Hoots on the Ground | The Lean Builder

In this episode, Hoots on the Ground interviews Dr. Colin Milberg and hears his story on how he went from packing dumpsters and swinging hammers demolishing work. Working for his father, who was a residential contractor AND a psychologist. His mother, also a psychologist, Colin has an interesting and unique view on respect for people.

Colin tells story after story on how he came to know about lean! Including, how he made it back to school at UC Berkley studying under Glenn Ballard. Colin tells us about his relationship with Glenn Ballard and Greg Howell, the two creators of The Last Planner System. Tune in to learn a little bit more about who these two amazing changemakers are!

Dr. Milberg comes from a pracademic mindset where he understands the academic understanding but also has a unique ability to help theory be applied in real life practitioner setting. This comes from remembering his own times as being an iron worker in the field as a part of 'The Big Dig' in Boston, MA. In addition, getting to know people as individuals is the only way to inspire change!

Colin and Hoots discuss the word "Ikigai" and how to connect people to their purpose on earth. Colin highlights his PHD advisor, Iris Tommelein and how amazing it was to work with her. Colin's thesis was based on tolerances, tune in to better understand. Colin shares some awesome tricks on how to encourage trade partners to speak up during Last Planner System meetings.

Colin drops the microphone by helping us understand what helps people to change!

ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST:

The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO Bullshido podcast. Join Host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that are relevant to those of us who "get it": the men and women with the dirty boots, the ones who work in the field, doing the hands-on business of construction each day. Listen in as we keep it real while stories from the trenches are shared along with lessons learned and some laughter along the way.

RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• theleanbuilder.com | Our main blog, book, resources, news & events website
• https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/40671(2003)93 | Colin's PHD Research on tolerances

GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Adam Hoots | linkedin.com/in/adam-hoots-4645519/ | podcast host for "Hoots on the Ground" and Lean Construction Shepherd with ConstructionACHEsolutions
• Colin Milberg | https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinmilberg/

In this episode, Hoots on the Ground downloads the Lean Builder Nation on LCI NOLA style! Live from New Orleans, LA Hoots does a quick pause & reflect moment near the river and you're able to hear some of the street performers playing music in the background.

Hoots highlights some of the best presentations that he witnesses at LCI and talks a little bit about the Unconference, which was his highlight this year!

This podcast covers how important pause & reflect is and illustrates some traditional ways that construction teams pause & reflect. Hoots also recommends several other ways that construction teams can pause & reflect from a lean mindset.

The episode finishes with some amazing street music as performed by Ms. Patty right on the riverfront! Enjoy y'all!

ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST:

The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO Bullshido podcast. Join Host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that are relevant to those of us who "get it": the men and women with the dirty boots, the ones who work in the field, doing the hands-on business of construction each day. Listen in as we keep it real while stories from the trenches are shared along with lessons learned and some laughter along the way.

RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• theleanbuilder.com | Our main blog, book, resources, news & events website

GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Adam Hoots | linkedin.com/in/adam-hoots-4645519/ | podcast host for "Hoots on the Ground" and Lean Construction Shepherd with ConstructionACHEsolutions

This episode is video of Lean Construction Blog's Lean in the Field Conference from a month ago and Adam Hoots introduces the world to his wife Brittany Hoots. Adam claims that Brittany has taught him more than anyone else when it comes to trust.

Tune in to hear them flow together on how important trust is, how to make, maintain, and measure trust. Hoots breaks down the circle of trust process and shows photos of the Trusted Trade Title being awarded to the most trusted trades of a previous project.

You don't want to miss this episode as Trust is the most important piece of our project teams! Unfortunately, the Construction industry has trust issues. Some of those are identified in this podcast.

Fair warning, Brittany is one amazing individual! She brings the knowledge when it comes to building trust!

ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST:

The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO Bullshido podcast. Join Host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that are relevant to those of us who "get it": the men and women with the dirty boots, the ones who work in the field, doing the hands-on business of construction each day. Listen in as we keep it real while stories from the trenches are shared along with lessons learned and some laughter along the way.

RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• theleanbuilder.com | Our main blog, book, resources, news & events website

GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Adam Hoots | linkedin.com/in/adam-hoots-4645519/ | podcast host for "Hoots on the Ground" and Lean Construction Shepherd with ConstructionACHEsolutions
• Brittany Hoots | https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-hoots-97719814/ | Amazing wife of Adam Hoots

In this episode Tom and Jeremy share their secrets on how they've gotten the LCI Community of Practice performing to the next level! LCI has selected New Orleans, LA and Jeremy and Tom explain the theme of LCI Congress which starts the week of 10/17/2022. What is Gumbo? Who makes the best Gumbo!? Here Hoots get a little vulnerable while Tom and Huckleberry as they teach him exactly what gumbo is and what the roux of lean construction is!

Tom breaks down how he is dealing with the pressure of the entire lean community coming to New Orleans to witness all of the amazing things that are going on! He gives advice and credit to all of the wonderful volunteers that are more than willing to give!

Tom and Jeremy shout out a bunch of the LCI New Orleans Community of Practice volunteers!! They toss a bunch of teasers out there in an effort to get folks fired up about attending LCI congress! The keynote speakers are discussed and what they plan to talk about. Get the details in this podcast only!

Wait until you find out what the Lean Congress Unconference is! Such an engaging way to get the brilliance out of people! Something that has never been done before in the history of LCI Congress' to date! The Unpanel Unconference, hold onto your hats!

ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST:

The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO bullshido podcast. Join Host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that are relevant to those of us who "get it": the men and women with the dirty boots, the ones who work in the field, doing the hands-on business of construction each day. Listen in as we keep it real while stories from the trenches are shared along with lessons learned and some laughter along the way.

RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• theleanbuilder.com | Our main blog, book, resources, news & events website

GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Adam Hoots | linkedin.com/in/adam-hoots-4645519/ | podcast host for "Hoots on the Ground" and Lean Construction Shepherd with ConstructionACHEsolutions
• New Orleans LCI Community of Practice | https://www.linkedin.com/company/lci-new-orleans-community-of-practice/
• Tom Weathers | https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-weathers-aia-6903824/
• Jeremy Atkinson | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-atkinson-1b122415/

In this episode, Hoots meets Carey George and discuss his approach to running work and how he's always had a lean mindset when building projects. As a superintendent with over 45 years of construction experience, Carey offers a lot of wise knowledge in this episode! Carey highlights Keith Patterson from Waco Construction who taught him how to be a great Superintendent.

The conversation ranges from stop starting to start finishing all the way to meeting Carey's current project team. Carey goes into detail about BE&K's lean journey and talks about the way he visualizes the schedule, utilizing a stoplight scheduling approach to managing production. There are even photos in this episode to show you the boards he uses on his project site.

This episode is all about people. Carey is a true people person that knows how to motivate and inspire folks to get things done. You hear that in Ms. Jennifers voice as she talks about her three male heroes in her life and you guessed it!! Mr. Carey George is one of those three people!

Do yourself a favor and don't ever tell Carey George that you emailed someone when you could call them or you might just hear "Let me tell you something" which is your cue to get out of there! Carey also touches base on multi-tasking as a myth and we learn together that on average it takes 23 minutes to recover from context switching!

All of this and more as we introduce Carey George to the lean construction world…

ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST:

The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO bullshido podcast. Join Host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that are relevant to those of us who "get it": the men and women with the dirty boots, the ones who work in the field, doing the hands-on business of construction each day. Listen in as we keep it real while stories from the trenches are shared along with lessons learned and some laughter along the way.

RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• theleanbuilder.com | Our main blog, book, resources, news & events website

GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Adam Hoots | linkedin.com/in/adam-hoots-4645519/ | podcast host for "Hoots on the Ground" and Lean Construction Shepherd with ConstructionACHEsolutions
• Carey George | https://www.linkedin.com/in/carey-george-2b1737123/

In this episode, Hoots discovers who James Bouton is! James tells us about all of his girls and his mission to bring compassion into the world. He tells us all about his lean journey and experience working with a Japanese based General Contractor.

The conversation lightly touches on mental health and death by suicide. Brace yourself as Hoots gets on his soap box when it comes to Percent Plan Complete! Fair warning, there are some personal statements made in this podcast!

