Elevate Construction

Jason corrects a nuance from his previous episode on building capacity vs. pushing. He distinguishes between pushing, which is coercive and destructive, and driving with urgency, which is the intrinsic mark of a great builder. He uses the image of Japanese train attendees cramming people into rail cars and frosting being squeezed through a tiny nozzle to capture what pushing really looks like, then reads from step 15 of Elevating Construction Superintendent on driving with urgency. The episode lands on the difference between victim mindset and victor mindset, and why the best superintendents create capacity from the inside out.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The difference between pushing and driving and why one creates flow while the other destroys it

• Why a superintendent without a sense of urgency is ineffective to the point of uselessness

• How driving with urgency means meeting the seven conditions for a sound activity, not cramming workers

• The General Patton principle: a good plan violently executed today beats a perfect plan next week

• Why the best builders carry intrinsic drive instead of waiting for external pressure

The greatest builders don't push. They drive, and they create the kind of capacity others can flow through.

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 the case that the worsening supply chain crisis can't be wished away, but the unforced errors absolutely can. Recording from the road after setting up a new studio, he walks through a four part emergency plan every project should have running in the next two weeks: a real procurement log built in Excel with all the right columns, a weekly procurement meeting with the entire project team, daily 15 minute standup huddles aligned around procurement roadblocks, and a Takt plan with that procurement log built no later than the end of schematic design. The podcast is a direct call to stop blindly absorbing impacts and start managing procurement as a baseline.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why a submittal register is not a procurement log and what columns you actually need

• How to build buffer durations and conditional formatting that surface points of release at risk

• How a real baseline lets you have honest, transparent OAC conversations with the owner

• Why long lead trade partners must be brought on in pre construction or the schedule fails

• The four item emergency action list every project should implement now

The supply chain crisis is real. The unforced errors stacked on top of it are optional. Get the log running and let the owner see what you actually know.

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 the case that the real fix for the construction industry doesn't come from new tools, new philosophies, or even Lean alone. It comes from getting back to the fundamentals through a strong field engineer program. He shares his own story of nearly being fired before reading Wes Crawford's Field Engineering Methods Manual, the legacy of the Field Engineer Boot Camp, and why every company that wants great superintendents must first build great field engineers. The episode introduces the idea of doctrines of salvation in construction, the basics that have to come before any of the advanced concepts ever land.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why technology, methodology, and Lean alone won't fix the industry without fundamentals

• The story behind Wes Crawford's Field Engineering Methods Manual and why it changed Jason's life

• The doctrines of salvation in construction: to do lists, organization, quality, flow, cleanliness, and safety

• Why superintendents shouldn't be doing general foreman work or field engineer leg work

• Why a strong field engineer program is the prerequisite for ever building great superintendents

Stop trying to fix the industry from the top down. The fix starts at the bottom of the org chart with the people learning to build for the first time.

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 brings Katie back on the podcast to wrestle with one of the harder leadership questions: how do you handle people who have been trained, supported, and given every opportunity, but still don't respond? They walk through agency, the scarcity mindset that traps owners into tolerating cultural misfits, the Paul Akers and Gary Vee examples of cutting half an organization to get to excellence, and a powerful blood transfusion analogy for what a non cultural fit actually does to a team. The episode lands on a clear path forward: it's just data, and data leads to action, not reaction.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why agency matters and what to do when human beings choose not to respond to training

• The scarcity mindset trap that keeps owners holding onto employees who hurt the team

• The blood transfusion analogy: wrong blood type doesn't mean bad blood, just wrong fit

• Why focusing on top performers and continually recruiting cultural fits beats waiting it out

• Paul Akers and Gary Vee on the cost of growing the organization you actually want

You can have your full team or you can have excellence. Choosing both at the same time is the trap. Empowered action on the data is the way through.

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 brings Katie Schroeder onto the podcast to balance him out on the topic of receiving feedback. After an honest admission that he sometimes gets emotional about feedback that feels stupid or hurtful, Katie reframes the entire concept: feedback is just data, not positive or negative until you assign emotion to it. They walk through plus delta culture, asking better questions to get better feedback, the temptation to invalidate someone whose feedback you didn't like, and how leadership and self deception applies when wounded people deliver feedback in wounded ways. The episode lands on a simple discipline: stay clear, do the right thing, and let your value live somewhere other than the comments.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why labeling feedback as positive or negative quietly puts you in an emotional posture

• Why asking better questions about a meeting's purpose gets you better feedback

• How to handle critical comments from clients, colleagues, or LinkedIn trolls without invalidating the person

• Why hurt people deliver feedback in hurt ways and what compassion looks like there

• The leadership and self deception lesson: get clarity, then do the right thing

Your value is intrinsic. Feedback is data. The work is keeping the two separate.

