How to Avoid Scope Creep by Building Trust, with Jake Lewon

Most scope creep conversations focus on contracts and change orders. Jake Lewon thinks that misses the real lever: the relationship you build before the problem ever shows up. Jake is VP of Construction for the Middlesex Corporation, overseeing operations across the northeast. In this episode, he and Jeremy dig into why he treats face-to-face relationship building, not just contract language, as the real defense against scope creep. Jake explains why he'd rather sit in a room with an owner once a week than let meetings stretch to monthly, why he frames every project as a partnership working toward a shared goal instead of us-versus-them, and what actually happens when that trust breaks down: a disagreement over "100 feet of guardrail" can quietly become an endpoint at every barrier on the job if nobody's watching. They also cover "issue stacking" (why five unresolved problems create more conflict than one), why pulling personal pronouns out of formal project letters takes the heat out of a dispute, and the informal, off-the-record check-ins Jake runs with his counterparts just to keep a project from going sideways before it's a formal issue. Connect with Jake: LinkedIn:   / jake-lewon-56040031   Company: Middlesex Corporation 0:00 Introduction to Jake Lewon and his background 2:02 Transition from engineering to management roles 3:59 The importance of understanding processes in management 6:03 Training your team and the value of delegation 7:47 Encouraging continual learning and development 9:33 Managing communication across departments 10:56 Aligning goals and handling conflicting success criteria 13:06 Building trust and managing relationships in projects 15:12 Issue stacking and problem-solving strategies 16:48 Effective communication and conflict resolution 18:47 Handling scope creep and change orders 21:08 The importance of face-to-face relationship building 23:06 Learning from mistakes and the value of experience 25:05 Ensuring clear understanding and asking questions 27:00 Final thoughts and contact information