When Kevin and I visit projects, teams tell us, okay, we’ve implemented zero tolerance. Then they say something like, hey, I just turned your delivery away, or hey, I just sent your guy home. And the trade partners freak out, because it’s not in a language that communicates the intent. The system is good. The words are wrong.
Short answer: Language matters, big time. We don’t enforce zero tolerance, cleanliness, or schedules out of punishment. We do it out of respect, and if we don’t say so, people default to “he’s just punishing me.” Swap punishment language for respect language: explain the promise you made, why it protects people, and how they can come back. Why is so much more important than “do what I say.”
Why Does the Way a Superintendent Talks Matter?
The Integrated Production Control System includes things like contractor grading, zero tolerance, and winning over the workforce. Those concepts are great, but they must be communicated properly. Take the morning worker huddle. If you have a jerk monkey superintendent who says, hey, you guys are acting like pigs, you need to be better, you’re just going to upset the workers. You’d have been better off not having a worker huddle in the first place.
Some superintendents aren’t jerk monkeys. They care, they just don’t talk well. Instead of saying, yesterday I helped save somebody’s life by observing a situation and sending them to safety, they say, I sent that guy home. And everybody automatically thinks punishment. Most people take you at your word. See The Morning Worker Huddle: Creating One Team on Your Project Site.
What Does Respect Language Sound Like in a Huddle?
A superintendent who loves people and talks well says things like: yesterday I had to send one of our workers to safety because he was about to fall off the building, and I did that out of respect, so please be careful. Or, I shut down a crew’s work because it was going to get out of hand, and we needed to make the environment safer. Or, I turned a delivery away because it was going to interrupt and steal money from the electricians already there. I didn’t do it to be mean. I did it to protect our culture and respect each other. Or, I want to keep the bathrooms clean because I care about you and your environment.
So there are three superintendents. The jerk monkey will make workers angry, and you’re better off if he doesn’t do it at all. The one who cares but doesn’t talk well needs to work on language. And the one who loves people and talks well has the formula to win over the workers, create a culture, and get the whole project team working in unison as one team.
How Do You Say No Without Sounding Like Punishment?
Think about your son. You want him in bed at seven. “Go to bed at seven. I’m going to punish you if you don’t. Why are you still up?” Angry face. He hears, my parents hate me. Your real intention is that he does well on a schedule and needs his rest. So say, hey son, you’ll need to turn off your devices at seven and do your best to go to sleep, because you need your rest and you do better with it. All the things you want to do now, you can do at such and such time. What can I do to help? He still doesn’t get a choice, but now he hears love.
What Should You Say Instead?
I have to give Kevin Rice the credit here. When I started talking to a project team about language, he said, Jason, we’ve got to write this down. Here is the list:
| Punishment | Respect |
|---|---|
| “We’re going to kick you off the job.” | “I made a promise to keep you safe and cannot let this work go forward until you get the support, training, supplies, and time you need. We need to get you back to your employer to get what you need right now. You can come back tomorrow.” |
| “No, man, you’re going home.” | “I wish I could let you stay, but I made a promise to enforce our zero tolerance rules. I need to get you to a safe place. You can come back tomorrow.” |
| “I’m turning away your deliveries.” | “I wish I could let you deliver right now, but I made a promise to this other delivery and to the forklift driver to adhere to this schedule today. You can wait here, queue in this area, or return to your shop until we have time. I apologize.” |
| “You have to make it to this meeting.” | “I have to do my job and enable all site conditions and communication to support your work, increase your production, and keep you safe. I need you at this meeting every day. What’s it going to take to get you here?” |
| “Your workers have to make it to the morning worker huddle.” | “We spend five to 10 minutes every morning to set up and enable every person on site to be safe and increase your productivity. We have to have your guys there to get you that environment, and it’s a promise we made when we signed the contract.” |
| “I sent two people home for violating a safety rule.” | “I saved someone’s life today and got them to safety until they are ready to come back to work.” |
| “I want all work to stop until this level is cleaned.” | “Here are some items we need addressed right away. Can you and I get a plan in the next 10 minutes to get this fixed before doing any more production work?” |
| “I’m really going to bear down on them.” | “I’m going to communicate this with passion.” |
| “I’m going to hammer them.” | “I’m going to be relentless about achieving this standard.” |
| “Have to.” | “Get to.” |
If you say, “I’m sending your guys home, they’re out,” you’ll make somebody angry. If you say, “Two of your people weren’t following the standards. We all know the zero tolerance rules on this site. I sent them to safety because I respect them. They can go get the tools, information, and support they need and come back tomorrow, and we’re more than willing to orient them,” the message lands. More in Zero Tolerance.
How Can You Get Better at Communicating?
When I tell you I listen to How to Win Friends and Influence People every year, I’m not joking. I’ve been a little grumpy lately, and Katie said so. The answer I got was, hey, J Money, when you’re tired on planes, don’t scroll YouTube. Go listen to that book. I have, and I already notice I’m talking better to people and getting my message across. That book will do more for you as a professional than almost any other book. See How to Win Friends and Influence People.
So here is the challenge. Take the list above to your next morning worker huddle. Every time you enforce a standard this week, say the promise and the respect out loud, not just the rule.
Bottom line: It is always about respect, never about punishment, so say it that way.
If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.
On we go.
FAQ
Why does language matter so much on a jobsite?
Because most people take you at your word. If you enforce a good system with punishing language, trade partners hear punishment and miss the intent. We don’t do things out of punishment. We do them out of respect.
How should a superintendent explain sending a worker home?
Instead of “I sent two people home,” say “I saved someone’s life today and got them to safety until they are ready to come back to work.” Explain the promise you made and that they can come back tomorrow.
What book does Jason recommend for better communication?
How to Win Friends and Influence People. Jason listens to it every year, and he says it will do more for you as a professional than almost any other book.
People Also Read:
Subcontractor vs Trade Partner: Why the Word Matters in Construction
Respect For People In Lean Construction
Zero Tolerance
Worker Huddles
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-Takt Virtual Training: (Takt Virtual Training)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Elevate Construction Podcast)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Training Programs and Certifications)
-The Takt Book: (The Takt Book on Amazon)
Discover Jason’s Expertise:
Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.