Ep.1414 - Developing Young Supers, Feat. Steven Shannon
Release Date: 08/22/2025
Ep.1433 - How to Fail a System
Elevate Construction
This episode gets real about why good delivery models go bad. Jason breaks down the traps that derail IPD, Design-Build, and CM at Risk, and shows how systems thinking, flow, and true collaboration keep projects on track. Key points: The “competitive design proposal” trap burns millions and cannibalizes unpaid design. Phased design without a full kit leads to rework: missing sleeves, embeds, blue bangers, and chaos. If it violates Goldratt’s Rules of Flow, it will fail no matter the contract wrapper. Deming’s lesson: we fail despite best efforts when we don’t think in systems. Stop...
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Ep.1432 - Are You Ready to Receive The Value?
Elevate Construction
· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: · LeanSuper YouTube Channel: · LeanSurvey YouTube Channel:
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Ep.1431 - The Base of Construction
Elevate Construction
In this episode, Jason tackles a tough truth: our industry has quietly stopped training. Core builder skills are disappearing and it’s costing us. Drawing lessons from Japanese craftsmanship, U.S. military history, and decades of field experience, Jason makes the case that training is not optional it’s survival. Just like Japan rebuilds its temples every 20 years to preserve skill, we must continually rebuild our workforce to preserve the craft of building. Key Points: How technology has replaced not supported builder skills. Why the silence of older generations cost us vital...
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Ep.1430 - Prepared Details
Elevate Construction
In this episode, Jason shares a real-world story from the road to the Super PM Bootcamp in Dallas and the powerful lesson it revealed: being prepared creates freedom. By handling the small details in advance, you clear space for innovation, calm, and focus. Instead of fighting fires, you get to lead. Key Takeaways: Preparation eliminates chaos and stress. Buffers protect you from last-minute crises. Clean, organized systems multiply performance. Taking care of details frees you to innovate and improve. If you want projects and life to flow smoother, start by getting the details...
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Ep.1429 - Bringing the PM & Super together, Feat. Nic Parish
Elevate Construction
PM and Superintendent are not rivals. They are a duo. In this fast moving conversation with third generation builder Nic Parish we tackle the real friction and the fixes that actually work in the field. What this episode gives you: A simple model for PM brings the pieces and the Super puts them together. The mantra see the future and feed the project. Daily five minute touchpoints and weekly lunch to build trust. Visual systems on the wall so nothing lives in someone’s head. One rule for culture all problems are team problems. How to stop the office versus field blame loop. ...
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Ep.1428 - Logistics, Feat. Mark Story
Elevate Construction
Logistics is more than deliveries, it’s the hidden engine that keeps projects moving smoothly. In this high-energy conversation with Mark Story, we break down why logistics planning can make or break a job. From mega-projects to tight urban sites, the principles stay the same: plan ahead, keep it simple, and always think with the end in mind. What you’ll learn in this episode: The golden rules of logistics every superintendent should know. Why logistics plans must evolve as your project changes. How to scale logistics for small jobs versus massive builds. The role of truck drivers,...
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Ep.1427 - Micromanagement as a Myth
Elevate Construction
Micromanagement gets blamed for everything. Jason pulls apart the viral advice and shows when close guidance is actually teaching, how capability and team stage change what leaders must do, and why meetings and details aren’t the enemy. It’s a frank reset on accountability, trust, and what real leadership looks like on the job. When close guidance is right: explain, demonstrate, guide, enable. Forming and storming need more check-ins so work can move in short cycles. Meetings are the work when teams are not side-by-side. Details matter: tighten quality where it protects brand, clients,...
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Ep.1426 - The 12 Causes of Project Failure
Elevate Construction
Projects rarely go wrong. They start wrong. In this punchy breakdown, Jason spotlights Adam Beanie’s framework and ties it to the builder’s code Never yield ground so you can protect finished work, keep control, and deliver. The big miss: inadequate planning and starting before you’re ready. Leadership alignment: PM and superintendent in lockstep or the job suffers. Scope change creep: why phased design spins teams out and how to stop it. Scheduling truth: CPM confusion vs the rhythm and flow of Takt. Team capability: put the right people on the bus and skill them up. Incentives: how...
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Ep.1425 - An Answer to Questions
Elevate Construction
Quick, energetic recap from Salt Lake City plus a listener question that turns into rapid fire, practical guidance on what actually works on site. Where AI saves time today: takeoffs, RFIs, submittal registers, meeting notes, and when to still write key items by hand. Tools that matter now: ChatGPT for writing and notes, plus purpose built platforms for estimating, reality capture, and schedule insight. First Planner vs Takt vs Last Planner what each system is for and how they fit together. Roadblocks vs constraints, why over prioritizing backfires and how to visualize and clear the path...
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Ep.1424 - Preventing SIFs, Feat. David Tibbetts
Elevate Construction
Recordables are down across the industry, yet fatalities have not moved. In this episode, Highwire Chief Safety Officer David Tibbetts shows how to stop chasing TRIR and start preventing serious injury and fatality by focusing on the work that can change a life in a single moment. • What SIF really means: life ending, life threatening, and life altering. • Why TRIR alone can mislead and how to pair it with exposure tracking. • How to make pretask plans actually useful by centering high risk tasks and critical controls. • Where to invest limited energy and attention so crews stay safe...
info_outlineWhat does it take to go from pushing brooms to leading as a superintendent in just a few years? In this episode, we sit down with Steven Shannon of Sky Blue Builders, alongside Kate Schroeder, to unpack the habits, systems, and mindset shifts that transformed his career and his life.
Steven opens up about his path in construction, the power of mentorship, and how lessons from our Super PM Boot Camp changed the way he works and leads. From implementing self-care routines to mastering pull planning and meeting cadences, he shares how small changes created big results.
But this conversation doesn’t shy away from the hard stuff. Steven gets real about mistakes that cost time and money and how his company’s culture of learning over punishment helped him grow stronger. Together, we explore why failure normalization matters, how to get teams to truly buy into new systems, and why rhythm not overexertion is the secret to sustainable success in construction.
This is an honest, practical, and inspiring episode for anyone who wants to build better, lead better, and live better.
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