Hoots on the Ground | The Lean Builder

The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO bullshido podcast. Join Host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that are relevant to those of us who "get it": the men and women with the dirty boots, the ones who work in the field, doing the hands-on business of construction each day. Listen in as we keep it real while stories from the trenches are shared along with lessons learned and some laughter along the way.

Hoots on the Ground | The Lean Builder is a business podcast hosted by The Lean Builder, with 100 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

The Lean Builder hosts Hoots on the Ground | The Lean Builder, a business show with 100 episodes published.

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  Episode #101

  Get Your Mind Right: Energy, Courage & Human Connection with Daniel Allison (Episode 101)

  Sep 28, 20261h 2mS1

  In this episode of Hoots on the Ground with No Bullshido, Adam Hoots sits down with Daniel Allison — better known as "The Average Dude" — for a wide-ranging conversation about courage, personal development, energy, trust, human connection, and what happens when we stop waiting for the world to give us permission to become who we are meant to be. Daniel traces his personal development journey back to November 11, 2014, a day when his marriage and personal life were under heavy strain and he made a decision to start changing himself. What followed was not a polished reinvention, but years of intentionally walking into uncomfortable rooms, speaking, interviewing people, joining communities, journaling, asking deeper questions, and learning to take responsibility for the person staring back at him in the mirror. The "Average Dude" name came from a random comment that could have been taken as an insult. Instead, Daniel turned it into permission. He stopped waiting for credentials, pedigree, or outside approval and started putting his ideas into the world. His message is not that he is ordinary — it is that ordinary people can take uncommon action when they stop being trapped by other people's thoughts. The conversation dives deep into: Why it takes courage to connect — and sometimes the first win is simply getting out of the car How F3's Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith gave Daniel a community of men who "leave no man behind" Why the truth of self requires courage, ownership, and personal responsibility How interviewing nearly a thousand people changed Daniel's perspective on judgment and human connection Why trust shortens the distance between people in sales, leadership, and life How First Sip became a daily discipline for getting your mind right at 7:55 every weekday morning Why energy management may be more important than time management How discomfort, embarrassment, and failure become fuel for growth Why artificial intelligence can help with self-reflection — but cannot replace real human connection What The Energy Bus taught Daniel about attitude, positivity, and the energy we bring into a room Why The Power of Now and "no conclusions" help Daniel stay present and open Adam and Daniel also connect these ideas back to construction. Job sites are full of different personalities, pressures, perspectives, and unseen stories. The leaders who create the most value are often the ones who can get curious before they judge, find the human behind the role, and build enough trust for people to tell the truth. Daniel closes with a simple challenge: when life is in an ebb, get control of your attitude, get around positive people, and pay attention to what they are seeing. Your energy changes what you notice — and what you notice shapes what you do next. This episode is about becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable, finding your frequency, and having the courage to connect. Or, as Daniel says: Let's roll. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Courage Creates Connection — New relationships, communities, and opportunities often begin with one uncomfortable action: getting out of the car and walking through the door. Stop Waiting for Permission — "The Average Dude" became a way for Daniel to stop worrying about pedigree and outside judgment and start acting on what was already in his heart. The Truth of Self Requires Responsibility — Once we become aware of our own patterns, wounds, behaviors, and choices, awareness creates a responsibility to do something with what we now know. Perspective Is Bigger Than First Impressions — Daniel intentionally talks with people who think differently because curiosity can break down snap judgments and expand our understanding of the world. Trust Accelerates Everything — In sales, leadership, and relationships, real progress happens faster when people feel safe enough to lower their guard and talk about the actual situation. Energy > Time — Time without energy does not produce much. Managing your state, environment, relationships, and mindset can determine how effectively you use the time you have. Discomfort Is Part of the Workout — Awkward moments, failed shows, rejection, and embarrassment are not automatically bad outcomes. They can be repetitions that build courage and capability. Human Connection Becomes More Valuable as Technology Grows — Artificial intelligence can accelerate thinking and reflection, but humans still bring stories, meaning, trust, empathy, and energy to the system. Be Here Now — Let go of yesterday, stop trying to control tomorrow, and resist forming conclusions so early that you stop receiving new information. Excavate Your Own Shame — Strong people do the work to understand and own their own shame instead of throwing the spoils of that excavation onto everyone around them. RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: FIRST SIP Get Your Mind Right - https://www.linkedin.com/company/firstsiplive/home/ F3 Nation — Fitness, Fellowship & Faith - https://f3nation.com/ The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon - https://theenergybus.com/ The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle - https://shop.eckharttolle.com/products/the-power-of-now Toastmasters International - https://www.toastmasters.org/ The Lean Builder – www.theleanbuilder.com EPISODE QUOTES (paraphrased): "It takes courage to connect." "If I'm not walking through new doors, new people are not going to come find me." "Leave the judgment to the world and focus on what you can control." "Once you understand the truth of yourself, you have a responsibility to change." "Energy management is more important than time management." "Find your frequency." "Real human connection is the energy that makes the whole system go." "Perfectionism holds us back. Sometimes the days that feel messy are the days we grow the most." "No conclusions. Be here now. Stay open to new information." "The strongest people excavate their own shame without throwing the spoils on others." "Let go — and let's roll." GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE: Daniel Allison "The Average Dude" — Sales and business development professional, connector, interviewer, personal-development student, and co-host of FIRST SIP. Daniel's work centers on energy, human connection, courage, trust, and helping people "get their mind right." - https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-allison-a7103828/ Adam Hoots — Host/Producer of Hoots on the Ground with No Bullshido and Lean Builder focused on field leadership, human connection, and bringing respect back to the people doing the work. - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamhoots/ ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST: The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO Bullshido podcast. Join host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that matter most to those in the field. With stories from the trenches, lessons learned, and plenty of laughter, this podcast is for the men and women doing the hands-on work of construction.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #99