James also discussed his experience with Jason Schroeder's recent boot camp!

Hoots and Bouton talk about the Savannah Bananas and how they're bringing a lean mindset to the game of baseball. Flipping the focus to flow efficiency over resource efficiency. Using a fans first mindset, something we should all strive for!

James shouts out his family in people he wants to recognize! He talks about his favorite song to dance to on the project site and his way of winning the workers! He is making some serious changes in worker expectations as a project leader in Savannah, GA! Even hugging trade workers on site!!

James drops the concept of the happy tree on us! The point where you drop off all of your problems and issues before you get to the home!

ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST:

The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO bullshido podcast. Join Host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that are relevant to those of us who "get it": the men and women with the dirty boots, the ones who work in the field, doing the hands-on business of construction each day. Listen in as we keep it real while stories from the trenches are shared along with lessons learned and some laughter along the way.

RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• theleanbuilder.com | Our main blog, book, resources, news & events website

GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Adam Hoots | linkedin.com/in/adam-hoots-4645519/ | podcast host for "Hoots on the Ground" and Lean Construction Shepherd with ConstructionACHEsolutions
• James Bouton | https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-b-28741144/

In this episode, Keyan and Hoots discuss chapter 7 from The Lean Builder. This chapter describes the race between Alan and his father while trying to chop down a row full of trees as Alan was growing up. You either have to read the book or listen to the podcast to find out result of the story!

Constantly 'sharpening our saw' allows us to be more productive in the long run. This is something that Hoots makes clear as he asks for specific instruction from Key in this episode. You will not want to miss this quick hitter to remind you to sharpen your saw!

Have you sharpened your saw lately?

ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST:

The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO bullshido podcast. Join Host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that are relevant to those of us who "get it": the men and women with the dirty boots, the ones who work in the field, doing the hands-on business of construction each day. Listen in as we keep it real while stories from the trenches are shared along with lessons learned and some laughter along the way.

RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• theleanbuilder.com | Our main blog, book, resources, news & events website

GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Adam Hoots | linkedin.com/in/adam-hoots-4645519/ | podcast host for "Hoots on the Ground" and Lean Construction Shepherd with ConstructionACHEsolutions
• Keyan Zandy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/keyanzandy/

This episode, Spencer Easton announces big changes in his life and appreciation and admiration for the lean community who has had his back through some tough times over the last few weeks. From his first vehicle, an ambulance to being a recovering CMP guru, to his father who helped Spencer develop a love hate relationship with construction – Spencer puts it all out there! He is by far one of the most genuine and sincere guest we have had on the show to date.

Spencer was a co-author for the book Elevating Takt Planning and dives into the book. Plus, he brings proof of the first person to document the Skilled Trades Alliance Elementary Classroom Clarity Takt metric! You do not want to miss this episode as he compares takt planning to music!

Spencer tells us about his new role as a lean champion at Mortensen Construction! Find out what he is going to be doing and how advanced Mortensen is in the lean world, specifically with regards to takt (flow) planning. Especially with the addition of Spencer, they are leading the industry in takt planning.

Spencer highlights those people who made a difference in his life! You have a tune in to find out who that is! Spoiler Alert: One of his people, made him!

All this and more within this super deep episode highlighting Spencer Easton!

ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST:

The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO bullshido podcast. Join Host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that are relevant to those of us who "get it": the men and women with the dirty boots, the ones who work in the field, doing the hands-on business of construction each day. Listen in as we keep it real while stories from the trenches are shared along with lessons learned and some laughter along the way.

RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• theleanbuilder.com | Our main blog, book, resources, news & events website
• https://youtu.be/ICPsue1jJAE | What is lean? Feat. Spencer Easton
• https://takting.com/ | Takting A free Takt Software
• thisislean.com | This is Lean book Niklas Modig

GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Adam Hoots | linkedin.com/in/adam-hoots-4645519/ | podcast host for "Hoots on the Ground" and Lean Construction Shepherd with ConstructionACHEsolutions
• Spencer Easton | https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-easton/

Tune in to this episode to meet Kyle Potts, the Unicorn of Superintendents! Kyle is a true "pracademic" as he is running a major project, earned two master's degrees, and is currently working on obtaining a doctorate degree! Wow!! Not to mention, he predicted his future as a toddler when he told his pre-k class that he wanted to be a doctor and wear a yellow hat! He is well on his way as he pursues his doctorate degree at Purdue University!

How are you spending your time? 1 hour of social media per day for each day of the year equivalates to 9 full working weeks! How much value could you add to this world with an extra 9 full working weeks? Kyle recommends putting down social media and picking up a book!

Have you ever built the second floor at the same time you're installing foundations? That is how Kyle and the Walsh team put together the latest addition to the DFW airport. This is a must tune in and listen to as we learn about Kyle and how he learns every day! Congratulations on your national innovation award Walsh and trade partner team! The video can be witnessed further below in the show notes.

Having worked all around Dallas, Kyle highlights several folks and projects that impacted his career! Working with Deloitte University, Toyota, DFW, and several other clients, Kyle has learned from each client's perspective.

A great episode and tons of fun learning with Kyle. Whatever you do, don't tell Kyle to think outside the box! What does that mean to you?

ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST:

The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO bullshido podcast. Join Host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that are relevant to those of us who "get it": the men and women with the dirty boots, the ones who work in the field, doing the hands-on business of construction each day. Listen in as we keep it real while stories from the trenches are shared along with lessons learned and some laughter along the way.

RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• www.theleanbuilder.com | Our main blog, book, resources, news & events website

• https://youtu.be/OQ1fzvoyTxY | Video on airport pre-fab

• https://youtu.be/SqGRnlXplx0 | Video on filling up the water bottle!

GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Adam Hoots | www.linkedin.com/in/adam-hoots-4645519/ | podcast host for "Hoots on the Ground" and Lean Construction Shepherd with ConstructionACHEsolutions

• Kyle Potts | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-potts-mcsm-mba-4027b269/

In this episode, Hoots discusses one of his favorite topics: Capability development! How many times on project sites have you heard, I don't care how you get it done, just get it done! This completely misses out on the point of innovation and improving on what we are doing.

With too much emphasis on productivity and not enough on capability development, the construction industry doesn't take advantage of compound knowledge!

In this episode you'll learn more about what the word capability means and how important it is to align on exactly what the meaning is. We also uncover what are the different levels or layers of capability development which starts with the focus on the individual, then proceeds to a team level, followed by the organization and industry levels.

We will also learn about the different stages of mastery too!

Finally, Hoots on the Ground teases some ways to develop capabilities which will be discussed in future episodes. Those include:

• Pause & Reflect
• Comfort Zone
• The Art of Questioning
• Radical Candor Feedback
• Push Form, Pull Content
• Culture – Yes Jen Lacy, Culture!

You want to listen to this episode to better understand how to extract knowledge from the workforce to drive innovation on your project! You will learn that being intentional about developing capabilities will allow you to develop more capabilities and ultimately be more productive!!

Challenge question: What is your capability? And how do you develop it?

ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST:

The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO bullshido podcast. Join Host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that are relevant to those of us who "get it": the men and women with the dirty boots, the ones who work in the field, doing the hands-on business of construction each day. Listen in as we keep it real while stories from the trenches are shared along with lessons learned and some laughter along the way.

RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• theleanbuilder.com | Our main blog, book, resources, news & events website
• Link for Charles Duhig Work:
  • Power of Habit https://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business-ebook/dp/B0055PGUYU/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2NL21PBDTJ9YQ&keywords=power+of+habit&qid=1661450342&s=digital-text&sprefix=power+ofhabit%2Cdigital-text%2C96&sr=1-1
  • Smarter Faster Better https://www.amazon.com/Smarter-Faster-Better-Transformative-Productivity-ebook/dp/B00Z3FRYB0
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-reed-9261681/ | Dean Reed LinkedIn
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-ciepliski-1608603/ | Carla Ciepliski LinkedIn
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/halmacomber/ | Hal Macomber LinkedIn

GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Adam Hoots | linkedin.com/in/adam-hoots-4645519/ | podcast host for "Hoots on the Ground" and Lean Construction Shepherd with ConstructionACHEsolutions