You Are Not Urgent Enough
Welcome everyone, I hope you are doing well. I am excited to share this blog because it is about something I see holding teams back again and again. The truth is, most of us are not urgent enough. Last week I was at the ICBA conference in Vancouver, Canada. It was absolutely amazing. I met great people, delivered a keynote, and had the chance to connect in person with colleagues I have been interacting with on LinkedIn. Canadians are always sweet to me, and the experience was energizing. But when I got home and reflected, I realized urgency is the one thing we continue to miss on projects. Here is what I mean. I see this often in preconstruction. A team will say, “We are fine, we do not need to do that yet.” Then weeks later, they hit a massive delay because the foundation options were not properly planned. The same thing happens with commissioning. I remember one project where the experts insisted we had plenty of time. I knew we needed to start six weeks earlier, and I pushed for it. Later, the commissioning agent admitted I was right and said, “We were not urgent enough.” If I had not acted, the project would have missed substantial completion. This lack of urgency shows up everywhere. We say we will get to planning the concrete later, or that we can bring trade partners into the team a little further down the line. We wait too long to order materials, to get permits, to set up trailers, or to prepare for inspections. The result is always the same: false starts, interruptions to the supply chain, missing information, and wasted time. These problems usually do not come from the systems themselves but from the fact that we did not move quickly enough to get ahead. Urgency does not mean pushing people or burning them out. Urgency means planning with intention, acting early, and getting far enough ahead so that the team has what they need when they need it. As I like to say, we do not push people, we push with our planning. And that requires urgency. When you trace back many of the problems you face on projects, whether it is late materials, failed inspections, or a lack of coordination, you can almost always tie it back to not being urgent enough. That is why I am sharing this message. Not as criticism, but as a reminder. I want you and your projects to succeed, and urgency is one of the keys. We are not urgent enough. I am working on this myself, and I encourage you to do the same.Key Takeaway
Most project problems such as delays, missed materials, or failed starts can be traced back to a lack of urgency. The solution is not to push harder but to plan sooner, deeper, and with greater focus.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
