Elevate Construction

Jason opens up about his own success formula, starting with clarity and mindset. He shares candid stories of nearly giving up on his new book and stressing over cash flow, and how a growth mindset and outside coaching pulled him back. The core message is that clarity on where you are headed, paired with the right mindset, has to come before organization and routine can matter.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure
• How to build real clarity about your career and life direction
• The difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset
• Why a rich mindset matters more than circumstances
• Why clarity, mindset, organization, and routine all depend on each other

If you have a morning routine and a to-do list but no real clarity on where you are headed, the honest question is whether you are actually making progress, or just staying busy in a direction you never chose.

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 answers a listener request about pursuits and interviews, drawing on the story brand framework and lessons from Tony Robbins training to explain why people buy on emotion first and justify with logic after. He walks through getting into the right physiological state before an interview, connecting the client as the hero to your plan as the guide, and shares two real interview stories where energy and passion tipped the decision.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why people buy emotionally and justify with logic after
• How the story brand framework applies to project interviews
• Why physical and emotional state shapes interview outcomes
• How to structure a proposal so it removes risk, friction, and confusion
• Why superintendents should own the process instead of being rushed by it

If you have been treating interviews as a presentation instead of a connection, the real question is whether you have actually found the client's real pain points, or just prepared slides that talk around them.

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 John Coffman tell the button story from a chaotic Fort Worth job, where a general superintendent handed out we can do it buttons to fight rampant negativity during constant client changes. John explains the difference between blind optimism and optimism grounded in a real plan, and they close on a simple, powerful choice everyone faces.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• How the buttons turned a job's negativity into momentum
• Why separating change order work from contract work protected the schedule
• The real difference between blind optimism and grounded optimism
• Why pessimism about solutions is always destructive
• Why every day comes down to choosing to live or choosing to die

If your team has been beaten down by constant changes and setbacks, the real challenge is building a plan grounded enough to be genuinely optimistic about, then choosing to live it out loud.

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 talks with Joel Hamilton, a senior PM at Easy Steel, about how general contractors and steel trade partners can work together better. Joel shares a set of rules for the relationship, from paying on time and sharing design information early to getting anchor bolts and ground conditions right. They also dig into why last minute changes and surprises cost so much more than upfront collaboration, and why optimism between GC and trade partner shapes how a project actually plays out.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why paying trade partners on time protects the whole project
• How missing anchor bolt and embed information causes costly rework
• Why ground conditions matter for crane staging and flow
• How last minute steel changes multiply cost and delay
• Why starting with optimism shapes trade partner relationships

If your steel contractor is constantly redoing work in the field instead of the shop, the real question is whether your team is giving them the information they need early, 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 pushes back hard against the idea that listening alone can fix construction. He argues that real change requires structure, training, and motivation together, not just soft skills, and lays out a long list of hard implementable changes owners and companies need to make. He walks through why CPM negates worker improvements, why continuous improvement always comes last in a system, and why Toyota's own workers only originate a fraction of the ideas that drive change.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why listening alone will never fix the construction industry
• The three things Switch says every change needs to succeed
• Why CPM negates the improvements workers come up with
• Why continuous improvement always comes last, not first
• A concrete list of hard changes owners and companies must make

If you have been told that real change just takes listening and openness, the honest question is whether that answer would survive being handed to a real project team tomorrow with a real deadline.

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 talks with Lauren Atwell and Ryan Schmitt about what real accountability requires. They break down the formula leadership plus management equals accountability, explain why taking blame is only the first step and solving the problem is what matters, and use the extreme ownership boat crew story to show why there are no bad teams, only bad leaders. The conversation closes by tracing accountability back through trust, conflict, and commitment.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why accountability requires leadership and management first
• The difference between taking blame and truly owning a problem
• Why there are no bad teams, only bad leaders
• How trust and healthy conflict build real commitment
• How to analyze low performance by working the trust triangle backward

If your team is not performing, the challenge is to work backward through that triangle honestly and find out which link, trust, conflict, or commitment, is actually missing.

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 John Coffman share the hammer story, a lesson about a general superintendent named Mike who ran his job through fear until he learned that using every tool, not just the hammer, is what real management requires. John also tells a hard story from a job in Berlin, where a blunt safety confrontation finally stopped a string of injuries. Together they close on emotional intelligence tools every leader needs and a sobering warning about mental health in construction.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why command and control without the right tools breeds resentment
• The difference between positive leadership and negative management
• How John's Berlin safety confrontation changed a job's culture
• Why emotional intelligence belongs in every superintendent's toolbox
• The alarming toll construction takes on mental health.

If you have been relying on the hammer to get results, the real question is whether your team is doing what you ask because they want to, or just enough to stay out of trouble.

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 talks with General Superintendent Tony Eisenhut about how he plans and executes a massive $360 million project. Tony shares his approach to tackling the five hardest areas of a job first, breaking overwhelming drawings into bite sized pieces, and keeping flow moving in one consistent direction. He also covers building the right team, mastering the basics, and why communication, not brick laying, is the real job of a superintendent.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why tackling the five hardest areas first protects the schedule
• How to break down complex drawings into manageable pieces
• Why flow direction should never waver once set
• What to look for when hand picking a team
• Why communication is the superintendent's true craft

If communication really is the main job of a superintendent, the question worth asking is whether you have actually trained for that craft the way you would train to lay brick.

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 this episode, Jason continues his conversation with systems thinking expert Hal Macomber, digging into why so many teams resist genuine change even when they know better. Hal walks through the roots of systems thinking, from Donella Meadows to Peter Senge's fifth discipline, and shows why lean is really a learning strategy disguised as an operations strategy. Together they unpack the five common archetypes of resistance, not enough time, no help available, it is not relevant, walking the talk, and fear and anxiety, and why every meaningful change effort runs into them. The conversation lands on a clear challenge to stop leaning on CPM as gospel and start managing projects the way sailors read wind and current, adjusting constantly rather than following a fixed line.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why lean is fundamentally a learning strategy, not just an operations strategy
• The five system archetypes that resist meaningful change
• Why changing the goal from productivity to flow produces higher productivity
• How CPM should be used for milestones, not moment to moment control
• Why small actions can reshape thinking before belief ever catches up

If your team keeps saying a new approach is not relevant, or that there is no time or no help for it, the real question worth asking is which of these five archetypes is actually driving that resistance, and what it would take to name it honestly instead of accepting it as fact.

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 this episode of the Elevate Construction podcast, Jason Schroeder makes his strongest case yet against CPM scheduling by connecting it to something he sees constantly in business consulting: you can only fix a problem if you're measuring something real. He explains why percent plan complete inside a CPM-based Last Planner System almost never produces useful root causes, because the schedule itself is built on guesses, oversized batch areas, and trade stacking. He contrasts that with takt planning, where quantities and production rates create a real schedule, so when you miss a commitment, the root cause actually means something. This episode reframes an old lean debate through the lens of real financial variance tracking.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why Jason believes percent plan complete never produces useful results inside a CPM-based schedule

• How guessed durations, oversized batch areas, and trade stacking make a CPM schedule fundamentally unreliable

• Why tracking financial variances only works when the underlying numbers are real, and why scheduling should work the same way

• How takt planning creates a real schedule that makes root cause analysis actually meaningful

• Why Jason now believes percent plan complete can work, but only paired with takt planning

When was the last time a CPM schedule actually told you why you missed a deadline, instead of just that you did?

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