Hard is Just an Excuse

I hope you are doing well. I am always excited to share ideas that can help us grow in this industry. Today I want to talk about something that has been on my mind for a long time. It is the idea that saying something is “hard” is simply an excuse.

Recently I received some feedback from a superintendent that really encouraged me. He said that the book Elevating Construction Superintendents was right on time for him. It reminded him that the habits he had built over the years were not only effective but also best practices. It also pointed out a few things he had let slip away, and now he is bringing them back into his daily routine. He mentioned that he mentors interns and younger superintendents and teaches them about safety, organization, journaling, and reading the plans. These simple but powerful habits help projects succeed and shape the morale and direction of the team. He even said he is going to make sure every one of the 30 superintendents in his office has a copy of the book in their trailers.

I cannot tell you how much that means to me. That book was one of the first I wrote, and I actually dictated it into a microphone and had it transcribed before editing. It is amazing to see that, years later, it is still making a difference and now beginning to scale across the industry.

Now let me share this mindset about the word “hard.” Too often I hear people say things like, “Our superintendents do not read books,” or, “We cannot do training, it is too hard.” I hear people say, “We cannot use computers, it is too difficult,” or, “We cannot implement takt planning or lean principles because our people are not ready.” These excuses are everywhere, and they usually come from the very people who should be leading the way.

But here is the reality. Every single day we ask our trade partners to do things that are hard and complex. I think about shoring systems in tight spaces, about high-rise lift stations built in impossible conditions, about massive formwork systems and advanced exterior assemblies. I think about electricians trying prefabrication for the first time or civil contractors implementing GPS and robotic total stations. These things are not easy. Yet they figure it out.

Imagine if a trade partner told you they could not submit shop drawings because it was too hard. Imagine if a contractor on an airport project said they would not follow security or cleanliness protocols because it was too difficult. We would never accept that excuse. And yet I constantly hear people in leadership positions say those very words about reading, planning, and adopting better systems.

The truth is that saying “it is hard” is simply an excuse. Our role in construction management is to do hard things. It is our job to adapt, to learn, and to lead. Nobody benefits from a fixed-minded, stuck-in-the-past leader. Not a project, not a team, not even something as simple as an equipment delivery.

If you want to be in this industry, you must be willing to grow. You must be willing to take on hard things and do them well. Our trade partners are already doing it every day. It is our turn to step up, lead with courage, and put excuses aside.

On we go.

Key Takeaway
Hard is just an excuse. If we expect our trade partners to take on difficult challenges, we as leaders must do the same.