Learnings and Missteps by Depth Builder

AJ Waters wanted to design stadiums. Instead, he ended up rebuilding the operating system for one of the largest construction companies in the world and learning, the hard way, why so many digital transformations quietly collapse in the field.

In this episode, AJ takes Jesse inside the messy reality of tech adoption at scale: what it was really like leading a major platform overhaul at Kiewit, why executives sometimes override the "right" decision for reasons that have nothing to do with the data, and the uncomfortable truth about who construction software has historically been built for and who's been left out.

They also get into:

• Why teams keep optimizing for the back office while the people actually swinging hammers get ignored
• What evaluating project management platforms for Google's data center builds taught AJ about alignment vs. politics
• The surprising throughline between his childhood Lego obsession and how he approaches problem-solving today
• Why AJ started The Engineered Life to talk about "superpowers" most people don't even know they have

If you've ever wondered why the tools that look perfect in a boardroom fall apart on-site, or why subcontractors always seem to get the short end of the software stick, this one's for you.

By the end, you'll understand why AJ measures success by one simple standard: whether he left people, and situations, better than he found them.

00:00 Executive Override Reality

00:18 Meet AJ Waters

02:00 Lego Builds and Movie Nerd

03:23 Rebuilding Memorial Stadium

05:38 Dreaming of Stadiums

08:31 Not Smart Enough to Engineer

11:01 Design vs Construction Life

11:23 LnM Listener Shoutout

13:55 Why Construction Fits People

17:48 First Digital Takeoff Win

20:16 Resourcefulness and Problem Solving

25:17 iPhone Sparked Tech Interest

27:56 Volunteering for Transformation

29:48 Change Resistance on Site

31:32 Design for Field Users

33:20 Workarounds and Training Gaps

34:58 From Internal Tools to Innate

35:50 Owner Side Lessons at Google

40:07 Systems vs Human Behavior

42:50 Procore vs PlanGrid Politics

44:50 Tech Ignores Subs and Owners

46:27 AI and Platform Advantage

51:15 EngiNerd Life Origin Story

Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab

Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be 

There's a version of "authentic" that's just an excuse to be obnoxious. Amy Houk isn't that version.

Amy is the president of National Lien Services and RSC Preliminary Lien Services and joins Jesse to talk about turning 50 and how that moment changed everything: she stopped caring about most things and started caring a lot more about the things that mattered.

She gets real about the line between authenticity and being difficult, why she owns her role in conflict instead of playing the victim, and the apology she almost didn't give (but did). 

They also dig into saying the quiet part out loud, why boundaries beat manipulation every time, and how to spot a narcissistic dynamic before it costs you.

Then Amy pulls back the curtain on the side of construction most people ignore until it's too late — protecting your payments and mitigating risk before a project turns into a collections nightmare.

Listen now, and find Amy online for more on risk, contracts, and getting paid what you're owed.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyhouk/ 

00:00 Not Too Much

00:18 Meet Amy Houck

02:59 Desert Whales Icebreaker

04:49 Writing Like Yourself

06:23 Authenticity As Brand

09:20 Finding Courage At Fifty

09:54 Mom The Powerhouse

12:19 Shout Out Segment

13:13 Authentic Not Obnoxious

18:01 Men Versus Boys

18:19 Gen X Follow Up Email

22:24 Truth With Kindness

25:16 Narcissism Talk

29:41 What Lien Services Do

32:31 Leading By Educating

34:32 Monthly Live Webinars

35:24 Respecting Construction Risk

37:37 Ranch Roots Work Ethic

39:07 Service Driven Leadership

42:10 Authenticity And Influence

45:02 Posers And Being Enough

47:37 Honesty With Responsibility

49:06 Narcissist Fallout Lesson

53:29 How To Start Authentic

58:31 Promise To Stay Open

01:02:32 Where To Find Amy

Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab

Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be 

Feedback is optional. Performance isn't.

Most managers default to soft, vague feedback, the "poo-poo sandwich" of compliment, critique, compliment, because it feels safe. But feedback is suggestive by nature, appropriate for social settings or volunteer environments where the stakes are low. Performance conversations are different. They require clarity, accountability, and follow-through.