  Learning to Lead by Leading to Learn with Katie Anderson (Episode 99)

  Jul 30, 20261h 1mS1

  In this episode of Hoots on the Ground with No Bullshido, Adam Hoots welcomes internationally recognized Lean leadership expert, author, speaker, and Japan learning guide Katie Anderson for one of the most human-centered conversations the podcast has featured. Katie, author of Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn , shares lessons learned through her friendship with former Toyota leader Isao Yoshino and years spent living in Japan. Rather than focusing solely on Lean tools, the discussion explores the deeper purpose of Lean: developing people. The conversation dives into why organizations become overly focused on technical excellence while overlooking the social systems that enable people to thrive. Adam shares reflections from his own trip to Japan and how it reshaped his thinking around respect for people, visual management, discipline, and leadership. Topics include: · Why people must come before processes and tools. · Breaking the "telling habit" to develop others. · Leadership as a practice instead of a title. · Lean as a sociotechnical system. · Japanese concepts including Omotenashi, Shikō, Kaizen, and the Daruma Doll. · Turning learning into action instead of simply consuming more information. Whether you're in construction, healthcare, manufacturing, or any leadership role, this episode reminds us that organizations improve only when people intentionally help other people grow. KEY TAKEAWAYS: · People Before Process — Sustainable improvement begins by developing people before optimizing tools. · Break the Telling Habit — Great leaders ask questions instead of always supplying answers. · Leadership Is a Verb — Leadership is demonstrated through daily behaviors, not job titles. · Lean Is Sociotechnical — Great results require both strong systems and strong human relationships. · Intention Drives Action — Align daily behaviors with purpose and values. · Small Improvements Compound — Better happens through continuous, incremental improvement. · Learning Requires Action — Knowledge only becomes valuable when applied. · Respect Is Demonstrated — Small acts of service and genuine care build trust. EPISODE QUOTES (paraphrased): · "The only real secret to Toyota is its attitude toward learning." · "Leadership isn't about having all the answers—it's about creating the conditions where others can discover them." · "People come before process." · "Break the telling habit." · "The goal isn't the tool. The goal is helping people learn." · "Intention is where heart meets direction." · "Kaizen starts with improving yourself." · "Don't just collect knowledge. Harvest it by putting it into practice." RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: • Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: https://kbjanderson.com/learning-to-lead/ • Chain of Learning Podcast: https://kbjanderson.com/podcast/ • Japan Leadership Experience: https://kbjanderson.com/japantrip/ • Toyota Production System • Isao Yoshino • John Shook • Omotenashi • Kaizen • Daruma Doll GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE: • Katie Anderson — https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbjanderson/ - International leadership consultant, author, speaker, executive coach, host of the Chain of Learning podcast, and leader of immersive Japan Leadership Experiences. • Adam Hoots — https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamhoots/ - Host of Hoots on the Ground with No Bullshido, Lean Builder, educator, and advocate for field leadership. ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST: The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO Bullshido podcast. Join host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that matter most to those in the field. With stories from the trenches, lessons learned, and plenty of laughter, this podcast is for the men and women doing the hands-on work of construction.

