Elevate Construction

Why do some superintendents struggle while others advance quickly to operations leadership? Professor Wes Crawford, author of Construction Surveying and Layout and Professor Emeritus from Purdue University, joins Jason to discuss why construction surveying and field engineering experience create the strongest foundation for construction careers. They explore Crawford's decades with Hensel Phelps, the story behind his foundational manual, and why learning the basics matters even more in a technology-driven world. When GPS systems fail, and total stations go down, the professionals who know how to use a tape measure, turn angles, and apply 3-4-5 triangles are the ones who keep projects moving.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why field engineering and construction surveying experience accelerates career advancement to superintendent, general superintendent, and operations leadership

• Professor Crawford's journey from a hunting cabin conversation to writing the industry's most trusted field engineering manual

• How his year-long sabbaticals with Hensel Phelps shaped the practical content that eliminates mistakes on job sites

• Why learning the fundamentals matters more than ever when technology fails, basics like three-wire leveling and proper traversing keep projects running

• Crawford's challenge: Be your best, take control of your life, and improve one thing each day. You're the only person who can change your future

The fastest path to leadership runs through construction surveying and layout. Companies that build their own people from this foundation create organized, visualizing, high-performing leaders who protect families by preventing costly rework.

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

Your executive leadership team should be the most cohesive, high-functioning group in your organization, but in most companies, it's the exact opposite. In this episode, Jason tackles why companies train field engineers, superintendents, and foremen but refuse to invest in executive development out of fear. He breaks down the 16 blocks to leadership, explains why pushing executives out of their comfort zones is the only path to growth, and shares why security is mostly a superstition that keeps leaders stuck. If you're a CEO, president, or owner protecting your executives from discomfort, you're protecting dysfunction. It's time to build Team One.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why executive teams need to be pushed out of their comfort zones the most—and why companies are too afraid to do it

• The 16 blocks to leadership that keep executives stuck in certainty and significance instead of growth and contribution

• How the comfort zone, fear zone, learning zone, and growth zone work—and why emotional discomfort is required for transformation

• Why Team One (executive leadership) must be cohesive before Team Two and Team Three can function at high levels

• Jason's challenge: Stop protecting your executives and invest in the professional development that will actually scale your company

If you're continuously having to motivate your team, you either don't have a vision or you haven't communicated it effectively. A vision-empowered team is self-motivated. The question is: have your executives gotten past their blocks to leadership together?

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

Is construction technology really for you, or just for the big companies out west? In this interview, Jason sits down with Hugh Seaton, author of The Construction Technology Handbook, to break down the myths and realities of tech in construction. Hugh shares why technology isn't replacing workers, it's empowering them to focus on what matters. They discuss making technology as reliable as your favorite tool, why data matters only if it drives better decisions, and how the industry needs to stop optimizing offices while field workers struggle in the wind. This conversation gives you a roadmap to becoming a better consumer of technology and demanding tools that actually make your life easier.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why technology should empower field workers to focus on the work that matters, not replace their intuition and experience

• How Hugh's Construction Technology Handbook gives construction professionals a common language to engage with developers and demand better tools

• The critical difference between collecting data and using data to make better decisions at every level

• Why technology needs to be as reliable as your trusted tool, not as addictive as Facebook—consistency matters more than flash

• Hugh's challenge: Get comfortable with technology, learn the language, and tell software companies what you actually need in the field

Technology isn't going away, and the companies that listen to field workers are the ones that will survive. It's time to stop accepting office-optimized tools and start demanding technology built for the people doing the real work.

