Here’s the deal. This one is a shout-out to my friends at Smithco, a really cool general contractor, trade partner, and civil infrastructure company. We are doing work with them, and if you ever get a chance to work with them, please do. They are top-notch. Ruben [ASK JASON: last name?], a top-notch general superintendent there, taught me a concept recently that blew me away. He has a list of ways to get rid of excuses, and one of them is simple: we are going to get rid of the word should.
Short answer: Get rid of the word should. Should is a powerless word, and it hides the gaps in a plan: the material should be on the way, the trade partner should know what they are doing, it should be fine. In pre-construction planning, dig deep enough that you can say I know, or it will, for certain. That is what before phase planning is all about.
Why Is Should a Powerless Word?
I had heard this before. At Rapport Leadership International, in Leadership Breakthrough Course Number One and Course Number Two, they talk about powerless words like sorry, try, and should. I would hear the same thing at Tony Robbins events.
Your brain and your body receive command prompts. It is no different than prompting AI, or an intern, or the old command prompts on MS-DOS. You are always prompting something. Powerless words prompt nonsense. Try is one of the worst, and should is the other one. At Rapport Leadership International, they used to say, I am not going to should on anybody.
So I have quite a background in not wanting to use the word should. I do not use it that often, and I really attempt not to use the word try. But until Ruben said it, I did not really understand it.
The Moment It Clicked
Do you ever understand something so clearly at one moment that you realize it is never going to be the same? That happened to me.
We were on a monthly field walk, which is one of the best things you can do for your company. I asked one of the project managers a question, and he said, it should be. Then he caught himself, because he had just heard Ruben say, we are getting rid of the word should.
The project manager immediately noticed that the word should was the problem. He was not saying, I know for a fact that this material is on the way. He was saying should. And if you looked at Ruben’s face, he was like, huh? Don’t give me a should. It has to be an I know. It will. Everybody in the room got it immediately.
By the way, if your company has already had the planning training but you want to keep elevating your projects, we can do monthly field walks with you.
What Should Sounds Like on a Project
If you are in pre-construction planning, the word should does not belong there. Listen for it in your meetings:
- That material should be on the way.
- It should be fine.
- We should not have a problem with it.
- That trade partner should know what they are doing.
Every one of those sentences hides something you do not know yet. It might be a material delivery that nobody has confirmed, which is exactly the kind of thing a lookahead is built to catch. It might be a constraint nobody has looked at. Should is where the gap lives.
How Do You Replace Should With I Know?
Get that word gone, and dig deep enough. Dig deeper was the rally cry of Coach Schmitt [ASK JASON: who is Coach Schmitt?]. Dig deep enough that you know for a fact it will happen. I know. It is for certain.
| When you hear | Dig until you can say |
|---|---|
| That material should be on the way. | I know the material is on the way. |
| It should be fine. | I know it will be fine. |
| That trade partner should know what they are doing. | I know that trade partner is ready. |
This is not about being harsh with people. It is about not letting an excuse into the plan before the work even starts. When the team stops saying should, it starts finding out, and the standard becomes knowing for certain. That is also why it is on Ruben’s list of ways to get rid of excuses, and it fits right alongside the ladder of accountability.
Why It Matters Before the Phase Starts
If you get rid of the word should from your vocabulary, you will understand what before phase planning is all about. Pre-planning, before the phase starts, is where you have the time to dig deep enough to know. Once the crews are in the field, a should turns into a surprise.
So here is the challenge. In your next pre-construction meeting or field walk, listen for the word should. Every time you hear it, stop and dig deeper until somebody can say, I know it will.
Bottom line: Get rid of the word should, and dig deep enough that you can say I know.
If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.
On we go.
FAQ
Why get rid of the word should in construction planning?
Because should hides the gaps in a plan. It should be fine means nobody knows for certain yet, so I want the team to dig deep enough to say I know it will.
What are powerless words?
Words like sorry, try, and should. Your brain and body receive them like command prompts, and they prompt nonsense instead of action.
What do you say instead of should?
I know, or it will. If you cannot say that yet, dig deeper until you know for a fact.
Where did Jason learn to get rid of the word should?
I first heard it at Rapport Leadership International and Tony Robbins events, but it really clicked when Ruben, a general superintendent at Smithco, said it during a monthly field walk.
People Also Read:
Hurry Up and Plan: Why I Drive Hard in Pre-Construction Planning
Monthly Field Walks
The Ladder of Accountability
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.