 3:26SPEAKER_01: What is it that they're looking for in those project managers or superintendents that are going to allow you to be able to retract and retain that talent from somewhere else I think for me I learned over time you know I know that everyone's busy and they don't have all the time in the world to talk which you know me well you know I can talk um but I think it really starts at the foundation.
- 3:49SPEAKER_01: So instead of going over the job descriptions and projects I think it's important to understand who the leader is, their vision and honestly their challenges um why the role is opening up you know even if you're growing that can be exciting discussing like what that growth looks like.
- 4:07SPEAKER_01: So I think sometimes you have to take a step back to go forward because usually people are you know reaching out because it's our it's almost too late.
- 4:16SPEAKER_01: Like they're kind of in the motion of like trying to hire someone quickly which is never favorable or maybe someone left like really getting to the root of like why we're having the conversation to begin with is important.
- 4:28SPEAKER_01: And then I mean you do such a great job with that too just getting to know someone on a personal basis is really important because you kind of understand like where they're at in life in their business and are better able to help them in that way.
- 4:40SPEAKER_01: So I think it's important to start there before just diving into like you know exactly what they're looking for.
- 4:47SPEAKER_01: Understanding the team um all those all those good things.
- 4:52SPEAKER_00: So you know one thing I've always heard is um I've heard it many times in different industries over the course of my career is they say people never leave companies they leave people would you think that's true for the most part yes I do um I think I'm learning that more and more um you can probably agree um with your own clients when you're talking to them what is it that they're indicating to you either directly or indirectly that they don't like about that type of person that they're working with or around or maybe it's the environment that certain people are creating.
- 5:26SPEAKER_00: What are those characteristics that they just don't feel comfortable with such that it's forcing them out of their current comfort zone to leave and go to somewhere else where it's obviously just a natural that's naturally uncomfortable to start new.
- 5:39SPEAKER_01: I've actually been running into this a lot lately um so there are discussions I've had recently a lot of it to me I find is honestly just misunderstanding or miscommunication.
- 5:52SPEAKER_01: So meaning one person is thinking that the the other person is thinking something that they're not.
- 5:57SPEAKER_01: And so sometimes just encouraging that open conversation um I think is important and just knowing that like we're all going to be different.
- 6:06SPEAKER_01: So usually when those things happen, I always encourage someone to deal with it first versus ignoring it or getting you know your emotions so built up that that just builds over time.
- 6:18SPEAKER_01: So a lot of times I encourage like if you know if it's about work especially like maybe taking some time like off um the clock to just talk one on one.
- 6:29SPEAKER_01: And usually you know if someone's acting off usually it's because something is off.
- 6:33SPEAKER_01: So that could be something going on in their personal life or you know that sort of thing.
- 6:37SPEAKER_01: So I think it's important to try to get on the same page with someone in that way first before like making any emotional decision whether that is to leave or um or you know the other person like to make a person feel that way.
- 6:52SPEAKER_01: Because I think at the end of the day no one none of us really want to make somebody feel bad or unwelcomed um you know and at the end of the day if that is really the case over and over then maybe it is time for for a change.
- 7:04SPEAKER_00: Do you think more of the the actual candidates at jobs are coming to you and leaving or is it more of the companies look have an open position and they're looking to hire what's what's driving the change nowadays?
- 7:20SPEAKER_01: So usually I would say it's a pretty good split um especially if someone's choosing to relocate like obviously that's their driving force to kind of reach out and start that conversation I would say in previous years it was a good 50-50 split like new roles would open um you know with companies and they'd reach out but also I'd have a lot of people just reach out on LinkedIn on their own to talk about a new opportunity.
- 7:45SPEAKER_01: This year has been a little bit different and I and I don't have a good answer for that.
- 7:48SPEAKER_01: I've had less outreach on the candidate side um which is interesting I wish I could I knew why that was I think a lot of it kind of going back to what I was telling you.
- 7:59SPEAKER_01: I think people are pretty fatigued and the market's so hard to follow and and know and none of us have you know all the right answers for what will happen.
- 8:09SPEAKER_01: So I think a lot of unknowns for that reason.