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

Energy fuels everything in leadership, yet most people don't realize they're draining it from their teams. In this episode, Jason breaks down the 10 rules of The Energy Bus and shares the story of how a Tony Robbins event transformed his Field Engineer Boot Camps from good to life-changing. He tackles the hard truth about energy vampires, people who are checked out, and team members who are only halfway bought in. If you want to build high-performing teams, you need to understand that if you're not adding energy, you're taking it away, and that's costing you time, money, and results.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why energy is the fuel that drives teams, and how to recognize when people are draining it instead of contributing

• The 10 rules of The Energy Bus: from being the driver of your own bus to removing energy vampires who poison your culture

• Jason's story of getting 45 grown men to dance in a professional training environment—and why movement and music transformed retention and engagement

• Why "I'm not adding or taking away" is a lie, if you're not adding energy, you're actively sucking it from everyone else

• The challenge: notice who gives you energy and who drains it in your next meeting, then make the hard decision to protect your team's fuel

Energy is everything. If your team is full of people who are trunky, checked out, or stuck in mediocrity, they're wasting your time and money. It's time to post the sign: no energy vampires allowed.

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 part two of Chapter 5, tensions escalate as Peterson's defiance of the walking delegate creates a domino effect of problems, stopped work, a blocked train, and an angry railroad company. Bannon faces a critical choice: fight back or play chess. In his reflection, Jason unpacks why Bannon's decision to stay calm and handle the delegate delicately was the only path forward, and what this teaches us about navigating high-stakes conflicts without making things worse.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why Peterson's anger at the delegate created a chain reaction that nearly derailed the entire project

• How Bannon handled the walking delegate without arguing, fighting, or escalating, even when he had every right to be angry

• The principle of "playing chess, not checkers" when dealing with people who have power over your project

• Why staying delicate and strategic in conflict situations often wins the war without fighting the battle

• The critical lesson is that your foreman's behavior with outside stakeholders can create roadblocks that you'll spend days fixing

When you're blocked by someone with authority, the worst thing you can do is make them your enemy. Bannon understood this, do you?

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

Do you get frustrated when dealing with emotional people on your project site or in your life? You're probably approaching it the wrong way. In this episode, Jason explores why fighting emotion with logic always fails, how fear-based thinking creates chaos in people's minds, and the specific techniques that actually work to help emotional team members get clarity. Whether you're managing a crew or navigating relationships, this episode gives you practical tools to handle emotional situations with empathy instead of frustration.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why the demons in someone's head are not real and make no sense, and why you need to stop trying to apply logic to chaos

• How 80% of emotional struggles resolve simply by being spoken out loud with empathy and understanding

• The radical transparency approach: going there emotionally with someone, listening without shame, and helping them get clarity

• Why people who seem "crazy" are often just choking on fear and insecurity, and how you can help them break the cycle

• Practical techniques from Jason's own journey through emotional struggles, including the CDAA list transformation

If you can learn to listen emotionally instead of respond logically, you'll transform how you lead people who are struggling with fear, insecurity, and emotional chaos.

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

Do you have clarity on where you are in the process? In this episode with Jake Williams, Jason unpacks why perfection early in the process delays handoff and kills delegation. You'll learn Jake's 16-year-old story installing blocking when his dad said "we are seldom if ever able to achieve perfection with our work, but if we set our sights on anything else, we often miss the mark completely," the envelope game analogy (one piece flow beats batching by 2-3 minutes every time), why faster is better when you're in the beginning stages, the owner who told Jake "when you do that, it makes me feel like you don't value my input," and the six-year book draft story where the author couldn't publish because he wanted it perfect. The pattern: rough draft people vs. final polish people, know which one you are in the process.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Jake's superintendent transition: realized he was spending too much time perfecting things instead of delegating, missing his spot in the process

• Use "DRAFT" labels liberally on everything: lift drawings, schedules, emails, P6 activities communicate it's not perfect and needs review

• The envelope game: one piece flow (fold, stuff, lick, stamp one at a time) beats batching by 2-3 minutes—get things out faster early in process

• Owner's feedback: "When you do that, it makes me feel like you don't value my input", not involving others can come across as arrogant

• Current condition: overwhelmed, overcommitted, and underutilizing people. Challenge: What should I be doing that others can't or won't do?

Ask yourself the leader question: What can I hand to somebody else that would get them the opportunity to contribute to the end product? That's team flow.

