Exploring Gray: Site Manager

What Does a Site Manager Do?

In short, a construction site manager directs and protects all aspects of project construction. The role oversees all work at the job site from start to finish: coordinating man and material, maintaining project schedules and budgets, and ensuring safe, secure operations. While these tasks are essential, the energy that sustains them comes from fostering strong relationships, establishing a positive environment, and leading by example.

To get a better sense of what this example looks like, we spoke to Clayton Wilkerson, a Gray site manager since 2016. According to Wilkerson, you can’t truly lead your team without investing in your people. “You’re accountable for your team and for everything that happens on the project site. That’s why it’s important to build relationships and earn the respect of your team, the customer, and our trade partners.”

Because of the site manager’s daily presence, they are often the face of Gray to customers. On Wilkerson’s current project for a facility in Vancouver, Washington, the customer has ample on-site representation, as well as a construction management firm and process contractors that Wilkerson communicates with several times a day.

“Having complete project team alignment is extremely important, complete ownership” says Wilkerson. This need for clear vision and alignment extends well beyond customer interactions. The site manager plays an important role in design development coordination, project management coordination, assisting in development of and reviewing scopes of work, hiring subcontractors, procuring and purchasing equipment and materials, assessing project risk, and leading the various teams involved in the execution of the project. Such a breadth of focus requires the site manager to work effectively with everyone associated with the project—not just those on site, but the Gray project and design managers as well. Accountability for alignment and clearly establishing and communicating expectations is a critical part of being a site manager and leading a project team.

Running a Successful Project

So what separates a Gray site manager from others across the industry? “The greatest difference is the culture we create through our presence on site and the personal connections and relationships we develop,” says Wilkerson. “My success depends entirely upon my team’s success.”

Wilkerson recalled his experience when joining Gray back in 2016 as a field engineer and growth the company has experienced to date. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the culture, and the comradery among teams to have the will to succeed.

Despite all the time spent on site and the industrial-scale work happening around him, Wilkerson says that one of the most crucial tools at his disposal is not a piece of heavy equipment, but the head between your shoulders.

“The project demands can take a mental toll on you if you aren’t mentally prepared, and even more so if you haven’t fostered an environment for the team to be comfortable and empowered to lead through our core values,” Wilkerson said. “The site manager is the thermostat that sets the temperature of the project. By establishing this and being consistent in communications and expectations the team can do tremendous things and accomplish any feat.”

Safety Above All

The biggest responsibility of serving as a site manager is ensuring that all personnel—those of Gray as well as our trade partners, customers, and guests on site—are operating within the parameters of Gray’s No. 1 core value—we put safety and quality of life first.

“Safety is paramount—nothing is more important,” says Wilkerson. “Gray’s safety calls each week draw us back to the fundamentals, where we can learn from each other and hold one another accountable. They allow us as a company for every team to be able to learn and be better.”

When a site manager has cultivated a culture of safety and accountability, maintaining project alignment and ensuring a happy customer is the end result. In a recent Safety Call, it was mentioned that “Leaders who drive values, drive culture, which drives results.”

The Power of Relationships

According to Wilkerson, to succeed as a site manager demands not only a strong work ethic, but also a willingness to learn and adapt to changes, and a belief that you’re making a difference in people’s lives by caring for your team and leading by example. It also requires a healthy dose of on-the-job training. “You can’t go into the role of a site manager without having gotten exposure at various levels of the construction industry,” says Wilkerson. This familiarity with all aspects of a project is how a site manager can recognize potential problems, manage risks, and keep each team focused and motivated to achieve the end goal.

One aspect that distinguishes Gray within the construction industry is Gray’s principle of cultivating leadership through trust, empowerment, and direction. Just as Gray develops site managers with the skills to make effective decisions, site managers serve as a mentor to less experienced team members.

“Executive leadership empowers us to make the right decisions without having to call and get approval,” explains Wilkerson. “If we have an idea that will make the project safer, we can act on it. In turn, if there’s a task that our team can accomplish independently, I’m accountable for empowering them to lead that opportunity. My job is to provide a support role and help my team in every way that I can.”

The Rewards of Responsibility

Perhaps the most obvious reward of serving as a site manager is the pride that comes with creating a tangible product—a finished facility that serves as an inviting space and a productive place of work for members of the community.

For Wilkerson, however, it all comes back to relationships and growth. “What makes it worth it is seeing other people satisfied with what they’re doing and achieving their goals. It makes me proud to see someone who interns for Gray and then comes back after finishing school or to see a team members progress their career. It’s one-on-one relationships that lead to those moments.”

As for his own growth, Wilkerson summed up with an anonymous quote that he says has helped to guide him in his role as a responsible site leader.

“When you can’t control what’s happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what’s happening. That’s where your true power is.”