What Our Clients Say
Construction Leadership Training has helped companies across the region develop stronger leaders and better teams.
"Last night I was fortunate enough to attended a leadership work shop class about construction scheduling. I was blown away with how naïve I was, and the class really opened my eyes to the leadership aspect of the construction world. I believe that continuing to attend these work shops will allow me to grow my leadership skills to new heights and become the best leader I can be."
Justin Hall
Superintendent
"I've come across three major hindrances to my professional development in the construction industry: time to teach, willingness to teach, and organization of information. John's classes are structured with clarity and accessibility, breaking down complex and far-reaching topics in a way that is easy to understand and engaging. He is generous with his time and knowledge and lays out a path forward that is more efficient, collaborative, and profitable.
As a new superintendent, his methods have helped me move from feeling run by the job, to running the job. John is an incredible resource, and a breath of fresh air in the industry."
Ben Wilt
Superintendent
"I have been with Benchmark since April of 2017. I was the first employee and started as a helper. I now handle all of our scheduling, manage around 15 people, and manage our fleet of trucks and equipment. I have been in this position for about four years. We have been enrolled, as a company, in Construction Leadership Classes for around three years now. I think they are great in a couple ways. First, John has an invaluable amount of knowledge of the construction industry, including stats and breakdowns of how much time and material gets wasted on job sites. When I was in the field, a lot of times I would have multiple jobs a day, so I was always mindful of ways I could cut time. You can only drive and cut so fast, so how do we shave 20 minutes off here and there? I always tried to take 10 minutes when I would get to the job and plan out what would be the most efficient and just hustle through the things that I could hustle through. These classes really reinforce this mindset to the guys. You can take a 10 hour day and make it an 8 hour day if you communicate with your team, as well as other contractors. These classes really focus on communication, teamwork, goal setting, and "removing the waste", whether that waste is time or material.
Second, they get us together, and they get us talking. This one sounds pretty simple, but it really has meant everything to our team. Having all of us in the same room talking through issues and explaining each other's perspectives is invaluable. From a management perspective, it has really helped me to explain why we have certain processes set in place.
Additionally, I have been doing the High Road Leadership classes. These ones have been a lot of fun. There are great learning opportunities, but what I really like is that there are a lot of people in management positions from other companies and we do a lot of team workshopping, so you get the opportunity to work through issues with people outside of your organization. For me, it has been really cool to get fresh perspectives on some of our day to day
road blocks.
Overall, I would definitely recommend these classes. I truly believe that you get as much out of them as you are willing to put in. If you can go into the classes with the mindset of "what can I take away from this", you can't help but leave with something that will benefit you and your team."
Andy Hunt
Scheduling
"I would like to put in my 2 cents worth of thought on John Sladick's work with the company. I have to say that I appreciate not only the information that he shares in the classroom times, but also his wisdom and demeanor as he conducts those sessions. His calm and measured manner in listening and dealing with the issues that come out is truly refreshing, and to me, inspiring. It is obvious that he has a passion for teaching to improve the level of knowledge and the ability to function at a higher level through clear and thoughtful communication, those in the industry. His stated goal as he moves forward with the classes is in spite of whatever may come out as an issue, let's improve ourselves and the way we get our work done and let's do it together as a team.
Additionally, I have to say that his time with me on the job and on the phone has been a great benefit in many different ways. The use of his three week calendar in subcontractor meetings where current and immediate future workers (subs) are attending has had immediate and obvious benefit. I can see from the response to the first meeting that this is going to be a great tool to engender teamwork between subs and with us and me in particular (as site super). While I cannot speak to what this is costing you in dollars, I am certain that if you carry this through, the payback is going to be measured exponentially in performance and reputation with the subs.
All of that to say your efforts in this regard have my strong support and encouragement to continue along these lines."