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

Do you need lean facilitation on your project? In this lean and IPD series episode, Jason unpacks why teams get stuck without facilitation and how to bring out the best in others. You'll learn the hard talk about superintendents who don't schedule (if they're not organized and don't know how to schedule, they're not superintendents yet, invite them to step up, train them, or let them go), the cancer center facilitation story where AGC taught last planner system and morning huddles, why 95% of detractors get bought in when facilitation is done right, and the pattern for facilitation: What's the goal? What's the problem? Get people together to solve it themselves instead of sending one savior to fix it and leave.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Hard talk for $100K-$3M projects: if superintendents don't schedule and aren't organized, they're not superintendents yet need training first

• Cancer center success: AGC facilitator taught the last planner, huddles, weekly work planning, then visited meetings and coached improvements

• Facilitation qualities from Transforming Design and Construction: strong communication, open-ended questions, encourage full participation, neutral on content

• "If a team can perform well together in meetings, they can do anything.", Meetings are the first step to everything

• The pattern: get teams to solve their own problems through facilitation instead of sending one person to play savior, fix it, and leave

Changing a tire while the vehicle is going 60 miles an hour, that's improving on a project site. Facilitators make it possible by bringing out the best in others.

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

Are you turning risks into opportunities? In this lean and IPD series episode, Jason unpacks the risk and opportunity register, a game-changer for construction management that keeps teams focused on prevention instead of reaction. You'll learn the research laboratory story where Ryan and Jason used a register to identify risks (scaffolding, floor floating, design changes) and finished fantastically, the counter-story where Jason recommended tracking stone procurement risk but the team didn't listen and it nearly affected the end date, and Dr. Eli Goldratt's six principles from his headstone (people are good, every conflict can be removed, every situation is exceedingly simple). The methodology: Excel matrix with description, probability, estimated cost, dollar total, owner, and due dates, then project what happens if all risks actualize (e.g., from 0.96 to 0.881 fee) and rally the team to prevent them.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The conflict: you're not identifying risks and opportunities early enough and reviewing them frequently enough

• Research lab success: identified scaffolding/floor floating/design change risks, set targets, reduced exposures, finished fantastically

• Counter-example: stone procurement risk ignored, procured too late, nearly affected end date—team didn't buy in

• The register: Excel matrix with probability percentages and dollar amounts, reviewed weekly in team meetings and monthly in status reports

• Prevention vs. reaction: "create spiritually before created temporally", anticipate risks in your mind, and prevent through physical action

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If we're always supposed to bring problems to the surface, the second priority is to do it as soon as possible.

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

Do you take all the leadership control or engage in distributed leadership? In this episode with Spencer, Jason unpacks why hierarchy reduces conflict and accountability, reveals the five dysfunctions of a team (trust, conflict, goals, accountability, results), and explains why Hitler lost valuable ground at Normandy because commanders needed his permission to dispatch panzer units. You'll learn Spencer's story about March 2020 when his scheduling department became the highest-performing team by looking up at the goal instead of shanking each other for power, why bad bosses build hierarchical structures to force signatures instead of having hard conversations, and the skills needed for horizontal leadership: group facilitation, delegation, management skills, and letting people fail forward. This is about creating environments people love, not making people like you.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why hierarchy reduces conflict and accountability, employees fear that annoying the boss will show up on their paycheck

• The five dysfunctions: trust, then healthy conflict (pillow fighting, not knife fighting), then commitment, then accountability systems, then results

• Spencer's March 2020 breakthrough: stopped fighting for power, looked up at the goal, and became the highest-performing team in the company

• Skills for distributed leadership: group facilitation, delegation, management skills, letting people fail forward, knowing everyone personally, tactical skills of the past

• Why do bad bosses tell people what to do and control everything? Remarkable leaders set the vision, parameters, and provide autonomy

Peter Drucker: "There's nothing as useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." Being an efficient diminisher boss shouldn't be done at all.

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