Elevate Construction

Continuing his reflections from Fiji, Jason unpacks a distinction he keeps coming back to: life is about progress, not possessions. He challenges the idea that any amount of money, cars, or achievements will ever be the source of real happiness, arguing instead that lasting fulfillment comes from constantly growing and becoming. The episode centers on his take on fixed versus growth mindsets, applying it boldly and personally to marriage, career, and even his own spiritual beliefs, making the case that anywhere we settle into "this is just how it is" thinking, we lose the chance to keep progressing.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why chasing "having" (money, cars, status) never produces lasting happiness the way progress and growth do
• The difference between a fixed mindset ("I'm enough" or "I'm not enough") and a growth mindset ("I can always keep progressing")
• Why Jason believes even our biggest institutions, marriages, careers, and belief systems, thrive when they stay in a growth mindset
• A personal, candid look at how Jason applies this framework to his own spiritual beliefs
• Why "there's always a next thing" and one more step matters more than reaching some final finish line

Where in your own life have you settled into "this is just how it is," when a growth mindset could open up your next step forward?

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

In part two of his Fiji reflections, Jason digs deeper into the lessons from climbing that 50-foot pole, this time focusing on what it felt like at the very top, wobbly, exposed, and terrified, and the anchors that got him through it. He connects it to Fiji's culture of God, family, and community, shares a powerful analogy about ascending from deep water one step at a time instead of panicking toward the surface, and reflects on the total absence of judgment he's found at these trainings. It's a vulnerable, reflective episode about balance, communication with yourself, and the radical acceptance that lets people take their next step without fear of being judged.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why anchoring yourself to something stable (faith, family, community) helps you stay steady when everything around you feels shaky
• A powerful analogy about surfacing from deep water one small goal at a time instead of panicking toward the finish
• Why the mantra "one more step" can carry you through fear better than trying to see the whole journey
• Why judgment-free environments, like the one Jason found at this training, are what actually let people take risks and grow
• The importance of balance, physically, emotionally, and in life, when you're pushing yourself into new territory

Who in your life needs to hear "one more step" from you today, without any judgment attached?

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 outside in Fiji during a Tony Robbins Life and Wealth Mastery event, Jason shares a powerful personal reflection from climbing a 50-foot pole and standing on top with no rope assistance. He draws out several lessons from the experience: the importance of assuming people are doing their best, how a "red line" of safety can teach us to support others past their danger zone, and why cheering people on (or refusing to) says more about us than we realize. He closes with a simple mantra from the event, "one more step", as a reminder that we don't have to see the whole journey to keep moving forward.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why assuming people are doing their best shifts us from judgment to genuine support
• The "red line" concept: how creating safer conditions can help someone push through their danger zone
• Why refusing to clap, cheer, or support others in a training says something deeper about how we show up elsewhere in life
• Why doing hard, uncomfortable things (firewalking, pole climbing, wall climbing) builds real mastery that mere knowledge never can
• The simple power of the mantra "one more step" when facing something that feels overwhelming

Who in your life is right at their own version of the red line right now, and what would it look like for you to help lift them past it?

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 from a life and wealth training trip in Fiji, Jason shares a surprising truth about pre-construction scheduling: your first Takt plan doesn't need to be correct, it just needs to be visible enough for the team to make it correct together. Drawing on a memorable clash with a superintendent who insisted on perfecting a schedule alone before sharing it, Jason makes the case that Takt's real genius isn't just the math or the Lean theory behind it, it's that putting the whole plan on one visual page lets an entire team's collective experience improve it through iteration. Even stripped of every other Lean principle, he argues, that single quality (visibility) is enough to make Takt superior to a 75-page CPM schedule no one can actually see or understand.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why an imperfect first-draft schedule is fine, as long as it's visual enough for the team to correct together
• Why relying on one person to perfect a schedule in isolation sets a project up for failure
• How multiple rounds of redlining a Takt plan with trade partners and schedulers actually strengthens it
• Why a 75-page CPM schedule fails the basic test of being seen and understood by the people building the work
• Gwendolyn Galsworth's definition of a true visual environment, and why Takt fits it perfectly

Is your project's schedule something your whole team can actually see and improve together, or is it locked away with just one person trying to make it perfect alone?

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 driving to the airport, Jason takes on one of his most controversial takes yet: sometimes it's completely fine for workers to stand around. Using examples from manufacturing throughput, hospital patient flow, and civil excavation work, he makes the case that busyness is not production, and that obsessing over whether every worker is "busy" actually creates overproduction, defects, and waste. He argues the real question is never "is everyone busy," but "is the flow unit flowing," and that stopping to fix a problem, rest, train, or improve almost always beats pushing forward at full speed.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why "busyness" is actually waste, not production, and why keeping every worker occupied can slow the whole system down
• A throughput example showing why slowing everyone down to match the slowest step can be faster than running everyone at full speed
• Why identifying the "flow unit" (the part, the patient, the process) matters more than whether every person is working
• Why buffers, between wagons, trains, meetings, and workdays, are what actually let teams reflect, improve, and go faster
• Why installing work right the first time, not pushing harder or adding more people, is the real way to speed up a project

Next time you see an empty zone or an idle crew, will your first instinct be "why aren't they busy," or "is the work actually flowing"?