Val Cooper
Superintendent
V
"The class last night, along with all of your classes, have been very engaging and informative. You have an excellent way of relating to your audience. It helped me realize that I could understand the whole projects flow a lot easier and plan / communicate more accurately if I make some time to look at and understand other disciplines plans (drawings, process, & projections). I also realized the value of using visual aids to reinforce the proposed plan / schedule to the entire team. Allowing for conversations and adjustments before the project even kicks off. While also creating by-in, enthusiasm, and understanding about the project in the people we are leading & building to build America."
Chris Melton
Estimator
"My name is Loren Magnusson and I am a superintendent for Rich Duncan Construction in Salem, Oregon. I have been in construction management for over 30 years in the Willamette Valley.
John’s knowledge of the construction industry and implementation of the lean program is second to none. The project I am currently over has been very difficult due to the production and quality of one of our trade partners which is essentially under contract with the owner. By using the lean system, as taught by John we have been able to easily document those issues and present the best outcome for the owner. This system allows all of the trade partners to be involved in the process and the GC to take full advantage of their expertise. I am a true believer in this system as it has made my job easier and more profitable while growing relationships in the field."
Loren Magnusson
Superintendent
"Freedom started as a 2 man shop in the year 2019. Just two old school men with their heads down working hard. There was a lot of sweat in the beginning days of freedom and a dream to make it to the big leagues. Now we have a core group of 15 people that work at Freedom. We have grown into a wonderful shop and office. We have 8 company trucks running everything from service to installation on any given day.
This growth was not without struggle. Our profits did not match the employee growth that was projected. There was a boss and helper mentality, “the old school way of hard knocks”. We looked for something better…
We worked on a commercial project managed by John Sladick at Construction Leadership. This evolved into a great relationship with some of the best training our company could ask for. Freedom has changed. We now have the mindset of leaders and have left the old school way of doing business. There is no ladder to climb anymore, we all work as a team to succeed in the HVAC field.
The training and coaching we received from the Construction Leadership class lead by John has helped us eliminate waste, build employees to there potential, and hit our goals as a team. We hear it every day, 'how would John expect us to perform'.
We have learned and follow what we have learned from this experience. It has really made a great difference in our day-to-day lives, even outside the workplace."
Rick Lucero
Project Manager
"I’ve been in the construction industry for over 17 years and currently I’m a Project Manager for a site excavation company. The construction industry has always had the reputation of being rough around the edges. Meaning messy job sites, incomplete information, subs stacked on top of each other, no schedule etc. When I started working with John and taking his Construction Leadership Classes I was a little hesitant at first but after my first round of training I started to trust and believe in John and what he was bringing to the table with the crews and myself. John helped open my eyes to what I was capable of doing as a leader and how important it was to make the changes within myself and the team to achieve better communication, cleaner job sites, higher quality of work and overall better relationships with my crews and customers.
The biggest change I’ve noticed is with my guys. They all participate in training and give feedback and bring up topics to discuss that they are struggling with and try to find ways to improve. They have come together as a team from the Site superintendent to the foremen and laborers all working together to create a better atmosphere. They have all learned to trust John and use the tools they have learned in the training to better their careers and personal life."
Drew Colyer
Project Manager/Estimator
"Construction Leadership has helped our company improve on teamwork, efficiency, and has considerably decreased our downtime on job sites. John's classes have also helped to improve the quality of work provided to our customers, as well as team accountability and communication skills.
It's obvious that John has a passion for the industry and helping people. I believe the local construction industry has been longing for someone to step up and provide the tools needed to help not only this generation of workers succeed, but the next generation as well. John's curriculum is well thought out and focuses on issues that the construction industry has struggled with for years. His classes cultivate a better way of thinking and provide insight on how to address the issues we face in this industry every day.
I would also like to add that there is great value in these classes when you look at it from a monetary standpoint. As a business owner, you're always asking yourself, "what is my return on investment?". Let me tell you, the return on investment for these classes have been exponential. The crews have bought into these classes 100%, and I can say with absolute certainty that attending them has made us a much better company overall.
Construction Leadership teaches lessons and a way of thinking that will benefit the attendees not only in their work life, but in their personal life as well. I would recommend these classes to any company looking to invest in their employees, as well as any individual looking to invest in themselves."
Willie Leach
Owner
