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Month: February 2026

Your Fastest Trades

Posted on by Jason Schroeder
Read 9 min

Being Ahead in Only One Area (Doesn’t Actually Gain You Time)

Here’s a comment from a superintendent that sounds smart but is actually incorrect: “We’re ahead on level three, so it doesn’t matter that we’re behind on level one and two. We’ll make up that time.” And I get why someone would think that. It sounds logical. But when you actually map it out, you see that being ahead in one area doesn’t gain you anything. It just creates a gap.

And this is important because most people don’t realize this until it’s too late.

The Pain of Thinking Speed in One Area Makes Up for Delays in Another

There was a team I won’t tell you where they are and you won’t know who I’m talking about, and I like it that way because I want people to feel safe with the information they share. The onsite team was a little bit chaotic on this job, and the company systems were all there for them to succeed. And they weren’t doing very well. They were losing time consistently while other projects in the same company were ahead of time. They’re gaining months and months and months.

I mean, seriously, one job the other day was like three months ahead of what they were planning on simply because of stability and flow. And this project kept drifting. And so, we don’t believe in coming in and saving a team, but we do believe in coming in and helping and making sure the process and the system was helping them and being followed. You know, it does have to be followed.

So, we came in and found out that they weren’t holding to the meeting structure and they weren’t following their standard best practices and they weren’t implementing according to the Takt plan. And one of the comments that came from the superintendent was, “Well, because we’re ahead on level three, it doesn’t matter that we’re behind on level one and two, because we’ll make up that time.”

And that’s the topic that I want to cover today.

Here’s what happens. The team is behind on levels one and two. But they’re ahead on level three. So, they think, “Great, we made up time. We’re back on track.” But when you map it out, you realize that being ahead on level three doesn’t accelerate the overall schedule. It just creates a gap. Because everything in construction is dependent. Trades flow sequentially. And if you’re ahead in one zone but behind in others, you’re not faster. You’re just out of rhythm.

Why Being Ahead in One Area Doesn’t Gain You Anything

So that’s not a bad thing to think because it means that the person is thinking. And it’s not unnatural to think that. But it is incorrect. And like everything in these podcasts, we want to make sure that we’re providing accurate information.

If you actually map that out, you see that that doesn’t actually gain you anything. Because if you’re ahead in a couple of zones, because everything is dependent and in a flow according to an original plan, you end up with a gap. You don’t end up with an acceleration.

The person that we sent out there, who asked to go out there, who’s a Takt and field expert, actually mapped it out for the onsite team. And they were like, “Oh, oh my gosh. Okay. So those areas being ahead, they ended up being gaps because there’s too many dependent activities that prevent us from actually switching the overall sequence and gaining time. And really what we need to do is just pause and get back into flow.”

And the project team went through in detail. They did a complete as-built of where they were. They said, “This is what we’re going to have to do, or what we get to do to finish. Let’s just stabilize and get back into flow.” And they’re back on track. They’re back on track.

Here’s why this matters. When you’re ahead in one zone, you can’t just accelerate the entire project. Because the trades behind you aren’t ready. The materials aren’t staged. The inspections aren’t complete. The handoffs aren’t clean. So, you end up waiting. And that waiting is a gap. And the gap doesn’t save time. It just creates chaos.

The Rare Exception (And Why It Almost Never Happens)

But it is a falsehood. You can’t be like, “Oh, we’re ahead up here on this random floor. So that’s time that we get back.” That may be true. Like if you were like, “Okay, everything’s ready. Everything’s dependent. There are no constraints that prevent that from being a change in sequence.” And then you’re like, “Instead of floors one, two, three, four, we’re going to go one, three, two, four.” And it pans out. Maybe. I think you’ve got like a one in ten chance of that actually happening.

It will cause variation and you may not gain anything even if it did work. But nine times out of ten, and I do know this, that’s not just a random thought, nine times out of ten, it’s going to gain you nothing. And it’s just going to end up being a gap.

Here’s the exception. If everything is truly ready materials staged, inspections complete, trades onboarded, handoffs clean and you can change the sequence without causing variation, then maybe being ahead in one zone lets you switch the order and gain time. But that almost never happens. Why? Because construction is dependent. Trades flow sequentially. Materials arrive in order. Inspections happen in sequence. And if you try to jump ahead, you create coordination chaos, variation, and rework.

So yes, theoretically, you could gain time by being ahead in one zone. But in practice, it almost never works. And when you map it out, you see that the gap is more likely than the gain.

The Core Principle: Flow Matters More Than Speed

Here’s the concept. It doesn’t matter how fast your fastest trades and I’m going to add areas are going. It matters how your slowest trades and your hardest or slowest zones are going. We’ve got to get everything leveled and we’ve got to get everybody inside of a train going the same speed and the same distance apart and synchronize the trains of trades together.

And so, I just wanted to explain that concept. It’s not evil. It’s not bad. It’s not stupid to think it. But it is incorrect. Most of the time, these things are actually a sign of intelligence that the person is thinking this way. But when you actually map it out, it’s beyond human comprehension to actually see if it’s actually right. And you have to map it out. When you map it out, you see it. Nope. That’s not accurate.

Here’s the truth. The project moves at the pace of the slowest trade. The hardest zone sets the rhythm. And if you’re ahead in one zone but behind in others, you’re not accelerating. You’re just out of sync. The solution isn’t to celebrate being ahead in one area. The solution is to pause, stabilize, and get back into flow. Level the work. Synchronize the trains. And move together at the same speed, the same distance apart.

That’s how you gain time. Not by sprinting ahead in one zone. But by flowing together in rhythm. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

A Challenge for Superintendents

Here’s what I want you to do this week. If you’re ahead in one zone but behind in others, don’t celebrate the zone that’s ahead. Map it out. Look at the dependencies. Look at the constraints. Look at what’s preventing you from switching the sequence. And nine times out of ten, you’ll see that being ahead in one zone doesn’t gain you anything. It just creates a gap.

And when you see that, pause. Stabilize. Get back into flow. Level the work across all zones. Synchronize the trains of trades. And move together at the same speed, the same distance apart. That’s how you gain time. Not by sprinting in one area. But by flowing together in rhythm.

As we say at Elevate, it doesn’t matter how fast your fastest zones are going. It matters how fast your slowest zones are going. Flow matters more than speed. Level the work and synchronize the trains.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn’t being ahead in one area make up for being behind in others?

Because construction is dependent. Trades flow sequentially. Materials arrive in order. Inspections happen in sequence. If you’re ahead in one zone but behind in others, you can’t accelerate the overall schedule. You just create a gap because the trades behind you aren’t ready.

What happens when you’re ahead in one zone but behind in others?

You end up waiting. The trades behind you aren’t ready. The materials aren’t staged. The inspections aren’t complete. The handoffs aren’t clean. So, the zone that’s ahead sits idle. That’s a gap, not an acceleration. And gaps don’t save time.

Is there ever a situation where being ahead in one zone gains you time?

Theoretically, yes. If everything is truly ready materials staged, inspections complete, trades onboarded, handoffs clean and you can change the sequence without causing variation, then maybe. But that happens one in ten times. Nine times out of ten, it just creates a gap.

What should you do if you’re ahead in one zone but behind in others?

Pause. Stabilize. Get back into flow. Don’t celebrate the zone that’s ahead. Map out the dependencies and constraints. Level the work across all zones. Synchronize the trains of trades. And move together at the same speed, the same distance apart.

Why does flow matter more than speed in one area?

Because the project moves at the pace of the slowest trade. The hardest zone sets the rhythm. If you’re ahead in one zone but behind in others, you’re not accelerating the project. You’re just out of sync. Flow creates predictability. Speed in one area creates chaos.

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Click here)
-Check out our Youtube channel for more info: (Click here) 
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Click here) 
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Click here)
-The Takt Book: (Click here)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction IST. As the company’s owner and principal consultant, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.

On we go

Posted in All

Showcase Series

Posted on by Jason Schroeder
Read 13 min

How to Implement Lean Step-by-Step: The Real Answer

Here’s a question I got from a podcast listener that I want to answer publicly because I think a lot of you are asking the same thing. “Have you thought of adding a few books to your series about how folks like me can implement these things on our jobs, like a step-by-step process, chapters of real-life examples to begin this path?”

And here’s my answer: yes. But the real answer is bigger than a book. The real answer is we need to videotape it on a real project with a real team. And I’m looking for takers. If you’re serious, let’s go.

The Pain of Waiting for Step-by-Step Implementation Guides

Here’s what this wonderful individual sent me. “I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about your books and overall messaging. I find them outstanding to say the least. Some hit me hard and forced me to see that there are better ways of doing things. Some I already align with, but your clarity helps me to refine my thoughts and processes. I was visiting with a friend and this topic came up. He had no idea what Lean is. So, our conversation was really cool. As I explained what I’m doing and with your added insights, where I’m trying to go, he then asked, ‘How can I do this?’ This made me think about your series again. My question is, have you thought of adding a few books to your series about how folks like he and I, and I’m sure others, can implement these things on our jobs, like a step-by-step process, chapters of real-life examples to begin this path.”

Okay. So, I’m going to cover this right now and hopefully make some connections out there that will be beneficial.

Here’s my answer to that. Well, first of all, I’m doing a new book series called Elevating Construction the Lean Way, and it will be separated into six books. And this is the pattern that I’ve changed and researched and adopted from other experts around the industry. So, it’s not something I came up with. It’s something I collected rather.

Here are the six books in the series:

  • Lean Core 1: Respect for People, Nature, and Resources
  • Lean Core 2: Stability and Standardization
  • Lean Core 3: Working in One Piece Process or Progress Flow
  • Lean Core 4: Flowing Together on Takt Time With Pull
  • Lean Core 5: Total Participation and Visual Systems
  • Lean Core 6: Quality and Continuous Improvement

And one of the things probably that people might freak out about is that I didn’t put the answer as customer need. Now you do want to have the voice of the customer, but sometimes the voice of the customer, what the customer is asking for, is evil. So, I’m going to go ahead and just leave that open-ended right there. But that is the best definition of Lean in my estimation.

And another good one that I picked up in Japan, I don’t know if I’ll get this right, I don’t have this memorized yet, but Lean is a commitment to learning and improving for the benefit of people and humanity.

And so how can somebody do this? Just start learning and implementing as fast as they can. But let’s get into this even deeper.

