Keeping Commitments

Keeping Commitments, A Lean Mindset We Need in Construction

In this blog, I want to talk about a concept that sits at the heart of our success in construction, keeping commitments. If that interests you, stay with me because this one matters more than most people realize.

This blog supports the book I am writing with an incredible group of people, Elevating Construction the Lean Way. The book focuses on simple, individual concepts that train the mind away from push, rush, panic, and disrespect for people. My goal is not for you to finish the book and perfectly implement every tool. My goal is that your thinking changes. If people read it with an open mind and update their mental programming, I believe it will make a big difference.

This blog is about the Japanese mindset of keeping commitments. It is called yakusoku, and it changed the way I look at reliability and trust.

Understanding the Sensitivity Around Japanese Examples

Before I go deeper, let me address something that comes up often. Sometimes people say, Jason will not stop talking about Japan. We are not Japanese. We are not in Japan.

I fully understand that reaction.

Recently, during a training, I mentioned how Kevin and I learned that in Japan they build people before they build things. Someone muttered under their breath, we are not Japanese. I get where that frustration comes from.

But here is the truth. Sharing Japanese concepts is no different than a parent bragging about a child’s accomplishments. It does not mean the parent is offended or intimidated. It is pride. And it is an acknowledgment that someone else is doing something well.

Much of what Japan excels at today came from a blend of their historical culture and teachings introduced after World War II. This is not Japan versus the United States. This is learning from a global partner. So when I reference Japan, treat it like learning from a close friend.

Now let me explain their mindset around commitments, yakusoku.

A Commitment Is a Moral Bond

In Japanese culture, a commitment is not just a task. It is a moral promise. A personal bond of honor.

If you break it, you do not simply inconvenience someone. You create mewaku. You burden them. You place your weight onto their back.

And this is where we need to pause.

Imagine you are a trade partner. Your crew is ready. The energy is high. You are about to start your zone and two workers do not show up. They did not call. They vanished. Now you cannot fulfill what you promised.

How do you feel?

Now flip it. You are a general contractor. You completed your pre con meeting. You built a pull plan with every trade. You have a stable weekly work plan. You have flow. And one trade does not show up. Forty other trade partners are disrupted instantly.

Our culture does not treat commitments seriously enough, and construction pays the price for it every day.

The Four Western Yeses

Chris Voss from the Black Swan Group teaches that in the West we have several versions of yes.

There is a yes that means absolutely not.

There is a yes that means maybe.

There is a yes yes.

And there is a yes under duress that practically means no.

You never really know where you stand.

In Japan, unless you hear a clear yes, the answer is no. They will not make a promise they cannot keep. They avoid burdening somebody else. Their yes is sacred.

Imagine if we adopted that level of clarity.

Breaking Commitments Creates Waste

When we break commitments in construction, we do not just cause inconvenience. We create waste:

• Extra work
• Overburden
• Disruption of flow
• Breakdown of trust
• Increased litigation
• Lost respect

When commitments do not mean anything, handshakes lose value, promises lose power, and relationships weaken.

We can fix this. We can make our commitments mean something again.

A Real Look at Cultural Behavior

Let me share something personal. When I worked on federal projects with Hensel Phelps, I noticed we built a cycle of schools, courthouses, and prisons. I used to joke that we were constructing the hand baskets America was going to hell in. Schools lead to courthouses, courthouses lead to prisons, and prisons eventually lead right back to schools.

Here is the truth. If you want to fix a nation, fix its schools. If you want to improve construction, start with how we teach people. What we model. What we expect.

If kids grow up not cleaning up after themselves, throwing trash for someone else to deal with, showing up late, interrupting class, and never learning responsibility, why would we expect them to become adults who honor commitments on job sites?

We must teach responsibility early. We must model commitment as leaders.

Precision in Time and Honor

In some countries, people show up 45 minutes late and that is considered polite. I once went to a region where I was told, you are lucky they only arrived 45 minutes late.

Japan is the opposite. Their trains depart down to the second. Meetings start exactly on time. Tours and lectures flow in perfect sequence. One minute late is considered a breach of respect.

Commitment is not casual. It is precise.

And if you cannot commit, you say so immediately.

Applying Yakusoku in Construction

Now imagine this.

Every trade partner on your job honors every commitment.

If they say they will show up, they show up.

If they say they will follow a rule, they follow it.

If they say they will complete a zone, they complete it.

If they say they will meet a handoff, they meet it.

And if they run into problems, they communicate early, transparently, and respectfully.

What would that do to flow? To production? To teamwork? To the takt plan?

Let me tell you. It would change everything.

Most interruptions to flow happen because someone broke a commitment. If we fix this one behavior, we fix enormous amounts of waste.

Final Thought

Keeping commitments is not about perfection. It is about respect, clarity, transparency, and teamwork. It is about carrying your own weight and not placing unnecessary burden on others.

If we could adopt even a fraction of the mindset I saw in Japan, our industry would transform.

Thank you for staying with me through this blog.