- 8:12SPEAKER_01: Do you see certain geographical areas of the country being like feeling like it's way different than others and if so where um I definitely think that um I also would say from a business perspective I've only specialized in construction um and starting out and for most of the years that we've had the business it was always a good again 50 to 50 split of commercial multifamily multifamily has changed a lot um the landscape of that and you know I'm obviously in Orlando in the southeast and that those projects have slowed down a lot um where you know other parts of the country feel like you know there's so much opportunity in that so that's another kind of interesting thing that I'm always trying to learn and ask about and I that's another good example where I just haven't really been able to fully understand why that is um but yes to answer your question yes.
- 9:08SPEAKER_00: Yeah I would say too for us we've seen that that's why I was curious is when it's almost like there's two different worlds going on right now.
- 9:15SPEAKER_00: You have one where things are just booming and you you just it's just you'd think we're in this amazing cycle of construction and growth and you know people are moving into the area and you just see massive expansion.
- 9:30SPEAKER_00: And then other parts of the country you see the exact opposite it is like we are in one of the worst recession depressions.
- 9:36SPEAKER_00: There's nothing going on nothing happening.
- 9:39SPEAKER_00: And so there's really a stark contrast and I think a lot of that has to do with some of the policies around construction a lot of that has to do with where data centers are being built since that's driving such a huge part of the construction economy right now.
- 9:51SPEAKER_00: I think the changes in commercial real estate like you talked about with multifamily you you don't see as much multifamily anymore in certain areas but you do see a lot of uh residential multifamily construction going on on college campuses for example but you don't necessarily see that in the town and city and state of everywhere USA So I do think you're right in that case I've seen we've seen the same thing.
- 10:16SPEAKER_01: I think too part of that might be I think that you know when you drive around you see construction going on and um I'm always like so curious right when you're just driving around and it's like a kind of joke in our family in the car will say like I wonder who's building that and our kids are like stop saying that um but we always kind of look around I think part of that might be it's almost like an artificial busyness in the sense of like even though there's construction going on or you see new things being built some of those projects really should have started a long time ago.
- 10:46SPEAKER_01: So I think that's part of it for sure.
- 10:49SPEAKER_00: No doubt.
- 10:50SPEAKER_00: All right let me ask you this do you think it's harder for great companies to find project managers and superintendents or for great project managers and superintendents to find great companies?
- 11:07SPEAKER_01: I think both.
- 11:09SPEAKER_01: Yeah I think what's made me really relate to um both clients and candidates is that you know all of us are taking the best information that we have at the time to make a decision.
- 11:22SPEAKER_01: Right.
- 11:22SPEAKER_01: And so until you really have the opportunity to work with someone or spend time with them, you're just not gonna know for sure like what that experience will be like.
- 11:34SPEAKER_01: So I think you know there's obviously the risk on the company side you know to hopefully make sure that you know they're taking the time to really get to know them and make sure that you know they feel that they'll be a good fit for the team but also for the person who is actively looking for new opportunities, you know, the same for them because you know every company is going to say they're great, you know, they're not gonna like we're a horrible company come work for us.
- 11:59SPEAKER_01: Right.
- 11:59SPEAKER_01: So I think it takes time to kind of unearth those like truths.
- 12:03SPEAKER_01: Um so I think um one thing that companies I think could do good or do different is like saying if there's you know a challenge or there's some area that they can do better and just being really honest about that, I think that would be something really cool to see happen.
- 12:20SPEAKER_00: Do you think there's are there are there big mistakes that are being made on one end or the other are they moving too fast?
- 12:26SPEAKER_00: Like like companies moving too fast to hire um candidates moving too fast to just accept a new job or or are people taking your advice and really taking their time and exploring it and is there enough time even in a process to do that to take your time I think that's something really important on my end.
- 12:45SPEAKER_01: I mean that's why I'm brought in to help out and usually I feel much more confident if I've worked with the company year after year because I can give them real examples.
- 12:56SPEAKER_01: I know the leadership team I know that they're able to make decisions and what that process looks like.
- 13:03SPEAKER_01: And I think that's really important you know when people are in the process to make sure that there's open communication and that you're able to clearly answer their questions.
- 13:12SPEAKER_01: I think that's that's really important.
- 13:15SPEAKER_01: I do get nervous like you're kind of talking about if either side is not taking the time to really ask questions, um, you know, I I definitely always encourage that even you know before a formal offer I'll say to both people like hey I really want you to take the time if there's something you're nervous about or something that you just feel like you didn't get to touch on enough throughout the you know initial conversations like I really encourage people to do that.
- 13:39SPEAKER_01: And sometimes that could mean that they decide differently and I and I think that's okay.
