Are You Being Held Up by the Superintendent on the Project?

Your superintendent doesn’t know what they’re doing. No schedule exists. Or if one exists, it’s in their head and they haven’t shared it with anyone. They demand you work everywhere simultaneously destroying trade flow. They tell you to bring materials early creating chaos. They give you conflicting direction daily. And you’re waiting for them to map out your destiny, hoping they’ll eventually get organized and provide the plan you need to succeed. Meanwhile, your crew suffers. Your productivity crashes. Your profits evaporate. And you blame the superintendent for holding you back when the real problem is you’re being a victim instead of taking control. You’re waiting for someone else to create the conditions for your success when actually you must create those conditions yourself because incompetent leadership doesn’t disappear through patience—it gets worse through enabling.

Here’s what most foremen and trade partners miss. You’re in trouble either way. If you follow the superintendent’s bad advice working everywhere without flow, you’ll be in trouble because productivity will crash and they’ll blame you for not performing. If you do the right thing protecting trade flow even when it contradicts their demands, you’ll be in trouble because they’ll complain about you not following direction. Either path leads to conflict. So why not be in trouble and make money? Why not do the right thing creating flow, keeping crews consistent, bringing materials just-in-time according to inventory buffers, and executing properly even though the superintendent doesn’t understand? You’re getting blamed regardless. Might as well do it right and actually succeed instead of following bad direction into failure.

The challenge is shifting from victim mindset to ownership mindset. Expect nothing, appreciate everything, do the right thing. This creates non-emotional effective response enabling you to succeed despite incompetent leadership. But most people do the opposite. They expect everything from superintendents. They appreciate nothing because nobody’s meeting expectations. They respond as victims blaming others for their problems. This creates emotional ineffective response guaranteeing failure. You can’t control whether your superintendent is competent. But you can control whether you take ownership creating your own plan, protecting your trade flow, and executing properly regardless of their incompetence.

Two Mindsets: Victim vs. Owner

Your mindset determines whether incompetent superintendents destroy you or whether you succeed despite them:

• Victim Mindset: Expect everything, appreciate nothing, respond as victim.

• You expect superintendents to provide perfect schedules, clear direction, organized logistics.

• When they don’t deliver, you feel robbed of what you deserved

• You appreciate nothing because nobody’s meeting your expectations.

• You respond as victim blaming them for your problems.

• This makes you emotional, ineffective, and stuck.

• You get in trouble because you followed bad direction into failure.

• Owner Mindset: Expect nothing, appreciate everything, do the right thing

• You expect nothing from superintendents, so they can’t take anything from you.

• You appreciate everything they do provide, even small things.

• You do the right thing regardless of whether they support you.

• This keeps you non-emotional, effective, and moving forward.

• You might get in trouble for not following bad direction, but you make money and succeed.

Why You’re in Trouble Either Way

Picture the reality. Superintendent tells you to work in five areas simultaneously. You know this destroys trade flow creating chaos. But you follow their direction anyway hoping obedience protects you. What happens? Productivity crashes. Crews stack on top of each other. Rework multiplies. Schedule slips. And the superintendent blames you for not performing. You’re in trouble because you followed their bad advice into failure.

Now picture the alternative. Superintendent tells you to work in five areas. You say “I’ll work in one area completing it fully before moving to the next, creating trade flow that actually finishes work.” They complain about you not following direction. They demand you spread out creating apparent busyness. You explain why flow works better and show them your plan. They’re unhappy. You’re in trouble for not following bad direction.

Either way, you’re in trouble. So why not be in trouble and make money? Why not do it right creating flow, finishing work, making profit, and actually succeeding even though the superintendent complains? You’re getting blamed regardless. Following bad advice into failure doesn’t protect you. It just makes you fail while being blamed anyway. But doing it right despite complaints at least creates success. You get blamed either way. Might as well succeed.