The Dream: Videotape Everything on a Real Lean Project

Have I thought about a series? So yes. Now here’s my dream. And everybody knows that Lean Build, our first project, got put on pause because the capital stack, meaning how much cash the developer would have to put on top of their current investment, would have exceeded what the company was able to provide because of lending restrictions here in the United States.

That’s almost figured out. I think I’ll have to joint venture with another existing contractor for the first project or first couple. But our goal was, is to, is to intentionally, and this isn’t arrogant. This isn’t like, “Oh, we build projects better than everybody else.” That’s not what I’m saying.

What I’m saying is the purpose of building the jobs will be to build the jobs and make money. But for me, the first purpose, and for Kevin and Kate, our first purpose will be to build it the Lean way and make sure that we’re recording it and using it for training.

So step-by-step, I’ve already, I would have a camera out there every day. And I know it sounds stupid, but it would be like: This is how you do primary control. This is how you check your benchmarks. This is how you set up your fence. This is why the fence has to be level on the top with really good screen. This is why you need all the posts cut at the top. This is how you do your concrete washout pad. This is how you set up the trailers. This is how you set up your signage. This is how you do everything step-by-step.

And it would be a complete series that somebody could just watch. Now I’m probably misguidedly waiting on that to happen to make that video series.

Here’s why this matters. Books are great. Podcasts are great. YouTube videos are great. But nothing beats seeing it done on a real project. Seeing the primary control set up. Seeing the fence installed. Seeing the trailers organized. Seeing the gang boxes three-S’d. Seeing the morning huddle run. Seeing the pull plan executed. Seeing the Takt plan flow. That’s what people need. And that’s what we’re going to create.

The Opportunity: Partner With Me and Let’s Videotape It

If there was somebody here in Phoenix that wanted to partner with me and be like, “Hey, we’ve got a high-performing team. They want to be Lean.” I would donate my time to help them build that project in exchange for them listening to me and letting me videotape it.

The other thing that I was thinking about, like if there’s a crew, I thought about this today. If there’s a crew that was like, “Hey, Jason, we want to go and implement Lean.” And I could go spend a week with them and we could go do it. We’d go get their trucks all dialed in, get their gang boxes all dialed in, get their processes, create standard work, start using crew boards, begin the plan, build, finish cycle, do some reading with the foreman book. And we videotaped that stuff and then they’ve got it. I would do that with somebody.

So, I’m not trying to be crazy here. I want you to feel, I don’t want to be controlling and toxic and feel like I’m being a nice guy. The problem isn’t me. The problem is a lack of an opportunity. We even started a cleaning company, a trade partner here in Phoenix. We got our first clients coming up here pretty quick. We’re going to start detailing out the vans and the work. We actually have a lot of that done and use that as a Paul Akers-style showcase for how to implement Lean at a trade partner level.

So, we’re doing everything we can. The problem is if you’re going to own a construction company, banks want you to go from ten thousand a month to twenty to thirty to forty, fifty. And then after fifteen years, you become a big contractor. To do what we need to do, we need to make the jump faster. So that’s where that joint venture comes in.

Here’s the offer. If you’re in Phoenix or if you’re willing to fly me out for a week, and you’ve got a high-performing team that’s serious about Lean, let’s do it. I’ll donate my time. I’ll help you get your trucks dialed in, your gang boxes three-S’d, your standard work created, your crew boards running, your plan-build-finish cycle started. And we’ll videotape everything. And then you’ve got it. And the industry’s got it. And we’re all better for it.

The One Requirement: You Have to Be All In

So with whether it’s waiting for our companies to get on board or get up to speed, or if it’s, there’s a team here in Phoenix that wants to jam out or a crew that I could fly to for a week or something. And we videotape it and they actually take me. See, I don’t want to be, I’m not like that. I’m not like, “Just listen to me.” I’m not like, “Just do what I say.” But I don’t want people to waste my time.

Dissension and going in different directions doesn’t make for Lean. That’s why only the leader of a company can implement Lean. You can’t, if the leader of the company is not in it, nothing’s going to happen because you have to have people going in the same direction.

I remember there were people at a former company that I used to work for. They were like, “You don’t need any authority to get stuff done.” I’ve never heard more BS in my entire life. Anybody who says that either is just copping out or giving up or doesn’t know what they’re talking about or has never tried that before. You need a little bit of authority in the United States to get people going in the same direction.

Somebody’s willing to do that. And they’re like, “I’m not going to waste Jason’s time. Let’s go. I’m all in.” I’ll create step-by-step all the stuff.

Here’s the requirement. You have to be all in. You can’t half-butt this. You have to whole-butt this. I need a team that’s serious. That’s put their shoulders back and said, “Jason’s coming. We’re going to go. We’re up to the challenge.” If you’re willing to do that, I’m willing to partner with you and create the step-by-step series the industry needs. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

What We’re Already Working On

The other thing is specifically for crews, I’m going to record how to run the meeting system after our next boot camp and publish that. So I’m trying my best. So, if there’s any takers out there, let me know. I’m serious about it. All I need is a team that’s serious. It’s like, “Hey, I’m going to put my shoulders back. We’re going to go. Jason’s coming. We’re going to go. We’re up to the challenge, right? We’re not going to half-butt this. We’re going to whole-butt this.”

So that’s where we’re going. I’m looking for opportunities. I tell you this, unless there’s something I’m missing. If the universe helps us with our trade partner company, GC company, and we’re able to do this, watch out because we’ll have videos on everything. There won’t be any questions.

And it’s not because I’ll know anything just myself. It’s because we’re collectors. We take the wisdom of the group and learn from people and pull it all together. So there ain’t anything I can’t answer because there’s not any question or favor I won’t ask for.

Here’s what we’re working on right now. We’re starting a cleaning company, a trade partner in Phoenix. We’re going to showcase how to implement Lean at a trade partner level. We’re recording the meeting system after the next boot camp. We’re writing the six-book Elevating Construction the Lean Way series. And we’re looking for the right project to videotape everything step-by-step so the industry has a complete implementation guide.

A Challenge for Builders

Here’s what I want you to do this week. If you’re serious about implementing Lean and you want help, reach out. If you’ve got a high-performing team in Phoenix or if you’re willing to fly me out for a week, let’s talk. If you’re willing to let me videotape everything and share it with the industry, I’ll donate my time. I’ll help you get dialed in. And we’ll create the step-by-step series together.

But you have to be all in. You can’t waste my time. You can’t half-butt it. You have to put your shoulders back and say, “Let’s go.” If you’re willing to do that, I’m ready. Let’s create the implementation guide the industry needs. As we say at Elevate, Lean is a commitment to learning and improving for the benefit of people and humanity. Start learning. Start implementing. And if you want help, let’s go.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you writing a step-by-step implementation guide for Lean?

Yes. The six-book Elevating Construction the Lean Way series covers Lean Core 1 through 6. But the real implementation guide will be videotaped on a real project with a real team. That’s the step-by-step series the industry needs.

What are the six Lean cores in the new book series?

Lean Core 1: Respect for People, Nature, and Resources. Lean Core 2: Stability and Standardization. Lean Core 3: One Piece Process or Progress Flow. Lean Core 4: Flowing Together on Takt Time With Pull. Lean Core 5: Total Participation and Visual Systems. Lean Core 6: Quality and Continuous Improvement.

How can someone implement Lean step-by-step right now?

Start learning and implementing as fast as you can. Read the books. Watch the videos. Attend boot camp. And if you want hands-on help, reach out. If you’re serious, I’ll partner with you and videotape everything so the industry has a complete guide.

What’s the requirement to partner with you on creating the implementation videos?

You have to be all in. High-performing team. Leader committed. Willing to let me videotape everything. No half-butting it. Put your shoulders back and say, “Let’s go.” If you’re willing to do that, I’m ready.

Why do you need authority to implement Lean?

Because you need people going in the same direction. Dissension and chaos don’t create Lean. The leader of the company has to drive it. You need a little bit of authority to get people aligned. Anyone who says you don’t need authority has never tried to implement anything.

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Click here)
-Check out our Youtube channel for more info: (Click here) 
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Click here) 
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Click here)
-The Takt Book: (Click here)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction IST. As the company’s owner and principal consultant, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.

On we go

Posted in All

High, Medium, & Low Performers

Posted on by Jason Schroeder
Read 12 min

High, Medium, and Low Performers: Why They Don’t Get Along

Here’s something that makes people uncomfortable but needs to be said: high performers will never get along with medium and low performers. Not because they’re mean. Not because they’re judgmental. But because they’re heading in different directions. And when people are heading in different directions, every interaction feels like friction instead of flow.

And I don’t like that this is true. But it is. And if you understand why, you can stop forcing situations that will never work.

The Pain of Pairing High Performers With Low Performers

Here’s what I know. There’s recently one of the top performing humans in our organization, like top, top, top. And not on purpose, but she got paired with somebody who is a bit of a mediocre performer, doesn’t like to work a lot of actual duration hours. We don’t really measure things by how many hours you work. We measure performance, but performance is kind of middle of the road. Hours are kind of small and reduced. There’s not a lot of performance there.

Anyway, like every three days, which is expected, so this isn’t a criticism, every three days the high performer is almost in tears, frustrated with the medium performer. And it’s not mean. I can see it on her face that it’s literally just that a high performer, whether it’s significance or certainty or simple pride in work or habitual or whatever it is, there’s a motivation there to do a good job. And the mediocre and low performers are affecting that.

So there’s a human need that the high performer has that the mediocre low performer is hurting. And the situation is never going to work. They’re never going to get along in that direction.

And I’m not saying that’s right. I’m not saying that we should advocate that. I’m just saying that’s literally how it’s going to be.

Here’s what happens. The high performer wants to execute at a high level. They care about the outcome. They take pride in the work. They’re driven by significance, by certainty, by doing things right. And when they’re paired with someone who doesn’t share that drive, it’s not just frustrating. It hurts. Because the low performer is blocking their ability to achieve what matters to them.

And the low performer isn’t necessarily a bad person. They might just have different priorities. They might want a different pace. They might be in a different season of life. But when you pair them with a high performer on the same task, you’re setting both of them up for failure.

The Rule of Flow: Segregation (Not as Punishment, but as Clarity)

So, you are probably more qualified than I am to figure out what to do about it. I mean, one of the rules of flow is segregation. I don’t like segregation from a, “Hey, we’re going to put mediocre performers in one group and high performers in another,” but I do know that you might have to split up those two types of people because they’re heading in different directions.

