Elevate Construction

Jason interviews Caitlyn Frank, co-founder of EMOD Safety and superintendent for Drone Construction. Caitlyn grew up on job sites, sat on a lunch pail asking her dad (who owned a GC business in Boston) why and how come, got an architecture degree but had nightmares about AutoCAD line weights, switched to construction management and went straight to the field. They discuss current conditions: daily...

Jason sits down with Adam Hoots, a lean operations leader who shares the story of his 17th birthday when his dad gave him a beautifully wrapped box containing boots, hard hat, vest, and a stack of trade applications (welcome to being an adult, go pick your trade). Adam reveals Dean Reid's wisdom: capability drives productivity tenfold, not the other way around. They break down the accountability m...

If you don't have time to improve, you won't improve. If you don't have time for family, you won't prioritize family. If you don't have time to take your next step, you're stuck. Jason delivers a direct challenge about personal organization—the foundational skill that unlocks everything else in construction leadership. He breaks down why to-do lists, leader standard work, time blocking, and person...

Why do some superintendents struggle while others advance quickly to operations leadership? Professor Wes Crawford, author of Construction Surveying and Layout and Professor Emeritus from Purdue University, joins Jason to discuss why construction surveying and field engineering experience create the strongest foundation for construction careers. They explore Crawford's decades with Hensel Phelps,...

Your executive leadership team should be the most cohesive, high-functioning group in your organization, but in most companies, it's the exact opposite. In this episode, Jason tackles why companies train field engineers, superintendents, and foremen but refuse to invest in executive development out of fear. He breaks down the 16 blocks to leadership, explains why pushing executives out of their co...

Is construction technology really for you, or just for the big companies out west? In this interview, Jason sits down with Hugh Seaton, author of The Construction Technology Handbook, to break down the myths and realities of tech in construction. Hugh shares why technology isn't replacing workers, it's empowering them to focus on what matters. They discuss making technology as reliable as your fav...

Energy fuels everything in leadership, yet most people don't realize they're draining it from their teams. In this episode, Jason breaks down the 10 rules of The Energy Bus and shares the story of how a Tony Robbins event transformed his Field Engineer Boot Camps from good to life-changing. He tackles the hard truth about energy vampires, people who are checked out, and team members who are only h...

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...

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...

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...

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 canc...

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 fantasticall...

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 S...

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...

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...

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 wor...

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 thin...

Jason reveals why Disney's Home on the Range was garbage and how Pixar's brutal first review meetings (where teams leave dejected knowing everything will change) produce emotionally moving, visually stunning films. He explains the cultural shift needed to declare breakdowns: we've been programmed to shut up in school and bad jobs, we don't have eyes to see problems because we're conditioned for me...

Jason reveals why personality profiles are like blood tests for teams, getting actual data instead of guessing what's wrong and masking problems with pills of consequences (firing, moving, black clouding people). He shares the story of a project manager who hated emails and wanted verbal communication, once Jason knew this their relationship blossomed. Player cards summarize key characteristics so...

Jason shares his 12 Days of Christmas family plan (reflection, vision, goals, habits) before diving into total participation as the new construction industry buzzword. Then he reveals why most leaders rush to solutions without defining the problem first. Through a personal church story, he admits he pushed missionary work programs for months when the real problem was basic connection and scripture...

Jason announces he's pausing Saturday and Sunday worker and field engineer topics to focus on the upcoming book and boot camps. Then he shares his nightmare story of running a job without field engineers, spending $250k from contingency on layout mistakes that would've been prevented. He walks through the 43-step process of what field engineers should actually be doing, from personal organization...

Jason shares The Bridgebuilder poem and delivers tough love to workers and foremen: you're not investing in yourself. He breaks down the wasting time list (too much TV, video games, complaining, comparing) versus the investing time list (courses, networking, learning skills, gym). Then he confronts the lie that you can't progress in construction without college. You can become a field engineer, su...

Jason reveals the system that achieved zero roughin rework after drywall at his research laboratory. After ripping out 20 to 30% of inwall roughin at the cancer center because of coordination failures, he developed room kitting, a prefabrication approach where every wall gets coordinated in Revit, reviewed by end users, pre-cut, and delivered in blue bins with laminated drawings that get screwed t...

Jason reveals one of the four moments that changed his life: learning about giving first. He shares the Silent Squares game where teams can only solve the puzzle when they give first, not take first. Then he unpacks The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann, the book that shifted his mindset from climbing the ladder (take take take) to giving first, which skyrocketed his career in three years....

Jason starts with a somber note, his friend just passed from COVID-19, reminding us life is fragile. Then he dives into Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller, revealing how he used this framework to win a major proposal by making the customer the hero instead of talking about his company. You'll learn the seven-part story structure that wins work, why people buy solutions to internal problems no...