Dig Different magazine kicks off its ninth year of publication with this issue. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to do with this magazine and take pride in how it looks with every issue that we produce.
I imagine you are the same with your company. You take pride in the way your crews do the work. When something doesn’t go right, you aren’t very happy about it and you want to try and figure out what went wrong and fix it.
WHEN THINGS GO RIGHT
What do you do when things go right? First of all, figure out what made it go right; it could be the crew that was working the job, the equipment used, or many other factors.
If it was the equipment that was used that helped the job go smoothly, then ensure that all of your crews have the same equipment and that it’s in good working order. Nothing makes a job go bad faster than a vacuum excavator, drill or other equipment breaking down. By making all of the equipment the same, it ensures that crews can operate any equipment in the fleet.
When things are going right, be sure to acknowledge that with the crew working that job. They need to hear when they do something good for the company, not only when something goes wrong. By praising them for the good work they do, you’re boosting their morale and that could trickle down to the rest of the team.
If a certain employee or team continues to do great work, maybe it’s time to say thank you in other ways. Like the form of a bonus or an extra day off. Let the employees know of these possible rewards for doing a good job, getting jobs done on time and without error. You might see production increase and more if they know a reward could be won.
WHEN THINGS DON’T GO RIGHT
We’ve all at those jobs too where something doesn’t go right. Equipment breakdowns, crew members calling in, delayed materials for the work — it could be any of those.
The important thing here is not to lose it yourself. Some of this stuff might be unpreventable. Hopefully you’ve built some extra time into the job schedule to account for some of this. If not, you’ll learn real fast.
Make sure you have extra equipment or parts ready just in case of an equipment breakdown, if you have a crew member who consistently calls in, have a chat with him or her and find out what is going on, maybe it can be prevented, or maybe some other course of action needs to happen. There isn’t a lot you can do about delayed materials. It seems like it’s happening more and more these days, but maybe just trying to plan ahead and order extra material if you know you will need it for future jobs?
LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Whether the job goes right or wrong, it’s always a learning opportunity for you, your team and your company. Take the time after each job to review what went good and what didn’t and how to either replicate or fix what happened.
What do you do for your team when something goes right on the job? Let me know your experiences by emailing me at editor@digdifferent.com.
Enjoy this issue!