Meaning like, let’s say that you have a partner and a partner, any argument they have is worthwhile if they’re heading in the same direction. Any argument they have is a complete waste of time if they’re heading in separate directions. A high performer, mid performer, unless the mid performer wants to get better and just needs shoulder-to-shoulder training, they’re not heading in the same direction.

So all I’m trying to say is I don’t have answers to all three of the concepts here, but I do have an answer for the one: if you see a high-performing person not liking to be around a mid-performer or low-performing person, it’s pretty natural and it ties back to the four basic human needs.

Here’s the principle. Flow requires alignment. When two people are heading in the same direction, friction creates progress. They push each other. They challenge each other. They sharpen each other. But when two people are heading in different directions, friction creates frustration. Every interaction is a collision. Every conversation is a drain.

And the solution isn’t to force them together and hope they align. The solution is to separate them. Not as punishment. But as clarity. Let the high performers work together. Let the medium performers find their pace. And if someone wants to move from medium to high, give them shoulder-to-shoulder training and let them earn their way into the high-performing group.

Why Low Performers Attack High Performers

Okay, so let me talk about that, but the other thing is you are going to get a lot of anger and blame from mid-level performers and low performers against other people, especially the high performers and hatred because they don’t like how they feel around them. Like this is going to clear up a couple things and I hope it doesn’t come off wrong.

I have on my LinkedIn profile, I work with high-performing people who care about people. That’s me. And if somebody in the industry, and I don’t like this, so don’t think I like this, but if somebody in the industry is like, “I can’t, I can’t implement Lean, I’m not doing it, I just can’t do it,” there’s probably only a certain amount of time before that person just completely blocks me, stops listening to the podcast, stops listening to any of my content, and then after that starts criticizing me. It happens all the time and it’s because I make them feel bad. I make them feel like they’re not good enough. And I don’t like that.

Just so you know, I’m not proud of it. And I’ll tell you the same thing. When I’m around people that are doing something that I can’t do, I don’t like how I feel. It’s just a natural thing. And I’ve just been blessed with good circumstances. I’m not better than anybody in any way, shape, or form. I just have been blessed with golden spoon circumstances, honestly.

And there’s a lot of, you’ll see that with anybody who doesn’t like Elevate, doesn’t like me. I’ll give you an example. There are people that will be like, “Oh my gosh, I love this, oh my gosh, I’m listening to a podcast, I love Jason, blah, blah, blah.” Then we get together and they’re like, “Oh, I’m not doing well, I can’t do this,” or they don’t even try.

I remember one person came to an event and didn’t even try. Just hands in his pocket, just trying to BS all day long and not help, and then wanted something for nothing, and didn’t fit in with us. And we weren’t mad or mean, but it was like, “Hey, you know, we’re going to need more here.” And then that person got back to real life and tried to do some things that he was excited about and couldn’t do it. And then got to the point where it’s like, “Well, I’m sad.” And then got to a point where, “Okay, I’m going to give up.” And then got into a day job again. And then got to a point where it was like, “Oh, well, I actually, I’m great and everybody else is wrong.” Then got to a point where he started attacking me. And then got to a point where it was like, “Now this person defines their being by how small they could make me.”

And I never intended to make them feel small. So, I don’t know that it’s super useful to try and tear me down. So, then I distanced myself because I don’t hang around toxic people. And it all came about because that person, and this is the harshest way I can put it, so just bear with me and give me a little grace here, because that person couldn’t do it. And because that person was a sellout. And the only thing they could do to protect their own ego was to basically blame everybody else, their world, and their circumstances, and go back to the lazy toxic ways of doing things in the industry, and criticize those of us who are actually moving forward and trying to help.

And it happens all the time.

Here’s why this happens. Low performers feel inadequate around high performers. And instead of using that feeling as motivation to improve, they use it as justification to tear down. They can’t do what the high performer does. And that makes them feel small. So they protect their ego by attacking the high performer. They criticize. They mock. They blame. They say, “You’re not realistic. You don’t understand the real world. You’re too extreme.”

And it’s not about the high performer. It’s about the low performer protecting themselves from the pain of not measuring up.

The Lean Analogy: Not Everyone Is Ready for Space

So, you know, I was thinking the other day about Lean. Lean ain’t an easy deal. And this is a bad analogy because I respect both classes of people in here. It’s like if NASA was like, “Hey, let’s grab a bunch of farmers and let’s fly to space.” Well, they haven’t been trained for it. They’re not physically in shape for it. They’re not ready. It’s not fair to do that.

And so, we’re taking human beings in the industry that were taught to do lazy things, taught to do wrong things, taught to fit in with the status quo, and they were like, “Hey, let’s fly to space with Lean.” It’s just not going to work.

And most of the time there’s a group of people that I’m inspiring. But there’s also another group of people that I’m pissing off because they don’t like how they feel when I talk. And they don’t have the golden spoon circumstances that I had. So, I don’t exactly know what to do about it.

If somebody was like, “Jason, water down your message,” I’m never going to dumb down what I’m saying because I just feel like that would be inauthentic and disrespectful. But it does have consequences. So, I am always open to hearing what you have to say about that.

Here’s the truth. Not everyone is ready for Lean. Not because they’re bad people. But because they haven’t been trained for it. They haven’t developed the habits. They haven’t built the discipline. They haven’t experienced the systems. And if you try to force them into Lean before they’re ready, you’re setting them up to fail. And they’ll blame Lean. They’ll blame you. And they’ll go back to the old way and attack anyone who’s still trying.

And I don’t like that. But it’s reality. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

A Challenge for Leaders

Here’s what I want you to do this week. Look at your team. Are you pairing high performers with low performers and expecting it to work? If yes, stop. Separate them. Not as punishment. But as clarity. Let the high performers work together. Let them push each other. Let them execute at the level they’re capable of.

And if someone wants to move from medium to high, give them shoulder-to-shoulder training. Work with them. Invest in them. But don’t force the high performer to carry the low performer. It’s not fair to either of them.

And if you’re a high performer and you’re feeling frustrated working with someone who’s not heading in the same direction, know that it’s not you. It’s not them. It’s just that you’re heading in different directions. And that’s okay. Find your tribe. Work with people who share your drive. And let go of the guilt. As we say at Elevate, high performers and low performers don’t get along because they’re heading in different directions. Separate them. Train those who want to improve. And let the high performers fly.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why don’t high performers get along with low performers?

Because they’re heading in different directions. The high performer is driven by significance, pride in work, and doing things right. The low performer doesn’t share that drive. Every interaction feels like friction instead of flow. It’s not mean. It’s just misalignment.

Is it wrong to separate high performers from low performers?

No. Segregation isn’t punishment. It’s clarity. Flow requires alignment. When people are heading in different directions, friction creates frustration. When they’re heading in the same direction, friction creates progress. Separate them so both can thrive.

Why do low performers attack high performers?

Because they feel inadequate around them. And instead of using that feeling as motivation to improve, they protect their ego by tearing down. They can’t do what the high performer does, so they criticize, mock, and blame to avoid feeling small.

What if a medium performer wants to become a high performer?

Give them shoulder-to-shoulder training. Work with them. Invest in them. But make them earn their way into the high-performing group. Don’t force the high performer to carry them. Train them until they can keep up, then let them join.

Why isn’t everyone ready for Lean?

Because they haven’t been trained for it. They were taught lazy habits, wrong methods, and status quo thinking. Lean requires discipline, systems, and a growth mindset. If you force people into Lean before they’re ready, they’ll fail and blame Lean instead of their own lack of preparation.

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Click here)
-Check out our Youtube channel for more info: (Click here) 
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Click here) 
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Click here)
-The Takt Book: (Click here)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction IST. As the company’s owner and principal consultant, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.

On we go

Posted in All

Stepping on Toes

Posted on by Jason Schroeder
Read 11 min

Stepping on Toes: Why Two People Doing the Same Thing Creates Conflict

Here’s a secret that’s helped me out for a long time, and I didn’t realize how often it would show up until years after I first heard it. If two people in an organization are doing the same things, they will step on each other’s toes. There will be conflict and you will not be able to build the team. And if you want something to actually get done, one single person has got to be responsible for it.

This sounds simple. But it’s not. And it shows up everywhere.

The Pain of Overlapping Roles

I will tell you a story. Early on, I went to Fiji for Tony Robbins’ Life Wealth Mastery. There was an individual there, a consultant actually, that was really doing a good job. I really appreciated him and everything on the team. He was talking to me about business consulting, that he does consulting for big businesses. He was actually helping a millionaire lady there who had her own business to go to the next level.

I was like, “This is really cool.” He was like, “Maybe I could do some consulting for you.” His consulting was like fifteen thousand dollars a month just for some phone calls. I was like, “That’s probably a little bit out of our price range,” so I didn’t do it at the time. But the initial, “Hey, are we a good fit for each other” call, he let out, which I think probably he intended to do, a kind of a tip or a trick or a secret. He said, “If two people in an organization are doing the same things, they will step on each other’s toes. There will be conflict and you will not be able to build the team.”

I realized, “Okay, yeah, well, that sounds kind of common sense, right? Nobody likes their toes to be stepped on.” So, I didn’t think much of it.

Then over the years, I’ve had different conflicts with Kate, with Kevin, with different people. I’ll be honest with you, it is not their fault. It is not their fault. I’ve gotten sensitive a couple of times and every single time, and I want to make sure that I’m not exaggerating this or that you don’t think I’m exaggerating this, I want you to know every single time I’ve stepped back. And I just, I want you to know I’m not like mature and I didn’t decide to step back. It’s like I’m walking down the street, something’s going on and I’m like, “Oh my gosh.”

And I just have this realization. The universe in my brain tells me, “You’re doing the same things.” And I’ll be like, “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, this isn’t like some big dramatic thing that I need to freak out over. This is just the same thing that it’s always been. We’re doing the same things.”

Here’s what happens. You and your business partner are both trying to lead the same initiative. You and your PM are both trying to coordinate the same trade. You and your spouse are both trying to handle the same household task. And instead of collaborating, you’re colliding. One person does it one way. The other person does it another way. And instead of complementing each other, you’re stepping on each other’s toes. And resentment builds.

