After his high-energy conference session, David Woods sat down to talk more about the leadership lessons that have guided his career. From running major construction organizations to writing his new book, Old-Fashioned Leadership: Lessons from the Patio, Woods shares what has worked for him and why.
Drawing from years in the construction industry and plenty of real-life stories, he offers straightforward advice on handling today’s toughest people challenges with confidence and even a little humor. He talks about managing stress for yourself and your team, turning burnout into productive momentum and helping employees think ahead instead of just reacting to problems.
Woods also breaks down the simple, everyday habits that shape strong workplace cultures and explains how leaders can build teams where accountability, pride and shared goals truly take hold.
About the Author
Gavin Jenkins, Head of Content
Head of Content
Gavin Jenkins is an award-winning journalist based in Pittsburgh. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, VICE, Narrative.ly, Prevention, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Beijing Review.
In 2020, two stories he wrote for Pitt Med Magazine earned three Golden Quill Awards from the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania. “Surviving Survival” won Excellence in Corporate, Marketing and Promotional Communications – Written, Medical/Health, while “Oct. 27, 2018: Pittsburgh’s Darkest Day, and the Mass Casualty Response” won Excellence in Written Journalism, Magazines – Medical/Health, as well as the Ray Sprigle Memorial Award: Magazines, a Best in Show award.
After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in 2003, he covered sports for the Bedford Gazette, in Bedford, Pa., and the Martinsville Bulletin, in Martinsville, Va. In 2006, he returned to Pittsburgh to write for Trib Total Media. Based out of the Kittanning Leader Times, he worked for the Trib for two years, and then he moved to Shenzhen, China, to teach English and freelance. After two years in China, he earned an MFA in nonfiction from the University of Pittsburgh.
When he's not at work, he's usually playing with his border-collie mix, Bob.