- 13:44SPEAKER_01: I'd rather someone feel like very sure than to not ask those questions and then deal with that down the road.
- 13:52SPEAKER_00: Yeah do you see companies um like you know taking the time to build candidates from within their organization for these roles or do you see most people taking the strategy of trying to hire from now like maybe they're doing um you know apprentice programs they're grabbing kids from high school and college and they're teaching the trades then they're teaching them leadership and training do you see companies more and more doing that or do you see them still trying to hire talent from outside the business?
- 14:22SPEAKER_01: I think that's actually a really good question.
- 14:24SPEAKER_01: And it's not something I've thought about like recently um I think there's a lot of external hiring going on a lot of that can strictly be just because of you know a lot of work coming in which is a good thing but that is actually a really good question as far as you know let's give an assistant project manager for example like what maybe why aren't they being given an opportunity internally?
- 14:48SPEAKER_01: I think that's a really good question.
- 14:50SPEAKER_01: But for me I do I mean I I have seen promotions and especially if it's someone I help like I love to celebrate that with them.
- 14:58SPEAKER_01: But I definitely would say I see more external hiring.
- 15:02SPEAKER_00: Interesting.
- 15:03SPEAKER_01: What do you think companies can do better to retain their project marriages and superintendents before they even become a risk to leave I guess a risk to leave or a risk of unhappiness of some kind of I think we just live in a very fast paced world and I think companies do their best just to make sure that you know the organization is running healthy, you know, because if you don't have the work you're not gonna have projects for people if you don't have good standard operating procedures that can be really frustrating for everyone.
- 15:36SPEAKER_01: But I think really it's just like spending time with somebody I mean I think that's important in any relationship like you know you have kids just like I do um you know you've got to spend that one-on-one time with them and and all kids are different and it's the same for your employees but just I think that means a lot for someone just to check in and it doesn't have to be anything fancy like I think you know you don't have to overthink that but like let's go grab coffee one-on-one or go, I mean go for a walk.
- 16:02SPEAKER_01: Like everyone's motivated differently you know maybe they don't want to take an hour lunch but maybe just saying hey can we have a sit down and decide what that looks like I think that's really important.
- 16:11SPEAKER_01: And and sometimes I think you know even this is a good example of the podcast sometimes when you talk openly I think you learn a lot from other people and maybe understand things differently.
- 16:21SPEAKER_01: So I think that companies just don't spend enough time with their employees and I know it can be hard especially like you know for you you're really lucky you have everyone in your office so you probably know everyone.
- 16:31SPEAKER_01: You know I I'm sure it is challenging for companies that have projects in different locations or across the nation but I think that's a huge mistake that companies make is they don't know their employees.
- 16:43SPEAKER_00: Yeah as simple as just sitting down even having a cup of coffee together or eating lunch together um stopping by someone's desk it goes a long way to understanding who you're with and who you're working with and who those people are and just something that's outside of your normal meeting cadence.
- 16:59SPEAKER_00: Absolutely yeah yeah I always found myself endeared to those folks too um when I was working early in business and different companies I worked for I always found it cool if I was able to talk to someone either my peers or certainly any type of leadership or management if I was having just a regular general conversation like you know two guys or two regular people just hanging out like you bumped into each other at the gym or something it was always more normal to bring to a normal life I always found that pretty interesting so what do you think is going to happen here in the next three to four years in the construction industry?
- 17:35SPEAKER_00: I mean the pay populations of of management level leadership talent is changing um you have a lot of the construction industry folks that have been in a long time starting to retire or continuing to retire what do you see happening that you're you're front seat and ready to see I think having a true succession plan is really important.
- 17:58SPEAKER_01: So a lot of companies know that maybe like you said people are retiring um but really talking about what that looks like I've also found sometimes the people retiring have put in a lot of time and they enjoy being part of the process of them exiting um you know and maybe they can teach whoever's coming in next, you know, a lot of what they've learned and maybe that's some of the hardships or challenges that they've had.
- 18:23SPEAKER_01: But I think you know planning for that's important.
- 18:26SPEAKER_01: I also think people wait too long.
- 18:28SPEAKER_01: So you know not that everyone is retiring is has health issues.
- 18:33SPEAKER_01: I'm not saying that all but there are cases where that's the truth and sometimes that timeline may move up faster than they even anticipate.
