Elevate Construction

In this episode of the Elevate Construction podcast, Rich Whitten, CEO of Reconstruction Experts, joins Jason Schroeder to talk about what it really takes to do reconstruction work inside occupied properties, hospitals, laboratories, and apartment buildings full of people trying to live their lives around a job site. Rich breaks down his company's five pillars, safety, quality, schedule, cost, and communication, and explains why unanswered questions from residents and owners always get filled with their worst fears. Jason shares his own hard lesson about learning to see a project through the customer's eyes instead of just checking a box. This episode is a clear case for why overcommunication isn't optional when you're working in someone else's home or workplace.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Rich's five pillars of reconstruction: safety, quality, schedule, cost, and communication

• Why unanswered questions from residents or owners always get filled with their worst fears

• Jason's own story about a fire call that taught him to see a project through the customer's eyes

• Why Reconstruction Experts gives residents an advocate to call if they don't feel heard by the project team

• Rich's closing challenge: build systems and process so growth doesn't depend on individual talent alone

If you left your customer's questions unanswered this week, what worst-case story did they fill in the blank with?

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 sits down with Jennifer Lacy and Jesse Hernandez, the duo behind No BS with Jen and Jess, to talk about the people side of lean. What started as a wild idea to apply 5S to personal relationships turned into a movement built on vulnerability, trust, and showing up as your real self. They break down the "vulnerability spectrum" they've watched play out live, and why so many tough, guarded people in construction are finally opening up. This episode is a reminder that no system, schedule, or tool matters if you never build real trust with the people doing the work.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• How a 5S-in-relationships idea turned into the No BS with Jen and Jess movement

• Jennifer's superpower: connecting people and shining a light on their talents

• Jesse's superpower: listening deeply enough to help people reach their own self-discovery

• The "vulnerability spectrum," from silent watchers to people sharing deeply personal stories live

• Why people suffering alone often mistake their pain for their own inadequacy, and why that's false

When was the last time you let your guard down enough for someone else to feel safe doing the same?

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 sits down with Brian at a superintendent and project manager boot camp to break down the Field Verified Way, a step-by-step training method built after realizing that skill gaps weren't a willingness problem, they were a teaching problem. Brian walks through the process: discuss the why, watch the video, watch a coach demonstrate it, learn the pro tips, practice with a coach watching, then teach it back to lock it in. They also dig into the visual skills chart that exposed just how many gaps even long-tenured employees had, and why building one, even an imperfect first draft, changes everything. This is a practical, real-world look at what it actually takes to train people well.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The six steps of the Field Verified Way: discuss, watch, demonstrate, pro tips, practice, and teach it back

• Why skill gaps are usually a teaching problem, not a willingness problem

• How a visual skills chart exposed that some long-tenured employees only knew 60% of what they needed to

• Why recording someone teaching a skill back locks in their learning better than just watching them once

• Why Brian's advice is to just start with an imperfect spreadsheet instead of waiting for the perfect system

If you put every employee's skills on a wall for everyone to see, what would it reveal about how well your team is really trained?

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 the case that no project can run without a real buyout log, and explains exactly what that log actually needs to include. He breaks down the three supply chains that branch off design, permitting, buyout, and material procurement, and why your buyout dates have to be calculated backward from your Takt plan, not just tracked after the fact. He also answers a great listener question about when a leader should stop saying "it's my fault" and actually remove the person causing the problem. This is a short, practical episode on the paperwork that keeps your subcontractors ready before your crews ever need them.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The three supply chains that branch off design: permitting, buyout, and material procurement

• Why your buyout complete date needs to be calculated backward from your Takt plan, not just tracked as a single milestone

• What a real buyout log needs beyond contractor, contract amount, and date, prequalification, safety plans, insurance, and more

• Why you can't dispatch a contractor to the field without their insurance and safety documentation fully in place

• When a leader should stop absorbing the blame and actually remove the person causing the problem

If your buyout log only has scope, contractor, and contract amount, what's actually going to stop a crew from showing up without insurance?

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 uses a dirt bike ride across a dry lake bed to make a sharp point about planning horizons. He explains why going fast in a high-risk environment, whether on a motorcycle or on a construction project, means you have to look farther ahead, not less, and why the industry has misapplied "don't plan too far ahead" into an excuse to stop planning at all. He breaks down why Takt planning lets you see a project from start to finish and why reactive firefighting on a jobsite is really just a sign of missing preparation. This episode is a direct challenge to move from reacting to problems to preventing them before they happen.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why going fast in a high-risk environment means you need to look farther ahead, not less

• The difference between not planning in too much detail too far ahead and not planning too far ahead at all

• Why takt planning lets you see a schedule from start to finish, all the way to project completion

• The four stages of competence, from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence, and how they apply to pre-planning

• Why constantly solving problems on a jobsite is a sign you're not doing your job, not a sign you're doing it well

If your week was full of problems to solve instead of problems you prevented, were you really doing your job?

