Hoots on the Ground | The Lean Builder

**Disclaimer** The viewer of this podcast has promised to watch the Hoots on the Ground podcasts #8 and #12 on trust. Without having listened to those episodes, you will not be able to hold people accountability

Hoots goes on a tangent on the word accountability. Tune in to discover how you can develop a deeper sense of accountability on your project sites. There are two ways to hold people accountable: Leading up to and event and/or lagging after and event.

Accountability is the result of poor leadership.

This podcast does a quick review on Jocko Willink's book Extreme Ownership. Learning how to balance Extreme Ownership and decentralized command. Extreme Ownership as described by Jocko is having the mindset that everything happens for you. Overcoming your challenges and being able to make a difference in the world in spite of all circumstances that you may comes across.

Here are a few things that we can do on project sites to improve accountability:

• Build Trust
• Think above the line (Oz Principles)
• Make clear and concise commitments
• Say and hear the word no
• Use the accountability meter
• Ask leading questions
• Understand the two sides of accountability
• Radical Candor Feedback

Learn how to utilize the accountability meter in this episode of The Lean Builder Hoots on the Ground! Accountability and leadership start internally and bleed outwards. Teams must build trust and utilize the process first mentality. What can I as a leader do different to obtain a different outcome?

There are no bad teams out there, only bad leaders!

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
• linkedin.com/company/the-lean-builder | Our LinkedIn community
• https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs/dp/1250067057 | Extreme Ownership by Jock Willink
• https://www.amazon.com/Oz-Principle-Smart-Audio/dp/1598596144 | The Oz Principle by Roger Connors, Tom Smith and Craig Hickman

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

Henry is a Union sheet metal worker as of 34 years! He currently serves as Preconstruction Executive for Southland Industries, a nation leading HVAC Contractor. Henry has served the construction industry at every level from apprentice to executive and has recently released a book titled Seven Principles: Creating Your Success in the Construction Industry. In this podcast, Henry gives a tease on some of the book and leaves us with a cliff hanger on his own story.

Hoots hits Henry with some of his favorite parts of the book and challenges him to write the 2.0 version once Henry conquers the Executive portion of his career. Henry also utilizes some of this time to shoutout some of the folks that have made a difference in his life!

Henry and Hoots agree on the best quote in the book which comes from Chapter 4 where it states, "To have an excuse is to possess a reason why you cannot achieve something." – Henry Nutt III To Hoots' surprise, Henry almost didn't publish this statement.

Henry touches on what it was like being an African American in the construction industry and expresses his opinion on how the construction industry is doing with diversity and inclusion. His answer may surprise you! Henry drops some wisdom for anyone who is new to the industry or at a downpoint in your career. Listen to this episode if you want to get fired up and ready to change the industry!

A true changemaker, Henry is really making a difference in the industry. If you want to know what Lean Builders do, follow Henry's career. He is the epitome of a Lean Builder! Thank you for being a leader and being vulnerable with your journey, Henry!

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
• linkedin.com/company/the-lean-builder | Our LinkedIn community
• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SVVH5BT/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_CPKKGXGAFB1DEM96BJWR | Seven Principles Book Order Link

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
• Henry Nutt III | https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-nutt-iii-7832347/

Harry has a unique and diverse background that includes being in the military, both Air Force and the Navy. Also being exposed to the business side of healthcare, Harry has been able to utilize all this experience into better delivering construction projects!

Harry explains some of the data on how The Last Planner System has helped O'Shea Builders increase their profits by 20%, finish projects 12% faster than their CPM schedules, and provided better morale on their project sites! Amazing work!! Harry opens up on his biggest challenge while changing the mindset of the Superintendent from directive leadership to facilitative leadership! If you want to know, you've got to listen!

Hoots and Harry unpack the term R&D and what exactly it means with regards to ripping and deploying lean concepts from one industry to the next. Harry's unique experience allows a different viewpoint on construction than most have. Hoots also hints at a new segment that might be on the way featuring The Lean Builder's own Keyan Zandy! R&D with Harry, Hoots & Key!?! Stay plugged in to find out more…

Tune in if you want to better understand what Lean Construction is, more so than just simply applying the Last Planner System. O'Shea Builders is leading the industry utilizing concepts like Takt Planning, Targe Value Design and simply building trust on project sites.

