Elevate Construction

Recorded in the truck between boot camp evaluations, Jason makes the case for consistency as the real key to lasting change, using a powerful story from his church's missionary program that took a full year of unglamorous, repetitive effort before it produced real, lasting results. He connects that story directly to construction, warning that companies often abandon Lean tools, Last Planner, Takt, or team health initiatives far too early because they expect quick results instead of giving systems the time they actually need to work. Citing a real client example and a Gary Vaynerchuk anecdote about patience, he makes a compelling case for staying the course for at least a full year before judging whether something is working.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why real, lasting change (in a church program or a construction company) often takes a full year of consistent effort before results show up
• A real story of a client whose gross profit numbers didn't visibly improve for eight months, then rose dramatically once they stayed the course
• Why abandoning a new system (Takt, Last Planner, team health initiatives) too early is one of the most common mistakes leaders make
• The connection between consistency and "the aggregation of marginal gains," small, repeated efforts compounding into real results over time
• A practical rule: communicate expectations at least seven times, and give any new system a full 12 months before deciding it doesn't work

Is there a system or change you've given up on too early, before it had the 12 months of consistency it actually needed to work?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free, and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Recorded exhausted between boot camp sessions, Jason unpacks a pattern he's seen play out constantly in construction: people chemically addicted to significance, staying late, skipping training, firefighting problems, not because the work truly demands it, but because being frantically busy makes them feel important and cared-for by their supervisors. Using a vivid firefighter analogy, he shows the difference between abandoning your standards to look busy and calmly communicating that you care while still holding the line on stability, planning, and preparation. It's a compelling case for why chasing the dopamine hit of "being needed" quietly destroys health, marriages, and long-term career growth.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why people become chemically addicted to significance, firefighting, and looking busy instead of actually being productive
• How supervisors unintentionally create a "drug dealer" dynamic by rewarding frantic busyness over calm competence
• The firefighter analogy: how to show someone you care through communication, without abandoning stability and planning
• Why skipping training, working excessive overtime, and staying frantic ultimately damages health, relationships, and career growth
• A practical reframe: show people you care with higher levels of communication, not with franticness or forced busyness

Are you staying busy because the work truly demands it, or because it makes you feel needed and significant?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free, and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Prompted by a frustrating story about a major project management software vendor refusing to work with a client on pricing despite broken functionality, Jason questions whether the construction industry's expensive, clunky software stack is actually necessary. He walks through a real conversation with a client that got him rethinking the entire RFI and submittal process, why does information have to bounce between disconnected systems, get batched, waited on, and duplicated across multiple platforms, when tools like Bluebeam could keep drawings, RFIs, submittals, and documentation all connected in one place? It's a thought-provoking challenge to question whether expensive, complicated software is solving real problems or just adding waste.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• A real story about a major software vendor refusing to negotiate pricing on broken functionality, even at the risk of losing the client entirely
• Why many project management software applications add clicks, waiting, and duplicated work instead of actually streamlining the process
• How Bluebeam alone handled drawings, submittals, logistics maps, and roadblock tracking on a real project without needing a separate expensive platform
• A rethink of the RFI process: what if the question, the sketch, and the answer all happened in one connected place instead of bouncing through emails and separate systems
• Why documentation for legal protection doesn't require the wasteful, disconnected systems many companies default to

Are the software tools and processes on your project actually saving time, or are they quietly creating the batching, waiting, and duplicated work that Lean principles warn against?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free, and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Drawing from a frustrating recent experience with a general contractor's overreaching contract and withheld payment, Jason delivers a raw, unfiltered call-out of how some GCs treat trade partners, vendors, and consultants, dismissively, adversarially, and sometimes downright abusively. He argues that a "general contractor" should actually know how to write fair, custom-tailored contracts instead of shoving one-sided risk onto everyone else, and that withholding payment as leverage is not just poor practice but unethical. The episode is a passionate plea for general contractors to remember they need their trade partners, treat them with basic respect, and stop mistaking power for leadership.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• A real story about a general contractor withholding payment unless a training company signed an unreasonable, one-sided contract
• Why shedding all risk onto trade partners and subcontractors isn't just unfair, it damages trust across the entire industry
• Why "do your job" means general contractors should actually be skilled at writing fair, reasonable contracts, not just maximally protective ones
• Why withholding payment for leverage or spite is unethical, and why trade partners have earned the right to walk away from GCs who treat them this way
• A call for basic human decency and respect in interviews, negotiations, and everyday interactions between GCs and the trade partners they depend on

