A Message on Balance and Silent Treason

This blog is deeply personal and directed to my teams at Elevate, Lean Built, and Lean Takt, but I also hope it resonates with anyone in construction or leadership.

I am proud of what we have built together. We have created companies where people are encouraged to take unlimited PTO, where naps are allowed, where balance is not only valued but enforced, and where productivity never comes at the cost of a person’s well-being. We have rules in place to prevent overburdening. Nobody is allowed to work more than 48 hours a week. We do not contact people on weekends. Pod leaders are responsible for making sure workloads are leveled, and our directors review weekly work plans to ensure balance.

Despite all this, I have recently heard comments suggesting that our people work too much or that the company does not respect personal time. Let me be clear. That is false. It is not only false but dangerous. It is what I call silent treason.

The truth is that we are fighting against generations of conditioning. Many of us were raised to believe that working harder and longer automatically equals value. We learned to push ourselves past the point of balance, to feel guilty when we rest, and to equate exhaustion with dedication. That conditioning does not belong in our companies. Our only challenge is not that leaders are overburdening people but that individuals sometimes bring that old cultural habit into an organization that is intentionally built for balance.

I care deeply about this. I care so much that I personally track PTO, ask people to submit their time off schedules, and coach them to rest. I have even threatened to send people home if they refuse to take time off. That is how much balance matters to me. I do not do this out of anger but out of a passionate belief that without balance, burnout will follow. Burnout hurts not only the individual but the entire team.

So if someone in our organization feels overworked, I will say this plainly: you are not following the rules. You are not speaking up. You are not respecting the culture we have built. And when you do this, you hurt others because you set a bad example, you spread negativity, and you perpetuate a culture of imbalance. That is why I call it silent treason.

At Elevate, Lean Built, and Lean Takt, you have no authority to overburden yourself or others. You have no authority to skip PTO. You have no authority to work past the legal maximum hours. You have no authority to say nothing and quietly burn out. If something feels unmanageable, the responsibility is to speak up. We will always help. We will always rebalance. We will always support each other.

Balance is not optional here. It is mandatory. It is part of our values, our systems, and our commitments to one another. This is not about silencing complaints. It is about making sure that when an imbalance arises, it is surfaced immediately so it can be addressed. The most dangerous thing is not a heavy workload. The most dangerous thing is staying silent, choosing to suffer alone, and then blaming the company.

To my team and to anyone listening in construction, I ask this: go home. Cut your hours. Cap your time. Set an example. If you do, you will discover new ways to work smarter, you will delegate, you will improve, and you will grow into a leaner and more remarkable professional.

The industry does not need more martyrs working themselves into the ground. It needs leaders who protect balance, model rest, and empower others to live sustainably. At Elevate, we will never accept overburdening as normal. Not for our people, not for our trade partners, not for anyone. That is our standing order, and it will never change.

Key Takeaway

Balance is non-negotiable. If you feel overworked in an organization designed for balance, the responsibility is to speak up, adjust, and stop the cycle of silent treason.