Struggling to find—and keep—the right people in your construction business? You're not alone. In today's episode of Construction Genius, Eric sits down with Mike, creator of the XP3 Talent System, to unpack a proven, end-to-end process for hiring, onboarding, and retaining top talent in one of the most competitive industries on the planet.
You'll discover:
Why most "business problems" are really people problems—and how to solve them at the root.
The fatal flaw in relying on gut instinct to hire construction talent.
How to define success in a role so you can hire with precision instead of vague job descriptions.
A structured hiring process that filters out bad fits—even if they try to fake it with AI.
Onboarding strategies that transform B-players into rock stars and boost 90-day retention to 95%.
The three non-negotiable objectives every onboarding program must hit.
How to build a culture that inspires discretionary effort—the extra 40–60% of capability most employees never give.
A real-world case study: cutting turnover from 80% to 23% in six months while breaking $100M in revenue.
Whether you're a construction company owner, project executive, or HR leader, this episode will show you how to create a talent pipeline that keeps your crews staffed with the right people for the long haul—without constant hiring headaches.
HIGHLIGHTS
[02:09] Challenges in hiring and retaining talent.
[03:35] Loyalty and avoidance of having difficult conversations.
[05:49] The importance of objective job descriptions.
[10:06] Requirements of a successful onboarding process.
[12:55] A clear mission, inspiring vision, and shared core values.
[15:10] Measuring and understanding the true cost of turnover.
[21:22] The mistake of hiring one-sided.
RESOURCES
Connect with Mike Matalone
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/mike-matalone-6029b87/
Website - xp3talent.com/
Hire • Train • Retain 2nd Edition: The art―and science―of building high-performing teams that drive organizational success by Michael Matalone
amazon.com/Hire-Train-Retain-science_of-high-performing/dp/B0F8Z4KQ84/
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