580 :: How Shane Soule Builds Better Leaders Through "Crooked Promotions" and AI

What if the key to building stronger leaders, improving teamwork, and making better business decisions involved moving employees outside their comfort zones and using AI to challenge your thinking?

Construction leaders face constant pressure to improve efficiency, develop talent, and make smarter decisions. But traditional career paths, departmental silos, and established ways of thinking can limit opportunities for growth.

In this episode, Bradley Hartmann sits down with Shane Soule, President of ProTec Panel & Truss, to explore how his experience in manufacturing, distribution, sales, and operations has shaped his approach to leadership.

Shane explains why he believes in intentional "crooked promotions," moving employees across departments to build broader experience and stronger teams. He also shares how AI has changed the way he analyzes sales data, identifies opportunities, manages projects, and approaches difficult decisions.

Drawing inspiration from Moneyball, Shane challenges construction leaders to question conventional wisdom, look at business performance from different perspectives, and create environments where employees can grow through new experiences.

In this episode, you'll discover:

· How intentionally moving employees between sales, operations, and other departments can break down silos, strengthen collaboration, and develop more capable leaders.

· How AI can help construction leaders analyze sales performance, identify overlooked opportunities, and develop actionable plans from existing business data.

· Why asking better questions, challenging assumptions, and building systems to manage tasks can improve decision-making and free up time for higher-value work.

Play the episode to learn how Shane Soule combines cross-functional leadership development, unconventional thinking, and AI to build stronger teams and make better business decisions.

At Bradley Hartmann & Company, we help construction teams improve sales, leadership, and communication by reducing miscommunication, strengthening teamwork, and bridging language gaps between English and Spanish speakers. To learn more about our product offerings, visit bradleyhartmannandco.com.

The Construction Leadership Podcast dives into essential leadership topics in construction, including strategy, emotional intelligence, communication skills, confidence, innovation, and effective decision-making. You'll also gain insights into delegation, cultural intelligence, goal setting, team building, employee engagement, and how to overcome common culture problems—whether you're leading a crew or managing an entire organization.

Have topic ideas or guest recommendations? Contact us at info@bradleyhartmannandco.com.

New podcasts are dropped every Tuesday and Thursday.

This episode is brought to you by The Construction Spanish Toolbox —the most practical way for construction teams to learn jobsite-ready Spanish in just minutes a day over 6 months.