DiscoverElevate ConstructionEp.1480 - Popcorn & Variation
Ep.1480 - Popcorn & Variation

Ep.1480 - Popcorn & Variation

Update: 2025-11-25
Share

Description

A simple night at the movies turned into chaos for Jason when one well meaning suggestion about popcorn blew up his entire system. In this episode, he uses that funny but painful story to show how small changes in "how we do things" create huge variation, wreck habits and quietly destroy flow on your projects.

In this episode you will learn:

  • How one change at the concession stand turned a clean, simple routine into a total mess?
  • What Nicholas Modig's law of the effect of variation actually looks like in real life, not just in a textbook?
  • Why "options" and one off exceptions feel helpful in the moment but multiply waste and stress?
  • How broken standards around simple things create distraction, frustration and unintended consequences everywhere else?
  • The direct link between extra popcorn in a theater and extra chaos on your construction site.
  • Practical ways to protect your team from variation by tightening standards, simplifying choices and sticking to stable routines.

If your job often feels like juggling overflowing popcorn buckets while trying not to trip in the dark, this episode will help you see the real problem and what to do about it.

ย 

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode.ย  And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two ๐Ÿ˜Š).

ย 

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

ยท Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel:ย https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

ยท LeanTakt YouTube Channel:ย https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

ยท LeanSuper YouTube Channel:ย https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

ยท LeanSurvey YouTube Channel:ย https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

Commentsย 
loading
00:00
00:00
1.0x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

Ep.1480 - Popcorn & Variation

Ep.1480 - Popcorn & Variation

Jason Schroeder