18. Learning to Lead Differently with Robert Scott

An AI recruiter spent 23 minutes interviewing ChatGPT. Neither side was a real candidate.So what happens when businesses start relying on AI to assess the people they're thinking of hiring?In this episode of Leader Scout, Tom looks at where AI can genuinely improve recruitment and where relying on it could mean overlooking capable people or putting good candidates off your business altogether.From screening CVs to automated interviews, he challenges construction and infrastructure leaders to think about what they're actually learning about the person behind the application.Plus, in Make The Call, Tom weighs in on a candidate who used AI to turn the tables on an AI interviewer.Follow Leader Scout for practical conversations on hiring, leadership and retention across construction, infrastructure and project-driven businesses.

You can spend years building a strong reputation in construction and infrastructure. But what happens when your hiring process doesn't reflect it?In this episode of Leader Scout, Tom explores how the recruitment experience shapes what candidates think about your business, often before they've even stepped onto a project.From unprepared interviews and unclear expectations to poor communication and candidate feedback, he looks at the mistakes that can undermine an employer brand and what businesses should be doing differently.Plus, in Make The Call, Tom shares a real hiring scenario that raises an important question about professionalism and candidate experience.

Are younger professionals becoming harder to employ, or are businesses expecting something different from the people entering the industry?In this episode of Leader Scout, Tom tackles a conversation that keeps coming up across construction and infrastructure: younger workers wanting higher salaries, faster progression and more flexibility, while employers question whether they've earned it.He explores where ambition becomes entitlement, how businesses may be contributing to rising expectations, and why clear communication matters on both sides.Plus, the new Make The Call segment puts a real-world hiring scenario under the microscope.Follow Leader Scout for practical conversations on hiring, leadership and retention across construction, infrastructure and project-driven businesses.

Robert Scott joins Tom Millington on Leader Scout to share the lessons from nearly three decades across civil engineering, local government and regional infrastructure.From being given opportunities before he felt ready to developing engineers within his own teams, Robert reflects on what it takes to build capability rather than continually compete for experience.They also explore the challenges of letting go as a leader, the realities of managing critical infrastructure through major floods, and why the best teams are built long before they're put under pressure.

From the Leader Scout archives, Tom revisits a 2024 conversation with Richard Carson about building a career for the long term.Richard reflects on progressing from project engineering into senior leadership, why taking on responsibility early matters, the value of knowing your own strengths, and why career decisions should not be driven by salary alone.They also get into personal brand, developing people, commercial awareness, finding the right fit between leader and business, and why consistency matters more than one-off performance.This episode was originally recorded in 2024. Roles and circumstances discussed reflect the time of recording.

It’s getting easier to look employable. That doesn’t necessarily make it easier to identify the right person.In this episode of Leader Scout, Tom looks beyond the polished CV to what actually gives him confidence that someone can do the job.From technical experience and transferable skills to communication, adaptability and knowing where your own capability stops, he breaks down what hiring leaders should actually be testing for.And with AI now helping candidates write CVs and prepare for interviews, getting beneath the surface matters more than ever.🎧 Listen to "What Actually Makes Someone Employable in 2026?" nowFollow Leader Scout for practical conversations on hiring, leadership and retention across construction, infrastructure and project-driven businesses.

From the Leader Scout archives, Tom revisits a 2024 conversation with Deni Campbell about building a career without having everything figured out from day one.Deni shares the moves that worked, the one she knew almost immediately was wrong, what helped her progress quickly, and why some of the best career advice she received was also the advice she initially ignored.A candid conversation about career decisions, mentorship, management, resilience and learning when not to rush the next step.This episode was originally recorded in 2024. Roles and circumstances discussed reflect the time of recording.

The people a business relies on most are often the ones carrying more than anyone realises.In this episode of Leader Scout, Tom looks at what actually makes good people become open to leaving, why it’s often not just about money, and the conversations leaders should be having long before there’s another offer on the table.Because the best people don’t need another employee benefit or a conversation once they’ve resigned.Leaders need to understand whether the job still works for them before somebody else asks.🎧 Listen to The Employee You Can’t Afford to Lose on Spotify.Follow Leader Scout for practical conversations on hiring, leadership and retention across construction, infrastructure and project-driven businesses.

Australia has the infrastructure pipeline. The harder question is whether we're developing enough capable people to deliver it.Steve Adamthwaite, ANZ Water Business Leader at Arup, joins Tom to talk engineering careers, leadership, retention, mentoring and why solving tomorrow's skills shortage starts with how we develop people today.A practical conversation about what separates technical capability from leadership, why good engineers leave, and what the industry needs to do differently with the talent it already has.Follow Leader Scout on Spotify or YouTube for practical conversations on hiring, leadership, retention, and workforce strategy across construction, infrastructure, and project-driven businesses.

Salary gets uncomfortable when two people walk into the conversation with completely different numbers.And too often, businesses don't find that out until they've already found the person they want to hire.In this episode, I break down what I'm seeing in salary conversations across the market and why "market rate" isn't always as straightforward as people make it sound.Because finding a $30,000 gap at offer stage isn't a negotiation strategy. It's a conversation that should have happened weeks earlier.Follow Leader Scout on Spotify or YouTube for practical conversations on hiring, leadership, retention, and workforce strategy across construction, infrastructure, and project-driven businesses.