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #98

  Character Over Competence: The 87/13 Rule with Mack Story (Episode 98)

  Jun 30, 20261h 59mS1

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #97

  Vulnerability Is Not Weakness: People & Lean with Geoff Lobley (Episode 97)

  May 29, 202653 minS1

  In this wide-ranging episode of Hoots on the Ground with No Bullshido , Adam Hoots sits down with Geoff Lobley, a Calgary-based construction professional, educator, and risk specialist with TRAVIS Engineering Inc., who came up through the trades and has worked nearly every seat on the org chart. Adam and Geoff have only crossed paths a couple of times (the first in Auburn), but Geoff is the kind of person whose energy you feel the moment he walks into a room. Recording from a deep-frozen Calgary, Canada, at -25°C, the two skip the small talk and dig straight into the human side of building. Geoff is refreshingly honest about not being a natural "people person." He shares how a painful personal loss, paired with a blunt-but-caring boss named Lisa Gibson, cracked him open to mentorship at exactly the right moment — and reframed vulnerability from a perceived weakness into the fastest way to build trust and rapport. The conversation dives deep into: • Why vulnerability is the fastest path to trust and why it isn't the same thing as weakness • The mental health and suicide crisis in construction and why the six-day-week culture deserves scrutiny • Walking the six core principles of Lean back to a single idea: respect for people • Reflective practice — reflection in action and reflection on action — as a daily Lean habit Geoff doesn't shy away from the hard stuff. He talks candidly about the mental health and suicide crisis on jobsites, the band-aid-but-meaningful value of bringing one-hour mental health sessions to crews, and a Calgary Construction Association program working to do exactly that, one site at a time. He and Adam also wrestle honestly with work-life balance, the "but I learned twice as much" justification for brutal hours, and what that learning really costs. Then Geoff ties it all together by walking through the six Lean principles — continuous improvement, focus on flow, eliminate waste, generate value, and optimize the whole — and routing each one back through people. The conversation lands on reflective practice and a deceptively simple language hack: flip "don't forget to" into "remember to," because the brain quietly drops that first word. Equal parts honesty, humor, and hard-won wisdom, this episode is a reminder that the most important system on any jobsite is the human being standing on it — and that small, intentional acts of lean (and of care) compound over an entire career. Key Takeaways: • Vulnerability Builds Trust Faster: Sharing a little personal context early — even a quick chat about someone's Mustang collection — opens doors that pure technical competence never will. • Construction Has a Mental Health Crisis: By percentage, the industry's suicide rate rivals or exceeds that of veterans. A one-hour jobsite session is a band-aid — but band-aids still matter. • Question the Six-Day Week: Working twice the hours doesn't mean learning twice as much. Ask what it's really costing you — and the people waiting at home. • Respect for People Anchors Everything: Run the six Lean principles through a human lens, and they all come back to developing, valuing, and looking out for the people doing the work. • "Remember To" Beats "Don't Forget To": The brain skips the first word, so "don't forget" becomes "forget." Flip the language, and people actually follow through. • Listen Your Way to Honesty: Like going from water-skiing to scuba diving, the right question at the right moment lets people open up one layer at a time. • Reflective Practice Is a Lean Habit: Pull two lessons learned out of every weekly trade meeting — what went well, what didn't — before anyone forgets the good stuff. EPISODE QUOTES: • "Anybody can do the technical work. If you want to advance, you focus on the people around you." • "Vulnerability isn't weakness — it's being open enough to build trust, and the more open you are, the faster you build it." • "We exceed the number of suicides compared to veterans. Think about that for a minute." • "Did you really learn twice as much? And even if you learned more, was it worth it? At what cost?" • "The brain skips the first word, so 'don't forget to' becomes 'forget to.' Flip it to 'remember to.'" • "If you feel you're missing your opportunities, you are. So just ask — make the opportunities." • "Find a small increment. 5S your desk, 5S your files. Those are easy wins — and they don't hurt at home either." RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The Lean Builder Calgary Construction Association (Lean Community of Practice) Depth Builder — Jesse Hernandez Lean Construction Institute GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE: Geoff Lobley | LinkedIn — Construction professional, educator & risk specialist | Instructor at SAIT | Calgary Lean Community of Practice | TRAVIS Engineering, Inc. Adam Hoots | LinkedIn — Host/Producer of Hoots on the Ground and Lean builder focused on respect for craft and field leadership. ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST: The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO Bullshido podcast. Join host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that matter most to those in the field. With stories from the trenches, lessons learned, and plenty of laughter, this podcast is for the men and women doing the hands-on work of construction.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #97

