Lonnie
Larry my preference is to be out
Saturday, March 07, 2020, 15:15

with the people who do the work and make the money. I spent several years turning wrenches on equipment and machining parts before getting into management. I always made sure I remembered where I came from as I worked my way up the ladder. My heart has always been in troubleshooting, solving problems, and being around the equipment and the maintenance crews. As a maintenance supervisor I was right there working with my crew....I always believed that it’s important for your employees to see that you’re working with them and understand things from their perspective. Now that I manage the department, most of my time is spent in meetings, managing finances, working on large project planning, and being the guy everyone seems to call when a SHTF crisis develops. The mechanics for the most part love it when I’m out in the plant because I listen to their thoughts and ideas plus I make sure they have whatever they need to do their jobs safely and better. I like them to feel like yeah, I’m the department head.....but I’m really no different than them. The supervisors on the other hand get really nervous when I just show up....I don’t let them sit in their office and I expect them to be engaged with their crews. My heart is with the guys doing the work.