The Solution: Clear Lines of Responsibility

And if we can start to do it as a team, knowing what we’re responsible for and making sure that we are honoring that and that there are clear lines of, I would say, work assignments, because obviously in a business, you know, more than one person is responsible. Like we’re all responsible. So, I can’t just push somebody else out. That’s not what it means to be a partner. I’m going to share, but when it comes to work tasks, how can I make sure we’re not stepping on each other’s toes?

And that principle seems really simple. And probably right now you’re like, “Jason, you just wasted my time on a podcast. I trusted you, Jason, to get on this podcast and to listen to you. And then you waste my time with this stupid inane topic.”

I’m telling you, if you and your PM are doing the same thing, you’re going to step on each other’s toes and get pissed off at each other, maybe even hate each other. If you and your business partner are doing the same things, then you’re going to get pissed off at each other. It’s not going to go well. If you and your wife or your husband or your partner or whatever, and I’m not being insulting when I say that, I’m inclusive of anything you’ve got going on, are doing the same things, you’re going to get pissed off at each other. It’s just a fact.

And so if you want to avoid that, you make sure, “Yeah, okay, we’re all responsible. We’re both responsible for these kids,” for instance, right? “But we are doing different things. I’m in charge of dinner. You’re in charge of taking them to school.”

But if you start doing something that your wife wants done perfectly and beautifully, you ain’t going to be getting along. I’m just going to be telling you that right now, because then it’s not going to be good enough and you’re going to be stepping on each other’s toes.

Here’s the practical application:

  • Crew-to-PM: The crew executes the work. The PM coordinates the trades and manages logistics. If the PM starts telling the crew how to install, they’re stepping on the foreman’s toes.
  • Super-to-super: One super runs project A. Another super runs project B. If both supers start coordinating the same subcontractor across both projects, they’re stepping on each other’s toes.
  • Department lead to department lead: One leads pre-construction. Another leads operations. If pre-construction starts making field decisions without operations, they’re stepping on each other’s toes.
  • Business partners: One handles client relationships. Another handles operations. If both start leading the same client meeting, they’re stepping on each other’s toes.
  • Leadership team: One leads sales. Another leads delivery. If sales start promising schedules without delivery’s input, they’re stepping on each other’s toes.

Make sure you’re not doing the same things because it’s going to end up in tragedy.

The Second Principle: If Two People Are Responsible, It Won’t Happen

The other thing that I wanted to say, I was listening to a book, a really cool Lean book, Lean Made Simple by Ryan Tierney. And he said that one of the biggest concepts for him is if two people, two or more people are responsible for something, it will not happen. If you want something to happen, one single person has got to be responsible for it.

So that ties into the topic. Not only is it going to get rid of a lot of the contention there, not only is it going to be better from a teaming organization, not only can somebody get some significance, but it also makes sure that the darn thing actually gets done.

Here’s what this means. You can have multiple people contributing. You can have a team working together. But one person needs to be responsible. One person owns it. One person makes the final call. One person is accountable for the outcome. And if you try to split that responsibility between two people, it won’t happen.

Why? Because when two people are responsible, nobody’s responsible. When something goes wrong, each person thinks the other handled it. When a decision needs to be made, each person waits for the other to decide. When coordination is needed, each person assumes the other coordinated. And the task falls through the cracks.

This shows up everywhere. Two PMs are responsible for the same trade coordination. Neither owns it. The trade shows up unprepared. Two supers are responsible for the same lookahead planning meeting. Neither owns it. The meeting doesn’t happen. Two leaders are responsible for the same client relationship. Neither owns it. The client feels neglected.

One person. One responsibility. That’s how things get done.

How This Applies to Teams and Families

So, cruise, PM-to-super, super-to-super, job-to-job, department lead to department lead, business partner, leadership team, make sure you’re not doing the same things because it’s going to end up in tragedy.

And this applies to families too. If you and your spouse are both trying to handle dinner, you’re stepping on each other’s toes. If you’re both trying to manage the kids’ schedules, you’re stepping on each other’s toes. If you’re both trying to coordinate household tasks without clear ownership, you’re stepping on each other’s toes.

The solution? Divide and conquer. You handle dinner. I’ll handle school drop-off. You manage the kids’ activities. I’ll manage the household maintenance. We’re both responsible for the family. But we’re doing different things. And that prevents conflict.

This isn’t about control. It’s about clarity. When roles are clear, people can execute without collision. When roles overlap, people collide even when they’re trying to help. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

A Challenge for Teams and Leaders

Here’s what I want you to do this week. Look at your team. Are two people doing the same thing? Are you and your PM both coordinating the same trade? Are you and your business partner both leading the same initiative? Are you and your spouse both handling the same task?

If yes, stop. Divide the responsibility. Make it clear who owns what. And honor those boundaries. Don’t step on each other’s toes. And if something isn’t getting done, ask: are two people responsible for it? If yes, assign it to one person. Give them ownership. Give them authority. And let them execute.

This sounds simple. But it’s powerful. Clear roles prevent conflict. One person per responsibility ensures things get done. And teams that honor boundaries build trust instead of resentment. As we say at Elevate, if two people are doing the same things, they will step on each other’s toes. Clear roles. One responsibility. No overlap. That’s how teams work.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does conflict happen when two people do the same thing?

Because they’re stepping on each other’s toes. One person does it one way. The other does it another way. Instead of collaborating, they’re colliding. And resentment builds. Clear roles prevent this by defining who owns what.

How do I create clear lines of responsibility?

Divide the work. You handle this. I’ll handle that. We’re both responsible for the outcome, but we’re doing different things. Honor those boundaries. Don’t step into someone else’s area unless invited. That’s how teams avoid conflict.

What if two people need to work on the same thing?

One person owns it. The other contributes. But only one person is responsible for the final outcome. That person makes the calls, coordinates the work, and owns the result. Multiple contributors are fine. Multiple owners create chaos.

Why won’t things get done if two people are responsible?

Because when two people are responsible, nobody’s responsible. Each person assumes the other handled it. Decisions don’t get made. Coordination doesn’t happen. Tasks fall through the cracks. One person must own it for it to happen.

How does this apply to families?

Same principle. You handle dinner. I’ll handle school drop-off. You manage the kids’ activities. I’ll manage household maintenance. We’re both responsible for the family, but we’re doing different things. Clear roles prevent conflict at home just like at work.

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Click here)
-Check out our Youtube channel for more info: (Click here) 
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Click here) 
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Click here)
-The Takt Book: (Click here)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction IST. As the company’s owner and principal consultant, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.

On we go

Posted in All

The Podcast Effect

Posted on by Jason Schroeder
Read 12 min

The Podcast Effect: Implement, Learn, Teach, Repeat

Here’s something personal to me that I want to share. The podcast has two effects on my life. Number one: it’s education. The learn-teach-learn cycle makes me know the material better and keeps me constantly implementing. Number two: it creates a sense of urgency that’s both helpful and, at times, unhealthy. And I want to talk about both because they reveal something important about how Lean actually works versus how people talk about it.

And here’s the bottom line: critics don’t count. People implementing, learning, teaching, and sharing that’s real Lean.

The Pain of People Who Talk But Don’t Implement

Now, this is a little bit snarky and I don’t mean it to be because I really want to be a different person and a better person. But I wrote down a note called Show Me. And it was snarky because there’s lots of influencers. It’s so funny. There’s lots of people leading super groups or trying to lead super groups that have never legitimately been a super and run a job and are giving, being in superintendent panels or giving superintendent presentations or delivering superintendent training and they’ve never done that.

And so, when they’re talking about different things, I do appreciate anybody’s willingness to share until they start to tear down somebody else. And I think that, first of all, trying to tear down somebody else isn’t a good way to go about things. And tearing down the industry, tearing down somebody else is definitely not appropriate if you don’t know what you’re talking about.

Another example is there’s lots of people weighing in on Lean and actually criticizing Lean. And all they’ve ever done is read books and been in a university class or as a professor. And so, the question is, and you can answer it for yourself, who would you rather trust? Somebody who’s been in the field for thirty years, actually doing the thing and implementing the things, or the person who read books and pontificated?

And that happens with social media influencers as well. So, I like to say, show me. And every time you dig into these folks, you go to their house and it’s nasty. You go to their car, it’s nasty. Their organization’s nasty. Their habits are just completely un-Lean. You find out they’ve never actually had field experience. They’ve never actually done it. And they’re literally just in it for fame or for finances.

Here’s the problem. These people criticize the builders who are actually implementing. They tear down the superintendents who are doing pull planning for the first time. They mock the foremen who are trying Takt and learning as they go. And they do it from the cheap seats. They’ve never run a job. They’ve never led a crew. They’ve never implemented a system. But they’ll write a critical post, record a snarky video, or give a lecture tearing down the people in the arena.

And my response is always the same: show me.

The Learn-Teach-Learn Cycle (Why the Podcast Works)

Let me talk about the education part, then I’ll talk about the sense of urgency. So, for me, in the industry, I’ve gone and tried to learn as much as I can and I’m constantly doing trainings or taking and implementing trainings. Then I implement it in the field, and when I was in operations, I would do it as a field leader. Now I do it with clients, or our entire team does it with clients.

And then I will feel passionate about a topic, talk about it on the podcast. And then once I talk about it on the podcast, something happens to my brain. I have it on recall and I know it better now. It’s like the teach-learn cycle.

And just so you all know, I do a lot of research for these topics. My delivery isn’t the best, so I’m not saying I’m good at podcasting, but the research behind the topic and the principles is intense. And when I’m going to a YouTube shoot, there’s a lot of preparation. I have to search, not I have to, I get to search what people are looking for on YouTube, go and look for associated topics, do the research, make sure the title is correct, then outline it, then deploy it. And it’s a whole process.

But it’s great for me because it’s like I’ve never stopped learning. And the learn-teach-learn is really, really beneficial.

Here’s why this matters. When you implement something, you learn it at one level. When you teach it, you learn it at a deeper level. You have to understand it well enough to explain it. You have to anticipate questions. You have to clarify what’s confusing. And that forces you to know the material better than if you just read about it or talked about it.

This is the podcast effect for me. I implement Lean in the field. I learn from the experience. I teach it on the podcast. And then I know it better. And I implement it again. And the cycle repeats. That’s real Lean. Not reading books and criticizing. Implementing, learning, teaching, repeating.