- 18:40SPEAKER_01: So I think um you know really starting to think about um you know not just someone leaving but what does that look like overall like planning for that is really important.
- 18:50SPEAKER_00: Courtney do you have a good story over the last year that you could share with a candidate who got who's leaving a company that they really weren't happy with or maybe they were really happy with that company for very good reason and they were just relocating, but they also found a new place that they're also very happy with and maybe you could share like how that story evolved and why they picked the place they picked and maybe some there's some nuggets in there that whether you're a candidate thinking about leaving, looking to find a new home or you're a company that's has an active recruiting program, you're growing and you're trying to think about how do I attract talent, they can glean some good guidance from that story.
- 19:32SPEAKER_01: Sure.
- 19:33SPEAKER_01: I think it goes back to what we were talking about about taking the extra time.
- 19:37SPEAKER_01: So one thing that a few of my clients have done really good at um is taking that extra time.
- 19:44SPEAKER_01: So you know even after initial interview or even once an offer has been sent out they're kind of calling that person um not a planned phone call, but just calling them and saying like hey I'm so excited for you to join us.
- 19:58SPEAKER_01: Is there anything that I can answer for you or if if there's any reason you're doubting anything, like can we talk about that?
- 20:06SPEAKER_01: I think that people really appreciate that because you know it can be nerve wracking from the time that you initially start looking for a new role to the time you actually onboard.
- 20:16SPEAKER_01: And that actually leads me to another good point.
- 20:19SPEAKER_01: Sometimes a time gap from when the person receives an offer for when they start and it can be really weird for the person.
- 20:26SPEAKER_01: They're like, okay, am I supposed to like do anything else?
- 20:28SPEAKER_01: Like I'm nervous like what do I need to do here you know so I think yeah really making sure that in that in between time that you're like checking in with them, even if there's really no update right but just making sure that you're excited for them to start that giving them any updates or inviting them to something maybe you have like an event going on between that you know bringing them in as part of the team sooner um I find that people really they love that.
- 20:52SPEAKER_00: So I think creating event create a dinner like go see if especially if they're somewhere you can drive to go to dinner take your family to dinner get them acclimated in a different light that's outside of a um interview process could could go a long way.
- 21:06SPEAKER_01: Yeah I think those little touches are what people have shared to me of like wow like this isn't something I've experienced before and like I really I'm feeling like really good about my decision and um you know I I feel welcomed and excited to start I think that's really important.
- 21:21SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
- 21:22SPEAKER_00: Well Courtney our show is called the mobilization mindset.
- 21:26SPEAKER_01: And so on the token and light of my mindset, what is one thing in the mindset category that you wish candidates had more of I think self sabotage I know that's something I honestly didn't even expect to say but I think there are so many talented people and people that are so capable and they let a lot of self sabotage get in the way of whether that's initial interview or promotions or um opportunities I think um That really puts people back.
- 22:03SPEAKER_01: You know, sometimes I feel like there's times where I want something more than someone wants for themselves.
- 22:08SPEAKER_01: And so I think having the mindset of that is really important.
- 22:13SPEAKER_00: Like a lack of it.
- 22:15SPEAKER_00: You mean like don't self-sabotage, more positive, focus on the positives, not the negatives.
- 22:19SPEAKER_00: What about on the company side?
- 22:20SPEAKER_00: Do you see a do you see a certain mindset shift that you would or certain mindset in general that you wish more companies had?
- 22:28SPEAKER_01: I think it can be hard.
- 22:29SPEAKER_01: Like I said, I think you can get fatigued.
- 22:31SPEAKER_01: We all have the last few years, and you're so focused on like the day-to-day, but sometimes just remembering to have fun and to again kind of getting to know people.
- 22:42SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, it's not a people are not uh a process.
- 22:46SPEAKER_01: I mean, they are, right?
- 22:47SPEAKER_01: There's a process to hiring, but remembering that people are people and just having fun and laughing with them and getting to know them.
- 22:54SPEAKER_01: Um, because interviews can be weird, you know, sometimes they're just so formal and that just turns people off.
- 23:00SPEAKER_01: Like it just having a real conversation with somebody and just being a real person, I think we need more of that.
- 23:06SPEAKER_00: You'll learn a lot more that way too, especially in an interview setting.
- 23:10SPEAKER_00: I agree.
- 23:11SPEAKER_00: I cannot agree more.
