In episode 398, a 2016 ESPN article written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss has been converted into a vivid and engaging case study illustrating the laws of power, influence, persuasion, and value—including what to do and what not to do.

The case study examines Steph Curry's rise to fame and his disillusionment and feelings of disrespect from the leaders at Nike. His decision to sign with underdog Under Armour (UA) over Nike has redirected billions of dollars over the years—and will continue to do so as Curry will sign a lifetime deal with UA.

This episode reveals how Nike missed the shifting NBA trend away from back-to-the-basket offense and toward historic long range accuracy beyond the three-point line. The story also reveals one path toward developing trust through an unlikely source in character of Kent Bazemore, an undrafted 12th-man from Old Dominion University.

This case study involving Steph Curry, Nike, and Under Armour is a story about life: How to build trust, developing strong relationships, and adaptation to dynamic industry changes.

KeyTakeaways/Insights

•Delivering value first through helpfulness and persistence pays off over time.

•Documenting and challenging assumptions enables you to monitor trends and position yourself to gain advantages from industry shifts.

•Never underestimate the power of social proof ; allow others to promote your products and services

•Innovation can come from unexpected places if you're open-minded

•Market leadership can lead to complacency, causing undercapitalized underdogs to connect with rising stars

•Inattention to strong relationships increases your vulnerability to competitors

Chapters

0:00:00 Underutilized Strategy in Plain Sight: Curry and the 3-point line

0:05:24 Anatomy of a Trainwreck: Nike’s sales pitch to Curry

0:09:27 The Kent Bazemore Principle: Curiosity by proxy

0:13:03 Under Armour’s unconventional strategy

0:21:48 The Underdog Advantage

0:25:51 Nike defends

This episode is brought to you by The Simple Sales Pipeline® —the most efficient way to organize and value any construction sales rep's roster of customers and prospects in under 30 minutes once every 30 days.

***

If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback will help us on our mission to bring the construction community closer together.

If you have suggestions for improvements, topics you'd like the show to explore, or have recommendations for future guests, do not hesitate to contact us directly at info@bradleyhartmannandco.com.

Episode 397 features an all-star lineup of leaders sharing their wisdom and experience from a recent training event held by Bradley Hartmann & Co.

The panel includes:

• Brent Hull of Hull Works
• Matthew Schmidt of PulteGroup
• Andrew Cooper of Toll Brothers
• Bobby Krueger of The Krueger Group
• Adam Lingenfelter of Lingenfelter Custom Homes
• Dave Reichert of Davis-Hawn Lumber and Architectural Millworks

This episode is brought to you by The Simple Sales Pipeline® —the most efficient way to organize and value any construction sales rep's roster of customers and prospects in under 30 minutes once every 30 days.

***

If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback will help us on our mission to bring the construction community closer together.

If you have suggestions for improvements, topics you'd like the show to explore, or have recommendations for future guests, do not hesitate to contact us directly at info@bradleyhartmannandco.com.

In episode 396 of The Construction Leadership Podcast, Dr. Felix Oberholzer-Gee joins the show to discuss his book, Better Simpler Strategy and the simple, yet powerful concept of The Value Stick,

Felix is the Andreas Andresen Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. An award-winning instructor, his academic work and consulting are focused on competitive strategy and the effects of digital technology on corporate performance. His research has been profiled by the Financial Times, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal, among others.

Oberholzer-Gee teaches competitive strategy in the Harvard Business School MBA program and in executive education courses. Felix is also cohost of the popular TED podcast After Hours.

This episode is brought to you by The Simple Sales Pipeline® —the most efficient way to organize and value any construction sales rep's roster of customers and prospects in under 30 minutes once every 30 days.

***

If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback will help us on our mission to bring the construction community closer together.

If you have suggestions for improvements, topics you'd like the show to explore, or have recommendations for future guests, do not hesitate to contact us directly at info@bradleyhartmannandco.com.

In episode 395 of The Construction Leadership Podcast, Jessica Herrala of Buildots joins the show to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) is improving the construction process through better communication and progress tracking.

Jessica is a strategic thinking veteran of some of the most well-known brands in construction: Lend Lease, Skansa, Walsh, and Clayco. Jessica and I talk about the insights she's earned throughout her career within those large firms and why she joined Buildots to help them build better—from the other side of the desk.

Buildots takes the construction design and schedule and then incorporates real-time videos through the use of a GoPro 360 mounted on hardhats. Add on a layer of AI to sync it all up and Buildots promises to construct "one central platform connecting all aspects, connecting you straight to reality . . . it's a comprehensive and automatically consolidated dashboard with all sites’ data means you see exactly what’s happening and what’s not."

This episode is brought to you by The Simple Sales Pipeline® —the most efficient way to organize and value any construction sales rep's roster of customers and prospects in under 30 minutes once every 30 days.

***

If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback will help us on our mission to bring the construction community closer together.

If you have suggestions for improvements, topics you'd like the show to explore, or have recommendations for future guests, do not hesitate to contact us directly at info@bradleyhartmannandco.com.