Show Me: The Response to Critics

So, my point there is that there’s a lot of people in it for fame and money. And my response would be, show me. Oh, you’re telling me CPM works? Show me. Oh, you can’t. You’re telling me Lean doesn’t work? Show me, even though there’s like hundreds of companies doing it with great success. Show me where you’ve done it and couldn’t do it. Oh, you haven’t done it? Okay. Show me, show me, show me.

And the problem is they’re not implementing. And so, I’m a bit critical about that. And so, when people like them criticize people like you who are doing your best to implement, did your pull plan work out great? Maybe not. Did your trade partner weekly tactical meeting work out great? Maybe not. But guess what you’re doing? You’re implementing. You are teaching. You are sharing. You are going and doing the hard things.

So, I will always contend that real Lean is people implementing, learning, teaching, and implementing. It’s not the critics. The critics don’t count.

Here’s what this means practically. If someone criticizes your pull plan, ask them: “Show me your pull plan.” If someone says Takt doesn’t work, ask them: “Show me where you implemented it and it failed.” If someone mocks your Lean journey, ask them: “Show me your Lean organization.” And if they can’t show you, their criticism doesn’t count. Because they’re in the cheap seats. They’re not in the arena.

The people who count are the people implementing. The superintendent trying pull planning for the first time. The foreman learning Takt on a live project. The PM struggling through lookahead planning. Those are the people doing real Lean. Not the critics. Not the influencers. Not the professors who’ve never run a job.

The Sense of Urgency (Helpful and Unhealthy)

Now, the second thing for the podcast effect to me is the sense of urgency it gives me. I’ll get three episodes behind, seven episodes behind, but I’m never off schedule as a whole. If you count up the days from today all the way back to when I started the podcast, any working days, and you count how many working days there are versus how many podcasts there are, you’ll see I haven’t missed.

And that has caused a sense of urgency for me that’s been a little bit unhealthy at times where I’m like, “Kate, I got to do a podcast.” And she’s like, “Do you?” And she’s nice about it. She’s like, “Do you? Or is that just a thought?” And in all actuality, a lot of times it’s just a thought. Like it’s just me having maybe a false sense of urgency. It’s just me pushing myself. It’s just me thinking something’s urgent when it’s not.

Now, it has helped me to keep on schedule and trying to take care of the audience. But the question here is, is there anything that you feel you have urgency with that actually isn’t urgent that is currently negatively impacting your life?

Here’s what I mean. The podcast creates urgency for me. And that urgency helps me stay consistent. But sometimes the urgency is false. It’s just a thought. It’s not real. And if I’m not careful, I let that false urgency drives me in unhealthy ways. I stress about recording when I don’t need to. I prioritize the podcast over things that actually matter more. And I create pressure that doesn’t need to exist.

So, the question for you is: what are you treating as urgent that isn’t? What are you stressing about that’s just a thought? What pressure are you creating that doesn’t need to exist? And can you let it go?

The Two Questions This Podcast Raises

So, the question for the first topic is: whatever you learn, are you trying your best to implement? If you are, you are acting and behaving Lean.

And the second one is: is there anything that you feel you have urgency with that actually isn’t urgent that is currently negatively impacting your life?

I want anything in your life that’s like this podcast to be something that helps you implement and learn and not something that needlessly drives you. And so that’s just something that I want to share. It’s none of my business either way how you do it, but I do care about you and I wanted to share it. So, this is just a little personal note.

Here are the two questions:

  • Are you implementing what you learn? If yes, you’re doing real Lean. If no, you’re just consuming content.
  • Are you creating false urgency that’s negatively impacting your life? If yes, let it go. If no, keep the healthy urgency that drives consistency.

Those are the two effects of the podcast for me. One is healthy: implement, learn, teach, repeat. One can be unhealthy: false urgency that drives unnecessary stress. And I want you to have the first without the second. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

A Challenge for Builders

Here’s what I want you to do this week. First, ask yourself: am I implementing what I’m learning, or am I just consuming content? If you read a book on Lean, did you implement it? If you watched a video on Takt, did you try it? If you listened to a podcast on pull planning, did you run a session? Real Lean is implementing, learning, teaching, repeating. Not just reading and talking.

Second, ask yourself: am I creating false urgency? Am I stressing about things that aren’t actually urgent? Am I driving myself with thoughts instead of reality? And if you are, let it go. Keep the healthy urgency that drives consistency. Let go of the false urgency that drives unnecessary stress. As we say at Elevate, critics don’t count. The people implementing, learning, teaching, and sharing are doing real Lean. Show me, don’t just talk about it.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the podcast effect?

The podcast effect has two parts. One: the learn-teach-learn cycle. You implement, you teach what you learned, and then you know it better. Two: the sense of urgency it creates, which can be healthy (consistency) or unhealthy (false stress). Real Lean is implementing, learning, teaching, repeating.

Why do you say “show me” to critics?

Because critics don’t count. If someone criticizes your Lean implementation, ask them: “Show me yours.” If they haven’t implemented it themselves, their criticism is from the cheap seats. The people in the arena, implementing and learning, are doing real Lean. Not the people talking from the sidelines.

How do I know if I’m implementing or just consuming content?

Ask yourself: Did I try what I learned? If you read a book, did you implement it? If you watched a video, did you test it? If you listened to a podcast, did you apply it? Real Lean is implementing, not just consuming.

What’s the difference between healthy urgency and false urgency?

Healthy urgency drives consistency. It keeps you on track. False urgency is just a thought. It’s stress that doesn’t need to exist. It’s treating something as urgent when it’s not. Healthy urgency helps. False urgency harms. Know the difference.

Why don’t you trust people who’ve never implemented Lean but criticize it?

Because they’re not in the arena. They’ve never run a job, led a crew, or implemented a system. They’ve read books and pontificated. But real Lean is implementing, learning, teaching, repeating. Not reading and criticizing. Show me, don’t just talk about it.

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Click here)
-Check out our Youtube channel for more info: (Click here) 
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Click here) 
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Click here)
-The Takt Book: (Click here)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction IST. As the company’s owner and principal consultant, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.

On we go

Posted in All

The 7 Steps to Kaizen

Posted on by Jason Schroeder
Read 10 min

Kaizen: The Water and Fertilizer That Makes Lean Grow

Here’s something beautiful about Kaizen that most people miss: it’s not big three-day events. It’s not elaborate systems. Kaizen is the water and fertilizer that makes the soil able to take the seeds. The seeds are Lean. The ground is the company and the people. And Kaizen is what makes everything grow. It’s a love of the customer, pride in your work, and acknowledgment and honoring of your people.

And if you understand that, you’ll understand why small, continuous improvements beat big events every single time.

The Pain of Trying to Do Everything at Once

Let me tell you a quick story here. For instance, we have a boot camp trailer, and in it we have all of our supplies and things. And at the end of the boot camp, it takes so long to pack everything up and put everything away that we rely a lot on the audience to help us. And they do a great job, but in that environment that I have placed them, it’s very hard to get it right.

So, in the past, we just piled things. They were super messy. Then we got bins, but things were in the wrong bins. And then we got labeling, but people weren’t used to it. And then this last time, I went through and improved everything so much that I think we can pack up the simulations and the boot camp trailer so well and so Lean that it’s just done in like thirty minutes.

And if I tried to create that whole system all at once, I would just get so overwhelmed, I’d just give up. It’s one thing at a time.

So, if you saw us at boot camps three years ago, you’d be like, “These guys are a mess.” If we roll up now, you’d be like, “Dang, these guys are Lean.” If we roll up in two years from now, it’s going to look like we’re from a different planet. Because literally everything will have a spot, everything will have a place, everything will be labeled, everything will be Leaned out so well. But you have to start somewhere. So, I think small improvements are better.

Here’s the problem most people face. They see the gap between where they are and where they want to be, and it’s overwhelming. So they either try to fix everything at once and burn out, or they give up and do nothing. Kaizen fixes this. It says: improve one thing today. Then improve one thing tomorrow. And keep going. In three years, you’ll look like a different company.

What Kaizen Actually Means

You’ve heard me talk about the things that I learned in Japan, where a really prominent executive, Mr. Yabe, who was in charge of the Seven-Minute Miracle, drew seeds which represented Lean or TPS, the Toyota Production System. And then he drew the ground and said the ground is the company and the people. And he said Kaizen is the water and the fertilizer. It’s what makes the soil able to take the seeds. And the seeds aren’t bad, and the ground’s not bad, it just needs to have water.

And he said Kaizen, to him, it’s not the exact definition, but it’s a love of the customer, pride in your work, and third, acknowledgment and honoring of your people.

And I thought that was beautiful. Kaizen, if you take the translation of the word, it literally is to make better. And if, out of the research that I’ve done, if you take the word to make better, it’s not big Kaizen events, it’s not three-day events. Kaizen can be Paul Akers’ little two-second Lean improvements, they can be a little bit bigger, they could be more structured, and they should be to optimize the whole, not just sub-optimize in the wrong spot, if possible. But the bottom line is you’re always making things better.

And what are we making things better for? We’re making things better for the customer, we’re making things better for the quality of the product, and we’re making things better for our people. Isn’t that beautiful?

Here’s what this means practically. Kaizen isn’t a program. It’s not an event you schedule once a quarter. It’s the daily habit of making things better. It’s Paul Akers filming his two-second improvements every morning. It’s the foreman adjusting the tool cart layout so the crew doesn’t waste motion. It’s the superintendent reorganizing the gang box so materials are easier to find. It’s small. It’s continuous. And it compounds.

The Seven Steps of Kaizen

But there are seven steps that I wrote down from the book Toyota by Toyota that I really want to focus on.

Step One: Assess the Improvement Potential

When you’re going to improve something, and this can be small, in fact, I would recommend that it’s small, you have to look at the potential, the improvement potential. And there’s a couple of things there. Can it be improved? And the second one is, does it need to be improved?

Like, for instance, if you’re in a manufacturing facility and you’ve got this killer piece of equipment that produces six thousand parts per hour, but everything else on your line or in your production pod produces at one hundred parts per hour, you probably shouldn’t be improving that six-thousand-parts-per-hour machine because it’s already so efficient that in the overall scheme of things, it actually needs to sit idle most of the time.

And the other thing is, can you improve it? And there’s probably more categories there, but definitely look at the improvement potential. And there are some times where even if it looks like it can’t be improved and you need it to be improved, you’ve got to dig deeper and find a way.

Step Two: Analyze the Current Method

You can’t make an improvement unless you have standardization and stability. So, analyze the current method. Make sure you fully understand what is happening right now.