This is the secret most trades never learn. They think following superintendent direction protects them from blame. But it doesn’t. When projects fail, superintendents blame trades regardless of whose advice created the failure. So stop following bad advice hoping obedience excuses poor results. It won’t. Do the right thing creating flow and success. Then when superintendents complain, you can show the results proving your approach works better than theirs.

What Most Superintendent Advice Gets Wrong

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: 60-80 percent of superintendents don’t know what they’re doing. And almost 100 percent of things you hear from those 60-80 percent, if you take their advice, you’ll be doing it wrong. They don’t understand flow. They don’t understand production principles. They demand activity over effectiveness. And following their direction guarantees failure.

Jason has never heard an owner’s representative say “let’s work in one-process flow.” Never heard them say “let’s have the right crew sizes.” Never heard them say “bring materials just-in-time.” They just want to look busy. They say “bring the materials, bring the people, go out there, spend your money, I don’t care, I just want it done.” This advice destroys projects. But superintendents repeat it because they don’t know better. And trades following it fail because the advice was wrong from the start.

If you’re taking advice from uneducated superintendents—meaning superintendents who don’t know lean and flow principles—you’re going backwards. You need to protect your trade flow. You need to win-win solutions. When the superintendent or owner makes a request, answer the question they should have asked, not the question they asked. Respond to requests they should have made. Do things that should be done. Don’t stupidly follow directions that reduce your chances of flow.

For example: Owner says “start work next week clearing 320 acres.” You know this means land sits muddy for three months costing everyone money. Instead of blindly following, show them why starting just-in-time when materials arrive works better. Have the conversation. Make it visual. Communicate. Discuss. Fight for win-win. Don’t just blindly do stuff because someone with authority told you to when you know it’s wrong.

How to Take Control: What Foremen and Trades Must Do

Stop waiting for superintendents to map your destiny. Create your own plan. Here’s what that looks like daily:

• Come with a plan or be part of someone else’s (which probably doesn’t work)

• Draw pictures showing where you’ll be working and when.

• Provide a schedule even if superintendent doesn’t have one.

• If they have a schedule, adjust it with flow to create trade flow that works as win-win.

• Communicate daily what you need to succeed.

• Protect your trade flow—work in sequences that complete, not everywhere simultaneously.

• Keep crews consistent—don’t crash-load then starve resources.

• Bring materials just-in-time according to inventory buffers, not too early or too late.

• Plan it first—make sure work is ready before you start.

• Build it right—QC as you go, don’t pass defects forward.

• Finish as you go—complete work fully before moving on, don’t come back later.

• Have difficult conversations when direction contradicts flow principles.

• Negotiate only win-wins—show how your approach benefits everyone.

• Be prepared with visual communication and data proving your approach works.

The Story: If There Isn’t a Way, Pave a Way

Jason tells the story from his book Elevating Construction Superintendents. He was in charge of mechanical, site work, and systems. Another superintendent handled interiors but kept needlessly perfecting the schedule instead of sharing it with trades. The super said “you can’t make a schedule and show it to trade partners before it’s perfect.” Jason said “watch me. I’m going to coordinate with trade partners.”

The senior superintendent walked both of them out and said “Jason, you’re now in charge of this work. You’re no longer in charge of this work.” The other superintendent started to protest. The senior super said “you don’t have to worry about that anymore. Jason’s in charge now.”

The lesson stuck. Don’t ever wait for someone if there’s incompetence, waiting, or needless striving for perfect instead of excellent. Just move forward. Step on toes if necessary. Get it done. If there isn’t a way, pave a way. This is the mindset that succeeds despite incompetent leadership instead of being destroyed by it.

At the Constitutional Convention, 80 percent of the Constitution came from one person who came prepared. James Madison showed up with a plan. Everyone else contributed around his framework. If you don’t have a plan, you’ll be part of someone else’s. And if you’re working for a bad superintendent, they don’t have a plan. Or if they have one, it’s in their head and doesn’t work because they haven’t shared it. So you must come with the plan. Show up prepared. Create the framework. Then execute despite their incompetence.