- 23:12SPEAKER_00: Well, Courtney, what's one last way that you would like to see the construction industry improve themselves as it relates to people, personnel, and the environment overall?
- 23:24SPEAKER_01: I think just the way we treat each other.
- 23:27SPEAKER_01: I think, you know, one interaction or one connection can change the trajectory of someone's life.
- 23:33SPEAKER_01: And I think that's pretty powerful.
- 23:34SPEAKER_01: So I think just taking that little extra time, even though we're all busy of, you know, replying back to a text or replying back to a call or reaching out or making a good connection, even if you don't know what's going to happen, I think like just taking extra time to do that is really important.
- 23:50SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I couldn't agree more.
- 23:52SPEAKER_00: Extra effort.
- 23:52SPEAKER_00: The I think the folks that find time to do the things that are inefficient that clear are clearly extra time, extra effort are gonna go so much farther today's day when everyone's trying to make things more efficient or using AI.
- 24:09SPEAKER_00: And if you do those old school things that people just know, hey, they really went out of their way to do that.
- 24:14SPEAKER_00: That's not normal.
- 24:15SPEAKER_00: That goes even farther than it used to.
- 24:18SPEAKER_01: Well, especially in my generation, like I'm not the ordinary from my generation.
- 24:23SPEAKER_01: Like, I enjoy talking on the phone.
- 24:24SPEAKER_01: That's one thing too.
- 24:25SPEAKER_01: Like, pick up your phone, answer the phone, yeah.
- 24:28SPEAKER_01: And actually talk to somebody.
- 24:30SPEAKER_00: How do people find you?
- 24:32SPEAKER_00: They're out there, they want to find a new home, they want to find a great place, or you're a company and they want to find a great person who's gonna find them an awesome talent and someone that's not annoying and they can work with and and is gonna do a great job for them.
- 24:43SPEAKER_00: How do they find you?
- 24:45SPEAKER_01: Um, obviously on LinkedIn, um, I will be honest, I could do better.
- 24:49SPEAKER_01: I get a lot of messages, so I do my very best to you know, try to respond to everything.
- 24:53SPEAKER_01: And if I miss a message, I appreciate the people that reach back out, like, hey, I I missed you.
- 24:58SPEAKER_01: Can we connect?
- 24:59SPEAKER_01: So usually that gives me an opportunity to reach them.
- 25:02SPEAKER_01: And then also on our website, so frameworkus.com, um, there's an area where people can reach out and send a message.
- 25:09SPEAKER_01: And we try to be really on top of that too, to be able to connect with new people.
- 25:13SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
- 25:14SPEAKER_00: You guys are great.
- 25:15SPEAKER_00: I know many, many folks that have utilized you guys and your talents and your services and all have a positive outcome.
- 25:23SPEAKER_00: And for those of you that are on LinkedIn, when for some reason you don't get destroyed in the uh DMs by all the spam DMs, um, that I I that's what Courtney's talking about.
- 25:33SPEAKER_00: She's very much on top of it.
- 25:35SPEAKER_00: If you text her, she call you right back.
- 25:36SPEAKER_00: If you talk to her, she's gonna respond to your email.
- 25:38SPEAKER_00: But I even I, who pride myself on being very responsive, those DMs become exhausting with the amount of spam DMs that are going on in LinkedIn specifically.
- 25:48SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's hard.
- 25:49SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's hard to sort through.
- 25:51SPEAKER_00: So, Courtney, thanks for coming back on the show.
- 25:53SPEAKER_00: I really appreciate it.
- 25:54SPEAKER_00: I hope everyone has grasped onto some new nuggets here today, and uh, I certainly have.
- 25:59SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
- 26:00SPEAKER_01: It's really good to see you.
- 26:01SPEAKER_01: Thanks for again for having me on.
- 26:03SPEAKER_00: You're welcome.
- 26:04SPEAKER_00: Everybody, let's give Courtney some support, frameworkus.com.
- 26:09SPEAKER_00: You can find her and her company services there.
- 26:12SPEAKER_00: Of course, at mobilizationfunding.com, you can find not only this interview, but lots of other information, tidbits on how to find all different kinds of things in construction.
- 26:22SPEAKER_00: We bring experts on the show, we have people who wrote blogs.
- 26:25SPEAKER_00: You can find all this stuff on our YouTube channel as well.
- 26:27SPEAKER_00: So in the meantime, I wish you all a great week and may God bless you.