This episode breaks down a 3-part framework for having real performance conversations:

1. Anchor language — Use words that stick: if there is a failure, or expectations not met. Vague language gets forgotten. Anchor language gets remembered.
2. Explicit consequences — Name what happens next: reassignment, termination. Ambiguity protects no one.
3. Resources and support — Pair the hard conversation with a real path forward: tools, check-ins, and support to close the gap.

Two examples bring the framework to life: a 90-day team member and a third-year apprentice, both of whom turned performance around after clear expectations, defined tool requirements, weekly check-ins, and stated consequences were put on the table.

The result isn't a harder conversation; it's a clearer one. And clarity is what actually changes behavior.

Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab

Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be 

Bradley Henderson built a company that bridges the field-office gap in construction, but the story of how he got there is the one worth hearing. Plumb Line Operations founder and field worker advocate Bradley Henderson joins Jesse to talk about the personal cost of traveling construction work, what addiction and prison taught him about radical ownership, and why he now builds a "second chance" lane connecting skilled workers with structured employers. Jesse opens up about his own 10 years of sobriety as the two get honest about the long road from victim mentality to accountability and what it really looks like to make amends and turn your worst chapter into your purpose.

00:00 Turning Pain Into Magic

00:14 Meet Bradley Henderson

01:34 The Toll of Travel Work

04:31 LinkedIn Style and Accountability

05:37 Addiction Prison and Ownership

07:52 Sobriety and Compounding Change

11:47 Shoutout and Viktor Frankl Lesson

14:14 Owning Mistakes in the Field

16:04 Rebuilding After a Record

19:49 From Manipulation to Influence

22:02 Rehab Story and Shame Release

24:28 Sharing the Shame

24:52 Why the Rooms Work

26:30 Turning Pain Into Help

27:27 Owing It Forward

28:57 Making Amends for Real

35:03 Gratitude and Second Chances

36:42 Building a Coaching Calling

38:02 Second Chance Workforce Plan

Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab

Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be 

Most construction leaders think they have an accountability problem. What they actually have is a clarity problem, and they're pointing the finger in the wrong direction.

Coralee Beatty, founder of Thrive HQ and one of the most honest voices in the construction leadership space, joins Jesse to get into the real reasons teams underperform, people quit, and culture stays stuck. From her point of view the fix is simpler (and harder) than most leaders want to admit.

In this episode, Coralee reframes accountability entirely, it's not a hammer, it's a scaffold. Real accountability means your people have what they need to succeed, and they know it's still on them to show up. When those two things are true at the same time, everything changes.

They get into why so many construction leaders default to blaming the crew when the real gap is in how roles, expectations, and commitments were set up in the first place. If your team doesn't know exactly what "good" looks like, you don't have an accountability problem, you have a leadership gap.

Coralee also talks about what it actually took to exit a business she built, the childhood abandonment that wired her to fear judgment and chase "good enough," and how she turned that into fuel. She doesn't dress it up. That's what makes it land.

And she makes the case that vulnerability isn't soft, it's a jobsite skill. When leaders show up honestly, teams feel safe enough to do the same. That's where trust actually gets built.

If your retention is struggling, your culture feels flat, or you're tired of having the same performance conversations with no real change, this episode is worth your full attention.

00:00 Why Accountability Matters

00:50 Meet Coralie Beatty

02:13 Clubhouse Community Era

04:07 Defining Accountability

05:42 Commitment Versus Control

10:06 Listener Shoutout Break

11:05 Building Accountable Teams

14:40 Leadership And The Denominator

16:16 No Master Plan Just Iteration

18:22 Resilience And Fear Of Judgment

22:05 Roots Of Not Enough

26:29 Sharing Lived Experience

27:54 Changing Minds Online

29:19 Construction Culture Shift

30:00 Appreciation Wins Talent

31:00 Acknowledgment Changes Everything

34:00 From Hardass to Human

36:32 Who Gets to Help

39:35 Vulnerability Builds Trust

47:39 Simple Culture Fixes

51:58 Connection Is the Cure

Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab

Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be 

Every time you say yes to avoid discomfort, you're saying no to yourself. Over time, that trade leads straight to burnout — and to showing up for everyone else at a fraction of your capacity.

