Elevate Construction

In part two of Chapter 5, tensions escalate as Peterson's defiance of the walking delegate creates a domino effect of problems, stopped work, a blocked train, and an angry railroad company. Bannon faces a critical choice: fight back or play chess. In his reflection, Jason unpacks why Bannon's decision to stay calm and handle the delegate delicately was the only path forward, and what this teaches us about navigating high-stakes conflicts without making things worse. What you'll learn in this episode: Why Peterson's anger at the delegate created a chain reaction that nearly derailed the entire project How Bannon handled the walking delegate without arguing, fighting, or escalating, even when he had every right to be angry The principle of "playing chess, not checkers" when dealing with people who have power over your project Why staying delicate and strategic in conflict situations often wins the war without fighting the battle The critical lesson is that your foreman's behavior with outside stakeholders can create roadblocks that you'll spend days fixing When you're blocked by someone with authority, the worst thing you can do is make them your enemy. Bannon understood this, do you? If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free, and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊). Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels: · Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg · LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt · LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured · LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Do you get frustrated when dealing with emotional people on your project site or in your life? You're probably approaching it the wrong way. In this episode, Jason explores why fighting emotion with logic always fails, how fear-based thinking creates chaos in people's minds, and the specific techniques that actually work to help emotional team members get clarity. Whether you're managing a crew or navigating relationships, this episode gives you practical tools to handle emotional situations with empathy instead of frustration. What you'll learn in this episode: Why the demons in someone's head are not real and make no sense, and why you need to stop trying to apply logic to chaos How 80% of emotional struggles resolve simply by being spoken out loud with empathy and understanding The radical transparency approach: going there emotionally with someone, listening without shame, and helping them get clarity Why people who seem "crazy" are often just choking on fear and insecurity, and how you can help them break the cycle Practical techniques from Jason's own journey through emotional struggles, including the CDAA list transformation If you can learn to listen emotionally instead of respond logically, you'll transform how you lead people who are struggling with fear, insecurity, and emotional chaos. If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free, and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊). Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels: · Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg · LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt · LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured · LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Do you have clarity on where you are in the process? In this episode with Jake Williams, Jason unpacks why perfection early in the process delays handoff and kills delegation. You'll learn Jake's 16-year-old story installing blocking when his dad said "we are seldom if ever able to achieve perfection with our work, but if we set our sights on anything else, we often miss the mark completely," the envelope game analogy (one piece flow beats batching by 2-3 minutes every time), why faster is better when you're in the beginning stages, the owner who told Jake "when you do that, it makes me feel like you don't value my input," and the six-year book draft story where the author couldn't publish because he wanted it perfect. The pattern: rough draft people vs. final polish people, know which one you are in the process. What you'll learn in this episode: Jake's superintendent transition: realized he was spending too much time perfecting things instead of delegating, missing his spot in the process Use "DRAFT" labels liberally on everything: lift drawings, schedules, emails, P6 activities communicate it's not perfect and needs review The envelope game: one piece flow (fold, stuff, lick, stamp one at a time) beats batching by 2-3 minutes—get things out faster early in process Owner's feedback: "When you do that, it makes me feel like you don't value my input", not involving others can come across as arrogant Current condition: overwhelmed, overcommitted, and underutilizing people. Challenge: What should I be doing that others can't or won't do? Ask yourself the leader question: What can I hand to somebody else that would get them the opportunity to contribute to the end product? That's team flow. If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free, and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊). Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels: · Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg · LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt · LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured · LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Do you need lean facilitation on your project? In this lean and IPD series episode, Jason unpacks why teams get stuck without facilitation and how to bring out the best in others. You'll learn the hard talk about superintendents who don't schedule (if they're not organized and don't know how to schedule, they're not superintendents yet, invite them to step up, train them, or let them go), the cancer center facilitation story where AGC taught last planner system and morning huddles, why 95% of detractors get bought in when facilitation is done right, and the pattern for facilitation: What's the goal? What's the problem? Get people together to solve it themselves instead of sending one savior to fix it and leave. What you'll learn in this episode: Hard talk for $100K-$3M projects: if superintendents don't schedule and aren't organized, they're not superintendents yet need training first Cancer center success: AGC facilitator taught the last planner, huddles, weekly work planning, then visited meetings and coached improvements Facilitation qualities from Transforming Design and Construction: strong communication, open-ended questions, encourage full participation, neutral on content "If a team can perform well together in meetings, they can do anything.", Meetings are the first step to everything The pattern: get teams to solve their own problems through facilitation instead of sending one person to play savior, fix it, and leave Changing a tire while the vehicle is going 60 miles an hour, that's improving on a project site. Facilitators make it possible by bringing out the best in others. If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free, and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊). Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels: · Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg · LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt · LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured · LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Are you turning risks into opportunities? In this lean and IPD series episode, Jason unpacks the risk and opportunity register, a game-changer for construction management that keeps teams focused on prevention instead of reaction. You'll learn the research laboratory story where Ryan and Jason used a register to identify risks (scaffolding, floor floating, design changes) and finished fantastically, the counter-story where Jason recommended tracking stone procurement risk but the team didn't listen and it nearly affected the end date, and Dr. Eli Goldratt's six principles from his headstone (people are good, every conflict can be removed, every situation is exceedingly simple). The methodology: Excel matrix with description, probability, estimated cost, dollar total, owner, and due dates, then project what happens if all risks actualize (e.g., from 0.96 to 0.881 fee) and rally the team to prevent them. What you'll learn in this episode: The conflict: you're not identifying risks and opportunities early enough and reviewing them frequently enough Research lab success: identified scaffolding/floor floating/design change risks, set targets, reduced exposures, finished fantastically Counter-example: stone procurement risk ignored, procured too late, nearly affected end date—team didn't buy in The register: Excel matrix with probability percentages and dollar amounts, reviewed weekly in team meetings and monthly in status reports Prevention vs. reaction: "create spiritually before created temporally", anticipate risks in your mind, and prevent through physical action An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If we're always supposed to bring problems to the surface, the second priority is to do it as soon as possible. If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free, and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊). Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels: · Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg · LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt · LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured · LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Do you take all the leadership control or engage in distributed leadership? In this episode with Spencer, Jason unpacks why hierarchy reduces conflict and accountability, reveals the five dysfunctions of a team (trust, conflict, goals, accountability, results), and explains why Hitler lost valuable ground at Normandy because commanders needed his permission to dispatch panzer units. You'll learn Spencer's story about March 2020 when his scheduling department became the highest-performing team by looking up at the goal instead of shanking each other for power, why bad bosses build hierarchical structures to force signatures instead of having hard conversations, and the skills needed for horizontal leadership: group facilitation, delegation, management skills, and letting people fail forward. This is about creating environments people love, not making people like you. What you'll learn in this episode: Why hierarchy reduces conflict and accountability, employees fear that annoying the boss will show up on their paycheck The five dysfunctions: trust, then healthy conflict (pillow fighting, not knife fighting), then commitment, then accountability systems, then results Spencer's March 2020 breakthrough: stopped fighting for power, looked up at the goal, and became the highest-performing team in the company Skills for distributed leadership: group facilitation, delegation, management skills, letting people fail forward, knowing everyone personally, tactical skills of the past Why do bad bosses tell people what to do and control everything? Remarkable leaders set the vision, parameters, and provide autonomy Peter Drucker: "There's nothing as useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." Being an efficient diminisher boss shouldn't be done at all. If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free, and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊). Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels: · Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg · LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt · LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured · LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Are you an emotional one-trick pony who just pulls out the hammer every time, or do you have a tool belt full of emotional range? In this episode with Brandon Montero (the Chupacabra), Jason and Brandon unpack why emotional range isn't weakness, it's what it takes to fire someone with empathy, hold the line with vulnerability, and handle conflict without throwing hard hats. You'll learn the water balloon analogy for emotional capacity, why old school superintendents only had one tool in their bag, how to develop larger capacity through intentional practice, and the General Patton lesson: he was better than Eisenhower at combat strategy but lacked the emotional range to become Supreme Allied Commander. This is about showing up as your own environment, regardless of what's happening around you. What you'll learn in this episode: What it takes = a wide range (vulnerability, empathy, patience, toughness to hold the line, ability to fire someone soberly), not just firmness The water balloon analogy: small capacity pops with one more drop; large capacity absorbs stress without changing shape How to develop emotional range: life experience, personal work through audiobooks and therapy, failing forward, learning from others, stewardship Why being married or in relationships is hard, but forces you to gain emotional range, being alone is easy, but doesn't build tools Brandon's challenge: decide to be happy as an emotional range tool you pull out daily, and become your own environment Real power is when you have the power to throw someone out the window but choose not to; you keep your emotions in control and make decisions that win the war without fighting. If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free, and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊). Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels: · Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg · LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt · LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured · LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Do you know the seven wonders of the world? Not the pyramids and Taj Mahal, a girl from Ecuador wrote down the real ones: touch, taste, see, hear, feel, laugh, and love. In this episode with Dr. Steve and Amanda Hill from Bio Health Management, Jason unpacks what we intake through these seven wonders and how it determines our outputs at work and home. You'll learn the vessel analogy (you can fill yourself with light or darkness), why good relationships need to be nurtured like ovens not microwaves, the quote "don't get upset by the results you didn't get with the work you didn't do," the 40-year retiree who said "they had the work of my hands when they could have had my hands, mind, and heart," and Dave Graham's wisdom that foremen who use their people get lower response, but foremen who utilize their people get teamwork. What you'll learn in this episode: The seven wonders: touch, taste, see, hear, feel, laugh, love—inputs through our senses determine our outputs in life and work See: watch inspiring media, see people (not just look at them), see your kids play, take your eyes off your phone Touch: hugs, connection, kinesthetic learning, feeling the sand and ocean things that touch us emotionally like music Hear: silence so your brain can rest, good music, kids calling your name, positive tone (not putting anger on others) Taste and feel: good food creates experiences, cognitive performance depends on what we eat, and serotonin lives in your gut Laugh and love: create environments people love (not just making people like you), love your people vs. using them as tools If the circle of friends you hang out with doesn't inspire you, you're no longer in a circle; you're in a cage. The only competitor you have is the person you were yesterday. If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free, and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊). Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels: · Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg · LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt · LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured · LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

What if construction's industrial revolution is in the future, not the past? In this special episode with Charlie Dunn from DPR Construction, Jason and Charlie explore the future of prefabrication, why empathy will create the most value in construction by 2030, and how we must default to everything prefabricated unless it's a negotiated exception. You'll learn why prefab adapts the work to the worker instead of the worker to the work, how 70% design reuse could transform our industry, why production design principles mean beginning with the end in mind, and the BSRL research laboratory's story of pre-cutting everything from studs to MEP spools. This is about falling in love with your problems, not your solutions—and building the industrial revolution we haven't unleashed yet. What you'll learn in this episode: Charlie's three things for 2030: empathy enabled by vertically integrated owners, production design (designing with the end and the worker in mind), and design reuse (starting from 50-70% instead of zero) Why prefab creates parallel spaces and times—you can never create more space or time on site, but you can off-site The default presumption: everything will be prefabricated, hard stop, anything not is a negotiated exception How prefab adapts the work to the worker with safe, well-lit, decongested environments instead of bending, reaching, and unsafe conditions The BSRL story: pre-fabricating overhead MEP in spools, pre-cutting all studs and headers, room kitting, and why that prevents design issues before they become schedule impacts Fall in love with your problems, not your solutions. Construction's industrial revolution is in our future, and prefab is how we unleash standardized parts, assembly lines, and automation If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free, and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊). Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels: · Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg · LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt · LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured · LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Why do people say team kickoffs are fluffy and ineffective? Jason argues they're scared, they've been hurt by evil bosses, and being vulnerable means they could be hurt again. In this episode, Jason unpacks why great teams build great projects, reveals the three things every team needs to succeed (multiplier leader, clarity on direction, and engaged people), and walks you through the five key things to establish in a kickoff: conditions of satisfaction, design vision, team structure, meeting structure, and team culture. You'll hear the research laboratory pre-flight story and the "win all you can" game that predicted exactly who would struggle on the team. This is about building the team first because if you build the team first, you've already started building the project. What you'll learn in this episode: Why people who resist team building are typically scared, not transparent, competitive, siloed, and riddled with fear The three things teams need: multiplier leader (attracts talent, creates space for thinking, extends challenges), clarity on direction (big, hairy, audacious goal, mission, values), and engaged people (relevance, measurement, connection) Five key things to establish in a team kickoff: conditions of satisfaction, design vision, team structure, meeting structure, and team culture The research laboratory pre-flight kickoff story and the "win all you can" game that revealed problem people from day one Why is clear kind and unclear is unkind, fearful? People are safest in silos, so they resist clarity Great teams build great projects. Bottom line. Build the team first, and you've already started building the project. If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free, and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊). Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels: · Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg · LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt · LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured · LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw