Work Fewer Hours, Build Better Teams

I recently received feedback from a reader who said my focus on lean principles really resonated with them, especially in smaller projects under $100 million. They pointed out the lack of strong, well trained teams in the industry and I couldn’t agree more.

I owe a lot of my process driven mindset to my time at Hensel Phelps. They taught me how to build anything because I understood the process behind it. That background still shapes everything I do today.

Right now, some exciting projects are in motion updates to the Field Engineering Methods Manual, progress on the anti-CPM book, and the upcoming Elevating Construction Field Engineers book. But today’s blog is about something critical, working fewer hours without sacrificing results.

Why We Limit Hours at LeanTakt

At LeanTakt, our team in Guadalajara works under Mexican labor law, which caps hours at 48 per week, including for salaried employees. I like this approach because it forces efficiency.

If you constrain your hours saying, “I’m done for the day” you naturally start to:

• Delegate more effectively
• Become more proficient
• Eliminate waste
• Operate in a leaner way

When you don’t set those boundaries, you tend to hide inefficiencies under a blanket of extra hours and effort.

The Elon Musk Question

Some people push back, saying, “But what about the Elon Musk culture working all out to get things done?” While I agree with his focus on productivity and avoiding bureaucracy, I reject the idea of overworking human beings as a standard practice.

Elon Musk’s extreme schedule may be fine for him, but it’s not sustainable for the rest of us. If you want to work more because you’re passionate, that’s different. If you have to work more because you can’t finish your role within reasonable hours, that’s a sign of poor organization, lack of delegation, and inefficiency not dedication.

Passion or Addiction?

Here’s the test:

• Passion: You can work fewer hours but choose to do more because you enjoy it. You don’t impose it on your team.
• Addiction: You can’t work fewer hours because you rely on overtime to mask waste or inefficiency.

For example, as a business owner, I often work 55+ hours. But I love it. For someone in a superintendent or PM role, if you can’t get your job done in 48–55 hours without chaos, something’s wrong.

The Toxic Leader Problem

This discussion also ties to leadership behavior. Recently, I offered a free training on takt planning to a large project team. The two project leaders were unnecessarily rude and dismissive. If they treat an outside guest like that, I can only imagine how they treat their own team.

Occasional stress and bad days happen. But constant toxicity, just like constant overtime, is not acceptable. Toxic environments destroy morale, efficiency, and project success especially on large, complex builds.

Closing Thoughts

Too many hours and toxic leadership share the same root problem: lack of control. If you can’t stop overworking or being toxic, it’s not just “how you are” it’s an addiction.

Working extra or getting frustrated occasionally is part of being human. But if it’s the norm, you need to make changes for your own health and for the good of your team.

Key Takeaway:

Sustainable success in construction comes from efficiency, delegation, and a healthy team culture not from endless hours or toxic leadership. If you can work fewer hours but choose to do more out of passion, that’s healthy; if you can’t without creating chaos, it’s a sign of inefficiency or poor leadership that must be addressed.