THE OPERATING CODE  |  006

NEVER LOSE TOUCH WITH THE WORK

The higher you move in an organization, the easier it becomes to lose touch with the work that got you there in the first place. Your responsibilities change, and they should. There are customers to manage, budgets to understand, schedules to maintain, people to develop, and decisions that affect more than just one crew or one project.

But there's something I believe every leader needs to be careful about. You can eventually become responsible for work you no longer fully understand. Not because you've forgotten everything you learned in the field, but because you aren't seeing how the work is being done today.

Equipment changes, processes change, and customers change their requirements. Sometimes something that looks simple when you're sitting in an office becomes a completely different problem when you're standing beside the person trying to get it done. That's why I believe leaders need to make an effort to stay connected to both the work and the people doing it.

Make Time to See the Work

If I were responsible for a region, I wouldn't want everything I knew about the operation coming from reports, emails, and meetings. I'd want to stop by the shop occasionally when the crews are getting ready for the day, talk with the foremen, meet the new people, and find out what everybody is working on.

Not every conversation needs to be formal. Sometimes it's as simple as asking how things are going, whether they're having problems with equipment, or if there's something they need help getting resolved. Those conversations can tell you quite a bit about what's happening, especially when people feel comfortable speaking openly.

There's another part of those conversations that I think matters just as much. If somebody tells you about a problem, remember it. The next time you see that person, ask how things worked out. Maybe the issue was resolved, or maybe they're still dealing with it. Either way, following up shows that you were actually listening and that their concerns didn't disappear the moment you walked away.

I also believe project managers and operations leaders could learn a lot by occasionally spending time working alongside the people they're responsible for supporting. I don't mean showing up to run the crew or standing beside the truck watching everybody else work. I mean being willing to help when it's appropriate.

Pull some rope, stage material, carry equipment, or hand somebody tools, provided you're qualified and authorized to do the work. While you're there, let the foreman manage the job. You're not there to prove you still know how to do everything. You're there to understand how the work is being done and what the people responsible are dealing with.

You might discover that something the office considers a simple procedure is creating unnecessary work in the field. You might also see a better way of doing something that the crew has developed through experience. Those are things worth understanding, especially when you're responsible for making decisions that affect more than one project.

Help Without Taking Over

I've been on jobs where I was there simply to help, and a foreman has asked me what I thought we should do. I've told him, "This is your show. I'm here to help you. Tell me where you want me."

I meant that. If we've given somebody responsibility for managing a crew, we need to allow them to manage it. Just because I have a higher position doesn't mean I need to take over somebody else's job.

I think that's something leaders need to understand as their responsibilities grow. If every time somebody higher in the organization shows up, the foreman suddenly loses control of his crew, we're not helping that person develop. We're teaching him that his authority only exists until somebody with a higher title walks onto the job.

There are certainly times when a supervisor needs to intervene, particularly when safety or other serious concerns are involved. But that shouldn't be the normal approach. Sometimes being a good leader means being comfortable taking direction from somebody whose title is below yours, especially when you're there to support the work they're responsible for managing.

That same thinking applies when people need help resolving problems. If a crew is dealing with broken equipment, missing tools, or a procedure that's making their work unnecessarily difficult, I want to understand what's happening and whether there's something we can do to help.

Purchasing procedures, equipment controls, and company policies exist for reasons, and I'm not suggesting people should simply work around them whenever they're inconvenient. But if a procedure consistently creates problems, leadership should be willing to examine it and determine whether there's a better way to accomplish the same objective.

The process should support the work, not create unnecessary obstacles for the people doing it.

Pay Attention to What You See

Another thing I believe leaders should do when visiting a jobsite is spend some time observing without immediately offering suggestions or asking everybody to explain what they're doing.

You can learn quite a bit about a crew by watching how people interact. You'll notice who helps the new person, who everybody turns to when something gets difficult, and how the foreman communicates with the people working for him. You can also get a sense of whether the crew works well together or whether people are constantly waiting for somebody to tell them what to do next.

And when you see people standing around, don't automatically assume they're being lazy. They may be waiting on material, trying to get clarification on a drawing, or dealing with equipment that isn't working. Maybe they haven't been given the direction they need to continue. Those situations may look similar from a distance, but they have very different causes.

That's one of the reasons I believe it's important for leaders to occasionally see the work for themselves. Reports and meetings are necessary, but they don't always show you how things are actually happening. Sometimes you need to spend time with the people doing the work to understand what they're dealing with.

Remember Who Makes the Work Possible

I've spent enough time in the field to know that the people doing the work are the reason the rest of the organization has something to manage. That doesn't mean the office, project managers, or senior leadership aren't important. They absolutely are, and they have responsibilities that are necessary to keep the business operating.

But I believe part of their responsibility is creating the conditions that allow the people in the field to do their jobs safely, efficiently, and correctly. That means providing the resources, information, direction, and support they need while respecting the responsibilities of the people managing the work.

As you move into higher leadership positions, it's easy to become consumed by meetings, reports, budgets, and everything else that comes with managing an operation. Those responsibilities matter, and you can't neglect them. But they shouldn't become your only connection to what's happening in the field.

You don't have to be on a jobsite every day to stay connected. Make time to visit occasionally, talk with your people, pay attention to what they're dealing with, and follow up when they bring something to your attention. Help when you can, respect the people responsible for the work, and be willing to learn something from somebody who does it every day.

Moving into a higher leadership position doesn't make the work beneath you. It makes you responsible for supporting more of it.

Never lose touch with the work. And never lose touch with the people doing it.