More Than Just a Number
Welcome to “Onsite,” a fresh perspective brought to you by contributing writer Matt Ohley, general superintendent at Ajax Paving Industries, Tampa Division. In this column, Ohley cuts through the noise and delves into the challenges encountered by those shaping our world through construction. Ohley offers a unique perspective, amplifying the voices of those who experience the daily pulse of life on the job site.
Onsite is our commitment to breaking down the barriers and misconceptions that shroud the construction profession. Ohley aims to initiate open and honest conversations, from job insecurity to the transient nature of projects, physical strain and often-overlooked mental health struggles.
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I’m no businessman, nor am I the son of a businessman.
As I write those words, I can see a few ex-bosses shaking their heads in agreement and muttering an “amen.”
What I mean by that is, I am not a “numbers guy.”
I can do math, quite well in fact. I can build spreadsheets, crunch numbers, play with margins/percentages to get the dollars and cents in alignment (all those things business executives frequently do) but it’s not my strong suit, nor my passion.
My strong suit is people: leading, managing and caring about people is where my heart lies.
“If you give me the authority and resources to take care of our people, I’ll blow your spreadsheets out of the water.”
That is a statement I have made more than once over the course of my career. It’s a statement that I believe in, and one I’ve seen come to fruition frequently.
Make no mistake, I’m not naïve — without the numbers, without the spreadsheets, without the “business side” of the construction industry, the industry doesn’t exist. Crews in the field have to “hit the numbers” for there to even be a company for them to work for. The business side matters … significantly.
What I mean by that statement is: humans are the ones we rely on to hit those numbers; humans are the ones we rely on to meet or beat schedules; humans are the ones we rely on to make the spreadsheets. And, let’s not forget, humans are complex creatures.
A quick Google search on “human needs” may lead you to a diagram of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which, written in 1954, is a well-agreed upon standard addressing the question of what human beings need to survive and thrive.
If you take the time to study said diagram, you will quickly notice that once you get beyond the basic physiological needs of a human being (i.e. water, food, shelter, air, sleep), there is a whole lot more a human needs to really get along well.
Among those things is a sense of belonging. To use the popular terminology of today, they need to feel seen, heard and valued.
When companies go beyond the bare minimum of just giving people a job so that they can put food on the table and a roof over their head, and, instead, really invest time in getting to know their people, meeting them where they are at and investing in their future, those people feel seen, heard and valued — and that’s when the magic starts to happen.
People who feel seen, heard and valued begin to see their job, not just as something they have to do in order to provide for their family, but as something that is a reciprocal good in their life. They are needed, wanted and a part of the team; valuable enough to be invested in and taken seriously — They feel like they belong.
There’s a deeper purpose to what they do, even if they aren’t consciously aware of it or can’t really articulate it themselves. When they wake up in the morning to start their day, rather than dreading the tasks in front of them, there’s a little pep in their step as they head out to a place where they belong.
OK, maybe not every day. I mean, some days in construction just suck — let’s be real. But the day “sucking” isn’t the norm anymore; it’s not the standard. Because, again, there is meaning and purpose beyond simply a paycheck in what they’re doing … and that cannot be quantified in a spreadsheet.
But make no mistake, it will show up on the spreadsheets — and in a very good way.
