What Running a Funeral Home Taught this Tradie About Leading Trade Teams Better with Adrian Gillman

Today we're joined by Adrian Gillman, a registered carpenter and owner of Kingsford Building and Carpentry in Metro Melbourne, with over 15 years in the trade specialising in bathrooms, extensions and detailed internal fitouts.

Adrian's career has taken him off the tools and into a corporate role running a funeral home, an experience that forced him to learn how to understand people before reacting to them.

He's brought that lesson straight back into his carpentry business and into his leadership role in community clubs, where he's building culture from the ground up.

We unpack:

🗣️ How leadership starts with action

🤝 Why understanding people better changes the way you lead

🏗️ How to get the best out of your apprentices by building connection

Chapters:

0:00 – Coming Up

0:48 – Meet Adrian Gillman

2:43 – Early Leadership Skills for Tradies

3:56 – How Tradies Become Leaders Onsite

4:46 – How a Good Attitude is Leadership

8:00 – Leadership Communication Skills

13:14 – Trade Leadership Lessons From a Funeral Home

17:56 – Building Culture in Trade Teams

22:45 – Real Challenges in the Apprenticeship System

26:10 – Finding Common Ground With the Next Generation

28:13 – How to Lead Through Understanding

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If you want to connect with Adrian, you can reach him via:

Website - www.kingsfordcarpentry.com.au

Insta - @kingsfordcarpentry

Facebook - @kingsfordcarpentry