Here’s why this matters. If you don’t understand the current state, you’re just guessing. You don’t know what’s broken. You don’t know what’s working. You don’t know where the waste is. So, before you improve anything, study it. Observe it. Map it. Understand it. Then improve it.

Step Three: Generate Ideas

And I do this horribly. I just go right into the solution. “Hey, let’s do this.” But if I’m going to be a better leader, I need to go ahead, I get to go ahead and generate ideas and ask for ideas from the group and utilize the wisdom of the team.

This is respect for people. The people closest to the work know the work better than you do. Ask them for ideas. Don’t dictate the solution. Collaborate. Generate multiple options. Then pick the best one together.

Step Four: Make a Kaizen Plan

So, once you have the ideas, make a plan. This is what we’re going to do. This is the plan, do, check, act cycle, PDCA. Make a Kaizen plan and then implement that plan.

Step Five: Implement the Plan

This is where you actually do the improvement. You don’t just talk about it. You don’t just plan it. You execute it. You change the process. You test the new method. You make it real.

Step Six: Verify the Results

Once you’ve implemented that plan, verify the results. Don’t just leave it. See if it’s actually working.

Here’s the mistake most people make. They implement the improvement and move on. They don’t check if it worked. They don’t measure the result. They don’t verify the outcome. And then six months later, the improvement has drifted back to the old way because nobody verified it stuck.

Step Seven: Repeat

And if you follow that method, you can make lots and lots of improvements. You’re going to do the PDCA cycle: plan, do, check, adjust, or plan, do, check, act. And if you follow that method, you can make lots and lots of improvements.

This is the continuous part of continuous improvement. You don’t improve once and stop. You improve, verify, repeat. You do it again. And again. And again. And over time, the compound effect transforms the organization.

Leaders Must Model Kaizen (You Can’t Delegate It)

Now, one other thing. You can’t leave this to your organization. If you’re a leader, you have to do this. I’m constantly improving everything I do and taking videos all the time. In fact, with my organization, with my partners Kevin and Kate, I’m always improving. So I definitely have to be a part of it.

Here’s why this matters. If the leader doesn’t do Kaizen, the organization learns it’s optional. The team sees that improvement is something middle management does while leadership watches from the corner office. And the culture doesn’t shift. But when the leader does daily improvements, films them, shares them, and models the behavior, the organization follows. That’s how Kaizen becomes the water and fertilizer. The leader makes it real. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

A Challenge for Builders

Here’s what I want you to do this week. Pick one small thing to improve. Not ten things. Not the whole system. One thing. Your tool cart. Your gang box. Your morning huddle board. Your trailer layout. One thing.

Then follow the seven steps. Assess the improvement potential. Analyze the current method. Generate ideas. Make a plan. Implement it. Verify the results. And repeat. Do it again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day. In three years, you’ll look like a different company. As we say at Elevate, Kaizen is the water and fertilizer that makes Lean grow. Small improvements, done continuously, compound into transformation. Love the customer. Take pride in your work. Honor your people. And make things better every single day.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Kaizen actually mean?

Kaizen literally means to make better. It’s not big three-day events. It’s small, continuous improvements done every day. It’s a love of the customer, pride in your work, and acknowledgment and honoring of your people. It’s the water and fertilizer that makes Lean grow.

What are the seven steps of Kaizen?

One: Assess the improvement potential. Two: Analyze the current method. Three: Generate ideas. Four: Make a Kaizen plan. Five: Implement the plan. Six: Verify the results. Seven: Repeat. Follow these steps to make lots of improvements over time.

Why are small improvements better than big Kaizen events?

Because small improvements don’t overwhelm you. You can do one thing today, another tomorrow, and another the next day. Over three years, you’ll transform the organization. Big events burn people out and don’t stick. Small improvements compound.

How does Kaizen relate to respect for people?

Kaizen is making things better for the customer, for the quality of the product, and for your people. You ask the team for ideas because they’re closest to the work. You verify results to make sure the improvement actually helps. And you repeat to keep improving their environment every day.

Why must leaders do Kaizen themselves instead of delegating it?

Because if the leader doesn’t model it, the organization learns it’s optional. When the leader does daily improvements, films them, and shares them, the team follows. Leadership creates the culture. Delegation creates programs. Kaizen is culture, not a program.

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Click here)
-Check out our Youtube channel for more info: (Click here) 
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Click here) 
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Click here)
-The Takt Book: (Click here)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction IST. As the company’s owner and principal consultant, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.

On we go

Posted in All

Lean Instant Pudding

Posted on by Jason Schroeder
Read 11 min

The Levels of Lean Implementation (It Takes Five to Ten Years, Not Instant Pudding)

Here’s something that’s going to disappoint people who want quick fixes: Lean implementation takes five to ten years. Not five to ten months. Not five to ten quarters. Five to ten years. And if you’re not willing to put in that time, you’re not implementing Lean. You’re pretending. You’re selling instant pudding to clients and giving Lean a bad name.

This is about the actual phases of Lean development and why most companies fail before they even start.

The Pain of Instant Pudding Thinking

W.Edwards Deming said that it’s going to take five to ten years to implement Lean in a company. I found that nowadays we can do it much faster. You know, like for instance, Pepper Construction with Coach Schmidt did it in two years. High Street Ventures did it in two years. It’s pretty fast. But in the book Toyota by Toyota, W. Edwards Deming says that all leaders, or not all leaders, but most leaders want instant pudding. Just add water and it’s done. Well, you can’t do that. You can’t do that. You have to put in the time.

And so, one of the things they said is when you’re introducing and trying to get people to participate, you’re talking about a minimum one to three years. And the first phase is introducing Lean and getting people to participate. And the timeline in here can kind of vary, but the participation phase where you’re getting people to participate can be one to three years.

Phase two, this is a transition where participants go to Lean implementers and developers. Meaning they’re actually helping to develop and implement the system and they’re part of the Lean system. And that can take one to two years.

And then phase three, that’s after that. That’s after two to five years, you have process maturation where the system evolves as a Lean culture grows and matures. And it is self-sustaining.

Here’s the problem. Most companies think they can skip the phases. They want instant pudding. They want to announce they’re Lean on Monday, do a kaizen event on Tuesday, and have a transformed culture by Friday. And when it doesn’t work, they blame Lean. They say, “We tried it. It didn’t stick.” But they didn’t try Lean. They tried instant pudding. And instant pudding isn’t Lean.

The Three Phases of Lean Implementation

Let me break down the three phases clearly so you understand what it actually takes.

Phase One: Introduction and Participation (One to Three Years)

This is where you introduce Lean and get people to participate. Not just comply. Participate. You’re training. You’re modeling. You’re doing gemba walks. You’re holding standards. You’re showing the team that Lean is real, not a flavor of the month. And this takes one to three years because people need to see that leadership is serious. They need to see that the standard won’t slip. They need to see that you’re willing to invest in training, send people to Japan, work shoulder to shoulder, and protect them when pressure comes.

Most companies fail in phase one because leadership delegates it to middle management, the standard slips, and people learn it’s optional. You can’t skip phase one. You can’t rush it. And you can’t fake it.

Phase Two: Implementation and Development (One to Two Years)

This is the transition where participants become implementers and developers. They’re not just following the system. They’re helping to build it, refine it, and improve it. They’re running kaizen events. They’re training others. They’re identifying waste and solving problems. They’re part of the Lean system, not just recipients of it.

This phase takes one to two years because transformation doesn’t happen overnight. People need time to develop the skills, the mindset, and the habits. And leadership needs to support them every step of the way. You can’t rush this phase either. And you can’t skip the development work.

Phase Three: Maturation and Self-Sustaining Culture (Two to Five Years and Beyond)

This is where the system evolves as the Lean culture grows and matures. The system becomes self-sustaining. People improve without being told. Standards hold without constant enforcement. The culture reinforces itself. And Lean becomes the way we work, not a program we run.

But you only get here after two to five years of sustained effort. And most companies never make it because they gave up in phase one or two when they didn’t see instant results.

The Two Non-Negotiables: Caring About People and Being Fanatical About Improvement

So, the only people that I’ve ever known to implement Lean well, they have to have two things. And I’ve checked all of our clients. If they don’t have these two things, it will fail.

Number one is they have a genuine desire to bless the lives of people. Number two, they are interested, highly interested, I would say, or addicted to improvement.

And that seems simple. And you’re like, “Yeah, we have that.” But do you? Do you? Like, this is not bragging, but here are a couple of things:

  • We shut down our company and force our people to take six weeks PTO every year
  • We shut down two weeks over the holidays even when we were super busy with client work
  • When it came time to send multiple people to Japan for training, we spent the money that Kate and I probably could have used to buy a bigger house instead, we sent people to training
  • When it comes down to protecting our people or following the crazy whims of a specific client, we take care of our people

Do you really care about people? Are you willing to put in the time? Are you willing to put in the training? Are you willing to work with them shoulder to shoulder?

And then when it comes to improvement, do you just say you want improvement? Do you want to look good? Or do you really care about improving things? Are you doing improvements yourself? Are you, as the CEO, as the leader, as the department head, doing the improvements yourself? Are you utilizing the systems yourself? Are you avoiding email yourself? Are you doing the right things yourself?

The companies that take Lean and run with it care about people and are fanatical about improvement. And they understand that nothing happens fast.

Why Instant Pudding Thinking Destroys Lean

Like if anybody actually thinks about it, how long do you think it took that company to start the company? How long do you think it took them to implement a leadership team? How long do you think it took them to stabilize their marketing and their branding? How long do you think it took them to get through their first couple jobs? You’re talking about five, ten, fifteen, twenty years. And then all of a sudden Lean, a new operating and business system, is supposed to just come in like instant pudding. It’s ridiculous.

When people want to implement Lean as instant pudding, it means they actually aren’t focused currently on improving people and improving things. It means that it’s just something that they can do for show or it’s on the next proposal.

And I do want to say, shame on you, general contractors that are pretending and lying about being Lean and telling clients that you’re Lean and you’re not. That’s so disgusting. In fact, it’s not just dishonest, but you’re taking the industry backwards because now you’re selling something that isn’t real and you’re giving Lean a bad name. Shame on you.

