How Service Leaders Use Soft Skills to Keep Culture Strong and Teams Accountable - Josh Zolin Part 2

In this episode of the HVAC Know It All Podcast, Host Gary McCreadie talks with Josh Zolin, CEO of Windy City Equipment (WCE, Inc), Founder of Blue Is The New White, and Director Board of Directors in CFESA, about leadership, accountability, and building a strong culture in the trades. They discuss the difference between being nice and being kind, and how leaders can have hard conversations while still showing care and respect, in Part 2. Josh shares his approach to handling poor behavior, setting clear expectations, and knowing when to let someone go. Gary and Josh also explore flexibility, leverage, motivation, and why increasing your value through soft skills can create more opportunities. The episode highlights how strong leadership is built on communication, honesty, and the smart use of soft skills.

Gary and Josh discuss leadership in the trades and how to handle tough situations with employees. They talk about the difference between being nice and being kind, and why hard conversations should be clear, direct, and rooted in care. Josh shares how setting expectations early helps hold people accountable and explains when it makes sense to let someone go, especially when trust is broken. The conversation also covers flexibility, time off, and how company culture can impact honesty and performance. They finish by exploring how building value through soft skills and personal growth can create leverage, motivation, and stronger teams.

Expect to Learn:

• How to handle difficult employees while staying firm and kind at the same time.

• Why setting clear expectations early makes accountability easier later on.

• When it makes sense to give someone another chance and when it is time to let them go.

• How flexibility, time off policies, and culture impact honesty and performance.

• Why increasing your value through soft skills can create leverage, motivation, and stronger leadership.

Episode Highlights:

[00:00] - Intro to Josh Zolin in Part 02

[00:57] - Being "kind" vs. being "nice" as a leader

[03:21] - The magic phrase: "You're better than this"

[05:31] - Debating the "Fire fast" philosophy

[08:13] - Red flags: trusting your gut instinct on new hires

[12:02] - Flexibility & leverage in the workplace

[14:30] - Josh's PTO policy & flexibility value

[18:00] - The power of soft skills in leadership

[21:42] - Wrap-up & guest contact information

This Episode is Kindly Sponsored by:

Cintas: https://www.cintas.com/

Cool Air Products: https://www.coolairproducts.net/

SupplyHouse: https://www.supplyhouse.com/tm
Use promo code HKIA5 to get 5% off your first order at Supplyhouse!

Follow the Guest Josh Zolin on:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshzolin/

Windy City Equipment (WCE, Inc): https://www.linkedin.com/company/wcecommercial/

Blue Is The New White: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-is-the-new-white/

CFESA: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cfesa/

Website:

Windy City Equipment (WCE, Inc): https://wcecommercial.com/

Blue Is The New White: https://www.blueisthenewwhite.com/

CFESA: https://cfesa.com/

To learn more about Josh Zolin, BITNW Academy, or his podcast "Everything They Don't Tell You", visit https://joshzolin.com/

Follow the Host:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-mccreadie-38217a77/

Website: https://www.hvacknowitall.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/HVAC-Know-It-All-2/61569643061429/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hvacknowitall1/