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 after a long stretch of travel and training, Jason opens up about two things that genuinely scare him for the future of his own company: too many emails and too many back-to-back meetings. He breaks down the real physiological cost of running back-to-back without breaks, how the body reroutes energy away from long-term well-being just to keep you performing, and why that hits introverts especially hard. He also makes a sharp case for why email is one of the most wasteful communication tools available, and why building in real buffers between meetings is what actually keeps a team, and a person, sustainable and self-improving.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why back-to-back meetings without breaks quietly drain long-term mental health and well-being, not just short-term energy
• How military research on marching breaks applies directly to meeting schedules and productivity
• Why skipping post-meeting buffers turns small tasks into 15-45 minute delays down the road
• Why email is one of the most time-wasting communication tools, and when a call, text, or quick meeting beats it
• Jason's internal warning to his own company about the risk of losing their competitive edge if they let email and back-to-back meetings take over

Where in your own day are you skipping the buffer between meetings, and what is it quietly costing 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

After roughly 19 years on his Lean journey, Jason has a genuine breakthrough he's excited to share: real transformation came from combining standard work, One Piece Flow, and improving as part of doing the work, instead of delegating improvements or pushing them to later. He walks through how this shift, forced by not having someone else to delegate to, changed everything from how fast his team updates training materials to how his family loads and unloads the boat in minutes flat. It's a personal, energetic episode about why "I'll do it later" almost always costs more than just finishing it now.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why delaying small improvements to "do later" almost always costs 15 to 45 minutes of wasted time
• How combining standard work, One Piece Flow, and improving as you go creates real, lasting change
• A real example of how creating standard checklists let Jason's family load and unload their boat in minutes instead of hours
• Why improving the work as part of doing the work beats delegating improvements for someone else to finish later
• How this mindset shift showed up everywhere, from training courses to packing for a trip to keeping a house with 11 kids clean

Where in your own life are you saying "I'll do it later" when you could just finish it 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

Recorded from behind the wheel in Chicago, Jason tackles a piece of advice that gets misquoted and misused constantly: Paul Akers' "don't hire a consultant" line. He breaks down what that advice actually means, don't outsource your Lean transformation forever, not don't ever get outside help, and points out that even Akers himself hired manufacturing experts to get started. Backed by real data from companies he's worked with, Jason makes an unapologetic case that every successful company, team, and family gets outside help, and that the businesses stuck at a plateau are almost always the ones refusing training, coaching, or consulting.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why Paul Akers' "don't hire a consultant" advice is commonly taken out of context
• Real data on schedule gains, profit margins, and client satisfaction from companies that invested in outside training and consulting
• Why companies that refuse third-party help tend to stay stuck at the same plateau for years
• Why even Jason and his wife rely on business coaches, lawyers, accountants, and consultants in their own lives and business
• Why getting the right help isn't a sign of weakness, but a defining trait of the best teams and companies

Is there a place in your own business or career right now where pride or cost is keeping you from getting the help that could actually move you forward?

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 breaks down a career warning he's seen play out over and over, using the analogy of a slingshot: sometimes you have to pull back before you can shoot forward faster. Drawing on data from training thousands of people, he compares career paths that reached the highest field leadership levels against those that got permanently stuck at the superintendent level, and pinpoints the missing ingredient every time, skipping or rushing through the crucial field engineer or survey "transition period" where builders become builder-leaders. It's a compelling case for why patience early in a career pays off with real velocity later.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why rushing out of entry-level field engineer or survey positions can permanently slow someone's career trajectory
• The eight specific skills people miss when they skip the builder-leader transition period (technology, frontline quality, safety, surveying, lift drawings, respect for the craft, delegation, personal organization)
• Why the superintendent role is fundamentally a leadership position, not a builder position, and why that distinction matters
• A real comparison of three career paths, one average, one Jason's own, and one that got stuck, and what separated them

Are you (or is someone you're mentoring) rushing past the builder foundation that actually makes the rest of a career possible?

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 makes a bold claim in this episode: the Takt Production System and the Toyota Production System aren't just similar, they're essentially the same system applied to a different industry. Walking through Nicholas Modig's three keys to flow (just-in-time, jidoka, and kaizen) and all 14 principles of the Toyota Way, he shows point by point how Takt planning mirrors manufacturing's most proven production system, from leveling workload to stopping the line to fix problems to developing people through real huddles instead of top-down CPM commands. It's a compelling case for why Takt isn't just "a good idea," but the construction industry's long-overdue adoption of decades-proven Lean thinking.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why Takt construction mirrors Toyota's line-based production system almost exactly
• How Nicholas Modig's three keys to flow (just-in-time, jidoka, kaizen) all show up in Takt planning
• A walkthrough of all 14 Toyota Way principles and how Takt construction complies with each one
• Why CPM schedules fail to meet nearly any of these Lean principles, while Takt satisfies all of them
• The train analogy: how linking trades into "wagons" creates the same speed, same distance flow seen on a manufacturing line

If Toyota figured this out decades ago, what's stopping your projects from running the same way?

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