Elevate Construction

Jason, Felipe Engineer-Manriquez, and Spencer Easton hit the road on the Autobahn for a Germany series episode dedicated to Tony Robbins Business Mastery. Felipe shares what it was like to spend five overnight days in a virtual training with 2,600 people from over 70 countries, the integration of business, psychology, motivation, and continuous improvement, and the immediate changes he made to his business right out of day one. The conversation turns into a passionate love letter to giving, to peak states, and to investing in yourself when you think you can't afford it.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why mindset and state are the highest leverage thing to manage before any task

• How peak state changes how you show up for family during real life crises

• Why giving and being of service is the most undervalued principle in our culture

• The financial impact of mindset, including a 3M to 45M sales jump in six months from one attendee

• Why investing in yourself, even when it feels expensive, is the highest yield return you'll find

If you're stagnant, low energy, or wondering what you're doing here, the answer probably isn't more information. It's a different state to receive 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 continues the Germany series from Munich after wrapping up two days of Takt simulations with Janosch, Marco, Spencer, Felipe, and his son Reno. He shares what flow actually felt like during the simulation, then makes the case that most of the industry never plans like a builder. From poring over half size drawings the way generals studied war maps, to running the math on Takt zones and tact time, to relentlessly simulating logistics day by day, this episode is an invitation back to the art and science of how great builders actually think.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• What flow felt like in the BMW style Takt simulation when materials were staged ahead of every tact

• Why builders go to the drawings before any scheduling software, every single time

• How Dlouhy and Vinneger's law and Takt math optimize the number of Takt zones for a building

• Why logistics is the master's discipline and why simulation is non negotiable

• How to draw out day by day where every crane, trench box, pump, and pipe will sit before you build

If planning a project doesn't feel fun, the question is not whether it can be fun. The question is whether you've ever actually planned like a builder.

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 kicks off the Germany series from Munich, fresh off a tour of the BMW manufacturing line with Felipe, Spencer, Reno, Janosch, and Marco. He shares his first major reflection from the trip: how Takt planning enables every other tracking and alignment system in construction, and how the shared electronic line at BMW illustrates what happens when the whole network shifts together. Then he lands on a powerful question for every superintendent and foreman: are you planning like you'll be there, or are you planning like you won't?

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why Takt planning enables one process flow, procurement management, quality, and area tracking

• The BMW line lesson on shifting the entire network together when something stops

• Why CPM does not create buffers and why Takt, Last Planner, and Scrum do

• The toy soldier analogy for winding up workers with clear instructions and visuals

• The difference between forced and unforced errors and why stability eliminates the unforced ones

If your jobsite couldn't function tomorrow without you, the question isn't whether you're indispensable. The question is whether you've actually built a system worth being proud of.

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 topic that comes up everywhere he travels: are we working hard enough when we're young, and are we working too much when we're old? He shares the personal story of how he became addicted to hard work as a teenager, the lessons he learned working alongside Mexican craft workers in the high desert, and why nothing good will ever accrue to anyone who hasn't first learned to grind. Then he flips the script for older leaders, calling out the trap of escaping into worker tasks instead of doing the hard work of leading.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why every spiritual, financial, and family success rests on the foundation of hard work

• How to find your addictive moment that programs you to grind

• Why the "follow your passion" advice can sabotage young people who skip earning their stripes

• Why expert mastery requires putting in the years, not negotiating down the hours

• How leaders need to redirect their hard work from doing tasks to building teams, holding meetings, and scaling communication

If your parents taught you to work hard, the best thing you can do today is get on your feet and prove you were listening.

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 for the aggregation of marginal gains, the discipline most leaders ignore in favor of one big move that will fix everything. Drawing from a story shared by his church leader Terry Bagley, he walks through the heartbreak of an Olympic swimmer losing a medal by one hundredth of a second, and the legendary turnaround of British cycling under Dave Brailsford. The principle lands clean: massive results don't come from one massive action, they come from a thousand 1% improvements stacked together.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why most people overestimate one defining moment and underestimate small daily improvement

• The British Cycling turnaround story and Brailsford's relentless 1% strategy

• The math: 1% better every day for a year compounds to 37 times better

• Why field operations improvements come from cleanliness, huddles, quality, and daily corrections

• The difference between massive mental action to start and the small physical actions that compound

If big breakthroughs feel out of reach today, the question is whether you're willing to commit to the 1% the next 365 days will reward.

