"If you don't need to provide input, don't attend the meeting." This is common advice. Although incomplete. Because in construction, the meeting where you have nothing to say is often the same meeting where decisions are made that directly affect your work next week. Skip it, and you're the last to know about a design change that just shifted your sequence. Attend it, and you're spending 90 minutes to get 10 minutes of usable information. Both options are waste. We just don't talk about it because one of them looks productive. The issue isn't meetings. It's that we use meetings as our primary information delivery system, and we force people to sit through the entire package to get the piece they need rather than make it intentional to get needed information to the necessary people following the meeting. Three things I've seen actually solve this: 1. Separate "decide" lists from "inform" lists for every meeting. Different people, different channels. 2. Real-time downstream flags — when a decision is made that affects someone not in the room, they get a message within the hour. A clear message, not buried in next week's minutes. 3. A standing 5-minute post-meeting summary that answers one question: "What changed and who does it affect?" How do you all handle this type of waste?

Old Dawgs!! We are kicking off our college tour, starting with a visit to Clemson University!! Clemson University Date: 03/10/2026 Time: 2:00 - 4:30 pm EST (Possibly additional classes earlier in the day and a table sit-in) Purpose: Teach a session on Building High-Performing Construction Teams and educate students on current construction conditions. Are there any Old Dawgs that are able to make this event? Really leaning on those who are local, to come down if possible! @Justin Uyar @Hamlin Landis II @Eric Nightingale @John Ellis @Peter Sheridan @Brent Darnell (I know you're coming a couple of weeks later!). We also have some funding that could potentially fly folks in. We plan to have another in Mississippi State a couple of weeks later so stay tuned for more info there. Tentative lineup is: Mississippi State Date: 03/19/2026 Time 8:00-11:00 AM CST Purpose: To do a takt simulation and help them understand and see the production laws in real time. @Boone White, Mississippi isn't really near many others, although I know Hamlin said he was down to come in. 3 makes it a solid visit in my book! Anyone else interested in partying with me and Boone in MS!?

Team - As mentioned in our lean coffee yesterday, the great, Brent Darnell has offered us the chance to take his online courses for FREE!! Please do not miss this opportunity to gain the necessary Construction Wisdom that our industry is missing!! Thank you Brent for being the epitome of what an Old Dawg is!! A person who has found a better way and is willing to share that with the next generation of builders!! #iValYOU 🧡 Here is the link to our signup page: https://www.brentdarnell.com/signup Once you have signed up, you will be redirected to your Dashboard. Once you are there, hit Browse. Add all 12 courses to the cart. YOU MUST ADD ALL 12! Go to the cart. At the bottom, you will see a place to add a coupon (APPLY COUPON). Add OLDDAWGS26, all caps, you must type it in. Don't cut and paste. That should zero out the cost. Once you hit Proceed to Checkout and pay, you can access all courses! The only promise our team made is that we would provide @Brent Darnell with actionable feedback. Please take screenshots of things that don't look right, work right, etc. Brent - You are a lean construction idol in my book!! Thank you sir!

Defensiveness shows up on every project. In high-pressure environments like construction, it can look like short tempers, blame, rule resistance, or shutting down. For some people, these reactions are connected to underlying neurodivergent traits—most commonly ADHD, which affects emotional regulation, stress response, and how feedback is processed. Related patterns such as Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)—an intense response to perceived criticism—and oppositional traits often misunderstood as attitude or defiance, can also be part of this picture. Many adults are undiagnosed or unaware they’re affected, and many more work alongside someone who is. The goal isn’t labels or excuses—it’s awareness. When we understand what’s happening beneath the surface, we reduce defensiveness, improve communication, and create conditions where people can stay accountable, engaged, and productive. This is Respect for People. In this talk, Jim Tamm, a former judge and expert on conflict resolution, discusses strategies for improving collaboration by reducing defensiveness within teams.

OLD DAWGS! I’ve been in contact with the legends @Adam Hoots and @Mike Chiles recently and they had a great idea: crowd source knowledge from the old dawgs. What I’m looking for specifically are book recs for lean methods or leadership as well. I want to be like a sponge with this stuff. To this point I really only have LinkedIn learning courses under my belt so I’m really trying to expand my horizon and do more than just dip my toes in the water. Send me all the recs you have, thank you in advance!! -Nick Scozzaro