Nobody Needs a Super Hero
I work in the field of construction and I am a site supervisor with Furbish Company (a small but rapidly growing sub-contractor installing Green Roofs and Living Wall systems). One habit I have adopted and developed is the state of being the “go to” guy to get something done. At face value, that title appears great, but, that title was achieved through impatience and pride. I realized there is nothing great about being the one person who everyone can trust in getting the job done well. Greatness only comes from how well the people we serve are operating, and wellness is only present with the right knowledge, the right understanding and the right action. If I am the one who is doing all the technical and skilled work, what happens when I am pulled away on a phone call or by a site visit from the General Contractor? Our operational system is paralyzed because I held onto vital information that needed to be expressed to my team and I withheld the time needed to properly train my team members. We are floored by the “dis-ease” of confusion, misunderstanding and non action. I have heard the saying “many hands make light work.” Well, I am saying “many well informed and trained hands make easy work.”
I felt rich inside because of the aptitude, comprehension, skills and abilities I have achieved. Now, I feel poor inside because of the empowering gifts I have held and not given. I put budget and schedule pressures, and my own self image before my team’s well being in the field.
Wisdom has taught me that as a leader I must consider: (numerically prioritized)
1. The safety of my team and others around me.
2. The well being of my team (Are they well informed? Are they properly trained? Do they understand what I’m communicating?)
3. THE JOB (being effective, efficient, focused, and respectful; staying on budget and schedule)
4. Responsibility/answering to my boss. Achieving their desires in the business.
5. My desires about work (achievement, self image, goals).
Too often in the past numbers 3, 4, 5 have become numbers 1’s and 2’s creating a work site filled with dangers, mistakes, inefficiencies, poor workmanship, and unnecessary pressure. I am now facing the mistakes I have created, and I am climbing out of the hole I have dug for myself over the past year and a half. I am facing a need to change before my eyes and embracing it with the continual pressures of budget, schedule, and image. My lesson is simple. Give to my team what I see, what I am looking for, what I am thinking about, and what I know (and use time to be sure each person understands); using the time wisely to teach, train, and develop my team to do what I can do.
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2 Responses to “Nobody Needs a Super Hero”
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Very well written and excellent advice/information for all of us.
[...] and construction of this roof. Some of the greatest lessons I received was captured in my blog Nobody Needs a Super Hero. In this blog entry, I’m highlighting the lesson about developing others around us. I [...]