Ep.1484 - Syncing The Project and Personal Plans

In this episode of the Elevate Construction Podcast, Jason Schroeder explores the concept of "respecting the nature of people" and how it applies to leadership and team dynamics in construction. He reflects on his personal experiences, emphasizing the importance of understanding people's individual strengths, challenges, and emotional needs. Instead of pushing employees to fit a mold, leaders can create a work environment where everyone thrives by respecting their unique qualities. This episode encourages us to look beyond flaws and embrace the potential in every individual. What you'll learn in this episode: The significance of respecting people's unique traits and abilities to foster a healthier work environment. How understanding an employee's nature can lead to better role alignment and performance? The impact of emotional intelligence in leadership and team dynamics. Why it's essential to avoid judgment and instead offer support to help individuals thrive? How respecting people's nature contributes to building a truly remarkable workplace culture? What if we approached each challenge in our teams with the mindset of understanding, instead of judging? 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 waiting for your company to "notice" you, fix your crew, and make your job easier? Spoiler: no one is coming but that's actually the best news you'll hear today. In this episode, Jason rapid-fires through a stack of notes he's been saving: Why you (not HR, not your boss) own your career path and how to take control of it today. The "lazy coworker" nicknames list (cordless, ET, KitKat, seaweed, wheelbarrow…) and the real root causes behind those behaviors. Why safety posters about "you" being responsible completely miss the mark for leaders and what your actual duty is to your people. The 1935 Toyota precepts that still quietly run great companies and projects almost 100 years later. If you want to stop drifting, start leading, and build a career and culture you're proud of, this one's for 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

If you keep handing work to software, templates, or other people and still feel out of control on your projects, this episode will show you why. Jason Schroeder shares a simple but game changing idea from Toyota, great builders keep their fingerprint on the process.  You'll learn: Why Toyota leaders manually designed logistics routes before automating them. How building your own master schedules and lift drawings changes your judgment and instinct. What it really means to use AI and software without abdicating responsibility. How having your fingerprint on the process makes Gemba walks, field presence, and follow up actually work. This episode is not about doing everything yourself, it is about owning what matters. Because if you do not have your fingerprint on the process, you cannot truly lead it. Listen now and start building systems that work because you understand them, not because you outsourced them.   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

If your projects suffer from late deliveries, mystery defects, and surprise trade performance issues, this episode will show you why. Jason Schroeder explains a simple but powerful idea he learned from Toyota, when you sign up a trade partner, you should also be signing up for an open door relationship.  You'll learn: Why Toyota insists its people can visit vendor shops anytime. How an open door policy with trades prevents defects from ever reaching the site. When it is smarter to support a vendor than to pull the work in house. How visiting shops and crews builds trust, standards, and true one team culture. This episode is not about micromanaging, it is about partnership. Because if you want reliable flow on site, you have to care about what is happening long before the truck shows up at your gate. Listen now and start building open door relationships with your trade partners that protect your schedule, your quality, and your reputation.   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

If your schedules keep slipping, handoffs fall apart, and crews always seem to be waiting on someone, this episode will show you why. Jason Schroeder breaks down the missing link most projects never address: syncing the overall project plan with the personal daily schedules of field leaders.  You'll learn: Why stops and restarts, not worker productivity, kill flow. How next day planning and afternoon huddles set up perfect handoffs. Why field engineers, PEs, and assistant supers need time blocked calendars. How coordinating personal schedules creates predictable production and calmer teams. This episode isn't about micromanaging, it's about enabling. Because if you want flow, you must plan your people as intentionally as you plan your work. Listen now and start building projects where the schedule finally makes sense for everyone.   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

