It was 6:30p when I stopped by Miguel’s office. “What’s up?” I asked.
Miguel picked his eyes up, off the paper, holding his place on the schedule with a ballpoint pen. “Just going over tomorrow. It’s going to be another big day. Three special orders to get out the door.”
“Where is everyone, why are you still here?”
“Oh, we shut down at 4:30p. My crew is up with the chickens, tomorrow we start at 6:30a. I run a staggered shift. The first guys get the day started, then we’re full strength by 7:30a. The first wave is off by 3:30p, while the second wave picks up the pieces for the day.”
“Why are you still here?” I repeated.
“Well, there is just a bunch of little things that have to be done each day. We are sort of out of control, huh? This won’t last forever. My schedule is getting better.”
“How long have you felt out of control?”
“Gosh, ever since I became the supervisor, I guess. But it’s going to get better, soon.” Miguel looked optimistic.
I didn’t believe him.
I can reply from the side of Miguel. I have been a first-time supervisor for only a few months and the spring is our busy time of year. I do feel like things are a little crazy sometimes, but I can tell you that my time management skills are not as good as I would like. It sounds like Miguel is an optimist and that is a critical trait of a supervisor. Hopefully it is not blind optimism. I would say that being in the same position, support and communication are key. If he is a new supervisor, he might be taking on tasks that aren’t necessary to getting the job done. I have done that myself, trying to please too many people. Good post, it was nice to see and exactly what I was looking for.
Chris,
Optimism is necessary. Blind optimism kills. Stay tuned for the rest of this saga about why supervisors must be aggressive delegators.
Blind optimism is a sign of “NO PLAN”. “It will get better soon” is blind optimism. You should be saying, “This is why it is going to get better because we are making the following adjustments for the next round.” Hopefully, you don’t have too much work to pause and plan. 🙂