A reminder about management by Tony Green

A young manager reviewing his numbers

Many years have gone by since I became a manager for the first time. Fortunately, the company I worked for had the insight to send me to training since I had never been a manager. Recently I was reminded about one of the most relevant takeaways resulting from my experience as a supervisor.

I remember while I was in business school reading one Jack Welch’s books where he communicated his view of when you enter management it is not about you anymore. It becomes more about your reports and he you are putting them in situations where they can flourish.

Perhaps this might be a no-brainer, since as a leader if your team is doing well you are successful.  Even if you did not do any of the “work” you can bask in the credit.

This is why I have difficulty understanding people enter the management ranks they still are focused on how the position will make then look better and increase their status in the workplace. The reason manager jobs boast increased salaries are the added accountability and responsibility not less.

Management in my experience is not easy which is why some people want these benefits attached with being a manager without the burden these positions carry.  Many people in non-management positions seek promotions to management because of additional money, more status and added perks, I hear very few people state they want to enter management be able to shape careers and mold talent into leaders and build effective teams. All of which is designed to ensure profit is managed, and maintained to the bottom line of the company.

I wish more folks would think about what being a manager means before seeking management opportunities. For those who can learn this concept there is definitely room for you since all employees need high-quality managers. If you chose not to maybe a non-management position would be more appropriate. 

Can we give our friendly utility a break? by Tony Green

Image of transformer at a substation

During one my visits to a substation to perform an incoming transformer inspection as part my sales engineering job I was struck by hearing how the people who work for the utilities always get a hard time  in the neighborhoods who their substations provide power to.  The scenario is more often than not the same; the sun has just come up, and as the newly arrived transformer is being loaded into place and the engineer/ manager in charge on site is catches an earful from an interested member of the community who are aggravated heavy machinery is at work.  

I sarcastically mentioned to one of the workers that the populace living in the community at large will not appreciate the jobs these guys keeping everyone lights on until the power stays off for a significant period of time. Anyone who has traveled overseas can testify to the modern miracle the Electric Grid is.

The fact is cranes are noisy in the morning but one should keep in mind why transformers are being installed and due to their large weight which in many cases is in excess of 100,000 pounds a crane is the only way any object its size was getting inside substation. Most transformers are in due to an increase in load growth or the replacement of an older transformer near the end of its useful life.

A minor inconvenience can be painful at times but please try to keep the big picture in mind. The hard working guys do not need the abuse they routinely endure for trying to do their jobs. If there is anyone who should get mistreated perhaps the people who waste our precious electricity which is the topic for another blog posting.