Lessons from the Pando Tree

To thrive, we must grow together.

The construction industry has seen tremendous growth in the past few years, with projections showing no signs of slowing. From expansive infrastructure projects to specialized construction and manufacturing, business should continue booming for years to come.^[1]

That growth is a blessing for our company, industry partners, Owners, and community. But it comes with its own challenges as well. There is risk of demand outpacing the ability to keep up quality. There are ongoing challenges with recruitment, staffing, training, and raising up a younger workforce to take the place of veterans who are approaching retirement.

Great opportunities bring their own hurdles to overcome. Which is why, at times, we may take guidance from unexpected places.

Deep Roots and Slow, Steady Growth

The Pando Tree is the largest living organism in the world.[2] It’s also one of the oldest. Looking at it, you’d never know. To the casual observer, it looks like individual trees taking up 106 acres of Fishlake National Forest in Utah. But its many trunks, branches, and leaves are just the visible part of a massive underground root network.

A single aspen tree, over the course of tens of thousands of years, has sprouted into 47,000 individual stems, each genetically identical and deeply interconnected. Every “tree” you see is in fact a small part of a greater whole, in exactly the same way that every Jaynes employee—in the office, or out in the field—embodies Jaynes as a company.

So what can a general contractor learn from a tree? Surprisingly, quite a lot.

In a windy land, be flexible.

Change is inevitable and unavoidable. The secret to survival is learning to bend rather than break. When confronted with challenging circumstances, it’s our policy to find a way to adapt, offer grace as necessary, but not give ground or surrender our principles.

When faced with a conflict with a supplier, architect, engineer, or subcontractor, even across our own departments, we believe the first answer shouldn’t be, “No.” It should be, “Let’s figure this out together.”

When fires rage, grow high.

Part of the Pando Tree’s success over thousands of years is due in part to its ability to withstand fires. It does this by standing tall, keeping most of its leaves clear of the fire burning through the underbrush. We can apply the same wisdom to our own work.

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Stand tall and look at the big picture. By keeping the end goal in mind, and recognizing our ultimate job is to support our team in the field and overseeing the construction of a vital building for our community, we avoid being consumed by the little frustrations that can feel overwhelming in the moment but ultimately don’t matter.

Don’t rely on leaves alone.

Like any plant, the Pando Tree uses its leaves to photosynthesize nutrients from the sun. But that’s not its only source of sustenance. Its bark also allows it to create nutrients through the winter, and its extensive root system allows water and nutrients to be carried throughout the entire system. Roots near a river deliver water to a thirsty tree miles away. Its parts rely on one another.

In the same way, we must rely on one another to thrive. When we lean on one another, we draw on centuries of combined experience and knowledge. Each of us has the capacity to bring perspective, value, and positive energy for the good of the whole team.

We Decide Where Our Next Roots Go

Over more than 75 years in business, Jaynes has grown steadily but carefully. We are purposeful in our choice of what markets to enter, what projects to take, what subcontractors to work with, and especially who to hire.

Every decision we make impacts the entire company. That means we’re all accountable to each other. But it also means that no one person has the weight of the world on their shoulders. We share in challenges and successes alike. Each of us act as recruiters, bringing in friends and family we know would be the right fit to fill roles. We each promote safety and ensure we all come home to our families every night. And we each contribute to building our communities.

We grow together. That’s The Jaynes Way.

SOURCES:

[1] The meteoric rise in US construction activity. (2024, January 4). Construction Today.

[2] Wikimedia Foundation. (2024, July 25). Pando (tree). Wikipedia.