A company asked us for Lean coaching and facilitation. Their leadership was very prescriptive. There were at least 10 emails back and forth, and finally it turned into an official, very rigid RFP. In the end, the person I was working with, who was very professional, admitted that the company had already made up its mind who it wanted. They just had to get three or four prices. I want to read you my response, because it is indicative of how companies are trying to do Lean.
Short answer: I declined to propose. A rigid RFP for Lean coaching is an un-Lean process: it wastes 20 to 60 labor hours, starts with paper instead of human connection, reveals executives who aren’t bought in, prescribes how the coach should coach, and nickel-and-dimes with hourly rates and unpaid travel. You cannot delegate Lean, and a company not open to feedback is not ready for a Lean transformation.
What Did the Response to the RFP Say?
I started by thanking that person. I was honored they reached out and proud they were soliciting a Lean coach, and they had been professional, prompt, and thorough. Then I wrote that I was going to decline, and to help them, their organization, and the industry, I would explain why. Here are my six reasons, as I wrote them:
| What the RFP did | My response |
|---|---|
| Required a full formal proposal | Responding would likely take a minimum of 20 to 60 labor hours. The quality of a coach should not be decided by a marketing department or the ability to make proposals. It should be based on cultural fit, the relationship, and relevant experience. I question whether I’d be doing my job as a Lean consultant if I responded to an un-Lean solicitation. A shorter RFP and an interview would be more appropriate. |
| Read formal and almost robotic | At its core, Lean is about people and respect for people. We would be getting off on the wrong foot if we began with a piece of paper instead of human connection. |
| Scheduled 30-minute meetings to assess executives’ buy-in | This sounds like classical management. If your executives are not already bought in, the program will fail and you’re wasting your time and money. |
| Told the coach not to cover Lean 101 | It may not make sense to hire a Lean coach and tell him or her how to coach you. Lean is about learning. |
| Explained how the coach should assess the project | That’s like sending a note to a doctor explaining the treatment plan before the visit. The assessment is based on actual circumstances in the field. |
| Paid hourly, with no pay for travel hours or markup | Lean coaches should never be paid hourly. It incentivizes the coach to take longer. If you lock a coach into an hourly rate, how can you decline to pay for actual hours spent on your project? |
On that last point, a Lean coach may have spent decades learning what you want to receive over weeks or months. The provision also seemed to quietly exclude out-of-state coaches. What is a large construction company doing nickel-and-diming consultants with smaller margins? Lean is about elevating everyone around you. These cost provisions read like a government contract bent on the lowest bid.
What Were the Three Big Concerns?
- The company appears to be based on classical management principles, which prioritize profit and position over relationships. If so, there is no chance a Lean transformation can be successful.
- Executives need to be convinced of the merits of Lean. In my experience, that shows little accountability among the leadership team and throughout the company.
- They want to be prescriptive about how the coach will operate. That’s like hiring a personal trainer and telling him or her how to train you. It just is not done.
I added one more point of view. If anyone is offended by this email, they are not ready for a Lean transformation. Feedback and confronting the hard facts are crucial to where you say you want to go. If you’re open to it, consider why other Lean coaches wouldn’t respond the same way. I recommended a local expert who’d be a better fit, asked them to reduce the requirements so they didn’t waste his time, and told them we’d be their partners whether we ever did business together or not. More on this in The Triumph of Classical Management over Lean Management.
To prove my point, I never got a response.
Why Can’t Leaders Delegate Lean?
First and foremost, leaders, CEOs, presidents: you cannot delegate Lean. Lean coaches are great, regardless of what you might hear on LinkedIn. Lean directors inside your organization are great. But you have to own it with them and do it with them. See Things You Cannot Delegate as a CEO.
Somebody asked me the other day what the biggest differentiator is for companies that are progressing. It is simple. A great and cohesive leadership team that holds everyone accountable to their operating system, the way they want to do business, and is really disciplined about it. Without that, nothing is going to work.
What Does a Good Partnership Look Like Instead?
A lot of provisions in these contracts are just abusive. We’ll pay you hourly, but you can’t charge for hours traveled? I have railed on bad contracts before, and we don’t work with those people anymore. I just got to work with a really cool company in Colorado. We asked for a provision, and they added a mutual indemnity clause as a favor, even though they didn’t see it as super necessary. Totally partnering with us. I want to work with more people like that.
I’m not saying anyone who responded to this RFP did anything wrong. I’m saying that before we hopelessly let people abuse us, we should check whether it’s something we want to do. My biggest concern was that this contractor was intentionally wasting our time, which we should not do to trade partners, vendors, or anybody. We should not flex trade partners when we know we’re not going to choose them. My advice to the Lean coaches out there: let’s not perpetuate a broken system.
So here is the challenge. Look at the last RFP or contract you sent or received. Find any provision that is robotic, prescriptive, or abusive, and ask whether it builds a relationship or wastes someone’s time.
Bottom line: Lean starts with relationships and a leadership team that owns it, not with a rigid RFP.
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 did Jason decline to respond to the lean coaching RFP?
It would have taken 20 to 60 labor hours, it was formal and robotic instead of relational, it showed executives weren’t bought in, it prescribed how the coach should coach, and it paid hourly while refusing to pay for travel hours.
Should lean coaches be paid hourly?
No. Jason says lean coaches and consultants should never be paid hourly, because it incentivizes the coach to take longer and work slowly. The retainer should be based on the value you receive.
What is the biggest differentiator for companies that progress with Lean?
A great and cohesive leadership team that holds everyone accountable to their operating system and is really disciplined about it. You cannot delegate Lean.
People Also Read:
Why Classical Management Fails Construction Projects (And the Lean Fix)
What Questions Should A Buyer Ask Any Lean Consultant Before Hiring Them?
Lean in Contracts
How Should A General Contractor Choose A Lean Construction Training Or Consulting Partner?
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.