If I go up into Michigan and you say the word Lean, you’ll almost get attacked. It’s like you walking into a bar saying, “God save the king.” You’re going to get attacked. It’s like that scene from The Patriot when Mel Gibson walks into a tavern and does that. People are going to start throwing tomatoes at you. If you say Lean in Michigan to somebody, they’re going to think you’re dumb. Why? Because these car companies tried to steal concepts from Japan and Toyota and implement them for the purpose of improving costs and more productivity without the promise of respect for people.

Respect for People First, Everything Else Second

And I got to be careful because I don’t want to be too critical. There’s a new CEO for a new Lean organization that went on and did a video. And if you listen to him talk, he said that they were going to try and scale Lean for the purpose of cutting costs and being more productive. And if you actually go dig into that organization, they’re one of the most un-Lean organizations in the world. It’s just classical management trying to capitalize on Lean thought. Shame on them.

Lean is about respect for people first. Other things can come in. You can make money later, but it’s respect for people. And it’s a commitment to improvement first.

So, I didn’t mean for this to be a lecture, but it’s definitely a point that has to be made. And it takes time. We’ve got to stop having classical management people in classical management wolves in Lean sheep’s clothing. And we have got to stop thinking that you can get instant pudding. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

A Challenge for Leaders

Here’s what I want you to do this week. If you’re thinking about implementing Lean or if you’re in the middle of it, ask yourself these two questions: Do I genuinely care about blessing the lives of people? And am I fanatical about improvement?

If the answer is yes, commit to the five to ten years. Don’t look for instant pudding. Invest in phase one: get people to participate. Then invest in phase two: help them become implementers and developers. Then invest in phase three: let the culture mature and become self-sustaining. Don’t skip phases. Don’t rush. Don’t delegate it to middle management and hope it works.

And if you’re selling Lean to clients when you’re not actually Lean, stop. You’re taking the industry backwards. You’re giving Lean a bad name. And you’re lying. Do the work. Put in the time. Respect people first. Improve fanatically. And understand that nothing worth doing happens fast. As we say at Elevate, Lean takes five to ten years, not instant pudding. Commit to the journey. Protect your people. Improve every day. And let the culture mature.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it actually take to implement Lean?

Five to ten years for full maturation. Some companies can do it faster Pepper Construction and High Street Ventures did it in two years but you’re still looking at a minimum of one to three years just to get people to participate, another one to two years to develop implementers, and two to five years for the culture to mature and become self-sustaining.

What are the three phases of Lean implementation?

Phase one: Introduction and participation (one to three years). Phase two: Implementation and development (one to two years). Phase three: Maturation and self-sustaining culture (two to five years and beyond). You can’t skip phases or rush the timeline.

What are the two non-negotiables for successful Lean implementation?

One: A genuine desire to bless the lives of people. Two: Being fanatical about improvement. If you don’t have both, Lean will fail. You can’t fake caring about people. And you can’t fake being addicted to improvement.

Why do most companies fail at Lean implementation?

Because they want instant pudding. They delegate it to middle management. They don’t invest in training. They don’t protect people. They don’t model improvement. And they give up when they don’t see instant results. Lean takes time. Most companies aren’t willing to put in the work.

What’s wrong with implementing Lean to cut costs and increase productivity?

Because that’s classical management disguised as Lean. Lean is respect for people first. Other benefits come later. If you implement Lean to cut costs without respecting people, you’re not doing Lean. You’re exploiting people and giving Lean a bad name. Michigan hates Lean because car companies did exactly this.

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Click here)
-Check out our Youtube channel for more info: (Click here) 
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Click here) 
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Click here)
-The Takt Book: (Click here)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction IST. As the company’s owner and principal consultant, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.

On we go

Posted in All

10X

Posted on by Jason Schroeder
Read 11 min

10 Times Greater: We’ve Barely Scratched the Surface of Lean

Here’s something that might sound like bragging, but I promise you it’s not. It’s meant to be connecting and hopeful. Whatever you think Lean implementation looks like, it’s probably ten times greater than what you’re picturing right now. And I’m not saying this to discourage you. I’m saying this because you’re just as good, if not better than me. And if we can go further, you can too.

Don’t settle for good when great is possible. We’ve barely scratched the surface of what Lean can do in construction.

The Pain of Settling for Good Enough

Clients, people that we’re working with, companies that use our work, companies that are already Lean, they’re clean, safe, and organized. They have a stable environment. They have a happy team. They have visual workplaces. They’re doing some great things and that’s great.

But what we were doing at the Bioscience Research Laboratory with pre-construction scheduling, Takt planning, pre-fabrication, advanced training, morning worker huddles, visual systems, designing for the end user, enabling logistics it’s three times what I’m seeing anybody else do right now. It’s not bragging. I’m just telling you we can’t settle and have good be the enemy of great. We can’t do that.

And the reason I’m saying this is we’ve got to keep going. For instance, I tease LCI a lot, but LCI has done a great job of getting people to come showcase the awesome things that they’re doing. So, I love what they’re doing. But it kind of always stays at one point zero. It’s always at beginner level, which annoys me a bit. I’m not that way. I think we can go farther.

Here’s what I mean. Companies think they’ve implemented Lean because they have five S in the trailer. They have visual boards in the conference room. They do daily huddles. And those are great. Those are foundational. But that’s one point zero. That’s beginner level. And if we stop there, we’re settling for good when great is ten times further down the road.

We Didn’t Say Good Enough in World War II

For instance, I was thinking about it. If people are like, “Yeah, Jason is good enough,” we didn’t say it was good enough in World War II. We didn’t say it was good enough when we were producing Liberty ships. We didn’t say it was good enough when we were sending convoys to Europe. We didn’t say it was good enough when we dispatched Patton after the Battle of Kasserine Pass. We didn’t say it was good enough when it came to doing all these excellent things.

It was only when the lawyers and the diplomats got involved that we stopped. It’s time to stop being mediocre. We’re better than this. We can take it to the next level.

Here’s the truth. When the stakes are high, we don’t settle. When we’re building Liberty ships, we don’t stop at one ship a day and say, “That’s good enough.” We figure out how to build one ship every day, then one every twelve hours, then faster. When we’re sending convoys to Europe, we don’t stop at safe delivery. We figure out how to deliver faster, with less loss, with more efficiency. When Patton is dispatched after Kasserine Pass, he doesn’t accept the status quo. He transforms the entire operation.

Construction has high stakes too. We’re building hospitals, data centers, schools, homes. Lives depend on it. Families depend on it. And yet we settle for good enough. We implement Lean at one point zero and stop. That’s not acceptable. We’re better than this.

What Ten Times Greater Actually Looks Like

If I was doing a project today, we would have advanced dojos. We would have example areas. We would have three-D models in the middle of the conference room, just like you see in World War II movies where it’s three-D printed and we’re moving pieces around. We would have advanced boards and projectors that projected down the wall. We would have queuing areas for logistics, packaging, and getting rid of waste right there. We would have ID tracking for materials. We would have sensors that sense where crews are. We would have drone deployment to help us have visuals every day in our huddles. We would have three-sixty cameras. We’d have the whole thing, all of it.

Then times ten, whatever you think I’m talking about when it comes to Lean implementation, I’m talking times ten. So, if you think, “Oh my gosh, we’ve implemented what Jason’s talking about, we’re done,” we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of Lean.

Here’s what I mean practically:

  • Until every truck is three-S’d like Paul Akers’ shop, we’re not done
  • Until every Connex box and gang box is three-S’d like Paul Akers would want us to have it, we’re not done
  • Until we have visual systems that look like an advanced manufacturing facility, we’re not done
  • Until we have tools that reduce the motion and friction on human bodies, we’re not done
  • Until we have queuing areas and advanced logistics systems, we’re not done

We’ve got so far to go. The reason we don’t go there is because it takes training and working through humans to do it. And so, I’m telling you, I’m not trying to demotivate anybody and I’m not trying to have people give up and say, “I can’t do it.” I’m telling you, get started now. In the next twenty years, you’ll get there. Do training. Go to Super PM Bootcamp. Go to Japan with Paul Akers. Read books. Implement. Grind. There’s no reason to not live a remarkable life.

The Mass Production Challenge: Humans and Data Centers

You know, I had an idea for you. We get contacted a lot, like I’m sure everybody does, for massive data centers. And whenever I talk to these folks and we help them with scheduling and stuff, the problem is they either need electricity, water, or people. Electricity, water, or people. And it depends on which one’s at the lowest availability, which one’s the biggest constraint. But these massive data centers that we’re building, this is what I’m talking about when it comes to building a desert training center.

If, and I’m just going to say this right now to Google, to Facebook, to ChatGPT, to SpaceX, to Microsoft, all of them: You put me in, put me in coach. I’ll mass produce. I’ll mass produce a thousand. I’ll mass produce a thousand humans, construction professionals, a year for your programs. They’ll be completely trained in the system. They’ll know everything in and out. It will all be muscle memory. We will mass produce humans. We’ll start a desert training camp with wonderful accommodations. Give me the funding. We’ll get out there on the property. We’ll have really nice pods for housing. We’ll supplement with hotels in the meantime, or like something like an extended stay. And then we’ll just start mass producing humans. And I’ll take them through field engineering, project engineering, project management, and superintendent courses. And they will know how to do everything, muscle memory.

Come on, people. We can’t mass produce at the scale we’re mass producing in the United States with these data centers without mass producing humans as well. So we’ve got to get going. Let’s go. Let’s go.

Here’s why this matters. The industry is building faster than we’re training people. Data centers are going up at record pace. And the constraint isn’t electricity. It isn’t water. It’s people. Trained people. People who know how to plan, schedule, coordinate, and lead. And if we don’t mass produce training at the same scale, we’re mass-producing buildings, we’re going to bottleneck the entire industry.

The Second Half Will Be Better Than the First

I’ll admit freely, and I’m not proud of it, that as I started to get, I’ve lost twenty pounds and feeling really good, feeling really good with my health. I’m trying to get to two hundred five. At my heaviest, I was at two forty-eight. And I was starting to feel like a decline and like loss of some mental cognition and some things like that. And I was like, “I’m forty-four. I guess I’ll spend the next forty years dying.”

And I was kind of just not feeling at my top. And going to Paul Akers’ facility in Japan, I feel like the second part of my life, I’m going to be so much better than I was in the first. I’m not giving up. I’m going to do even better on this second half. And I hope you feel that way too.

In five years, people think I’m crazy. People think I’m crazy, man. I am so freaking excited about all this. So, I just wanted to share that with you. I cannot express how excited I am.

