Quotes, Systems, and the Difference Between Heaven and Hell in Leadership
Every once in a while I like to pause and reflect on feedback, quotes, and lessons that stick with me. Recently I received a message from a listener in Canada who said that understanding how poor systems affect people’s lives gave him a new sense of purpose. It reminded him that helping a company is not just about fixing processes for profit, but about improving lives and families. Just the concept itself shifted his perspective. That message meant a lot to me and reinforced how much of this work is about people, not just systems.
With that spirit, I want to share a few quotes and lessons that I have been reflecting on lately. They may feel like a compilation, but each one carries a piece of wisdom that shapes how we lead and live.
The first is simple but powerful: a bad system will always beat a good person. I heard this from Yayo Diaz from Leanbelt, and it stuck with me because no matter how talented or hardworking someone is, if they are forced to operate inside a broken system, the system wins. We cannot expect individuals to overcome environments that constantly undermine them. Leaders must fix the systems, not blame the people.
The second thought comes from reflecting on communication. Most emails are a great way to document the misunderstanding that comes from not talking in person. Emails have their place, but they often become a trap of wasted time and miscommunication. Real conversations, whether in person, over the phone, or even a quick text, cut through confusion. If you find yourself in endless email loops, consider whether you are documenting progress or just documenting misalignment.
Another concept that has been on my mind is this: false metric pushers are magicians. In construction and business, there are endless metrics and reports, float trends, slippage charts, earned value metrics, financial KPIs. Many of these are distractions. Just like a magician uses sleight of hand to distract you while the real trick happens elsewhere, false metrics pull our attention away from the actual flow of work and the health of the project. Leaders must be careful not to chase numbers that look impressive but hide the real problems.
Then there is a personal reminder I had to relearn recently: I would rather get it right than be right. We had been considering changes to the structure of LeanTakt, and at first my ego resisted. I was attached to the system we had built, and I got upset when the idea of changing it came up. After taking time to reflect, I realized the change was a good idea and that my reaction was about protecting my identity, not protecting what was best for the team. That experience reminded me that humility and openness are essential. Being right means protecting our ego. Getting it right means putting the mission and people first.
All of this ties into a deeper reflection I’ve been having about heaven and hell in leadership and in life. Heaven is living in the present, serving others, progressing, learning, and growing. It is about being a person of value and focusing on what can be done now. Hell is the opposite. It is when we stop moving forward, get stuck in our identity, and start trying to control the narrative of the past or worry about the future. Hell is stagnation, a fixed mindset, and obsession with significance, certainty, and recognition.
When we stop growing and serving, we stop living. We start telling stories, comparing ourselves, chasing titles, or clinging to admiration instead of focusing on progress. That is when we fall into hell. The way out is to live in the now. Do not wait for another day to begin improving. Do not hope for change later. Work on making things better today.
Leadership in construction and in life is about recognizing these traps. Fix systems instead of blaming people. Communicate in ways that build understanding, not confusion. See through false metrics and distractions. Choose humility over ego. And above all, keep progressing, serving, and living in the present. That is how we find heaven in our work and avoid the personal and professional hell of stagnation.
On we go.
Key Takeaway
Heaven is found in serving, growing, and living in the present while hell begins the moment we stop progressing and get stuck in ego and fear.
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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