The System Failed You

Let’s be clear. When foremen and trades struggle under incompetent superintendents, it’s not entirely their fault. The system failed by not teaching foremen to take ownership creating their own plans instead of waiting for superintendent direction. Nobody showed that you’re in trouble either way, so you might as well do the right thing and succeed. Nobody explained that following bad advice doesn’t excuse failure—you’re responsible for results regardless of whose direction you followed. Nobody demonstrated that trades must protect their own flow because superintendents often don’t understand flow principles.

The system also failed by not training superintendents properly. Sixty to eighty percent don’t know what they’re doing. They give bad advice destroying projects. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow. But until superintendents get trained, foremen and trades must protect themselves by taking ownership instead of being victims. The system created this mess. But victims stay stuck while owners succeed regardless.

The system fails by not teaching the “expect nothing, appreciate everything, do the right thing” mindset. Most people expect everything, appreciate nothing, and respond as victims when expectations aren’t met. This creates emotional ineffective responses guaranteeing failure. But the alternative—expecting nothing so nobody can take anything from you, appreciating everything even small things, doing the right thing regardless of support—creates non-emotional effective responses enabling success despite incompetent leadership.

The Challenge

Here’s your assignment. Stop being a victim waiting for incompetent superintendents to map your destiny. Take control. Create your own plan. Come prepared with schedules, sketches, Gantt charts showing what you’re doing and when.

Shift to owner mindset. Expect nothing from superintendents so they can’t disappoint you. Appreciate everything they provide even if it’s small. Do the right thing protecting trade flow regardless of whether they support you.

Recognize you’re in trouble either way. Following bad direction leads to failure and blame. Doing the right thing leads to complaints and blame. Either path creates conflict. So choose the path that also creates success. Be in trouble and make money instead of being in trouble and failing.

Protect your trade flow. Don’t blindly follow advice from the 60-80 percent of superintendents who don’t understand flow. Answer the question they should have asked. Respond to requests they should have made. Do things that should be done. Fight for win-win solutions showing why your approach benefits everyone.

Communicate daily. Tell them what you need. Show them your plan. Have difficult conversations when direction contradicts flow. Come prepared so you’re not part of someone else’s plan that doesn’t work.

Plan it first. Build it right. Finish as you go. Keep crews consistent. Bring materials just-in-time. Work in sequences that complete. Do the right thing creating trade flow even when superintendents don’t understand.

If there isn’t a way, pave a way. Don’t wait for incompetent leadership to improve. Take ownership. Get it done. You know that workflow, trade flow, logistical flow, consistent manpower and materials, rhythm and continuity create your shortest path to winning.

On we go.

FAQ

What if following superintendent direction leads to failure?

You’re responsible for results regardless of whose advice you followed. Following bad direction doesn’t excuse failure—it just proves you lack courage to do what’s right. You’re in trouble either way. Might as well do the right thing and succeed instead of following bad advice into failure.

How do you “expect nothing, appreciate everything, do the right thing”?

Expect nothing from superintendents so they can’t take anything from you or disappoint you. Appreciate everything they provide even if small. Do the right thing protecting trade flow regardless of whether they support you. This creates non-emotional effective response enabling success despite incompetent leadership.

Why are you “in trouble either way”?

Following bad direction leads to productivity crashes and blame for not performing. Doing the right thing contradicting their demands leads to complaints about not following direction. Either path creates conflict. So choose the path that also creates success—do the right thing and make money.

What should foremen do when superintendents don’t have plans?

Come with your own plan. Draw pictures showing where you’ll work. Provide schedules even if they don’t have one. Communicate daily what you need. Come prepared so you’re not part of someone else’s plan that doesn’t work. Be like James Madison at Constitutional Convention—show up with the framework everyone else builds around.

How do you protect trade flow when superintendents demand chaos?

Create your plan with proper flow. Show them visually why it works better. Negotiate win-wins explaining how your approach benefits everyone. Have difficult conversations. Do the right thing even if they complain. You’re getting blamed either way—might as well succeed while being blamed instead of failing while being blamed.