To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP254

Use code EVOLUTION (at check out) for 20% off both the Ideal Team Player and Working Genius Assessments:

Ideal Team Player: https://www.tablegroup.com/idealteamplayer/

Working Genius: https://www.workinggenius.com/about/assessment

Are you sick of hiring the wrong people? Whether you got swindled by a smooth talker in an interview or hired a B-player in desperation, you know that recruiting top talent as a contractor is an uphill battle these days.

So today, we invited one of the most well-known experts in the industry to teach us how to simplify our hiring standards by using two proven frameworks for assessing prospective and current employees.

Our guest today is the one and only Patrick Lencioni.

He is the bestselling author of 13 books selling over 9 million copies worldwide. He’s most well known for The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

Today, we’re focusing on two of Pat’s books that are especially relevant for our industry: The Ideal Team Player and The 6 Types of Working Genius.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How to attract and hire Ideal Team Players at all levels of your business by looking for three key virtues.

The common archetypes that show up when someone is missing one of these virtues

AND how to identify the 6 types of working genius within your team so you can help everyone thrive in their roles

Pat was a dream to have on the show. If you have other guests you think we should interview, leave a comment and let us know.

More HEAVY HITTERS on Contractor Evolution:

Chris Voss - Negotiation Tactics for Contractors: https://youtu.be/a4RDJRtkOBY

Greg McKeown - Essentialism for Contractors: https://youtu.be/6J1qth84qwg

Garrett Gunderson - Why Most Contractors Stay Broke: https://youtu.be/-Xx2LKkKEI8

00:00-Intro

02:20-Why did you choose the construction industry to base your book, The Ideal Team Player, in?

05:30-Defining the three virtues of an ideal team player: hungry, humble, and smart

07:15-Defining "hungry"

09:35-Defining "humble"

11:33-Identifying "fake humble"

17:36-Defining "smart" as emotional intelligence (EQ)

23:05-How to spot these three virtues in the interview process

28:23-"Scaring" people in the recruiting process

30:55-How to look for "hunger"

33:14-“Non-ideal archetypes": the accidental mess-maker (humble and hungry, but not smart)

36:20-“Non-ideal archetypes": the lovable slacker (humble and smart, but not hungry)

40:29-“Non-ideal archetypes": the skillful politician (hungry and smart, but not humble)

44:35-About The 6 Types of Working Genius and getting people in the right seat on the bus

On January 14, attend our free web class to discover the 6 proven processes to streamline operations and elevate your role from day-to-day tasks to strategic leadership. Register now here: https://trybta.com/CE-CGM-JA14

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP253

Check out our industry benchmarks and find out what your profit margins should be: https://www.btacademy.com/blog/profit-margin-benchmarks-for-contractors

Are you constantly stressed about cash flow heading into 2026? You’re not alone.

Our research shows:

👉45% of contractors don’t have any financial plan beyond paying bills and sending invoices.

👉50% of contractors hit cash crunches due to unforeseen circumstances

👉30% of contractors describe their cash flow as “unpredictable.”

In this Contractor Evolution episode, we’re answering common questions from contractors about cash flow, just in time for 2026 – so you can stay cash positive, pay yourself consistently, and actually crush your goals instead of feeling like you’re drowning under 2 inches of water.

We cover:

⬆️How to improve your cash flow (so you can have fewer painful conversations with your accountant)

📋How to build an annual budget for your construction or home services business

📊What job costing is and how it has the potential to completely change your business’ financial wellbeing

🤔How to figure out if you can afford to hire someone new (or if you’ll just have to awkwardly lay them off down the road)

💲AND what your profit margins should look like in 2026

More videos to help you fix your finances and take control of your profit:

💰3 Ways to Control Profit and STOP Confusing Your Finances: https://youtu.be/Qbm9yRBYgRk

🛑STOP Losing Money on Jobs (Job Costing 101): https://youtu.be/nCzP0B2u4BM

🔻Why Most Entrepreneurs Stay Broke - Garrett Gunderson: https://youtu.be/-Xx2LKkKEI8

👇 Your turn:

What’s the #1 cash flow or budgeting question you want answered before 2026 kicks off? Drop it in the comments – I read every single one.

00:00-Intro

01:13-How do I improve my cash flow for 2026?

04:47-How do you go about making an annual budget?

07:26-What is job costing? Do I need to do it?

09:17-How do I get customers to pay me on time?

10:28-How do I know if I can afford a new hire?

12:10-What should my profit margins be

On January 14, attend our free web class to discover the 6 proven processes to streamline operations and elevate your role from day-to-day tasks to strategic leadership. Register now here: https://trybta.com/CE-CGM-JA14

Take our 5 minute quiz and get your free roadmap to contractor growth: https://trybta.com/DL252

To learn more about Breakthrough Academy, click here: https://trybta.com/EP252

If you’ve ever felt like your crew works hard but your margins still suffer… you’re not alone.

And, according to today’s guest, traditional hourly pay might be the root of the problem.

Michael Fortinberry is the co-founder of Protiv, a performance pay platform built specifically for contractors.

In this episode, Michael lays out a simple but powerful framework to amplify the productivity of your team using incentive based pay.

He walks us through how performance pay actually shifts crew behavior, and the step-by-step system you can use to drive productivity, boost morale, and protect your bottom line.

00:00-Intro

07:16-Catalyst for Protiv

12:53-Measuring the Productivity Lift from Performance-Based Pay

16:06-The Legal Compliance of Performance-Based Pay (Piece Rate, Overtime)

18:37-Setting up Performance-Based Pay: Numbers, Logistics, and Culture

24:23-The Three Keys to Effective Performance-Based Pay: Simple, Frequent, and Transparent

29:55-Shifting to a Performance-Based Culture

37:34-Team Buy-in and Implementation

43:43-Roles Best Suited for Performance-Based Pay

46:06-Handling Quality Issues and Rework

49:47-Addressing Budgets That Are Significantly Off

54:13-Final Takeaways