In this episode, Jesse breaks down two foundational steps to stop operating on everyone else's terms and start advocating for yourself for real.

What you'll hear:

Step 1 — Do an inventory. Jesse walks you through a simple two-column exercise: what you do because you want to, versus what you do because someone else wants or expects it. Most people who do this exercise are surprised by what they find; over-delivering for others while their own wellness, growth, health, and relationships sit at the bottom of the list. This inventory tells you exactly where boundaries are needed and who actually values your time.

Step 2 — Get clear on whose expectations you're actually living by. Here's the thing: most of the expectations running your life were never explicitly stated. They're assumed. Jesse shares real career examples of paths he walked away from like project management and corporate roles, once he got honest about what he actually valued. He also addresses the reality check: if someone's paying your bills, some expectations are non-negotiable. Knowing the difference is the whole game.

If you've been feeling stretched thin, resentful, or like you're constantly serving everyone but yourself, this episode is a direct answer to why.

00:00 Stop Saying Yes

00:42 Two Advocacy Steps

01:45 Do An Inventory

02:53 Two Column Exercise

05:02 Reality Check Results

06:14 Friend Favor Trap

08:11 Boundaries And Progress

09:46 From Salty To Clarity

14:27 Get Clear On Expectations

17:56 Career Path Wake Up

19:35 Choosing Your Own Path

21:51 Balancing Life Priorities

28:18 Invest In Internal Teams

29:31 Quick Summary And Goodbye

Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab

Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be 

Boone White grew up with a stutter. Public speaking was something he avoided until years of running weekly safety meetings forced him to figure it out. He got better by going shorter, ditching the scripts, and replacing bullet points with stories. Now he's a general superintendent at ICM Construction, a construction influencer, and one of the more honest voices in the trades about what it actually takes to shift a jobsite culture from the inside.

In this episode, Jesse and Boone get into what it looks like to lead crews who've been doing this longer than you have, why systems matter more than blame, and how tools like Last Planner can either build a team or blow one up depending on how you roll them out.

What you'll hear:

• How Boone turned a childhood stutter into a communication strength — and why story-driven toolbox talks land harder than scripted ones
• What it looks like to lead hardheaded, old-school crews without losing their respect or your standards
• The honest story of how he butchered Last Planner on his first try — and why Lean tools get weaponized against the culture they're supposed to build
• The workforce pressures forcing construction to get serious about how it treats people, whether it wants to or not
• Inside ICM's Align Academy and the Old Dog Community — and why experienced supers need a peer group as much as anyone
• Boone's push to change how Mississippi bids and delivers work

Boone's a working super who figured things out the hard way. This one's worth the listen.

00:00 Facts and Introductions

02:15 Why Boone Speaks

02:39 Stutter to Confidence

04:29 Toolbox Talks That Stick

05:15 Stories Over Scripts

08:08 Leading Older Crews

09:31 Firm Leadership Balance

13:41 Old School vs New

16:54 Workforce Change Storm

19:11 Treat People Like People

22:26 Lean Books Breakthrough

26:25 Butchering Last Planner

27:21 Weaponized Collaboration

28:21 Identity Shift to Lead

31:51 Enemy Is Waste

32:37 ICM Culture by Design

35:16 Why Boone Joined ICM

38:52 Inside Align Academy

44:31 In Person Training Wins

46:40 Listening as a Skill

49:13 Old Dog Community

53:06 Promise for Mississippi

55:09 Where to Connect

55:49 Podcast Wrap Up

Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab

Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be 

Most people think Lean is a manufacturing methodology. Sneha Kumari lives it as a mindset.

Sneha is back on Learnings & Missteps. She's the president of Merlin AI and one of the most recognized women in manufacturing; and this conversation gets into the stuff that actually moves the needle.

Jesse and Sneha dig into why Lean isn't just a process tool, it's a way of thinking about simplicity, eliminating waste, and respecting people's time. That includes your team, your clients, and yes, even your kids. When you build systems — whether that's automation, AI, or a morning routine — the goal is the same: remove time as a bottleneck.

They also break down how tight feedback loops change the game. Not chasing every outlier. Spotting patterns. Doing real root-cause analysis. Using an impact-versus-effort matrix to make smarter decisions faster.

