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| Re: Second Ave Alignment Change (638556) | |||
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Re: Second Ave Alignment Change |
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Posted by SelkirkTMO on Mon Jun 23 15:06:33 2008, in response to Re: Second Ave Alignment Change, posted by RonInBayside on Mon Jun 23 14:23:55 2008. Heh. Didn't think I needed to state the obvious. And no, having already worked for the state (and by the way, did it the SAME way I've handled other missions but got tired of the "Simon Says" interferences) I wouldn't TOUCH a project like this.I was going to go into a whole step by step explanation, but why waste time. I'll put it this way. It's not MY job when managing to please anyone except the "internal or external customer" and bring the job in ON time and (hopefully) UNDER budget ... doing that allows for last minute surprises without having to go back to the well, hat in hand for money that ain't there. By the time anyone talks to ME about a project, money's already frozen. There is a BIG difference between the MTA-like "Simon Says" management style (typical of government) and COLLABORATIVE EFFORT ... just because you have years of experience and they put YOU in charge doesn't mean that your old tired way of doing things "because *I* said so" is the best way of approaching problems. And since I've always had the end hiring decision on who works for me, I look for people that may or may not have specific experience, I look for CREATIVE problem solvers who know the job, as well as "craftspeople" ... while I might want to build things a certain way because that's what I've always done, I really prefer having people in my midst who do NOT "know all the answers" since they will often take an entirely fresh approach to a situation and come up with a surprisingly devious and simple solution. I get everybody together (in an informal situation where possible, even sitting under a tree together) and describe what the task at hand is, what is expected as the outcome and why we need to do it today and then ask for ideas. Works out VERY well. Here's a fast example of one job ... a window well tended to get flooded with water coming down a hill which would leak into a facility. We needed to operate a pump. As an electronics engineer, I would have just put down an electronic detector for water, build a circuit and a relay to kick on a pump. Since I'm an electronics engineer by trade, only thing I thought of was circuits. MTA would probably let it out on a $10,000 digital contract. One of my guys suggested using a toilet float and a microswitch. Guess what we built? It's STILL working 20 years later. :) I'm not a manager to please my people, I'm a manager because I can be counted on to GET THINGS DONE. And when I *listen* to my people, they're only too happy to implement their ideas, discuss and work with one another, and step in to cover each other when needed. A true "team" where everyone is a piece of the outcome and proud of their work. As to the "other managers" they get a memo if that's their style, or they can come down and be part of the discussion themselves. You'd be amazed at how well things go when people are actually INVOLVED in their projects rather than sitting behind PeopleSoft and demanding "activity reports" ... heh. Including even the STATE, every job I've ever left I've been asked, even begged to reconsider and come back. I think that says it all. |
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