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 coins the term "Whacky-Takty" to describe what happens when teams adopt the structure of a tacted system but keep operating with a push mindset. He opens with Goodhart's law and why a measure stops being useful the moment it becomes a target, then walks through the real reason Takt projects finish on time: buffers, the discipline to pause the entire system when a real problem hits, and the courage to use that pause to prepare for the next round of work instead of pushing through. Drawing from a Toyota production system reading and a recent factory walk in Germany, he explains why flow first, pull when you can't, and never push, is the only path to absorbing variation.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Goodhart's law and why production KPIs collapse the moment they become targets

• Why the only schedule worth having is one with buffers built in

• What automation with a human touch from Toyota actually means in construction

• The difference between flow, pull, and push and why pushing inside a tacted system creates wacky tacti

• How the seven conditions for a sound activity fill the pause and prepare the next round of work

The reason Takt projects finish on time is not magic. It's buffers, pauses, and the refusal to push trades out of rhythm.

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 Katie Schroeder record a fun, off the cuff episode on the way to Home Depot to grab Halloween decorations. They make the case for going all in on the holidays, why fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are worth celebrating with full intention, and how decorating the project trailer, the office, and the home creates the kind of energy that pulls families and teams together. Katie shares the traditions that work in their family of eleven, and Jason challenges every leader in construction to bring a little whimsy into the trailer.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why holidays are a powerful tool for connection at home, on the project, and in the office

• How Jason turned the research laboratory trailer into a full Halloween experience for the team

• The Schroeder family traditions: Nightmare Before Christmas, spooky stories, drives to look at decorations

• Why a worker barbecue or pie Friday during a tough project gives back more than it costs

• The minimum expectations: a scent, a pumpkin, some lights, and a fall barbecue with the crew

If construction is a stressful and serious industry, levity is not a luxury. It's a leadership move.

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 continues the Elevate Construction journey series with a vulnerable look at where the company is headed. He shares the dream of helping build a hospital for St. Jude Children's Hospital, a treehouse style training center in a forested area inspired by Lord of the Rings and Avatar, and the vision of bringing foster youth and underprivileged kids in to elevate their set point through training and high standards. He also lays out the Elevate ecosystem of LeanTakt, LeanSurvey, LeanOffice, LeanField, LeanVDC, and LeanBusiness, all designed to put remarkable training at the fingertips of every construction professional.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why St. Jude Children's Hospital is at the top of Jason's giving back list

• The vision for a treehouse training center where Elevate's culture comes to life

• Why Jason wants to bring foster youth and underprivileged kids in to elevate their set points

• The Elevate ecosystem and the directors who will scale each Lean discipline

• Why ignorance is the real barrier and education is the way out for workers, leaders, and families

A vision that big needs the right people, the right synergy, and the right inspiration to come together. The invitation is open for anyone who wants to help shape 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

Jason records from the road on the way back from Nashville and shares the story behind why Elevate Construction exists in the first place. He opens up about helping put his father in law's company out of business early in his career and the vow he made afterward to take care of trade partners. He tells the story of nearly being fired before scriptures and the field engineering methods manual changed his life, and walks through the ten year journey of preparing to start the business, the moment he had to let go of fear, and the timeline that unfolded almost exactly as he sensed it would.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why Jason takes care of trade partners with such intensity and where that came from

• How learning and training became core values of the business after almost being fired

• Why the moment of leverage to start a business is when purpose outweighs fear

• Why the first year of running a business is the hardest work most people will ever do

• Why cash flow, not revenue, is the silent killer most new business owners underestimate

When the flesh is weak and the blood runs chill, the question is whether your free spirit cries "I will." That's where every meaningful mission begins.

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 takes on a short, urgent topic that affects everyone in construction and beyond: the lie of "I'm fine." He shares the moment a project executive helped him see his emotional highs and lows on a whiteboard, and how learning to speak up changed everything. The episode is a direct call to stop saying I'm fine when you're not, to ask the people around you with real intent, and to recognize that letting someone help you is a gift you give both yourself and them.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why "I know" and "I'm fine" are both signals that something deeper is going on

• The high low pattern many leaders fall into and how to level it with help

• Why dying by suicide or living in hell are the two outcomes when "I'm fine" goes unchallenged

• How to honestly answer "are you okay" with care for yourself and the person asking

• Why connection and speaking up is the simplest mental health practice we have

If you have ever stood at the edge of needing help and said "I'm fine" instead, this episode is the permission slip to tell the truth next time.

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