Harry reviews one of his favorite quotes from "Man in the Arena" by Theodore Roosevelt. A great time getting to know who Harry Schmidt is and what he is doing to impact the construction industry one job at a time!

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
• linkedin.com/company/the-lean-builder | Our LinkedIn community
• https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-data-gives-wrong-solution-efr%C3%A9n-juan-fern%C3%A1ndez-reyes-1c/ | LinkedIn article on WWII planes being shot down.

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
• Harry Schmidt | https://www.linkedin.com/in/harry-schmidt/

If you don't know Kabri Lehrman-Schmid, this is a must-watch episode! Even if you do know Kabri, you will learn and have a deepened respect for everything that she is doing to create safe learning environments on her project sites. The extracurricular activities that she gets into, will inspire you to take another look at what you're doing to create safe spaces!

Now a lead superintendent amid a preconstruction effort for a university project in the state of Washington, Kabri has nearly $2B worth of construction experience. Most of her time has been spent in higher education and aviation sectors. A true builder in every sense of the word, Kabri goes above and beyond in her ability to deliver complex phased projects. Learn how her ability to connect with people personally, has led to her discovering how to apply psychologically safe environments.

People matter in Kabri's world. In this episode, Kabri takes us through how she creates safe environments. She provides a step-by-step guide on how to develop a psychologically safe environment. She then takes it a step further to help 'The Lean Builder Nation' understand how creating psychologically safe environments allow us to start having new conversations about mental health!

Kabri talks about the beautiful Northwest and Beaver Lake. Her family enjoys the great outdoors and her boys love exploring the lake on their new kayaks! Tune in as Kabri explains the how to and the why trust is so important in what we do each day from a Boots on the Ground perspective! Here are a few excerpts of some amazing quotes that Kabri delivers in this episode! "It's not about being liked!" "It's about taking advantage of the collective knowledge!" "Connecting a level deeper than what it typically expected on a project site!"

Kabri also talks about Arcade Wayfinding's Foreman training program and how that is driving new leadership skills to those who are being promoted based on their technical abilities. Helping new Foreman understand how to lead, read drawings, develop emotional intelligence, etc.

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

• www.linkedin.com/company/the-lean-builder | Our LinkedIn community

• https://www.constructionexec.com/article/a-superintendents-case-for-a-psychologically-safe-jobsite | Kabri article on Psychological Safety

• https://viewer.joomag.com/ht-magazine-1-issue/0097956001611261273/p14?short& | Kabri article on Psychological Safety

• https://www.arcadewayfinding.com/services/foreman-basic/ | Arcade Wayfinding's Foreman Basic Training Program

• https://preventconstructionsuicide.com/ | Many industry-specific suicide prevention resources at CIASP

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

• Kabri Lehrman-Schmid | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kabri-lehrman-schmid/

In this middle of the healing gardens at Prisma Memorial Hospital, Sean tells us about his career coming up as a member of the 10,000 hour millwork club! As one of the best millworker on the west side of the Mississippi – Hoots was able to introduce Sean to one of the best millworkers on the east side of the Mississippi, Mark Riddle! Maybe Mark would be willing to come on and represent his side of this shape building contest!?

Sean opens up (Hoots didn't edit it all out!) about his new granddaughter, Indigo in New Mexico! He shows off a photo of her that he just received while looking up his favorite Will Rogers quote, "Everyone is ignorant, only on different subjects."

Sean talks about how we came up through the commercial construction industry, from being a builder to becoming an owner's representative! The conversation centers around respect for people and/or respect for resources. Humans only have so much to give of themselves and as leaders in the industry we need to understand and respect the capacity these resources are able to give.

Sean helps the Lean Builder Nation understand what the definition of an expendable resource is. The conversation dives deep into relationships and Sean looks back on the time that his company forced someone to miss a birth. Sean broad brushes the concepts of Systems Thinking, which brought us together!

"Make something better in someone's else life today!" – Sean Graystone!

Hoots on the Ground dives into why respect for resources is the key that will unlock all things respect for people. When I value the things around the person, the person will understand how much they truly matter to the system. When we focus on the respecting the resources, the resources will in turn respect the person. People will notice this fast.

