In this episode, Patrick puts Nic in the hotseat and ask him questions. Together they explore tough conversations, frameworks, and the four mindsets: 1) Struggler 2) Achiever 3) Thinker and 4) Doer.

As Nic says, “We’re all in the people business.” Patrick adds how our work is to create more human connections. “The magic happens through the conversations we have and the connections we make.”

The question we want to ask: How can I create a connection with this person? And in the process help them thrive?

Building on the last week’s episode, it is important to develop strong communication skills because how we communicate reflects how we lead.

You can reach him at patrick@punchn.io. This is the second of two episodes with Patrick.

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 rants about able-bodied people who walk slowly side-by-side in an airport—rather than single file. He argues that capital punishment would be warranted.

What's next for Nic? He's writing a new book on creating connections. Tarina asks if this is part of Nic’s sensitivity training, which it is not. His purpose is to help people be more human.

The idea is that relationships will open doors, the key to life, and the key to success. Tarina adds that relationships are the key to fulfillment.

Nic shares a story about speaking at church about video games to a group of 6th and 7th grade boys. In his own words, he unloaded both barrels. Tarina asks tongue-in-cheek, “Did you connect with them?”

When the Bittles host the football team for dinner before home games, Nic and Tarina have a basket for the boys to leave their phones. It’s building teamwork and connection before the game. The noise level is less desirable (Nic and Tarina are “old and crunchy”), but the engagement is worth every decibel.

What you will learn in this episode is behaving in a way that the human in front of you is more important than your device, your podcast, your video game, or your doom scroll. Because we all crave connection and fulfillment, we need to remove the barriers to connecting with people.

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 gives Nic a new nickname, “Wreck it Mouth.” And Nic congratulates Tarina on saving $2.50 on her “$9.00” coffee shop espresso drinks.

In this episode, Nic and Tarina lead a conversation on what it takes to be a great leader.

Their discussion can be summed up in a simple phrase: “Own it.” Among the attributes and activities of great leaders, here are a few they talk about:

• A leader protects his people
• A leader walks into danger first
• A leader leads with empathy
• A leader is about influence not authority
• A leader lives with the consequences of their decisions

As Nic observes, the construction industry needs good leaders. The hard part to swallow is many are promoted to a leadership position who don’t want the responsibility nor do they have the ability to lead well.

Leadership, as Nic and Tarina share, is a sacred responsibility and an important skill.

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 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.

---

🛟 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.

---

🛟 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.