Here’s the message. Don’t settle. Don’t look at where you are and say, “This is good enough.” Look at where you could be and say, “I’m going to get there.” The second half of your career can be better than the first. The next twenty years of your company can be greater than the last twenty. The next project can be ten times more Lean than the last. But only if you keep going. Only if you refuse to settle. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

A Challenge for Builders

Here’s what I want you to do this week. Look at your project or your company and ask yourself: Am I at one point zero, or am I pushing toward ten times greater? Do I have clean trailers, or do I have three-S’d gang boxes, queuing areas, drone visuals, advanced dojos, and logistics systems that rival manufacturing?

If you’re at one point zero, that’s great. You’ve started. Now keep going. Read books. Go to training. Visit Paul Akers in Japan. Implement. Grind. Don’t settle for good when great is possible. Don’t stop at beginner level when advanced is ten times further down the road.

As we say at Elevate, whatever you think Lean looks like, multiply it by ten. That’s where we’re going. And you’re coming with us.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does ten times greater actually mean?

It means whatever you think Lean implementation looks like five S, visual boards, daily huddle multiply it by ten. Advanced dojos, three-D printed models, drone visuals, sensor tracking, queuing areas, three-S’d gang boxes, logistics systems that rival manufacturing. That’s ten times greater.

How do I know if I’m at one point zero or pushing toward ten times greater?

If you have clean trailers and visual boards but nothing else, you’re at one point zero. If you have advanced training, queuing areas, three-S’d equipment, drone deployment, sensor tracking, and logistics systems, you’re pushing toward ten times greater.

Why does it take twenty years to get there?

Because it takes training and working through humans. You can’t skip the grind. You read books, go to training, visit advanced facilities, implement, learn, iterate, and improve year after year. That’s how you get to ten times greater.

What’s the biggest constraint for mass-producing data centers?

People. Trained people. The industry is building faster than it’s training field engineers, project managers, and superintendents. We need to mass-produce training at the same scale we’re mass-producing buildings or we’ll bottleneck the entire industry.

How do I avoid settling for good enough?

Refuse to stop at beginner level. When you implement five S, push for three-S’d gang boxes. When you have visual boards, push for advanced dojos. When you have daily huddles, push for drone visuals and sensor tracking. Keep going. Don’t settle.

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Click here)
-Check out our Youtube channel for more info: (Click here) 
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Click here) 
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Click here)
-The Takt Book: (Click here)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction IST. As the company’s owner and principal consultant, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.

On we go

Posted in All

The Leader Drives Lean

Posted on by Jason Schroeder
Read 9 min

Lean Has to Start With the Leader (You Can’t Delegate It)

Here’s a destructive business concept we need to debunk: the idea that a CEO or chairman should delegate Lean to other people on the leadership team and be hands-off. That’s a four-hour work week concept. And it’s garbage. If you’re the leader of a company, you can’t delegate Lean. It’s not a side project. It’s not something you hand to a VP or a Lean director or a consultant. The leader has to drive it. Period.

And if you don’t, Lean becomes flavor of the month. Decision by committee. Chaos. And nothing gets done.

The Pain of Delegated Lean Efforts

I’m reading a book called The Lean Turnaround and I just finished reading Everybody Matters and they’re both Lean books. And one of the things about The Lean Turnaround is the author says: Lean has to be your main operating system. It can’t be a side job. Number two, the CEO, the leader, the top, top, top, top human has to be the person who leads the Lean effort and is showing the example. And three, we have to transform the people.

And it just hit me. There’s this destructive business concept and I don’t know where it comes from, but we really need to debunk it. It’s this concept that a CEO or a chairman should delegate to other people on the leadership team and kind of be hands-off. I think that’s probably a four-hour work week concept. And I’m just like, I’m not that good, but I’m just like Keith Cunningham, the guy who wrote The Road Less Stupid. That’s so dumb.

I mean, you can learn some things from The Four-Hour Work Week book, but that is no way to lead an organization. We cannot delegate Lean to vice presidents. We cannot delegate Lean to a Lean director. We cannot delegate Lean to directors. We cannot delegate Lean to somebody else. We can’t even say, “Here, the consultant will do it.” The leader has to do it.

Here’s what happens when Lean gets delegated. The VP tries to drive it. The directors create initiatives. The Lean coordinator schedules kaizen events. And nothing sticks. Because the CEO isn’t modeling it. The top leader isn’t showing the example. And the organization learns that Lean is optional. It’s a program. It’s something middle management does while leadership watches from the corner office.

That’s not Lean. That’s theater.

Why Authority Matters (Influence Alone Won’t Cut It)

And I know this for a fact. When I was an area superintendent, I did as best I could. But when I was a project superintendent, when I was the head person, I did anything that I needed to do and that project was Lean. And when I was a general superintendent and a field director and a project director, and I was only a project director for two jobs, but I was in charge and I had authority and we were Lean.

Somebody who says you have to have influence and no authority has never tried to implement anything ever. They don’t know what they’re talking about. You have to have a gallon of influence and a teaspoon of authority. You have to have that authority. You have to be in charge.

I’ve never, even the companies that say that garbage about influence, they’re just chaos and everything is decision by committee. It’s garbage. And in our company right now, I do Lean improvements every day. I send videos every day. I do what I’m asking people to do. I Lean out the office. I Lean out my car. I Lean out the house. I Lean out my backpack. I am driving the effort. I am putting the effort behind it. And if it wasn’t that way, it would be sheer chaos.

It’d be like going to a United Nations gathering, which I’m not making fun of the UN, I’m just saying nothing gets done. In the United Nations, Russia can just veto something and it’s garbage. Everybody’s wasting their time. They’re just drafting resolutions to get nothing done. It’s absolutely garbage. So the leader has to do it.

Here’s why authority matters. When the top leader drives Lean, the organization knows it’s non-negotiable. When the top leader models improvements, the team knows it’s real. When the top leader holds the standard, middle management can’t let it slip. Authority creates the boundary. Influence creates the buy-in. But you need both. And if the top leader delegates Lean, they’re delegating the authority. And without authority, Lean becomes optional.

What Driving Lean Actually Looks Like

And I’m telling you, do we think that Warren Buffett would delegate something to somebody else if it was important? Do we think these top leaders would delegate? Do you think Gary Vee would delegate something like that? It’s not a business concept. It’s not a true concept. Saying I’m in charge and I’m going to delegate that to other people is not a thing.

That’s why Paul Akers will require you to have one hundred improvement videos, the entire leadership team on board, and the senior leader has to be driving the effort themselves or else you can’t come tour his facility. That’s how it is. Why? Because Lean will not work if that’s the case. It’s not a flavor of the month. It’s not something you can delegate.

Here’s what driving Lean looks like in practice:

  • The CEO does daily improvements and records videos to share with the team
  • The top leader shows up to kaizen events and participates, not just observes
  • Leadership Leans out their own workspace office, car, backpack and models the behavior
  • The senior team asks questions on gemba walks and holds the standard without delegating it

Paul Akers doesn’t delegate Lean. He lives it. He models it. He films his two-second improvements every day. And his organization follows because the leader is showing the way. That’s what driving Lean looks like. Not delegating. Leading.

You Can’t Delegate Safety, Culture, or Lean

If you’re the leader of a company, you can’t delegate safety. You can’t delegate culture. You can’t delegate Lean. It’s never going to work.

Here’s why. Safety, culture, and Lean are foundational. They’re not programs you hand off to middle management. They’re the operating system. And if the leader doesn’t drive the operating system, the organization learns that it’s optional. Safety becomes compliance. Culture becomes HR slogans. Lean becomes flavor of the month. And none of it sticks.

But when the leader drives it, everything changes. When the CEO shows up to safety stand-downs, safety becomes real. When the CEO models the culture, the team follows. When the CEO does daily Lean improvements, the organization knows it’s the way we work. Not a side project. Not a consultant initiative. The way we work.

That’s the difference. Delegation creates programs. Leadership creates transformation. And Lean is transformation. It’s not a program you hand off. It’s a system you lead. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

A Challenge for CEOs and Top Leaders

Here’s what I want you to do this week. If you’re the top leader in your organization and you’ve delegated Lean to someone else, stop. Take it back. Start doing daily improvements yourself. Film them. Share them. Model the behavior. Show up to kaizen events. Hold the standard. Lead from the front.

And if you’re not willing to do that, don’t implement Lean. Because it won’t work. It’ll become flavor of the month. Your team will go through the motions. And nothing will change. But if you’re willing to drive it, if you’re willing to lead it, if you’re willing to model it every single day, Lean will transform your organization. Not because of a consultant. Not because of a VP. Because the leader showed the way. As we say at Elevate, Lean starts with the leader. Not the Lean director. Not the VP. The CEO. The top leader. The person who sets the standard and holds the line. That’s who drives Lean. And if it’s not you, it’s not going to work.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can’t Lean be delegated to a VP or Lean director?

Because Lean is the operating system, not a side project. When the top leader delegates it, the organization learns it’s optional. The standard slips. Middle management can’t hold the line without the CEO modeling it. Delegation creates programs. Leadership creates transformation.

What does it mean for the CEO to drive Lean?

It means the CEO does daily improvements, records videos, participates in kaizen events, shows up to gemba walks, models the behavior, and holds the standard. They don’t hand it off and watch from the corner office. They lead from the front.

Can a company implement Lean if the CEO isn’t on board?

No. Without the top leader driving it, Lean becomes flavor of the month. Middle management tries to hold the standard, but without the CEO modeling it, the organization learns it’s optional. You need authority and influence. The CEO has both.

Why does Paul Akers require one hundred improvement videos before touring his facility?

Because he knows Lean doesn’t work if the leadership team isn’t driving it. If the CEO hasn’t done one hundred improvements, they’re not leading Lean. They’re delegating it. And delegated Lean doesn’t stick.

What if the CEO doesn’t have time to do daily improvements?

Then they don’t have time to implement Lean. Lean isn’t a side project you hand to middle management. It’s the operating system. And if the top leader doesn’t have time to model it, the organization won’t have time to follow it. Leadership creates the culture. Delegation creates programs.

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Click here)
-Check out our Youtube channel for more info: (Click here) 
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Click here) 
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Click here)
-The Takt Book: (Click here)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction IST. As the company’s owner and principal consultant, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.

On we go

Posted in All