Sneha gets honest about what she's learned since launching Merlin AI, resilience, leading a remote global team, and how to maintain urgency without blowing up quality, safety, or delivery.

And she explains what Merlin AI is actually solving: the fragmented, unpredictable mess that construction workflows still are. Orchestration and operational intelligence — predicting problems before they happen, making execution more scalable and repeatable.

If you're leading people, building systems, or trying to figure out where AI actually fits in your operation, this one's for you.

00:00 Feedback Loops Mindset

00:14 Meet Sneha Kamari

02:41 Why Lean Matters

07:51 Respecting Time

12:18 AI Systems Design

15:27 Merlin AI Founder Lessons

20:19 Mistakes And Learning

22:01 Tight Feedback Loops

26:42 Patterns And Priorities

30:27 Orchestration Explained

32:59 Operational Intelligence

Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab

Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be 

Time management for construction leaders isn't about working harder — it's about deciding what actually matters before the week decides for you.

In this episode, Jesse breaks down the hyper-reactivity loop that keeps construction superintendents, foremen, and project managers double-booked and frazzled — and shares two practical tools to fix it.

You'll learn:

• The "Book Your Week" system — one weekly reset, a daily task limit of seven, and how it makes it easier to push back on last-minute requests
• Three mental preset phrases that buy you time without burning bridges with your team or manager
• Why last-minute demands keep landing on your plate — and whose behavior is reinforcing it
• The one priority conversation that protects your focus without throwing yourself under the bus
• What Jesse will (and won't) let disrupt his weekly plan

If you're a construction leader who ends every week wondering where it went, this episode is for you.

Follow Learnings & Missteps for a new episode every week — practical leadership tools built for the field, not the boardroom.

Depth Builder  |   Learnings & Missteps LinkedIn

00:00 Rushing Looks Incompetent

00:48 Two Tools Overview

01:31 Break Reactivity Loop

02:15 Book Your Week Habit

03:24 Calendar Skills Matter

04:37 Seven Tasks Limit

06:01 Say No With Confidence

11:20 Mental Presets Scripts

14:12 Stop Conditioning Yes

15:02 White Paper Lesson

16:48 Recap And Free Tools

20:19 Bonus Disruption Rules

22:33 Final Review And Signoff

Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab

Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be 

Your people aren't running out of steam because they're soft. They're running out of electrolytes — and the water cooler isn't fixing it.

Jennifer Martinez is a sports-medicine-trained performance specialist who decided the trades deserved the same recovery science as elite athletes. She calls it rapid restoration. And she's got an approach that turns depleted workers around in about 10 minutes.

In this episode, Jesse and Jennifer break down what's actually draining your workforce — filtered water, energy drinks, caffeine, stress, poor diet. Why the headaches, cramps, fatigue, and on-the-job mistakes your crew writes off as "just part of the job" are symptoms, not character flaws. It's a $100 billion annual problem hiding in plain sight.

Jennifer also talks about the faith that kept her going through early pushback, why she rebranded to "rapid restoration," and the mission underneath all of it: getting workers home to their families healthier than when they showed up.

In this episode:

• Why "drink more water" is making things worse, not better
• The everyday habits silently draining your crew
• How depletion shows up as mistakes, heat illness, and underreported incidents
• Why workers have to feel better before they'll change behavior
• Jennifer's journey from pushback to rapid restoration

Connect with Jennifer Martinez: J Mar Solutions | LinkedIn

00:00 The Hidden Cost

00:37 Meet Jennifer Martinez

03:44 Imperfect Action Wins

06:31 Handling Criticism Gracefully

08:47 When You Want To Quit

10:10 Surrender And Rebrand

13:31 Dehydration Myth Busting

16:41 Coffee Stress And Coping

20:19 Heat Exposes Depletion

22:15 Rapid Restoration In Action

26:34 From Sports To Job Sites

29:40 Friction And Pushback

30:51 Faith Fueled Resilience

34:15 Squirt Squad Marketing

34:52 Heat Stroke Save Story

38:15 Industrial Athletes Mindset

39:49 Change Through Feeling Better

42:55 Surrender And Service

45:26 Doing Right Over Profit

48:23 Kidney Health Mineral Message

50:22 Where To Find JMAR

Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab

Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be