Elevate Construction

Think and Grow Rich researched 40 millionaires to find what made them successful. Whatever the mind can conceive and believe the mind can achieve. Your mind will give up a hundred times before your body will. Write purpose statement and repeat until you believe it.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Five big ideas: desire is starting point, master of destiny, rebuild plans after defeat, success one step past defeat, set mind on definite goal
• Knowledge and action: knowledge is not power, knowledge and action together is power, never stop learning
• Purpose statement: write what you will achieve, repeat night and morning, visualize it clearly
• Seven positive emotions: desire, faith, love, intimacy, enthusiasm, romance, hope versus seven negative to avoid
• Desire determines everything: it all comes down to whether you want it bad enough to get it

There is no such thing as a victim rich person because every successful person has failed and gotten back up and moved 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

Customer service is about creating raving fans and finding win-win. One team pushed per owner requests and finished four and a half months late losing $2.3 million. Another team negotiated six more weeks with transparency and finished on time with raving fan. You win in pre-construction by setting a good deal.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Win-win not always right: deliver what customer paid for but always do right thing, find win-win
• Two project comparison: pushing finished 4.5 months late negative $2.3M, win-win finished on time with raving fan
• Pre-construction wins projects: set buffers, risk analysis, mobilization schedule, fresh eyes meetings, financial contingencies
• Contract default: owner does not control means and methods, you are responsible for schedule quality safety production
• Guardian mindset: become owner of their business and your business, have systems to show impacts transparently

You have to be good enough to beat the ref, and you do that in pre-construction, with visibility, and by finding that win-win instead of just absorbing it or getting contentious.

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

Visualization workshop taught Jason to go deeper than surface questions. Most conversations stay at 2D level when they should go to 3D with surroundings, then sensing emotions, then engaging with questions. Two screens in conference room help: one for schedule, one for model and roadblock tracking maps.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Visualization levels: words, 2D picture, 3D, 3D with surroundings, sensing emotions, engaging with questions
• Two screen setup: schedule on one, model and roadblock maps on other for better visualization
• Deep questions: keep asking until trade partner explains staging, equipment, crew size, installation steps
• Pre-construction meeting pictures: exterior contractor sent make-ready photos week before work showing what needed fixing
• Commitment triggers roadblocks: when you commit to Friday deadline people say hold up, that is when roadblocks surface

You cannot remove roadblocks until you can see them, and you are not going to see them unless you can visualize it using these systems with a workforce that is over 80 percent visual.

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

Plus delta feedback is useless if problems do not stay fixed. Teams get the same comments in every meeting because they react to problems instead of implementing systems. Stabilize before optimize means fixing problems once and keeping them fixed with procurement logs, quality processes, and standard systems.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Plus delta problem: same feedback every meeting because problems not staying fixed, no structural changes
• Stabilize first: procurement logs, quality processes, to-do lists keep problems from recurring
• Boring systems work: huddles same every day, site always clean, no drama because problems stay fixed
• Fire truck story: called everyone when neighboring project had issue, became extension of owner's business
• Toy soldier analogy: all systems make sure problems stay fixed, create capacity to handle real issues

Nobody will ever run a remarkable construction project unless their project is stable and boring and focused on the environment of the worker.

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

Phoenix Sky Harbor guideway project had a layout problem that risked major rework on a $450 million project. The team stayed calm, traversed the entire site, took thousands of side shots, and found a five-inch GPS coordinate bust from third-party surveyors. They modified one spiral segment and fabricated the central guide rail specifically to preserve existing work. The biggest takeaway is stay calm and do not abandon quality steps when solving problems.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Eight-step problem solving: define problem, clarify, define outcome, identify root cause, develop action plan, execute, evaluate, continuously improve
• Stay calm principle: 55 minutes defining problem and 5 minutes solving it, do not abandon quality when in rush
• Team problem solving: appoint leader, gather input, develop plan, communicate plan, problems belong to team not individuals
• Phoenix guideway story: traversed entire site, took thousands of side shots, found GPS bust, modified spiral segment
• Do not go tactical too quickly: gather data first, double check everything, stick with quality process before jumping to solutions

So many times when we get into a rush we start to abandon quality and abandon our double checks and abandon our calmness and we start to freak out and we make the problem worse.

