Elevate Construction – Details, episodes & analysis

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

What's really holding construction back, the lack of tech, or the lack of truth?

In this raw and unfiltered conversation, Jason sits down again with Charles McKenna to take on some of the hardest questions in the industry: Why are we so slow to adopt technology? Why do so many tools make life harder instead of easier? And how did we go from the most productive generation in history to one that's proud not to learn?

This is not your typical "innovation in construction" talk. Jason and Charles dig into:

• Why software companies are chasing investors instead of improvement.

• How America's "money first" mindset is destroying quality.

• The myth of "too many apps" and why refusing to learn is killing growth.

• The real reason behind the trades shortage (and it's not what you think).

• Why general contractors, not trades, hold the key to fixing the system.

Jason pulls no punches. From tech burnout to cultural decline, from immigration policy to jobsite respect, this episode challenges every leader to face the uncomfortable truth: we've lost our discipline to learn, our courage to stop bad systems, and our respect for people.

If you care about the future of construction, this is the conversation you can't afford to skip.

Listen now. Get uncomfortable. Get inspired. And start building better. 

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 secret to world-class quality isn't technology but pride?

In this episode, Jason unpacks the Japanese concept of Monozukuri - the deep pride and craftsmanship that drives excellence in every detail of work. From the story of Japan's Seven-Minute Miracle cleaning crews to the engineering perfection of the Shinkansen bullet train, Jason reveals how love for the customer, pride in your craft, and acknowledgement of people create unstoppable performance.

You'll hear:

• How one leader turned a team of burned-out cleaners into national heroes through Kaizen.

• Why "acknowledging your people" might be the single most powerful productivity tool.

• How friction, frustration, and lack of respect destroy craftsmanship on U.S. job sites.

• The simple daily practices that can reignite pride and quality in construction.

• And why every worker deserves to give their hands, head, and heart, not just their labor.

If you want to lead teams that love their work and deliver excellence worth clapping for, this episode is your blueprint.

Listen now and rediscover what pride in craftsmanship really looks like.

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

Ever been asked to "just redo that in a different format"…for no reason?
Or told "we don't have time for planning" even when it's clearly needed?

In this episode, Jason calls out the everyday thoughtless requests that chip away at team morale, respect, and productivity in construction. Whether it's lazy leadership, selfish budgeting, or tone-deaf directions, these requests aren't just annoying, they're dangerous.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• The difference between truly thoughtless vs. selfishly thoughtless requests.

• Why poor communication destroys trust on-site.

• How "small asks" actually cause massive waste.

• The one mindset shift that instantly builds respect in your workplace.

• And why "please" and "thank you" still matter more than ever.

If you want to build a high-trust, high-performance team, it starts with what you don't say and what you stop asking others to do.

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

It is not in Procore. Procore has a submittal register. It does not manage the supply chain. You need a buyout log, material procurement log, and design action log aligned to your Takt rhythm. About 25 percent of what you think is in Procore is actually in Procore.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Buyout log: trades ready with scope, contract, bonds, insurance, safety plans before Takt window opens
• Procurement log: submittals, approvals, PO release, fabrication, shipping, customs, buffer receipt on site
• Financial projections: fee, labor gains, exposures, contingency, owner budget buckets, gross margin target
• Procore gap: manages submittals only, does not map supply chain, does not manage buffers or supermarkets
• Project 101: buyout log, procurement log, permit log are basics we forgot or never knew in the first place

If somebody says it is all in Procore what I really hear is we are missing the fundamental logs needed to run a remarkable 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

Too many PMs and PEs just focus on tools and check the box. Hospital analogy where every doctor checks machines, says tools are fine, and leaves while the patient is dying. Tools working does not mean the project is healthy. Treat the patient, not the equipment. Master the scopes, not just the skills.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Spectrum of done: nothing done, something done, done, done to not get in trouble, done well enough to win
• Hospital analogy: IV works, heart monitor works, all machines fine, but patient still dying, tools are not the patient
• DPR boot camp: project engineers manage scopes start to finish, not RFI monkeys or submittal monkeys
• Treat the patient: trade partner losing money, materials late, production failing, do not just show me your log
• Quote: don't just master the skills, master the scopes

If I'm a patient telling you I am going into shock and you tell me the IV and heart monitor are working, I would either die or throw a fit because you are not listening.

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

Production comparison is the missing tool for self-perform crews. Map every 10-minute interval against every station for every micro crew throughout the day. Compare planned versus actual production at each interval. Find deviations, name the causes, fix them in tomorrow's morning huddle. Civil utilities and self-perform contractors must do this to make money.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Production matrix: Excel grid, stations on left, every 10 minutes across top, track every micro crew position
• Micro crews: break full crew into sub-crews by area and task so no one is stacked or waiting
• Compare planned vs actual: if 8:20 task started at 8:40 and took twice as long, find out exactly why
• Morning huddle fixes: porta potty on site, lasers set up before excavator moves, materials pre-positioned, meeting timer set
• Self-perform truth: if crews are not making production and foremen are not doing this, we are losing money daily

Every time you look at your targeted production you have to figure out what actually happened, where were the deviations, and come up with corrective items for the next day.

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

Played Monopoly with kids over the holidays and saw construction in the game. Kids had money clumped up, could not see properties, made no strategic decisions. Jason spread money out, tracked every position, planned two to three rolls ahead. Great PMs and supers play the game the same way with data and metrics.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Spread the money out: always know cash on hand, financials, what properties owned, same as knowing project position
• Plan ahead: look two to three rolls ahead for risks and opportunities, not just current position
• Takt plan is everything: no procurement log, buyout log, or financial projections without it, use it four times a day
• Required metrics: Takt plan, buyout log, procurement log, risk and opportunity register, financial projections
• Kids vs Jason: kids went bankrupt making unstrategic moves, same as PMs without data playing blind

If you do not have a risk and opportunity register and accurate financial projections you are not playing the game to win.

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

Things said in construction mean different things than they appear. Fixed fee GMP incentivizes more people there longer and cost transfers out of self-perform. Adding manpower slows productivity and wastes trade partner profit. Systems thinking reveals real consequences behind innocent phrases. Assume positive intent but watch for negative consequences.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Fixed fee GMP: incentivizes longer schedules, larger teams, and cost transfers from self-perform to project budget
• Shared float: means owner and designer will absorb your float and push delays onto contractor
• Competitively bid: drives race to bottom, eliminates partnerships, creates adversarial culture from day one
• Add more manpower: actually slows productivity, creates blame loop, wastes trade partner profit until pushed beyond capacity
• Thinking in systems: every phrase has a feedback loop, identify destructive consequences and remove them

Everything has a true meaning and we need to understand these, identify the destructive ones, and remove them if we are ever going to get better.

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

Recording the fifth section of Elevating Construction Surveyors with Brandon Monteiro. Ten segments covering aesthetics, interpreting work orders, considering cost, and leading the crew. Chainman stood at end of every staked line and plumbed every stake so the product looked precise before anyone checked accuracy. Effective training creates efficiency.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Aesthetics matter: product appearance communicates professionalism, care, and clarity before quality is reviewed
• Interpret work orders: never accept at face value, ask who receives the work and how they will use it
• Consider cost: flag scope additions before doing them, only you know the level of effort involved
• Lead the crew: conductor metaphor, your pace sets their pace, your name is on their work
• Clear communication: leaders become what they want to see, passion and deliberateness carry through to the crew

Are you leading the crew to the level at which you would put your name on everything that they accomplished.

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