Ep.1470 - Shoulder to Shoulder

What if the secret to a remarkable company wasn't systems or strategy - but soul? In this episode, Jason opens the doors to Elevate Construction and LeanTakt, sharing the 27 principles that shape how his teams think, lead, and live every single day.  You'll learn: Why the breath of every great company is positive encouragement, not pressure. The three things every true leader does: clarity, training, and shoulder-to-shoulder support. Why Elevate builds people first, not projects. The power of "stop, call, wait" and "one-piece flow" in fixing chaos before it spreads. How to create a culture that never punishes, never hides problems, and never stops improving. These aren't buzzwords - they're the living rules behind one of the fastest-growing Lean construction movements in the world. Listen now and steal the playbook for building a company that breathes life, not burnout. 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 your project failed before the first delivery arrived, In this hard hitting conversation, Jason and Adam Beanie Bean unpack cause number two in the series, not having the right project manager, They show why picking a spreadsheet wizard over a field focused leader wrecks flow, burns people out, and bloats cost, Then they give a clear path to fix it. You will learn: The real job of a PM, align everyone to one destination and protect flow. How to spot a miscast PM in week one, before the damage spreads. The daily ORCA debrief, objective, results, causes, actions, that turns chaos into continuous improvement. Why communication, data tracking, and understanding flow beat technical brilliance alone. Exactly how leaders can be hard on the process, and easy on the people. If you have ever felt your job is busy but not moving, this episode gives you the playbook to reset the role, build alignment, and win the week before you lose the month. Listen now, and learn how the right PM turns planning into performance, and teams into one crew rowing in the same direction. 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 your project was doomed before the first shovel hit the ground? In this hard-hitting episode, Jason and Adam "Beanie" Bean team up across continents - Arizona to Australia - to expose one of construction's most dangerous habits: starting before we're ready.  You'll learn: The shocking stats behind global project failure (hint: only 0.5% finish on time and on budget). Why trades "fail despite their best efforts" - and how leaders set them up for it. The myth of "we can't plan without design," and what elite builders do instead. How to spot a project that's not ready to start - and the courage to stop it. The Japan-inspired principle that fixes everything: be hard on the process, easy on the people. If you've ever watched a project unravel and thought, "We could have seen this coming," this episode will show you exactly how to stop it from happening again. Listen now and learn how world-class builders plan, flow, and win - before they ever break ground.   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 everything you've been waiting for, peace, freedom, focus, joy - was already yours, just buried under noise and obligation? In this episode, Jason challenges you to take it back. Your mind from distraction. Your time from endless meetings and email. Your peace from chaos. Your freedom from toxic bosses and relationships. Your joy from the approval of others. Drawing on lessons from Paul Akers and real-life stories from his own journey, Jason shows how reclaiming your attention, energy, and purpose isn't selfish, it's leadership. If you've been feeling stretched thin, reactive, or off-mission, this is your reminder: You don't need permission. You just need to take it back. Listen in and start owning the life and the work you were built for. 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 the real "king" of every project isn't the one in the trailer, but the one holding the tools? In this episode, Jason breaks down a timeless Toyota lesson - the worker is the king. The foremen and craftspeople are the ones who create value; everyone else exists to support them. Through this lens, he challenges leaders to stop hiding behind software, desks, and meetings, and start serving the field. You'll learn why leaders are a cost until they remove waste for others, how true Lean companies stay close to the Gemba, and why projects collapse the moment we forget who actually builds. If you want job sites with trust, flow, and respect where workers feel like heroes, not afterthoughts, this episode is the wake-up call you need. Listen in and remember: the king is the one who builds. 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 real leadership isn't about telling people to "figure it out," but about standing beside them until they can? In this episode, Jason shares a powerful lesson from Japan, the art of working shoulder to shoulder. At Toyota, leaders don't throw people into the fire; they train through presence, patience, and partnership. From field mistakes to family moments, Jason reveals how true Lean teaching means Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable not abandon. If you've ever wanted faster learning, fewer errors, and teams that trust each other, this episode will change how you lead, train, and build. Listen in and discover why "shoulder to shoulder" may be the most human Lean principle of 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

What if lean wasn't just about reducing waste on paper but about learning to feel waste in your gut? In Japan, there's a word for that: Mottainai - "What a waste." It's more than regret. It's respect, for people, nature, and resources. In this episode, Jason dives into how this simple mindset can reshape construction culture. From right-sizing and pre-cutting materials to eliminate 32% of jobsite waste, to the story of his father building a full barn from discarded lumber, and Paul Akers cleaning a plane bathroom out of gratitude not obligation, this is lean at its most human. You'll see how the smallest acts of respect can transform waste into value, chaos into care, and jobsites into communities that build with purpose. If you've ever looked at a half-full dumpster and thought, there has to be a better way, this episode is for you. Listen in and rediscover why nothing good should ever be wasted.   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

Forget calendar invites and polite excuses, the real culture killer in construction is breaking your word. In Japan, it's called yakusoku, a promise you bind yourself to keep. In this episode, Jason shares a true story that reveals how honoring commitments transforms crews, schedules, and trust across every level of a project. This isn't about being rigid, it's about building flow, safety, and respect by letting yes mean yes. Jason also introduces shingi, the duty to act with sincerity and uphold your word, connecting it to Last Planner handoffs, trade reliability, and leadership integrity. If you lead people, plan work, or set the tone for your team, this episode will remind you that our word is the foundation of trust, alignment, and lasting excellence.   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

Forget overpriced tech and shiny new apps, the real inefficiency in construction isn't a lack of innovation, it's a lack of value. In Japan, Jason discovered the concept of Cospa, the ratio of what you pay to what you truly get. And it changed everything. Jason exposes how greed, inflated pricing, and "get-rich" business models are crippling progress across our industry. From drones and 360° cameras to scheduling software, he shows how companies chasing investors instead of impact are killing flow, limiting access, and draining project budgets. If you believe technology should serve builders not bankrupt them, this episode will reset how you think about cost, performance, and purpose. It's time to bring Cospa to construction and demand real value for the price we pay.   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

Forget waiting on slow crews or excess materials, the real waste in construction isn't on the site. It's in our culture. The 9th Waste, toxic conflict, ego, misalignment, and fear-based competition is rotting teams, projects, and even nations from the inside out. In this episode, Jason breaks down why our obsession with "winning" is destroying cooperation, how it's holding back the entire construction industry, and what it will take to rebuild a culture based on respect, alignment, and total participation. If you care about people, projects, or the future of our industry, this one's not optional. 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