What’s Broken in the U.S. Construction Industry and How We Fix It
In this blog, I want to walk you through something I’ve been studying, researching, and observing for more than 14 years: the deeply rooted behaviors that continue to harm the U.S. construction industry. These aren’t surface level complaints. They are patterns that damage people, destroy flow, weaken teams, and keep our industry decades behind where it could be.
Right now, I’m writing a book called Elevating Construction the Lean Way, and this topic is at the heart of it. Until that book is ready, I want to share the clearest list I’ve ever created of the 25 destructive habits we must remove fast if we want our industry to evolve.
These come from my own journey of studying Lean, going to Japan with Paul Akers, visiting dozens of companies, and coaching teams across the world. I’ve seen what works and, more painfully, what doesn’t. These 25 things are hurting us, and we must walk away from them with urgency.
25 Behaviors We Must Leave Behind
- Grading and Labeling People
Our school system is built on labeling, ranking, and demotivating people. We drag that mindset into construction and treat craftworkers as “less than” because they didn’t take the academic path. It destroys potential. We must stop grading people and start developing them.
- “Go Figure It Out” Culture
Old timers claim they “figured it out” alone. No, we didn’t. We had mentors, guidance, and support. Sending people out to fail on purpose is toxic and accelerates burnout. We must coach shoulder to shoulder.
- Seeing People as Expendable
Frederick Taylor taught the world to treat humans like replaceable machinery. That mindset still poisons construction today. Systems like CPM amplify the harm by overloading crews and increasing WIP. People are not resources they are the system.
- Toxic Competition
Competition is fine; toxic competition is not. Construction behaves like warring factions instead of a team trying to win a championship. Cooperation wins not litigation and sabotage.
- Pushing Work Instead of Driving Flow
Most of our problems come from pushing. Pushing schedules, pushing people, pushing crews to keep going when the conditions aren’t ready. We must replace push with pull and flow.
- The Lone Wolf Mentality
“No one tells the super what to do!”
That cowboy mindset creates chaos. Leaders must align with the operating system not operate outside of it.
- Wanting to Be Right Instead of Finding What’s Right
Big egos sink megaprojects. We need humility, not stubbornness.
- Hiding Innovation Behind Paywalls
Stop inflating the cost of tech and processes so investors can profit. Construction needs access to tools not gatekeeping.
- Racism, Sexism, and Excluding Diversity
Diverse teams perform better. Exclusion destroys culture, safety, and innovation. Enough said.
- Political Campaigning and Buzzwords Instead of Solving Problems
Ideology doesn’t build flow. Collaboration does.
- Believing Money and Tech Will Fix Culture
Money doesn’t solve waste. Technology doesn’t fix people. Lean behavior does.
- The Belief That People “Deserve to Suffer”
Hardship is not a leadership strategy. Making the work easier is.
- Defaulting to Arguments
Arguing is not problem solving. Curiosity is.
- Seeking Fame Over Service
Firefighter arsonist superintendents, flashy influencers, ego driven leaders none of it elevates the industry. Service does.
- Rebellion for the Sake of Rebellion
We’re not in a revolution. We are in construction. Rejecting good systems “just because” is destructive.
- Being Proud of Ignorance
Not reading, not learning, not improving it’s nothing to brag about. We must build a culture of education.
- Bullying
Zero tolerance. Ever.
- Continued Racism and Sexism on Sites
Graffiti, harassment, comments there’s no defense for any of it.
- Hating Neighboring Countries
The U.S. construction industry depends heavily on Mexico and Canada. We must stop degrading the people who help us survive.
- Using Punishment as a Management Strategy
Respect not punishment drives performance.
- Celebrating Suffering Instead of Smart Work
Bleeding hands, bad knees, and destroyed backs aren’t badges of honor. They’re signs of broken systems.
- Greed
Hoarding money instead of investing in people is one of the biggest obstacles to progress.
- Leading Through Fear, Anger, and Hate
Workers need connection and respect not intimidation.
- Underpaying People
People shouldn’t have to quit to earn market value. Companies must initiate fair raises.
- Rewarding High Performing Jerks
“A-holes never die,” the Glamis flag said but we don’t have to promote them. High trust always beats high performance with low trust.
Why This Matters
These 25 patterns are not small issues. Together, they create the suffering, chaos, turnover, burnout, litigation, and unpredictability we see every day on job sites across America. Walking away from them fully, intentionally, and aggressively is the only way we transform our industry. You will always hear me talk about where we need to go. But unless we identify what we must leave behind, we will never make it there.
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