Leveraging AI to Attract, Train, and Retain Top Hispanic Talent

In yesterday’s episode of The Construction Leadership Podcast (Ep. 485: The Cost of Ignoring AI: How Leaders Risk Failing Their Teams), I argued that leaders who haven’t taken the time to understand artificial intelligence—and develop an informed opinion about it—are putting their teams at risk. Delegating the responsibility of crafting and communicating an AI strategy to the IT team is only slightly less dangerous than ignoring it altogether. To be clear, big questions remain. Is there too much hype surrounding AI? Yes. Is there an AI bubble forming? Almost certainly. Should you remain skeptical? Absolutely. But skepticism isn’t an excuse for inaction. Leaders must experiment with these tools. In Episode 485, I shared the AI stack I use in my business today. But this week, I wanted to explore how AI can help leaders improve cultural intelligence—specifically, to attract, train, and retain top Hispanic talent in construction. So, I opened ChatGPT and typed this prompt: “The construction industry depends on trust, teamwork, and cultural understanding. Attracting and retaining qualified Hispanic labor remains one of our greatest challenges—and an untapped advantage. We want to grow our cultural intelligence to genuinely connect, communicate, and build trust faster with Hispanic employees. What three approaches would you recommend to help us do this well? Please keep each response under 75 words and focus on empathy, listening, and relationship-building.” ChatGPT then asked: “Would you like me to make a version optimized for ChatGPT and one for Claude, so their responses contrast more effectively in your blog post?” I said yes. (Note: To avoid 5,000 more words, I’ll skip the analysis. But the overlap—and the divergence—between ChatGPT and Claude’s reasoning is fascinating.) Here’s what both platforms produced.

Response from ChatGPT  Invest in Language and Communication Training: Miscommunication is one of the biggest barriers to trust. Offering bilingual foremen, translation tools, and optional Spanish lessons for supervisors signals respect and commitment. When leaders make the effort to understand—not just be understood—it builds psychological safety and reduces costly errors on site. Build Culturally Competent Leaders: Train managers on core Hispanic cultural values such as familismo (family loyalty), respeto (mutual respect), and personalismo (relationship-first interactions). When leaders recognize these drivers and adapt their leadership style accordingly—prioritizing humility, warmth, and inclusion—it fosters belonging and improves retention. Create Visible Career Pathways: Many Hispanic workers view construction as a job, not a career, because advancement often feels opaque. Establish mentorship programs with visible success stories of Hispanic employees who advanced to leadership roles. Clear progression builds trust, motivation, and a sense that the company invests in people—not just production.   For those interested in the first recommendation, you can work directly with my team to learn Construction Spanish faster than any other platform. Click here to learn more about our Construction Spanish Toolbox—the only construction-specific, six-month language learning system on the planet. The third point is especially poignant: Most companies employing Hispanic craft labor lack a clear, compelling roadmap for advancement—while most English-speaking employees at those same companies do.

Response from Claude.ai Here are three approaches for building cultural intelligence with Hispanic employees: 1. Learn Their Language, Show Your Effort You don’t need fluency—you need humility. Learn basic Spanish phrases for safety, quality, and appreciation. More importantly, ask your Hispanic employees to teach you. When you stumble through “¿Cómo estuvo tu fin de semana?” you’re signaling respect and willingness to meet them halfway. They’ll remember your effort long after they forget your accent. Language learning isn’t about perfection; it’s about demonstrating you value their world enough to enter it.

2. Honor the Collective Over the Individual Hispanic culture is collectivist—family and group identity matter more than individual achievement. When recognizing performance, acknowledge the crew, not just the individual. Ask about family, remember names of children, respect that family obligations aren’t excuses but priorities. Schedule Friday meetings carefully—many send remittances home on Fridays. Understanding that “we” comes before “me” transforms how you lead, motivate, and retain Hispanic teams.

3. Invest Time Before Making Demands Relationship precedes task in Hispanic culture. Spend the first five minutes of every interaction asking about weekend, family, or life before diving into work issues. This isn’t small talk—it’s the foundation of trust. Share a meal together. Celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries. What feels like inefficiency to task-oriented Americans is actually relationship-building that accelerates everything else. Trust isn’t transactional; it’s relational. Slow down to speed up.

AI remains a black box. We don’t know exactly what data these models absorbed or how they weigh cultural nuance—but if you’ve been reading these Good to Excelente newsletters, the themes should sound familiar:

Collectivism > Individualism.
Relationships before results.

So yes, I approve this message.

Still, a word of caution: As you continue growing into a more thoughtful, culturally intelligent leader, remember that AI is just a tool, it’s not the whole toolbox.

Stay curious.
Validate ideas with bicultural colleagues.
And when in doubt, be the one thing AI can never be:
Kind in a way that is uniquely human.

Thanks for reading.
We’ll see you back here in two weeks.

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Bradley Hartmann & Co.
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bradley@bradleyhartmannandco.com