Elevate Construction

Most projects bleed money and time long before the first worker lifts a tool. The problem isn't the field, it's the logistics.

In this eye-opening episode, recorded live from Japan on Paul Akers' Two-Second Lean trip, Jason reveals what Toyota, Lexus, and top-performing DPR projects all have in common: they don't manage waste, they design it out before it ever reaches the jobsite.

Discover how a single shift in thinking from "cut it and toss it" to "build it right upstream" can eliminate overproduction, motion, transport, and rework across your supply chain. Hear the true story of a lab project that cut waste by 30%, the kaizen lesson that stunned Toyota engineers, and why framing crews should never have to haul, cut, or fix bulk materials again.

If you're serious about lean logistics, reducing worker overburden, and building flow into your operations from procurement to placement, this episode is a masterclass.

Listen in to learn:

• The hidden waste your logistics system creates every day.

• How Toyota thinks upstream to prevent chaos downstream.

• Why cutting waste on-site is already too late.

• Simple, proven ways to pre-cut, pre-kit, and pre-plan for flow.

• How to protect your crews from burnout, waste, and unevenness.

Stop fixing symptoms. Start designing 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

Jason answers a listener from Brazil who is leading a delayed, complex facade restoration and does not know where to begin. He lays out a simple, field-tested starting plan that replaces panic with clarity and momentum.

You will learn:

• The first three daily habits to regain control: read the drawings, visualize the plan with zones and logistics, and walk the field.
• How to use crew input to shape sequence even without a formal pull plan.
• How to launch short daily huddles around visuals to surface and solve roadblocks.
• What full kit really means and how to refuse starts without it.
• How to hold the line on the system instead of firefighting when pressure rises.

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

Seeing Through Trade Partners' Eyes

This short episode reframes "problems with the trades" as problems with systems, culture, and inputs. Jason explains why most crews arrive wary and defensive, how our consistency can pull them back into a window of tolerance, and why emotionally intelligent supervision beats control. You will leave with a humane, practical lens that improves trust, flow, and results.

You will learn:

• Why blaming people fails and fixing systems works.
• The idea of ill-wired vs ill-prompted behavior and why inputs matter.
• How to earn trust in six to eight weeks with consistent huddles, pull planning, and clear norms.
• What emotionally intelligent superintendents do and why one toxic leader can sink a site.

Who should listen:

Supers, assistant supers, foremen, and field engineers ready to replace control with trust and get better work from better systems.

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

Help, Don't Control: Make Zone Control Walks Work

Stop chasing fifteen handoffs and start creating flow. Jason explains how to focus on the vital few, run quick joint walks, and enable trades to self-verify so you follow up instead of firefight.

You will learn:

• How to shortlist the day's critical handoffs in the afternoon foreman huddle.
• How to run brief, pull-based walks using full kit principles.
• How to use feature-of-work and zone control checklists for trade self-verification.
• How to assign remaining handoffs to trade-to-trade walks with written commitments.
• How to distribute checklists via WhatsApp to foremen and capture quick proof.
• How to log outcomes in Takt the same afternoon and review the next morning.
• How to keep supervision tied to field work without micromanaging.

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. Jason is catching up on powerful lessons and field-tested practices that can make your projects safer, cleaner, and more effective.

Here's what you'll learn:

• The Builder's Code: How you treat workers and foremen is exactly how they'll treat the building, and what the client ultimately experiences.

• Lessons from Japan (Gemba): Start with 2–3S (sort, straighten, shine), watch people's movement, and stop where things don't make sense to reveal hidden constraints.

• Problems vs. Dilemmas: A problem has a clear solution; a dilemma forces you to choose between imperfect options. Jason shares examples every builder will recognize.

• Trash Management Done Right: Pre-kit and pre-cut to reduce waste, use scrap-out units, and manage dumpsters with visual Kanban triggers at half or three-quarters full.

• Daily Logistics Discipline: Assign a logistics owner to check the perimeter, cleanliness, recycling, and traffic control every single day.

• Why Saturdays Don't Work: Crews show up thin, productivity drops, and you lose momentum. Stop relying on weekend work as the answer.

• AEDs on Every Site: More lives are lost to cardiac arrest than auto accidents. Affordable AEDs (around $1,400) save lives. Every project needs one.

