Leaning Into Your Strengths and Setting the Standard as a Leader in Mining with Kurt Checketts

Today we're joined by Kurt Checketts, a light-vehicle mechanic-turned-diesel-fitter who spent 12 years in the mining industry, five of those leading crews in one of the highest-stakes environments in the trades. Kurt learned firsthand what it costs when standards slip, and what it takes to build a team that holds the line when the pressure is on.

Since leaving site, Kurt's taken everything mining taught him about leadership, discipline and financial pressure and built Blue Collar Money, a mortgage broking business made specifically for tradies and FIFO workers looking to turn hard work into real financial results.

We unpack:

🔥 Why leaning into your strengths beats trying to fix every weakness

🧠 The situational leadership model that guides how you manage different people

💪 Why the small standards you walk past are the ones that catch up with you

Chapters:

0:00 – Coming Up

0:32 – Meet Kurt Checketts, Mining Leader

2:14 – What Leadership Means to Kurt

2:42 – A Sink-or-Swim Start in the Mines

4:11 –Leaning Into Your Strengths

6:37 – How to Find Your Own Leadership Strengths

9:23 – What the Best Leaders Do Differently

11:34 – Getting to Know Your Team as Individuals

13:30 – The Situational Leadership Model Explained

15:43 – When Small Standards Get Walked Past

18:21 – The Mining Incident That Changed Everything

20:47 – Building Blue Collar Money

23:28 – Kurt's Advice for Everyday Leaders

Follow Tradies Who Lead on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok for more from the Tradies Who Lead community.

Tradies Who Lead is powered by Blue Leader. If you're looking for support in building leadership skills within your team, reach out here.

Or download our free eBook: 5 Things Every Tradie Needs to Know About Leadership

If you want to connect with Kurt, you can reach them via:

Website: www.bluecollarmoney.com.au

Instagram: @the_savvyprospector or @bluecollarmoneyau