"Stop micromanaging" has become the go-to excuse to avoid structure, standards, and accountability. In this episode, Jason flips that script and makes the case that what most people call micromanagement is actually either bad leadership or good training.  In this episode you will learn Why "micromanaging" is often a lazy label for cowboy behavior and resistance to systems? The real problem behind most micromanagement complaints: unclear expectations and bad leadership, not too much leadership. How masters actually teach using the EDGE method: explain, demonstrate, guide, enable? Why nobody calls it micromanagement when a pro like Stephen Curry breaks down your stance, footwork, and follow-through? How different leadership styles (directive, collaborative, consensus, hands-off) are each crucial at different phases of team development? If you've ever wondered where the line is between helpful coaching and "micromanaging," this episode will redraw it in a way that actually serves your people and your projects.   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 job stopped drowning in pallets, trash, and late trucks, and your logistics yard quietly saved you six figures in waste. In this episode, Jason walks you through a complete Logistics 2.0 system where every delivery is queued, kitted by zone, inspected, and only the value-add material ever touches the building.  In this episode you will learn: Why logistics is one of the most overlooked levers for cost, flow, and sanity on a project? How to design a flat, gridded logistics yard that becomes the single entry point for all materials? The power of using a shop forklift in a dedicated yard instead of abusing telehandlers in the mud. A practical system for binning and kitting materials by zone so crews only receive what they can install today How to onboard not just people but trucks, tools, and materials through a logistics gate with clear standards. How Logistics 2.0 supports lean flow, safer sites, happier trade partners, and work that actually brings people joy. If you want your crews installing instead of hunting, fighting clutter, and babysitting deliveries, this episode will give you the blueprint.   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 jobsite logistics were so dialed in that workers wanted to show up early for the morning huddle? In this episode, Jason shares his latest "universe revelations" about turning the entry sequence of a project into a powerful culture engine, from parking lot to gate to worker huddle to site.  In this episode you will learn: Why the way workers first enter your site shapes everything that happens for the rest of the day? How the Japanese Masagura and Genkan concepts translate into a modern construction entry gate and holding area? What a real worker queuing area can look like, with heat, shade, coffee, visuals and actual dignity? How to turn the morning worker huddle into a dojo where you teach standards, mock up behaviors and model respect? Simple upgrades to logistics that make neurotypical and neurodivergent brains both want to engage. How a clear two gate system protects flow, raises standards and builds buy in before anyone even picks up a tool? Why Jason believes the morning worker huddle is the most misunderstood and underused lever in construction today? If you are tired of dragging people into change and want them leaning in instead, this episode will change how you design every jobsite from the gate in.   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

A simple night at the movies turned into chaos for Jason when one well meaning suggestion about popcorn blew up his entire system. In this episode, he uses that funny but painful story to show how small changes in "how we do things" create huge variation, wreck habits and quietly destroy flow on your projects. In this episode you will learn: How one change at the concession stand turned a clean, simple routine into a total mess? What Nicholas Modig's law of the effect of variation actually looks like in real life, not just in a textbook? Why "options" and one off exceptions feel helpful in the moment but multiply waste and stress? How broken standards around simple things create distraction, frustration and unintended consequences everywhere else? The direct link between extra popcorn in a theater and extra chaos on your construction site. Practical ways to protect your team from variation by tightening standards, simplifying choices and sticking to stable routines. If your job often feels like juggling overflowing popcorn buckets while trying not to trip in the dark, this episode will help you see the real problem and what to do about it.   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

Most projects are not falling apart because of bad schedules or bad luck. They are falling apart because people say yes lightly, show up late, or disappear on their commitments. In this episode, Jason digs into the Japanese idea of yakusoku, that a commitment is a moral bond, and shows how honoring your word can transform a job from constant firefighting into reliable, calm production. In this episode you will learn: Why a broken commitment is not a small miss, it is a burden you dump on everyone else? How yakusoku and mewaku reframe promises as honor and "not being a burden"? The difference between casual Western "yes" culture and the precise Japanese approach to time and promises. How missed commitments quietly destroy takt, flow and other trades' productivity? When it is more respectful to say no immediately than to say yes and fail later? Practical ways for trade partners and GCs to tighten up promises, from start times to manpower to deliveries. What to do when you know you cannot keep a commitment, and how to own it without hiding? How to build a team culture where your word actually means something again? If you are tired of chasing no-shows, reshuffling plans and apologizing to everyone on the project, this episode will give you a new standard for how you commit, how you show up and how you respect the people who are counting on 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