Sean closes out the conversation by explaining how the darks spots in the loom are just as important as the light spots.

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
• linkedin.com/company/the-lean-builder | Our LinkedIn community
• https://quotepark.com/quotes/991555-will-rogers-everyone-is-ignorant-only-on-different-subjects/ | Will Rogers Quote

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
• Sean Graystone | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-graystone-75201b4/ |

In this episode, Hoots opens up about his experience in the hospital over the last three weeks fighting kidney transplant rejection. You will learn way more about immunology and plasma apheresis than you ever wanted to. Also, have you ever wondered what a lean freak's hospital room looks like – tune in to the video version to find out more!!

A touch of vulnerability in this episode as Hoots opens up on where he has been the during the month of April! Be ready to hop on a journey that comes at you straight from Prisma Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville, SC.

Huge shout outs and Thank yous to Sean Graystone, Charlie Dunn, Colin Milberg, Dean Reed, Keyan Zandy, Joe Donarumo, Terri Erickson, Cynthia Tsao, Jordan Christensen, Jake Harrell, Andrew McLaughlin, Harry Schmidt, Jason Schroeder and the entire Elevate Construction IST team, Jennifer Lay, Jesse Hernandez, and all of the other wonderful and amazing humans that have helped Hoots through one of the hardest times of his life. The thoughts, energy and prayers have been so appreciated!

This experience has really made Hoots question some of the decisions that he has made in his life. Rethinking a new strategy in order to drive production and change in the construction industry.

Thank you to all of the amazing people out there who have been praying and sending positive energy! It's working and Hoots on the Ground will be forever grateful!

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
• linkedin.com/company/the-lean-builder | Our LinkedIn community
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/no-bs-with-jen-jess/ | No BS With Jen & Jess

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

In this episode, Host Adam Hoots interviews Dan Reynolds, Executive Vice President with Gilbane Building Company. Dan shares a bit about growing up in the Midwest in Iowa. Although he's worked all over the world, the Midwest is still near and dear to him, and he brings those roots to his work daily.

Dan starts the podcast by sharing a saying from his father about the value of "quiet competence." You don't need to be the person jumping up on the table. Be the person that's going to offer ideas, be present, and be able to contribute. He feels that he's driven to operate that way, and it's what has ensured his success in the construction industry and in life.

He's passionate and fired up about the people aspects of our industry and how we're embracing care, collaboration, communication, and culture so much more today. He shares his appreciation for the project teams that worked tirelessly during the pandemic. Those teams that kept us in business and put their lives on the line then and every day.

He's committed to spend the rest of his career focused on the people side. He wants to make sure our future leaders are absolutely the best and top-notch people they can be, and they are able to in turn help their teams and next generation to also become the best they can be.

It's about people, trust, behavior. The skill set needed to be successful has changed. We need leaders that can communicate, adapt, and encourage to solve problems and build better. We need leaders that respect and care; that lead by example; that are constant and consistent; that continually question what can be done differently.

Dan discusses how the industry is shifting its approach to promotions and employee growth. Smart firms are still looking at technical abilities, of course, but more they are ALSO looking at behavioral abilities. Historically, you could be a total jerk on the job, but as long as you were skilled technically, you could get promoted. That behavior doesn't fly today.

About 20 years ago, Dan took a course on situational behavior impact and how to better share the impact someone's behavior has on an individual. It's an approach he has practiced and encouraged ever since. Making an example for feedback personal and having those tough conversations is what we need to keep driving our industry.

Dan says you must allow yourself to be vulnerable with people as well. Vulnerability builds trust. You must give and accept feedback. You must be okay to stay behind the curtain and let others shine. You must work to give back to your team, company, and industry.

He closes with the reminder that construction will always be people, so let's make our people the best we can.

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
• linkedin.com/company/the-lean-builder | Our LinkedIn community

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
• Dan Reynolds | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-reynolds-6911962/

In this episode, Jordan Christensen tells us more about who he is and how he got to where he is now! Hold on as he discusses his amazing family life and how he found and developed his takt planning skills! Watch Jordan's face light up as he talks about Ryker, Camden and Brielle as he tells the story of 'growing up' with Takt planning. Jordan explains how his takt journey has gone from crawling to running in this episode. He gives special shoutouts to the teams that helped him to perfect his takt experience.