Episode 394 features an all-star trio competing in our fifth Construction Leadership Game Show:

• Colby Chandler, Sales Manager at Cassity Jones Building Products
• Meloni Raney, CEO of TEXO Association
• Kevin Carey, CEO of Mountain Mover Facades and host of the 17Twenty Podcast.

Among other relevant insights that can help you become a better manager and leader, these leaders share their favorite leadership movie and identify which job site tool best describes their leadership style and explain why.

This episode is brought to you by The Simple Sales Pipeline® —the most efficient way to organize and value any construction sales rep's roster of customers and prospects in under 30 minutes once every 30 days.

***

If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback will help us on our mission to bring the construction community closer together.

If you have suggestions for improvements, topics you'd like the show to explore, or have recommendations for future guests, do not hesitate to contact us directly at info@bradleyhartmannandco.com.

In episode 393, Human Resources expert Joel Stevens joins returning guest / movie guru Matt Potter (ep. 302: Elf, 233: Glengarry Glen Ross, 173: Tommy Boy) to break down the key leadership scenes in the 2009 film, Up In The Air, which earned six Acadamy Award nominations.

Here's IMDB's storyline: Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) enjoys living out of a suitcase for his job, travelling around the country firing people, but finds that lifestyle threatened by the presence of a potential love interest (Vera Farmiga), and a new hire (Anna Kendrick) presenting a new business model.

As tech companies continue to lay off workers due to the pandemic era hiring frenzy and Artificial Intelligence, construction firms grapple with rightsizing headcount amidst high interest rates and years of "we need everyone we can get!" Into this business climate, Joel Stevens (a proper HR exec with Operations experience), Matt Potter (a walking HR violation waiting to happen), and Bradley Hartmann (host, small business owner struggling with the needs of a growing team) discuss the relevant scenes in the film that can help you become a better manager and leader.

You can view clips from this episode on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@bradleyhartmannandco

This episode is brought to you by The Simple Sales Pipeline® —the most efficient way to organize and value any construction sales rep's roster of customers and prospects in under 30 minutes once every 30 days.

***

If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback will help us on our mission to bring the construction community closer together.

If you have suggestions for improvements, topics you'd like the show to explore, or have recommendations for future guests, do not hesitate to contact us directly at info@bradleyhartmannandco.com.

In episode 392, Bill Ness, founder of 55places.com, joins The Construction Leadership Podcast to share his journey from new home sales consultant at Del Webb to launching the premier destination for active adults searching for a new home.

Bill Ness discusses:

• His initial steps from original insight to early implementation
• The sales pitch that changed his life
• Challenges and opportunities to delivering value online
• And much more

55places.com is exclusively dedicated to serving the 55+ community. The company tracks the 55+ housing market and matches vistor's lifestyle to their next home. 55places.com has nurtured an extensive network of specialized agents for 55+ buyers, sellers, and renters.

https://www.55places.com

You can view clips from this episode on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@bradleyhartmannandco

This episode is brought to you by The Simple Sales Pipeline® —the most efficient way to organize and value any construction sales rep's roster of customers and prospects in under 30 minutes once every 30 days.

***

If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback will help us on our mission to bring the construction community closer together.

If you have suggestions for improvements, topics you'd like the show to explore, or have recommendations for future guests, do not hesitate to contact us directly at info@bradleyhartmannandco.com.

In episode 391, Wes Palmisano joins The Construction Leadership Podcast from New Orleans to talk about how renegade thinking drives revolutionary results.

For over a decade, Wes has pursued a new vision of the construction industry through his collective of brands and initiatives. Wes launched Palmisano Construction in 2013 with 11 team members and the company’s signature renegade style and cultivation of a culture where everyone could make and break the mold.

With the company’s success and growth in subsequent years, Wes pushed the envelope further. Over the following decade, WJP’s strategy continued to evolve through new ventures in construction, investment, innovation, leadership cultivation, and real estate development—pursuing a vertical integration of service offerings that influence the construction lifecycle and continue applying its renegade approach.

Growing his small team to over 260 people, Palmisano Construction looked to align its name with its visionary ethos—rebranding as RNGD and expanding its presence to new markets: Nashville, TN and Huntsville, AL.

As a New Orleans native, Wesley grew up in a construction family. Inspired by their commitment to service—beginning with his grandfather, WWII veteran and founder of W.J. Palmisano Contractors, Warren Palmisano Sr.—Wesley looked to follow in their footsteps with his own vision. He earned a four-year Construction Management degree in three years at Louisiana State University, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Before launching WJP, he directly applied his background, education, expertise, and unique insight to over a decade of work, building and managing large-scale construction projects.

https://rngd.com

You can view clips from this episode on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@bradleyhartmannandco

This episode is brought to you by The Simple Sales Pipeline® —the most efficient way to organize and value any construction sales rep's roster of customers and prospects in under 30 minutes once every 30 days.

***

If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback will help us on our mission to bring the construction community closer together.

If you have suggestions for improvements, topics you'd like the show to explore, or have recommendations for future guests, do not hesitate to contact us directly at info@bradleyhartmannandco.com.