Why Are You Stuck in Firefighting Mode? The Linchpin Syndrome | E379
The Construction Leading Edge Podcast
Release Date: 03/17/2025
Stop Setting More Goals. Fix One Constraint | EP 425
The Construction Leading Edge Podcast
🚀Download the How to Buy Out a Construction Project Playbook ☎️Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team – EPISODE 425: You have always started the year with clear goals to grow revenue, increase profit, and finally step out of operations. If you’re being honest, 2026 is no different; you’re just reliving the same year over again with different job numbers on the whiteboard. In this episode, I unpack why goals fail. It’s not because you are bad at goal-setting; it’s because your goals are ignoring the real constraint that’s actually...
info_outline
Average People: The Secret for Profitable Construction Business Growth | EP 424
The Construction Leading Edge Podcast
🚀Download the How to Buy Out a Construction Project Playbook ☎️Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team – EPISODE 424: If you're constantly hunting for that one dream employee, the unicorn who can wear all the hats and solve all your problems, you are doing it wrong. Building your business around unicorns isn't smart. It's risky and keeps you stuck. In this episode, I’ll walk you through why relying on rare “superstars” is a losing game and how a mindset shift can help you build a construction business that runs predictably without you...
info_outline
Your Construction Business Is Doing Exactly What It’s Designed To Do | Ep 423
The Construction Leading Edge Podcast
🚀Download the How to Buyout a Construction Project Playbook ☎️Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team – EPISODE 423: Does this sound familiar? You set goals every year, swear you'll fix the chaos in your business, and then 12 months later, you’re still firefighting, still stuck in the same mess, and all you have is a stack of “almosts.” In this episode, I am breaking down why so many construction businesses hit the same wall over and over again no matter how hard the owners work. You’ll hear the 4 structural traps that are secretly...
info_outline
How Elon Musk Would Streamline Your Construction Business: 5 Steps | E422
The Construction Leading Edge Podcast
🚀Download the How to Buyout a Construction Project Playbook ☎️Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team – EPISODE 422: If you’re a general contractor, and you feel like you're buried under processes, stuck in the weeds, and constantly spinning to keep things moving... this episode is going to give you the roadmap to simplify, systematize, and scale without burning out. I will be diving into Elon Musk's 5-step algorithm for making complex systems work better and show you exactly how to apply it to your construction business. Here's the deal:...
info_outline
The Builder Identity Crisis: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There | Ep 421
The Construction Leading Edge Podcast
🚀Download the How to Buyout a Construction Project Playbook ☎️Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team – EPISODE 421: If you feel stuck in your business, the problem might not be your team, your schedule, or your subs… it might be your identity. In this episode, I’m discussing one of the biggest hidden growth killers I’ve seen in the construction world. The version of you that got your business to this point likely won’t get you to where you want to go. In fact, it might be the very thing holding you back. I will unpack 4 old...
info_outline
Cut Preconstruction Timelines in Half: 6 Strategies From Managing $300M | E420
The Construction Leading Edge Podcast
🚀Download the How to Buyout a Construction Project Playbook ☎️Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team – EPISODE 420: If pre-construction is dragging on, you’re not just losing time but also revenue, team capacity, and control. In this episode, I’m going to show you how to cut your pre-construction timelines in half and finally get your projects to the starting line on time. Here’s what we’re going to cover: The biggest mistakes contractors make at the beginning of a project Why do many projects die in pre-construction How to...
info_outline
Repossess Your Time by Fixing These 3 Hidden Design Flaws in Your Construction Business | Ep 419
The Construction Leading Edge Podcast
🚀Download the How to Buyout a Construction Project Playbook ☎️Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team – EPISODE 419: You’re regularly putting in 70-hour weeks, but the needle still isn’t moving. Calls. Texts. Problems. Decisions. It all falls on you. It may not be a time management problem but a design problem. In this episode, I’ll explain why your business keeps pulling you back into chaos, and how to finally break free from the day-to-day firefighting. Here’s what we’ll cover: Why working harder won’t fix your time problem ...
info_outline
Accountability Requires Clarity: How to Get Your Team to Take Ownership | E418
The Construction Leading Edge Podcast
🚀Download our FREE Strategic Planning Guide ☎️Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team – EPISODE 418: Are you tired of chasing your team for every little thing? Getting your team to take ownership is one of the most common frustrations I hear from construction business owners. But here’s the truth: your team isn’t lazy, and it’s not a people problem. It’s a clarity problem. In this episode of The Construction Leading Edge podcast, I’ll explain why the real barrier to accountability is often a lack of clear expectations, processes,...
info_outline
Get Out of the Builder Trap with Daniel Queen | E417
The Construction Leading Edge Podcast
🚀Download the How to Buyout a Construction Project Playbook ☎️Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team – EPISODE 417: Are you tired of doing everything in your construction business and still feeling stuck? Most construction business owners believe that working harder will solve everything. However, Daniel Queen, founder of Built by Coalition, a custom home building company in Charlotte, North Carolina, discovered that by wearing too many hats, he became the bottleneck in his business. In this episode of the Construction Leading Edge podcast,...
info_outline
Scaling Fast? Stop Chasing Sales and Fix THIS First with Cole West | E416
The Construction Leading Edge Podcast
🚀Download our FREE Strategic Planning Guide ☎️Schedule a Business Evaluation Call with The Construction Leading Edge Team – EPISODE 416: Is your construction business always in firefighting mode? As a project manager turned integrator at Matchless Concrete Construction, Cole West knew they were growing too fast, but they were also bleeding money, missing deadlines, and drowning in chaos. In this episode of the Construction Leading Edge podcast, Cole shares how he and his team have dramatically reduced chaos, boosted margins, and reclaimed lost time. Today, we’ll talk about… ...
info_outline☎️Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE
👉Enroll in the Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE
–
EPISODE 379: Do you feel like your business would fall apart if you took a real day off? Or just once, you’d love to eat dinner without late-night calls? Many construction business owners live in constant firefighting mode.
In this episode, I’m breaking down the linchpin syndrome—the trap that keeps your business reliant on you.
If your business grinds to a halt without you, you’re not just overworked—you’re stuck in a broken system. I’ll show you how to break free from the stress, chaos, and endless problem-solving.
You’ll learn how to cut dependency loops, set boundaries, build systems, and prevent issues before they even happen.
If you want a construction business that runs without you, this episode is for you.
Let’s jump in!
Key Takeaways:
Introduction (00:00)
The 70-80 hour work week (01:00)
You’re the linchpin of your business (03:19)
Cutting dependency loops (05:32)
The power of a “to-don’t” list (08:36)
Building a delegation authority (11:03)
Replacing yourself with systems (13:14)
Think like Smokey the Bear (16:17)
Preventing chaos before it even happens (21:49)
Final thoughts (24:04)
Additional Resources:
- Schedule your free business evaluation call with our team HERE
- Enroll in the Get Paid for Estimates Masterclass HERE
- Listen to episode 337 with Max Christiansen HERE
- Listen to episode 343 with Mikhail Gannage HERE
--
The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time.
Follow us on your favorite podcasting platform so you never miss an episode!