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

Quality control simplified to three artifacts: team meeting agenda, quality process, and feature of work board. The quality process has six phases: teaming, pre-mobilization meeting two weeks after contract, pre-construction meeting three weeks before work starts, material inspection, initial inspection, and follow-up walks with rolling completion lists. The feature of work board has bullet list of key items on left and pictures of installation steps on right. Quality at base route is do workers know what to install and are they installing it correctly.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Three artifacts: team weekly tactical agenda, quality process itself, feature of work board deliverable
• Six phases: teaming, pre-mobilization, pre-construction, material inspection, initial inspection, follow-up walks and close-out
• Pre-construction meeting: collect deliverables, review owner's top 10, set safety and quality expectations, coordinate trades, review schedule
• Initial inspection: get crews off on right foot, review submittals, confirm crew knows what to build, educate
• Feature of work board: visual checklist with pictures showing what each step looks like, quality check-off items before closing work

Quality control at its base route is do the superintendent and foreman and workers know what is expected and are they installing according to expectations and do we have a process that triggers that quality control process.

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

Apostates are people who renounce a principle but stay in the organization and publicly dissent. If you are a dissenter, apostate, or not a cultural fit, fire yourself and find somewhere you will be happier. Cultural change causes 5 to 33 percent of people to actively fight the change and dig in like Alabama ticks. Zappos offers employees money to quit after a certain term to make the decision easier if they are not a cultural fit.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Apostates dig in: people who publicly dissent but stay in organization, infect teams like ticks transmit disease
• Growth versus fixed mindset: intelligence is dynamic and always improving versus intelligence is static and unchanging
• Inherent worth versus workplace value: you have worth but may not be adding value if wrong mindset or cultural fit
• Above-the-line principles: accountability, respect for others, act now, ask what else can I do, personal ownership, reject average
• Fire yourself: if not willing to commit to above-the-line principles, find organization that tolerates your behavior

If you stay at a company and you have a fixed mindset or you are an apostate or a dissenter or not a cultural fit you are being selfish and thinking only of money and security.

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

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Work-life balance is failing at your own project if you focus only on work and not on family. Planning out daily work and weekly schedules creates clarity and capacity to focus. Mr. Decker built a deck on the trailer with roof, lights, and microwave so workers could feel at home. He bought a grill for trade appreciation lunches and Friday luncheons, creating community on the job site.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Balance creates clarity: mapping out daily work plan and weekly schedule, blocking time to pick up kids at four o'clock
• Problem solving must be stable: like emergency response plan, dispatch people, maintain checklist, do not run around
• Military insight: soldiers could march 50 percent longer with 10 minute breaks every hour, breaks increase productivity
• Mr. Decker's environment: deck on trailer with roof and lights, microwave, water, grill for Friday trade appreciation lunches
• Goodwill creates productivity: field guys eventually organized and cooked lunch themselves showing gratitude back to office team

The military found that soldiers could march 50 percent longer with 10 minute breaks every hour, and when workers get really good breaks in comfortable respectful environments they are going to be able to do so much more.

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

Jesse Hernandez spent 20 years coping with industry stresses through substance abuse and multiple arrests. Just over five years sober, Jesse rode his bicycle and public transportation to job sites after losing his license. Lean professionals exposed him to leadership development and he learned he did not have to be defined by past behaviors. Now Jesse travels nationwide helping men and women who build buildings become the promise they are intended to be.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Crazy eight cycle: when not fulfilled in certainty, love, connection, we cope negatively with substance abuse or other destructive behaviors
• Jesse's story: 20 years substance abuse, criminal record longer than resume, five years sober, now serving builders nationwide
• Growth and contribution: spiritual needs beyond earthly needs, happier when focused on growth and serving others
• Leaders mark the path: not what they look like or their past, but the position they hold guiding people home
• Invitation to those suffering: Jesse offers open ear and help to become the promise you are intended to be

Leaders are like sticks marking the path through treacherous snowpack and it is not what they look like that gives them their significance to us but the position that they hold and what they stand for and the fact that they continue to stand upright.

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

For podcast number 400, Jason delivers a quick, high impact list of advice for anyone in construction with their hand raised to become a general superintendent, project executive, COO, or CEO. He covers personal mastery, the discipline of reading and continuous learning, the difference between doing and leading, why advertising yourself matters, and why finances are not optional. The episode ends where every great leader's journey ends, with family, health, and balance.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why remembering people's names is non negotiable for anyone aspiring to executive leadership

• A book a week as the minimum reading discipline for sharpening the mind

• The four bullets of personal mastery: clarity, mindset, organization, and morning routine

• Why advertising yourself is not brown nosing but a requirement for being seen and elected

• Why finances and family are the foundation that holds the rest together

When you have these things in place, the universe conspires to put you where you can do the most good for the most people.

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