Here’s the deal. I recently learned something at a boot camp while I was talking about stress, and I coined a phrase in the moment that I cannot stop thinking about: out of your head, off of your shoulders. This is a short one, but it is really impactful.
Short answer: Out of your head, off of your shoulders means getting the plan out of the superintendent’s head and in front of the team. Keep a to-do list, use visual planning, and hold an afternoon foreman huddle the day before to plan the next day and set up full kit. It respects people, it makes the work visible, and it unburdens you, because problems belong to the team, not to one person.
Why Get the Plan Out of the Superintendent’s Head?
I am constantly advocating for a few things:
- Writing everything down and having it on a to-do list.
- Holding an afternoon foreman huddle.
- Using visual planning devices.
- Getting everything out of the superintendent’s head.
I am going to be direct about this, because when I soft-pedal it, people do not do it, they do not benefit from it, and people get hurt. The only way to run your life is to keep a to-do list and get everything out of your head. The only way to run a project site, unless you have shift work, is to hold an afternoon foreman huddle the day before to plan the next day. That sets you up for full kit ahead of time, and then you live in day-tight compartments. And superintendents need to get all of the knowledge of the project and the plan out of their head.
Out of Your Head, Off of Your Shoulders
At boot camp, a lot of times I will ask Brandon Montero to role-play with me for a minute. He will stand next to me, and I will hang on his shoulders. He is a fit guy, so he can handle it, but you can see that it is a strain. And I say, this is what the life of a superintendent feels like. This is the burden.
That is when it hit me. If you keep the plan in your head, you keep it on your shoulders. If you get it out of your head, you get it off of your shoulders.
Problems Belong to the Team
I was also talking at boot camp about the idea that there is no such thing as an individual owning a problem. All problems belong to the team. Am I perfect with this? No. Do I struggle with it sometimes? Yes. Do I forget to copy people on emails? A hundred percent. But do I believe at my core that no problem belongs to an individual? A hundred percent.
Katie said to me one time, we have the best people in the world. Isn’t there no problem we couldn’t solve as a team? The answer is yes. You have to share the load. When I asked the room what movie that comes from, one person got extra points for Lord of the Rings, where Sam helps Frodo carry the load. No problem belongs to an individual. It belongs to the team. But the team cannot share a load it cannot see.
Why Should the Foreman Huddle Be the Afternoon Before?
The afternoon foreman huddle is the one that frustrates me the most, because many Lean practitioners and consultants teach it in the morning. That only works for certain types of companies. In construction, it has to be the afternoon before, because we have such interdependent systems.
| Plan of the day (POD) | Plan of the next day (POND) | |
|---|---|---|
| When | In the morning | The afternoon before |
| Where it works | Manufacturing, and sometimes elsewhere | Construction, with its interdependent trades |
| What it sets up | The work already underway | Full kit for tomorrow, before the crews arrive |
Sometimes a plan of the day meeting is good, and it works in manufacturing. For construction, it has to be a plan of the next day meeting. There are a lot of reasons to hold the afternoon foreman huddle the day before, and they all tie together. Getting the plan out of the superintendent’s head is one of the most important, because it puts the plan into the production system where the whole team can see it.
Is Keeping It All in Your Head a Good Sign?
No. One of the worst things in construction is somebody being proud of having it all in their head.
I travel quite a bit, so I go out to breakfast and dinner quite a bit, and I have been tracking something. Some servers try to remember every order, and some write it down. You would be surprised how many more mistakes happen with the servers who try to remember it than with the ones who write it down. Is it slower when they write it down? Sure. Do they get it right a higher percentage of the time? Absolutely. I do not care how good that server is, or if they are the most brilliant person on earth. If you do not write it down, you are actively disrespecting me.
The same goes for the superintendent who says, I am a good superintendent, I have it all in my head. That is not a sign of a good superintendent. It is a sign that the plan is not shared, and nobody in this industry should normalize it ever again.
When you get it out of your head, you are respecting people, and you are starting to be Lean, because all Lean systems are seeing systems. And you are unburdening yourself.
The Plan Leads When the Team Is Performing
There is another reason this matters. Think about the stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, and performing. When a team is in the performing stage, people follow the plan and the goal, or the purpose, more than they actually follow a leader.
Different leadership styles are needed at different times:
- Forming and storming: a more controlling, directive leader.
- Norming: a coaching, enabling, teaching, mentoring leader.
- Performing: a hands-off leader who gives autonomy and suggestions and provides the why.
I am more of a controlling individual. I do not like to be, but I am. I am needed in the forming and storming stages, so you will mostly find me in the first five, ten, or fifteen percent of an effort, and that is fine. That is probably why it is good that I work mostly with 22 to 28 year olds at our LeanTakt team. As Scott Berg used to say, I watered you every day and had to mow you three times a day, like a newly seeded lawn.
But a team cannot follow the plan in the performing stage if the plan only lives in one person’s head. Get it out, and the team can carry it.
Unburdening Yourself
We have a mental health epidemic in construction. Our suicide rate is far too high. So do not tell me you have it all in your head. Get it out, write it down, share it with your foremen, and let the team carry it with you. Psychological safety starts with a superintendent who does not have to carry the whole project alone.
If you want to practice this with other project leaders, the Super PM Boot Camp is where I teach it. It is quite remarkable, and it is one of the best things you can do for your career.
So here is the challenge. Start a to-do list, hold an afternoon foreman huddle the day before to plan the next day, and put the plan where the whole team can see it. Then notice how much lighter your shoulders feel.
Bottom line: Once it is out of your head, it is off of your shoulders.
If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.
Want your team trained on this? See our Last Planner® System and Takt training.
On we go.
FAQ
What does “out of your head, off of your shoulders” mean?
It means that when a superintendent gets the plan out of their head, through a to-do list, visual planning, and an afternoon foreman huddle, they also get the burden off their shoulders. The team can then share the load.
Why hold the afternoon foreman huddle instead of a morning huddle?
Because construction has such interdependent systems. A morning plan of the day works in manufacturing, but construction needs a plan of the next day, held the afternoon before, so full kit is ready before the crews arrive.
What is a plan of the next day (POND) meeting?
It is the afternoon foreman huddle held the day before, where the team plans the next day’s work. A plan of the day (POD) meeting is held the same morning.
Is it a good sign if a superintendent keeps the whole plan in their head?
No. It means the plan is not shared, mistakes are more likely, and the superintendent carries the whole load alone. All Lean systems are seeing systems.
Who owns a problem on a construction project?
The team. I believe at my core that no problem belongs to an individual, and that a good team can solve any problem when it shares the load.
People Also Read:
Psychological Safety
What Is a Look Ahead Plan in Construction?
Feedback for Improvement feat. Brandon Montero
If you want to learn more we have:
-Takt Virtual Training: (Takt Virtual Training)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Elevate Construction Podcast)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Training Programs and Certifications)
-The Takt Book: (The Takt Book on Amazon)
Discover Jason’s Expertise:
Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, 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.