This episode is practical, fast-moving, and packed with insights you can take straight to the field.

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 running on continuous improvement or just the appearance of it? In this fast, practical conversation, Jason sits down with Patrick Adams, author of Avoiding the Continuous Appearance Trap, to expose the difference and show leaders how to build systems that actually sustain.

What you will hear:

• Patrick's journey from the United States Marine Corps to leading Lean Solutions and coaching teams worldwide.
• The trap: companies that look "lean" on the surface but suffer toxic culture, high turnover, and flat KPIs.
• The telltales of a true CI culture: clear expectations that cascade to the front line, time and space to problem-solve, and relentless sustainment.
• Why short-term fixes fail and why real operational excellence takes structured daily behaviors, not silver bullets.
• How Patrick's 12 questions help leaders assess where they are and design their own roadmap.

One practical challenge:

Adopt leader standard work today. Structure your day, review it at the end, and align your actions to the results you claim to want.

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, Jason sits down with his mentor, Hal Macomber, to unpack a fresh perspective that could change how you see Takt forever. We cover:

• Why Takt Construction must be seen as a standardized system, not a piecemeal set of practices.

• The five components of Takt as an operating system: thinking, people, practices, agreements, and assessments.

• The three core principles that make or break flow on projects.

• How second-order thinking and inversion can prevent costly mistakes in the field.

• Why people not just tools are the real drivers of continuous improvement.

Whether you're leading a mega data center or a 100-unit wood frame project, this conversation will challenge the way you approach flow, people, and production laws in construction.

If you've ever felt Takt is "just a tool," this episode will reframe it as the socio-technical operating system that can transform projects big and small.

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 "constructive criticism" really constructive or is it just disguised negativity? Jason takes a bold stance in this episode: criticism should not exist.

Instead, he unpacks the difference between criticism and feedback for improvement and why only one of them builds people up, drives growth, and creates healthier cultures in construction and beyond.

In this episode you'll learn:

• Why criticism damages trust, triggers ego, and stalls progress.

• The clear definition of feedback for improvement and why it works.

• How servant leadership rejects punishment and embraces growth.

• Why respecting people means replacing blame with actionable guidance.

• How shifting from criticism to feedback transforms teams, prisons, even society.

This isn't just about construction. It's about how we treat each other as humans. If we want a better industry and a better world, we need to stop tearing people down and start helping them improve.

Listen in, and let's build cultures that elevate people instead of discarding them.

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

This episode isn't comfortable and it's not meant to be. Jason takes on a tough but necessary conversation about the cultural mindset that's holding us back.

Too often, we wear stagnation, ignorance, and fear like badges of honor. "I haven't read a book in 30 years." "We've always done it this way." "AI will take our jobs." These aren't harmless phrases, they're symptoms of decline.

Jason draws from history, industry, and hard truth to challenge us:

• Why fear and ignorance have become tools of control in governments, companies, and even daily conversations.

• How the U.S. once thrived on continuous improvement, education, and courage and what it would take to reclaim that mindset.

• Why tariffs, isolation, and complacency are signs of decline not solutions.

• What construction professionals can do to reject stagnation and become the true voices of progress.

This isn't about politics. It's about leadership, courage, and the future of our industry and our nation.

If you're tired of seeing fear and ignorance celebrated, and you're ready to step into improvement and knowledge, this is an episode you can't afford to skip.

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

Most of us see stress as the villain in our story. But what if it's actually a tool, even a superpower?

In this episode, Jason Schroeder is joined by licensed therapist Barbara Hettinger, who brings years of experience in trauma, family, and mental health work. Together, they break down how stress works, why it isn't inherently "bad," and how you can flip the script to use stress as fuel for focus, growth, and resilience.

What you'll take away from this episode:

• Why stress is neutral not good, not bad and how your response makes the difference.

• A three-step method to acknowledge, welcome, and use stress to your advantage.

• How reframing stress can turn ADHD, OCD, or daily struggles into hidden superpowers.

• Practical tools to stay within your "window of tolerance" and find calm under pressure.

• Real stories from the field about leaders transforming stress into clarity and action.

This isn't just another talk about "managing stress." It's about re-imagining it as a force that can sharpen your edge and strengthen your leadership.

If you're in construction or just navigating the stress of daily life, this episode will help you rethink the pressure you feel and use it to build something remarkable.

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