Ep.1566 - If Your’e Working Weekends, Something Is Broken
Elevate Construction
In this episode, Jason tackles a tough but important truth: if you're working weekends, something in your system is broken. He reflects on a real situation where one project continued working Saturdays while others using the same Lean and Takt systems were finishing early without overtime. The difference wasn’t the people or the company it was whether the system was actually being followed. Jason challenges the common belief that weekend work is just “part of construction.” It’s not. It’s a signal of deeper issues like lack of flow, poor planning, or resistance to proven systems....
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Ep.1565 - Getting Feedback from People Forced into a System
Elevate Construction
In this episode, Jason breaks down a critical leadership mistake: asking for feedback from people who were never properly supported in the first place. He shares a real-world scenario where a system was forced onto teams without clarity, training, or ongoing support, only to later survey those same people and question why the feedback was negative. The result? Leaders mistakenly blame the system instead of recognizing the real issue: a failed implementation process. Jason explains that successful change isn’t about introducing a new tool or system, it’s about creating an operating system,...
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Ep.1564 - The 10 Cs, Feat. Joe Doherty
Elevate Construction
In this episode, Jason is joined by Joe Doherty to break down a powerful leadership framework: The 10 C’s for field execution, starting with the first five. Joe shares how this simple but impactful structure creates clarity, control, and consistency on construction projects without limiting a superintendent’s personal style. The focus is clear: eliminate chaos and create a calm, controlled, high-performing jobsite. From building a solid plan to collaborating with trade partners, this conversation highlights what great field leadership actually looks like in practice. It’s not about...
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Ep.1563 - Anticipate Trade Arrival
Elevate Construction
In this episode, Jason introduces a powerful mindset shift: treat the arrival of every trade partner like a major milestone, not just another day on site. He explains that trade arrival isn’t just logistics, it’s a critical moment for alignment, orientation, and setting the tone for how work will flow. Instead of letting crews show up and figure things out, Jason advocates for intentional preparation: welcoming teams, organizing materials, setting expectations, and ensuring everything is ready before work begins. This approach reinforces a strong Lean culture, one where nothing enters the...
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Ep.1562 - Didn't You Call Them?
Elevate Construction
In this episode, Jason delivers a powerful reminder about respect and responsibility in construction: “Didn’t you call them?” When general contractors invite trade partners to bid and participate on projects, they are making a commitment to treat those partners with professionalism, preparation, and support. Jason challenges a common industry behavior where trades are invited onto projects only to face disorganized job sites, poor planning, delayed payments, and constant blame. He emphasizes that the role of project managers and general contractors is not simply to deliver materials or...
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Ep.1561 - Lawyers & How They Help Us
Elevate Construction
In this episode, Jason tackles a controversial but important topic: the role lawyers and legal teams play in construction delivery systems. While legal professionals are meant to protect companies and guide them safely through risk, Jason explains how certain systems, especially traditional CPM scheduling can unintentionally incentivize conflict, claims, and litigation instead of collaboration and project success. Jason dives into why many organizations resist lean systems like Takt, Last Planner, and Scrum, even when they consistently improve project outcomes. Often, this resistance comes...
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Ep.1560 - Queuing
Elevate Construction
In this deeply personal and practical episode, Jason reflects on leadership, service, and a powerful operational concept: queuing systems on construction sites. Inspired by lessons from lean construction and observations from Japan, he explains how structured entry systems like worker huddles, logistics gates, and kitting areas, help align teams before work begins. Jason shares how many jobsite problems happen because teams allow disorganized behavior onto the site and then spend the rest of the day chasing issues. Instead, he proposes a simple but disciplined approach: control the flow before...
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Ep.1559 - Concrete as a Geographical Area
Elevate Construction
In this episode, Jason explores a powerful insight about how construction teams should assign leadership and responsibility on projects: by geography, not by scope. Many project teams traditionally assign superintendents to specific scopes like concrete, MEP, or finishes, but Jason explains why this approach often creates confusion, weak accountability, and fragmented project control. Instead, he argues that the most effective construction projects operate through spatial or geographical ownership, where leaders are responsible for specific zones or areas of the project from start to finish....
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Ep.1558 - Technology in Pre-construction, Feat. Aaron Kivett
Elevate Construction
In this episode, Jason is joined by guest Aaron to explore how technology, AI, and smarter pre-construction processes are shaping the future of the construction industry. The conversation dives into one of the most important realities facing the industry today labor shortages and how better planning, digital tools, and automation can help teams build more efficiently with the workforce available. Jason and Aaron discuss why so much of a project’s success is determined long before construction begins, during the pre-construction phase. What you’ll learn in this episode: Why the...
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Ep.1557 - The Biggest Leadership Mistake: Ignoring Problems
Elevate Construction
Jason explores a powerful leadership insight he encountered during a trip to Japan: a problem is actually a problem. While many leaders like to frame problems as “opportunities,” Jason explains why this mindset can sometimes dilute the urgency needed to solve real issues on construction projects. He shares how both perspectives can be valuable but only when applied correctly. Problems can indeed become opportunities for improvement, but only if teams identify, discuss, and solve them before they impact the work. If problems are ignored, hidden, or delayed, they quickly become serious risks...
info_outlineIn this episode, Jason Schroeder and Beanie break down project changes as a major cause of project failure, and why most teams unintentionally create variation that stretches durations and wrecks flow. They connect changes to global vs. local optimization, showing how “nice-to-have” tweaks can destroy the overall goal if they don’t protect the bottleneck and the plan. You’ll hear practical field stories, plus the habits middle, and keep everyone aligned with a visual plan.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- How local optimization creates unnecessary project changes that hurt the global goal.
- Hthat reduce changes: verify full kit, don’t start unless you can finish, manage the dip in the Theory of Constraints helps you decide which changes matter and which don’t.
- Why “don’t start unless you can finish” (verify full kit) prevents midstream chaos.
- How short cycles and rhythm reduce the motivation dip and keep crews finishing zones.
- Why visual planning gets everyone on the same page and cuts down variation and change.
Are your changes helping the whole system reach the goal or just making people feel busy while the project slows down?
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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