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 delivers a blunt, no-excuses take on virtual meeting etiquette. He explains why leaving your camera off, staying muted, and disengaging on Zoom or Teams calls is unacceptable, and why every excuse from bad internet to broken cameras is really just a decision to not show up. He breaks down how much of communication is actually body language, and why disengaged participants drain the energy out of a meeting for everyone else. This is a short, fiery wake-up call for anyone who has ever hidden behind a black screen.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why turning your camera off on a virtual meeting is the same as showing up unprofessionally to an in-person one

• Why Jason believes every excuse about bad internet or broken cameras is really a choice

• How much of meaningful communication actually comes from body language

• Why disengaged, camera-off participants drain energy from everyone else in the meeting

• The standard Jason expects: camera on, unmuted, dressed professionally, and fully present

Would you show up to a job interview with your camera off? So why do it to your own team?

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, John Coffman returns to share one of his best analogies yet for what a superintendent actually does: think orchestra conductor, not quarterback. He explains why a conductor who doesn't play a single instrument can still turn a room of talented musicians into music, and why a superintendent who beats people over the head or just stands back taking notes will never get the same result. Jason and John also dig into the industry's current war on command and control, and why the real problem is ignorance and poor training, not control itself. This episode reframes leadership as something you inspire, not something you dictate.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why John's symphony conductor analogy captures what a superintendent actually does better than the quarterback comparison

• The difference between a conductor who leads with tempo and vision and one who just beats people over the head

• Why companies that train superintendents consistently outperform those relying on individual talent

• Why the real problem with "command and control" is ignorance and poor training, not control itself

• How the industry's expectation shifted from being driven, to managed, to led, to now being inspired

Are you leading your team like a conductor with a plan, or like someone just waiting for the next missed note?

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 breaks down a simple framework for getting people to actually do what you need them to do. Using an unused employee-recognition stand he spotted at an airport, he shows why good instructions and easy circumstances still aren't enough if people don't want to act. Drawing on the book Switch by Chip and Dan Heath, he explains the rider, the elephant, and the path, and how all three have to line up before any change sticks. This quick episode gives you a practical checklist for diagnosing why your own initiatives aren't landing.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The three things every person needs before they'll actually do something: know how, want to, and the right circumstances

• Why a well-designed airport recognition stand still failed, and what that reveals about most company initiatives

• The Switch framework's rider, elephant, and path analogy for knowledge, motivation, and circumstances

• A simple diagnostic question to run before rolling out any new process or expectation

• Why motivating the "elephant" matters just as much as giving clear instructions

Which of the three, know how, want to, or circumstances, is missing from the task you're struggling to get your team to do?

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 shares lessons from The Pocket Sensei by Hal Macomber on why dissatisfaction, not comfort, is what actually drives improvement. He walks through Thomas Edison's famous take on failure, a story about a survey team that stopped assuming they could get it right the first time, and why confronting the brutal facts about where you really are is the first step to closing any gap. He also reads a great piece of listener feedback that echoes his own shammy story from a previous episode. This is a short, practical episode on why good leaders go see the work for themselves instead of guessing.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why "dissatisfaction is the mother of improvement" should shape how your team responds to problems

• Thomas Edison's mindset on failure, and why assuming you'll get it right the first time is dangerous

• Why confronting the brutal facts about where you really are comes before any real improvement

• The lean practice of going to the gemba, seeing the actual work with your own eyes and others' eyes

• A listener's story that proves unclear instructions, not new employees, are usually the real problem

What brutal fact about your project or team have you been avoiding this week?

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 sits down with Lean Construction Institute co-founder Hal Macomber to mark 25 years since LCI's earliest white papers, and to ask a hard question: why aren't we doing what we've already known for decades? Hal walks through the four production laws that still get ignored on jobsites, why the industry is bleeding workers five to one because of how poorly trade labor is treated, and why command and control keeps construction stuck instead of moving toward true systems thinking. He also explains why Toyota's cross-trained workforce gives it a flexibility construction has never built for itself. This is a dense, foundational conversation for anyone serious about building better systems.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The four production laws every scheduler should know: Little's Law, the Law of Variation, the Law of Bottlenecks, and Kingman's Formula

• Why the construction industry loses five workers for every one who joins, and what respect for people actually requires

• Why positional power isn't the same as expertise, and why the people doing the work are the real experts

• Why classical management resists lean, according to Bob Emiliani's research on the "political economy" of management

• How Toyota's cross-training model builds swing capacity that construction almost never does

If the people running your projects had to prove their expertise instead of relying on their title, what would change?

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