Meet Our Speakers:
👤Charles “Terry” Terranova, President & Founder of CharTer Consulting
🎙️Lindsey Schultz, CEO of MRC RecruitingÂ
This conversation was really about what makes mining work when the technical side is no longer enough.
Terry Terranova has spent years inside mine sites helping leaders get better at safety, accountability, and day-to-day leadership. What came through most clearly here is that mining is changing, not just because of automation or labor shortages, but because more sites are finally taking the people side of the job seriously. That matters because production, retention, safety, and hiring all seem to run back to the same question, do people feel respected, heard, and worth investing in?
One of the strongest threads in the conversation was Terry’s point that psychological safety is not some soft extra. In plain terms, it means people can speak up without being made to feel stupid. In mining, that has real consequences. If crews are afraid to talk, leaders miss hazards, problems stay hidden, and accountability gets replaced by silence. Terry shared how much the industry has shifted, from leaders relying on rules and discipline alone, to more of them asking how a site “killed this person” when there is a fatality. That language is hard, but it forces ownership.
The conversation also stayed close to the frontline supervisor role, which is where a lot of this either sticks or falls apart. Terry described supervisors who were trained on timekeeping and tactics, but not on how to lead people. What encouraged him was that many of them want that training now. They want to know how to coach, how to hold hard conversations, and how to create crews that trust each other. That is a meaningful shift.
A story that carried weight was Terry’s example of superintendents getting out from behind the office and spending real time with crews, even just riding along to listen and learn. Not to catch people doing something wrong, but to understand what work feels like from their side. That kind of leadership builds credibility fast, especially when the follow-up is real.
The hiring piece tied everything together. Terry and Lindsey were honest about the talent pipeline challenge, long shifts, remote work, layoffs, and the shortage of mechanics all make recruiting hard. But the bigger point was this, people are more likely to join mining when they hear good things from people already doing the work. Better leadership does not just help retention, it shapes the reputation of the whole industry.
If there is one takeaway, it is that better hiring and better careers both depend on context, not just credentials. Mines need people who can lead humans, not just manage tasks. And if the industry wants stronger teams tomorrow, it has to make the work feel more human today.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: ⏱️
00:40 – Why Mining Is Exciting
02:16 – Positive Industry Trends
04:48 – Frontline Leadership Shift
07:13 – Safety Culture and Psychological Safety
09:16 – Talent Pipeline Challenge
12:22 – Telling a Better Mining Story
16:54 – Veteran Crews and New Workers
20:00 – Leadership Evolution in Mining
24:31 – Undercover Boss Leadership
27:44 – Coaching Versus Commanding
31:44 – Accountability and Difficult Conversations
38:28 – What’s Working to Attract Talent
43:23 – AI and New Mining Applications
45:55 – ESG, DEI, and Belonging
47:33 – The Future of Mining
51:02 – Why Terry Keeps Coming Back
55:39 – Where to Find Terry
Connect with us on LinkedIn and check out monthly episodes of Ore-atory: Elevating Mining Minds on Apple Podcast or Spotify, where we continue to explore the mining industry workspace.
Tune in and be part of the conversation that’s shaping the future of mining!
Are you a job seeker looking for your next opportunity or an organization looking to hire your next team member? If you have time for a quick chat about your goals MRCÂ can help connect with us.