  Vulnerability Is Not Weakness: People & Lean with Geoff Lobley (Episode 97)

  May 29, 202653 minS1

  In this wide-ranging episode of Hoots on the Ground with No Bullshido , Adam Hoots sits down with Geoff Lobley, a Calgary-based construction professional, educator, and risk specialist with TRAVIS Engineering Inc., who came up through the trades and has worked nearly every seat on the org chart. Adam and Geoff have only crossed paths a couple of times (the first in Auburn), but Geoff is the kind of person whose energy you feel the moment he walks into a room. Recording from a deep-frozen Calgary, Canada, at -25°C, the two skip the small talk and dig straight into the human side of building. Geoff is refreshingly honest about not being a natural "people person." He shares how a painful personal loss, paired with a blunt-but-caring boss named Lisa Gibson, cracked him open to mentorship at exactly the right moment — and reframed vulnerability from a perceived weakness into the fastest way to build trust and rapport. The conversation dives deep into: • Why vulnerability is the fastest path to trust and why it isn't the same thing as weakness • The mental health and suicide crisis in construction and why the six-day-week culture deserves scrutiny • Walking the six core principles of Lean back to a single idea: respect for people • Reflective practice — reflection in action and reflection on action — as a daily Lean habit Geoff doesn't shy away from the hard stuff. He talks candidly about the mental health and suicide crisis on jobsites, the band-aid-but-meaningful value of bringing one-hour mental health sessions to crews, and a Calgary Construction Association program working to do exactly that, one site at a time. He and Adam also wrestle honestly with work-life balance, the "but I learned twice as much" justification for brutal hours, and what that learning really costs. Then Geoff ties it all together by walking through the six Lean principles — continuous improvement, focus on flow, eliminate waste, generate value, and optimize the whole — and routing each one back through people. The conversation lands on reflective practice and a deceptively simple language hack: flip "don't forget to" into "remember to," because the brain quietly drops that first word. Equal parts honesty, humor, and hard-won wisdom, this episode is a reminder that the most important system on any jobsite is the human being standing on it — and that small, intentional acts of lean (and of care) compound over an entire career. Key Takeaways: • Vulnerability Builds Trust Faster: Sharing a little personal context early — even a quick chat about someone's Mustang collection — opens doors that pure technical competence never will. • Construction Has a Mental Health Crisis: By percentage, the industry's suicide rate rivals or exceeds that of veterans. A one-hour jobsite session is a band-aid — but band-aids still matter. • Question the Six-Day Week: Working twice the hours doesn't mean learning twice as much. Ask what it's really costing you — and the people waiting at home. • Respect for People Anchors Everything: Run the six Lean principles through a human lens, and they all come back to developing, valuing, and looking out for the people doing the work. • "Remember To" Beats "Don't Forget To": The brain skips the first word, so "don't forget" becomes "forget." Flip the language, and people actually follow through. • Listen Your Way to Honesty: Like going from water-skiing to scuba diving, the right question at the right moment lets people open up one layer at a time. • Reflective Practice Is a Lean Habit: Pull two lessons learned out of every weekly trade meeting — what went well, what didn't — before anyone forgets the good stuff. EPISODE QUOTES: • "Anybody can do the technical work. If you want to advance, you focus on the people around you." • "Vulnerability isn't weakness — it's being open enough to build trust, and the more open you are, the faster you build it." • "We exceed the number of suicides compared to veterans. Think about that for a minute." • "Did you really learn twice as much? And even if you learned more, was it worth it? At what cost?" • "The brain skips the first word, so 'don't forget to' becomes 'forget to.' Flip it to 'remember to.'" • "If you feel you're missing your opportunities, you are. So just ask — make the opportunities." • "Find a small increment. 5S your desk, 5S your files. Those are easy wins — and they don't hurt at home either." RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The Lean Builder Calgary Construction Association (Lean Community of Practice) Depth Builder — Jesse Hernandez Lean Construction Institute GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE: Geoff Lobley | LinkedIn — Construction professional, educator & risk specialist | Instructor at SAIT | Calgary Lean Community of Practice | TRAVIS Engineering, Inc. Adam Hoots | LinkedIn — Host/Producer of Hoots on the Ground and Lean builder focused on respect for craft and field leadership. ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST: The Lean Builder's absolutely, positively NO Bullshido podcast. Join host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that matter most to those in the field. With stories from the trenches, lessons learned, and plenty of laughter, this podcast is for the men and women doing the hands-on work of construction.

  ListenShow Notes

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