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 shares a burst of inspired thought from a recent boot camp at Petty Coach Schmidt: where is your huddle board? After years of watching superintendents drown in phone calls, interruptions, and savior fixes, he draws the line clean. The reason teams hammer the super with questions all day is because the project's huddle board lives in the super's head. People go where the plan is. If the plan is in your mind, that's where the traffic goes. If it's on the wall, that's where they go instead.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why keeping the plan in your head is one of the top reasons supers don't get promoted

• The Sacramento story: 15 to 20 minutes of real meeting time across three hours of fires

• How a visible huddle board redirects traffic from the super's phone to the wall

• Why building a great huddle board takes grit, iteration, and refusing to quit when stickies fall

• The free signage and board templates available at elevateconstructionist.com

The fires you keep putting out are the ones your huddle board would have already prevented. The question is whether you're willing to build 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 goes a foot wide and a mile deep on respect for people, the foundation underneath every Lean concept, every Takt plan, and every leadership decision. Drawing from a moment with his son at church, a line from Pacific Rim, and examples from Japanese culture, he challenges the United States default of treating respect as obedience or punishment. He walks through real decisions on the jobsite, in the office, and in personal life that all come back to one filter: what here ultimately respects other human beings the most?

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why respect, not obedience or punishment, is the right lens for every decision

• How Japanese culture demonstrates respect through fanatical quality and attention to people

• Why decisions like zero tolerance for safety, contractor grading, and termination are acts of respect

• Why bad portajohns, missing lunchrooms, and overextending crews signal a respect failure

• How asking the right question changes the answer in feedback, prayer, and leadership

If respect for people is the foundation under every Lean and Takt principle, the only question worth asking next is whether your decisions actually rest on 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 makes the case that construction is not a job. It is a war, and treating it like anything less is exactly why teams stay stuck. He breaks down the six reasons construction mirrors war: an enemy to fight, an innocent to protect, sacrifice that must be honored, the discipline of a regiment, the strategy and tactics and logistics of a campaign, and the passion that fuels every great fight in history. The enemy is not human. It is waste and variation. And anyone who treats this work like a marginal day job is missing the entire point.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why waste and variation are the real enemies on every project

• How protecting workers and their families is the moral center of construction

• Why the sacrifice of craft workers demands respect, safety, and dignity in return

• The Patton lesson: discipline and rigorous training are non negotiable

• Why "marginal" is the word that keeps the industry from becoming excellent

If construction is just a day job to you, the question is whether you are willing to pick up a weapon and stand a post or step aside for someone who will.

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 Brandon Montero close out their road trip series with a candid conversation about quality and what it really takes to install work right the first time. Brandon walks through how a quality mindset starts with one simple thought: my name is on it. Jason shares the story of a major general contractor that turned its field engineering program around the moment its people accepted that humans cannot install work correctly without double checks. They make the case that quality is not a department but a mindset, and the first line of defense for both flow and profit on any project.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why quality starts with the question of what your work stands for and whose name is on it

• The discipline of running the same fundamentals every time, even when you think you're too experienced

• Why double checks must use a different person, technology, approach, or direction

• The financial math behind quality: dollar for dollar saved is worth far more than chasing new revenue

• Why field engineering and survey boot camps are the best training ground for a quality mindset

If you stepped back and looked at every piece of your work today, would you actually be proud to put your name on 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 and Brandon Montero are back on the road with Effie and Liam Schroeder, this time tackling the difference between negative feedback and feedback for improvement. They unpack why most people view criticism as a personal attack, why the compliment sandwich actually undermines both your feedback and your compliments, and why feedback is genuinely a gift that most people are starving to receive but afraid to give. It's a coaching session for any leader who's struggled to deliver hard truths the way real respect demands.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why feedback for improvement is a gift, not criticism, and how to reframe it

• How to separate someone's actions from their identity when delivering feedback

• Why the compliment sandwich erodes both sincerity and the impact of your message

• Why 80 to 90% of people freeze up when asked to give direct feedback in boot camp

• What it takes to be a real leader: hard conversations, coaching, mentoring, and scaling communication

If feedback is genuinely an act of love, the question is not whether to give it but whether you respect people enough to actually do 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