Nic sits down with Jason Downs for a talk about career and education options. Jason is a self-described middle-aged family man with an accounting degree who recently served on a local school board. After a series of accounting related jobs, today finds him a stay-at-home dad.

They start their discussion with a focus on the Swiss VET System. VET stands for “Vocational, Educational, and Training.” The system is designed to assess high school students’ aptitude, how they are wired, and then put them on a track that includes job skills training.

The kids graduate ready to enter the workforce and make a real contribution rather than wait to learn everything on the job.

Nic observes, “There’s something magical about being a producer and not just a consumer.”

Jason shares his story about choosing accounting over becoming an architect. His heart is clear: we need to find a way for our school systems to do a better job. The statistics in Switzerland show two-thirds of kids going into the trades. In the United States, two-thirds go to college and half of them never finish college.

The realization is not every kid is academically wired. Jason’s desire is for high school to be both “life prep” and “college prep.” He wants to believe there’s a better way for kids to find their path that allows them to contribute to society in a meaningful way.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic and Tarina joke about the possibility of producing a 2026 calendar featuring him and Cruze moving plants into the rain. Tarina “loves” the idea. Nic also believes Tarina lost her true calling as a word-smith. “So good it just tastes like really dark dirt,” was Tarina’s comment after taking a sip of her Americano.

Nic shares a correction on the previous episode about Charlie Kirk. Nic believes people feel connected with Charlie because he was courageous. A lot of people are inspired by his example of boldness in faith, work, and life.

Tarina and Nic just returned from the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) National Conference in Chicago. Nic spoke about how to have hard conversations while there. This is one of the skills Nic loves teaching. It takes courage to tell somebody they can do better.

In a standing-room only session, Nic talked about being able to do an assessment on your leadership style. A lot of people afterwards came up with questions and feedback.

It was a great time to catch up with people, connecting in person, and invite them to be on the podcast.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

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🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Charlie created a connection with people, especially college students. One way he did this was have conversations with people and stay cool under pressure.

While Nic sees him as a greater debater, he didn’t feel like he knew him like some folks have expressed online. They both see him living boldly his values: You know where he stood on his beliefs and his perspective.

Do you want to do a better job of connecting? You have to let people in, be vulnerable, practice humility, and be more curious not judgmental. You also need to be aware and available, not on your device, and have conversations.

Ask yourself the question: Do people really know me? Why or why not?

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Tarina has her “Cream Dr. Pepper” and Nic confronts Tarina about her other addiction—buying plants. Her latest plant purchase is a rubber tree.

To listen to Nic and Tarina’s early days and what they struggled through, you can go back to early episodes.

“Everyone is fighting a fight that the rest of the world knows nothing about.”

When we are vulnerable and share, it builds trust and connection. Leaders who share their own struggles will build stronger teams because it makes them relatable and human.

Often, when we’re going through it, we sometimes feel like the only one. The reality is we’re all going through something. And sharing can help others heal in small ways.

As Nic says, people are more inspired by your failures than your successes. Sometimes we are too eager to impress and less eager to connect.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Tarina joins the podcast with a good cup of coffee having already done her weighted-vest walk and sauna workout. Nic had replaced the organic beans with some Starbucks cinnamon strudel and Tarina is loving it.

In today’s episode, Nic and Tarina talk about Patrick Lencioni’s book The Ideal Team Player, a book Nic recommends to all his clients.

The top three virtues of an ideal team player are: Humble, Hungry, and Smart.

Here’s a link to the TedX Talk Nic and Tarina reference.

Hunger is that desire to a do a little bit more. Humility is the C.S. Lewis definition: It’s not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less often. Smart isn’t about IQ or how good you are at what you do. Smart is about having emotional intelligence, EQ.

(For a primer on being good with people and improving your EQ, listen to episodes 20-24.)

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

In the spirit of football season, Tarina bought a t-shirt that says “Football Social Club” on Etsy and Nic has no idea what Etsy is. Nic compares Tarina’s purchase to the mileage he gets out of his underwear.

Nic makes a point by honoring a potential customer with a phone call rather than just replying to a text. He prioritizes creating a connection with the person and understanding what they want.

He wants people to know they matter. A phone conversation is one way he does this.

Nic tells the story about a young man who said he’d never leave the company. Why? Nic asked. Because Harold, the owner, took the young man out to lunch and had a conversation. This took place eight years before Nic heard about it.

That’s the power of creating a connection. People are looking for significance.

When we connect with someone we create trust with someone. As Nic says, “Trust travels so much faster than technology.”

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Tarina notices that Nic is drinking the “healthy” coffee she bought him—and he mentions something about “dropping a load.” He was actually talking about this episode’s topic on Delegation.

“If someone can do it 80% as good as you, let them do it,” Tarina quotes. Nic adds, “When in doubt, sub it out.” Our job is to do the thing we do best and ask others to do the rest.

Nic talks about an activity he does in his workshops. He observes how these leaders he speaks to are achievers and doers, but they don’t delegate. He has them write down every task they do in a day, then go back and circle those items which create your value.

In the context of work, your value to an organization is where you make your money. Nic recounts how he used to be a one-man band—chief cook and bottle washer. He knows now that his real value is in creating and delivering leadership content.

When looking at your list ask: What is the busy work? This is the stuff you avoid doing or don’t do well. Delegating has freed up his time to focus what’s most important and deliver more value to his clients.

What’s important for leaders to realize is to delegate ownership of the project not just the task. When we transfer ownership of that project only then do free ourselves from the mental stress.

When you delegate you might identify a future leader. As a leader, a primary reason for why you get paid what you get paid is to develop future leaders.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.

Nic sticks the landing on the intro. After Tarina compliments him, Nic replies with a wink, “I know things.” They talk about their new cold plunge and healthy coffee—which tastes better. And Nic claims it was his Wreck-it-Ralph elbows that “honked at” Tarina.

When you don’t share your opinion, it is not humility. Combined with lying to ourselves this points to our insecurity. We are exactly in the place we find ourselves because of the choices we’ve made—which includes choosing to be honest or not be honest.

Nic explains that it is self-deception—not being honesty with yourself—is the root of underachievement. When we lie to ourselves we are not holding ourselves accountable.

When we lie to ourselves and to others there are consequences. It erodes trust. And when we break trust we might miss the promotion or worse. Don’t sell your soul for some cheat lie because you’re afraid to admit when you screw up.

It’s about being human and making mistakes and owning the mistake. Honesty says, “I dropped the ball. I screwed up.” This is especially important for leaders, as well as just apprentices and new hires. Brushing things under the rug shows a lack of courage.

Honesty simplifies life. Ask yourself: When was the last time I told the truth and even though it cost me something? With courage there is a cost.

If you enjoy Nic and Tarina’s podcast and get something from listening to “all this Nic Bittle Crap,” please hit the like button, share it with a friend, or both. Your recommendation goes a long way in helping us reach more people.

Also if you have questions that you want Nic and Tarina to answer, email them at info@nicbittle.com.

---

🛟 Click here to order your copy of Nic’s Life Ready Curriculum

🧰 Check out Nic’s new solution for foremen: The Foreman's Inner Circle

💬 To subscribe to Nic’s Leadership DRIP, please text the word “DRIP” to 866-998-4545 then follow the prompts.

❓ If you have questions or comments for Nic & Tarina, please send an email to info@nicbittle.com.

🎬 Check out Nic's Work Force Pro YouTube channel.

📚 Nic has written 4 books. You can decide which one is best for you here.