If your company were the trade partner in these stories, would you want to keep working with the way you currently treat the people on the other side of the table?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free, and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Jason delivers a short, direct message that a superintendent who isn't living inside the schedule isn't really a superintendent at all, no matter how clean the site looks or how strong their rapport with the crew. He compares the schedule to a palantir, the seeing stone from Lord of the Rings, calling it the one tool that lets a superintendent actually see the future.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why being in the schedule is non-negotiable for the superintendent role
• A real story of a superintendent blindsided by a deadline he never tracked
• Why clean sites and good rapport don't replace real schedule ownership
• The palantir analogy for why a schedule lets you see the future
• Why unwillingness to learn scheduling should be a career dealbreaker

Are you actually living in your schedule, or just hoping it works out?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Jason delivers a passionate, no holds barred message directed at workers and foremen who disrespect the companies and leaders genuinely investing in them. He balances deep love and respect for tradespeople with a hard challenge to stop the disrespect, dissent, and unprofessional behavior that hurts the industry's reputation and the people fighting to elevate it.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why disrespecting good faith investment from employers has to stop
• How Jason's own grueling schedule reflects his commitment to the industry
• Why unprofessional behavior undermines companies trying to reward their people
• The sobering construction mental health and suicide statistics behind his urgency
• Why earning respect requires stepping up, not acting like it's owed

Are you the kind of teammate worth the investment being made in you?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

John Coffman shares why communication skills, not technical ability, ultimately determine a builder's career ceiling, telling the story of a talented superintendent who broke his "um" and "ah" habit in just three weeks. He makes the case for joining Toastmasters as the best way to get the blunt, honest feedback most speakers never receive.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why builders are communicators first, whether they realize it or not
• How one superintendent broke his verbal filler habit in three weeks
• Why honest, specific feedback is what actually improves a speaker
• How Toastmasters meetings are structured to build real public speaking skill
• Why practicing communication skills matters as much as any technical training

Would you actually seek out honest feedback on how you speak?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Jason and Kate Schroeder walk through the 12 stages of burnout, from the early need to prove yourself all the way to full mental and physical collapse. They discuss how neglecting your own needs, withdrawing from family, and numbing with substances or overwork are warning signs, and share Tony Robbins' 60 day marriage challenge as one way to reconnect before reaching a point of no return.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The 12 stages of burnout from proving yourself to full collapse
• Why neglecting your own needs often masquerades as dedication
• How withdrawing from family and friends signals deeper trouble
• Tony Robbins' 60 day challenge for reconnecting with a struggling relationship
• Why some late stage consequences of burnout are nearly impossible to undo

Which stage of burnout do you recognize in yourself right now?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Jason walks through the six phases of lean implementation he's observed on projects, from early awareness and trying tools, to getting outside help, implementing full systems, and finally holding real accountability, arguing that projects hit a wall without the Integrated Production Control System.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The six phases most teams pass through on their lean journey
• Why trying tools without a system will only get you so far
• How the Integrated Production Control System breaks through the wall
• Why controlling circumstances, not people, is the real goal
• Why accountability is the final, non-negotiable phase of lean implementation

Which of these six phases is your project actually stuck in right now?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Jason goes on a passionate rant against overusing email, arguing that scattering project information across dozens of emails is like mailing IKEA furniture parts to different addresses and then hunting them all down to build it. He challenges teams to replace unnecessary email chains with phone calls, huddle boards, and Miro, calling email addiction a bigger productivity killer than supply chain issues or labor training gaps.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why organizing efforts through email scatters information like mailed IKEA parts
• How chunking, not unchunking, protects real one piece flow
• Why email sending can trigger an addictive dopamine hit
• When email is actually the right tool versus a waste of time
• Why a 30 minute standing call can replace dozens of RFI emails

Could a phone call replace the last five emails you sent?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw