Welcome back to “Building Leaders,” a brand new series from KnowHow that explores how today’s restoration leaders are setting up their teams for success in the future. Inspired by our latest book, Building Leaders, each interview features in-depth conversations—in text and audio—with industry leaders actively preparing their teams to tackle the leadership challenges of tomorrow.

If you want to stay ahead and ensure your team is ready for tomorrow’s challenges, you’re in the right place. Expect real advice, actionable insights, and plenty of takeaways to help you build a team ready for whatever comes next.

Ready to build the leaders of tomorrow?

Chuck Lane closed his laptop before finishing the first slide.

The PowerPoints were polished. The agenda was locked in. And the management team had signed off.

But as twenty employees filed into the room—phones buzzing, shoulders slumped—he could see it in their eyes: three weeks of CAT response had drained the air out of the room. No one was really present.

He watched a water tech stifle his third yawn. Another project manager checked her phone under the table.

So he stood up, closed his laptop with a soft click, and decided to reschedule the training. 

Today was not the day.

In an industry where every minute of downtime bleeds revenue, it was the kind of call most leaders would hesitate to make. But in that small act of restraint lies everything you need to know about Chuck Lane’s leadership philosophy.

“You’ve got to pay attention to when people can receive training," he says. "Not just when you’re ready to give it.”

Because, as Chuck explains, training that sticks is about awareness, timing, and the humility to pause when plans change.

And in Chuck Lane’s world, leadership starts with two quiet words: Semper Gumby. Always flexible.

From FedEx to Flood Zones

Before restoration, there was a stint in logistics. Then, a rodeo in healthcare. Then a gig at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Chuck Lane's path to the restoration industry wasn't a straight line, but it was a deliberate one.

Early in his career, he cut his teeth at FedEx ("old enough to say it was actually Federal Express at that time," he notes) in high-pressure logistics environments, where systems thinking was essential. That foundation evolved during his time in emergency management and disaster response for healthcare systems, and later, in his work as a Department of Homeland Security instructor for FEMA.

“Training has always been the common thread in my experience,” he says. “And helping people realize their potential.”

That mindset followed him to SRP Contractors in 2019, where he stepped into the restoration world for the first time. When BluSky acquired SRP a year later, Chuck's role expanded. Today, as VP of Learning & Development for one of the largest restoration companies in the United States, he draws on every chapter of his experience to shape how teams grow.

Redefining Training: From Skills to Relationships

Chuck is quick to draw a distinction that few in the industry recognize.

“Learning and development is something we talk about, and then you get training," he explains. "Training, I think of a lot as kind of a skill system or process. I can train somebody to do this thing, or I can train somebody on how to use this system.”

The revelation? Learning and development, to Chuck, “is about culture and it's about relationships.”

His framework moves through three phases: new hire onboarding, ongoing learning and development, and mentoring initiatives. But what truly excites him is helping people move from entry-level to leadership through a clear, intentional path.

“Just because you're a restoration technician today, doesn't mean that you can't be a project manager, maybe a business development manager, a VP someday," he says. "I want to know in five, ten years, that the programs we've implemented today have helped somebody grow and realize the potential they thought they had, or maybe even the potential they didn't realize they had.”

That long view underpins how Chuck thinks about training: not as a one-time course, but as a lifelong journey.

Reading the Room: The Fine Art of Timing

Even the best-laid training plans of men and restorers can go awry if they land at the wrong time.

“There are certain times a year that you just have to be careful about what you plan for," Chuck explains. "August and September sound like a great time to roll out [certain] training, but you know that in some areas of the country, you're going to struggle with that.”

That's why Chuck lives by the “Semper Gumby” principle, referencing the military saying about staying flexible. “We used to say that a lot in emergency management,” Chuck explains.

Restoration isn't a static environment, so he builds training programs with flexibility in mind. If something's not landing because the team is overwhelmed, he pauses. He adapts.

“The way I've tried to build programs is that it's easy enough for me to kind of close that box up, set it off to the side, put that pot on the back burner, and then roll it out at a more appropriate time.”

Ground War, Not Air War: Finding the Voices That Matter

Chuck is the first to admit that it’s one thing to roll out training at the right time, and it’s another hurdle to make it stick. And that’s why he doesn't try to win over 100% of a company during training sessions.

“Look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself you're not going to get everybody on board," he advises. "There are always going to be people who are trailing or just don't buy into it.”

Instead, he finds the influencers. The field leads. The people everyone listens to when the group chat blows up or the morning huddle stalls.

“I want to find the person in the office with the voice. And that may not always actually be the leader. That may be the project manager that's been there 10, 15 years that everybody goes to with questions.”

Because when it comes to changing behavior, these leaders move the needle more effectively than a PDF ever could.

Their co-sign—whether in a watercooler chat or in response to pushback—goes further than “any email from someone with a title.”

And once Chuck has those voices aligned, he knows exactly who should help carry the training forward.

“In my experience, and this is my personally held belief, I like internal subject matter experts," he says. "It's probably easier for me to identify subject matter experts and turn them into presenters and trainers than it is to bring in somebody from the outside and try to have them understand my culture, my people, my business model.”

External vendors have their place, especially for certifications or highly specialized skills, but for the long game, Chuck doubles down on internal capability.

“Most businesses are arguing that they do things better or they do it a different way, and that's what makes them successful. So if you're doing it differently, doing it better...why outsource training to somebody who's going to come in and teach this generic way or generic process?”

This approach serves a double function: it reinforces culture and contributes to developing the next wave of leadership from inside the walls of BluSky.

Confidence Is the Ultimate KPI

Ask Chuck how to know when training is working, and he’ll tell you it's not from looking at a test score.

“One thing I look at is a confidence survey, and that's something we send out at 90 days and one year,” he explains. “What I'm looking for are pockets of, do I have people who were very confident at day 90, now they're not so confident at a year? If I have that, then that's a big trigger to notify me that something's missing in that day 90 to one-year mark.”

This measurement catches what typical metrics miss—the moment when knowledge begins to fade, when people start questioning skills they thought they'd mastered.

His advice to other training leaders cuts through complexity: “Work backwards. What behavior do you want to change? What metric, what needle do you want to move? And then go back and figure out your training that's going to move that and determine how you're going to measure it.”

Beyond Technical Skill: The Heart of Leadership

Chuck has seen too many skilled technicians promoted into leadership too quickly, with less than ideal results.

“Your high performers, when you promote them too early, they can burn out and they can get very frustrated with people who aren't up to where they think they should be,” he says.

When evaluating leadership potential, he looks beyond technical excellence to two key indicators: “How do they lead themselves, and how do they lead other people?”

The warning signs are clear: “If they think 'I'm only going to do this’ or 'I'm only going to focus on this because it's outside of my scope,’ then they're probably less likely to be successful as a leader.”

The qualities that matter most? “Emotional intelligence and empathy. If somebody is not displaying characteristics of those, they're probably a non-starter as a leader.”

His philosophy is grounded in experience: “The best leaders I've worked for cared about the people. The business has to run, but happy people with the proper technical training will run a business very effectively.”
 
 And the best leaders, he’s learned, don’t disappear when things get hard.

This lived experience aligns with a line Chuck carries with him from a mentor early in his career:

“If your people are going through hell, make sure they know you’re going through it with them.”

For Chuck, leadership isn’t only about performance or forging ahead. It's also about the presence of mind to pause and close the laptop while waiting for the right moment to start training all over again.

What Other Leaders Can Learn From Chuck Lane

Based on Chuck's insights, here are the key lessons other leaders can apply:

• Context matters more than content. Pay attention to when your team can absorb information, not just when you're ready to deliver it. Remember, Semper Gumby. 
• Focus on influence, not authority. Identify the voices that carry weight in your organization and get them on your side first.
• Measure confidence, not just completion. Send confidence surveys at 90 days and one year to catch subtle shifts that standard metrics miss.
• Build internal expertise over external dependency. Invest in turning your subject matter experts into trainers who understand your culture.
• Look beyond technical skill when promoting. Seek emotional intelligence, empathy, and ownership thinking in potential leaders.
• Share the struggle visibly. When your people are going through hell, make sure they know you're going through it with them. Sometimes, this can be as simple as pausing or slowing down.

For more insights from Chuck Lane and 13 more restoration leaders, explore our full interview series on YouTube or check out the new audiobook. You should also check out our previous episode with Marcie Richardson to learn how she uses the “Above The Line” framework to cultivate leadership at Guarantee Restoration.
 
See you next month for more Building Leaders! For more resources on succession planning or scaling your operation, check out KnowHow.