Jordan and Hoots compare takt planning to swaddling children. Lots of learning going on in this episode! Way more than just focused on construction. Brace yourself as you learn some great parenting tricks and ways to snuggle your babies tight!

In this episode, Hoots on the Ground introduces the Lean Builder nation to the 4 production laws and relates them to gravity on earth. Those four laws include:

• Little's Law
  • Work in Small Batches
  • Limit your WIP (Work In Progress)
  • Finish as you go!
• Kingman's Formula
  • Duration = Actual duration * Effect of Variation * Effect of Resource utilization
• Law of Bottlenecks
  • There will always be a slower part of the process than the remainder and we must work to set the pace of production to match the pace of the bottleneck.
  • Once you clear one bottleneck, there will ALWAYS be another one.
• Law of Variation
  • The long we allow variation to be in our process, the further from plan we become and more variation enters the equation.

There will be specific individual podcasts dedicated to each of these topics as the platform develops. This will allow the team to dive into the physics of production and how we are able to work together!

In this episode, Jordan tells us how the idea came about for intakt and where the program is heading. He also dives in to better explain exactly what takt planning is and how to drive it on your projects! Takt planning is becoming a huge part of the construction industry and will impact our people's lives in a positive manner for decades to come!

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
• linkedin.com/company/the-lean-builder | Our LinkedIn community
• https://www.intakt.app/ | InTakt Application
• https://plusdelta.app/ | Plus/Delta Application

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
• Jordan Christensen | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanchristensen/ | Project Manager for a large data center client and Co-Founder of Intakt

In this episode, Hoots is in restoration and recovery mode after an enormous week that took a lot of energy and effort out of him. Hoots talks about how important rest is to our soul and reads some feedback from a listener!

Last week consisted of helping a mega project team pick up on the principles of takt planning and takt construction! The team came up with some really creative ways to implement takt construction together as one.

Hoots on the Ground also was able to experience his first The Lean Builder workshop and offers this podcast as the hook to get folks fired up and excited to experience theirs! The workshop covered the following items:

• The value proposition for lean construction
• Trust
• Daily Huddles
• Visual Communication
• Managing Constraints/Roadblocks
• 8 Wastes and Variation
• The Last Planner System

Then Hoots capped off the week with a TedxClemson talk on the lack of respect that society has for Skilled Trades workers.

This week's episode offers the audience a chance to pause and reflect for a first quarter review. What do you plan to start, stop, or continue as we move into the 2nd quarter and beyond?

Did you know? The same value proposition for Lean given at the workshop is given in Chapter 7 of The Lean Builder book. Check out this week's blog post to read more!

https://theleanbuilder.com/work-smarter-not-harder-sharpen-your-axe/

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 and events website
• linkedin.com/company/the-lean-builder | Our LinkedIn community
• https://theleanbuilder.com/events/ | The Lean Builder Events page

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
• Joe Donarumo | https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-donarumo-993b8221/
• Keyan Zandy | https://www.linkedin.com/in/keyanzandy/

In this episode, Hoots reviews The Lean Builder Blog on Building Trust In the Workplace – 3 Dos and Don'ts. In addition, Hoots on the Ground gives additional ways on how to build, create, and maintain trust. This is the first step in curating a successful lean project. Hoots also reviews the first trust episode (S1E8) and elaborates on ways to make it happen.

Here are some ways on how to build trust in the field:

No one takes blame, no one takes credit!

We don't conceal information.

We communicate open and often!

We focus on people!

We request and implement feedback!

We call people by their name!

We show people respect!

Hoots tells the story about the Love Lab where John Gottman and Robert Levenson were able to predict, with a 90% accuracy, whether or not couples would remain together after only a few hours of meeting them! They discovered that it takes 5 goods to outweigh 1 bad!

Remember – Trust is difficult to gain, easy to break and tough to repair!

Building trust! That's just what lean builders do!

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
• linkedin.com/company/the-lean-builder | Our LinkedIn community
• https://theleanbuilder.com/building-trust-in-the-workplace-3-dos-and-donts/ | Building Trust in the workplace – 3 Dos and Don'ts

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