Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:34 — 11.7MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
As a new lead or supervisor do we know what our jobs are and the task that we’re ultimately responsible for? Talk about being torn is 20 different directions, and then surprised, maybe even disgruntled with our boss when he or she jumps on us for not having something done! Well, that’s what I’d like to talk about today. We may know our job, but do we know anything about the responsibilities?
I’m Marty with Warehouse and Operations as a Career. Last quarter we talked a lot about leadership, time management and procrastination. Three things we start learning about with our first job! In our chosen fields or light industrial work, whither we are entering the manufacturing, production or distribution environments, maybe even the transportation world, we need to learn a little about each of those traits. We all have to take on a little bit of a leadership roll, if a new warehouse utility person is hired, even as a peer in the department, its our responsibility to help make him or her successful. And to do that we’ll be using some time management skills, we may not know that we’re doing it but we are at some point. That’s the only way we’re going to get everything done! And the procrastination, we all do it. Be honest, shoot I still haven’t gone to pick up a tire for my jeep, I’m building a creek crosser, and, well, I honestly don’t want to take it off and put a new one on!
So, let’s talk about knowing our job. Today I want to speak to the positions of lead or supervision, but you know every position has it’s, what’ll we call it, maybe the back side, or those responsibilities that are there, but just not talked about. I mean, take sanitation. Yes, our job is to keep the floor swept, cardboard, shrink wrap, and wood chips picked up. And of course we’ll have a master sanitation cleaning list to keep up to date for regulatory reasons and probably 50 other things we need to do on each shift. But has anyone ever told us that one of our responsibilities is to stay upbeat, appear happy and support others? As sanitation we work around everyone else, we are in a position it help our forklift operators, order selectors or machine operators, packers, grinders etc. There jobs are rough too, a happy moment, a quick thumbs up in an aisle or positive comment can go a long way!
Ok, back to the topic! As a new lead or supervisor, and I’m going to use those titles as one today and I’ll try and point out the differences as they come up but for all practical purposes today we’ll be talking about the front line management jobs as a whole!
Now, we could have been promoted because we were the best unloader or best packer or an above average case per hour order selector etc., or maybe because we had a conversation early on with our manager and shared that we had a plan and a goal, we wanted to be a leader. Possibly we went and took some courses or training, and our management team was willing to take a chance on us. In any event, at this level, we’ve probably came up through the ranks, so we’ll know how to perform all the tasks associated with our department. And we are probably very comfortable performing them. In our new roles it is important that we can separate ourselves from them though. Of course, our new position can be a working lead or supervisor and we’ll still be performing those tasks, but we cannot use the labor part of our job as a crutch! It is so easy to do what we know, maybe procrastinate regarding our new duties.
Let me give you some examples of what I’m talking about. We’ll use an unloading lead or supervisor task for explaining purposes but most any position can be substituted. So, let’s say as a lead or supervisor you have an unloading crew of, oh, we’ll say ten lumpers. You’ll do around 40k cases a day, maybe between 45 and 50 trailers or containers, and will be working with about 15 or 16 dock doors. And we’ll add that our team works on both ambient or dry and cooler docks. Now out team are fairly good at what they do, we’ll say at least average. They all know the process. The drivers check in at the check in window, are assigned a door, we as lumpers will go get the breakdowns sheets and maybe the BOL or Purchase Orders to give to the receiver, depending on what our company’s procedure is and we will go start unloading our trailer. Once we get a pallet stacked, we run it out of the trailer and stage it where it goes so the receiver can get it tagged and received and the put away forklift operator or pallet runner hauls it away right? We are that working lead or supervisor so we may unload a truck here and there, maybe a roll off or small breakdown LTL, things like that.
Being that lead or supervisor, we can have other responsibilities as well. We will have other responsibilities as well. And we need to accept them as well.
We may be responsible for sending out a morning email stating the cases for the day, how many crew members we have on the docks, our anticipated pallets for the day and maybe something about our outlook for the day or how we believe it is going to go. We’ll have some sort of regulatory concerns too. Maybe a roster, our startup or safety meeting documentation, checking to confirm that all trailers are chocked and safe for our crew to enter. then we’ll have to confirm that all our associates performed a pre-trip on each piece of equipment they’ll be using today. Oh, and throughout the day we’ll probably have brief meetings with our company’s management and our customers team. And our team may be responsible for a little sanitation by the doors and front docks, we could be responsible for documenting that it is clean and ready for the next shift. And in most environments, they’ll be 25 other responsibilities to do!
It is so easy to slide back into a lumper role. We know it, we’re good at it, we’re comfortable with it. But. We have a team to do that. That is their responsibility. Sure, it’s ours to oversee. but we have our job too. When we took the position, we we’re excited about our additional responsibilities. We finally had an opportunity to fix what we had always thought was done wrong and could be done much better! What happened to that us!
Human nature kicked in. We fill like, and it is, our job to get those doors closed for the next shift. We are responsible for the labor expense, pallet expense, productivity and man hours, along with everyone’s safety, to get those doors closed. Yes you are, but those are your teams’ responsibilities too. If we have accepted our responsibilities as leads and supervisors and have taught the skills needed to our teams while holding them accountable for their jobs, well, we will have the time and assurances and trust that the doors are going to get closed. We can do our job, our real job, the job we were given and accepted which was to oversee our crew, work along beside them, meet all regulatory concerns, build, and create a strong culture of safety while growing our company and achieving all its goals, and ours for that matter.
It is so easy to fold though, use the inbound cases as a crutch and to procrastinate because we do not use our time wisely or plan for our day.
Let’s dig in a little deeper. That first day that we don’t send the first email of the day because we’re busy or didn’t answer that phone call because we’re busy. Why are we so busy? Maybe an extra truck showed up that we have to take or a crew member called in sick. We’d of course have to jump in and help unload it. And of course that is the correct decision to make. However, how long would it have taken for us to send that morning email. We have the headcount, case count and pallet count right there on our desk or workstation. Maybe 3 minutes, let’s say even 10 minutes. would that have changed the outcome of the morning? How long could that call we didn’t take have really held us up, if even to say hey I’m busy I’ll call you back. We either procrastinated or we we are rattled and not in control. Both are bad in our position, and both are easily corrected! We just need to stay out in front of our day. A plan if you will!
What if the plant manager or floor supervisor or maybe the receiver had come over to us with a problem or situation? We would have stopped and spent that 3 or 10 minutes with them right?
It is so easy to revert back to old habits, our comfort zone. But we have to accept that growth stops there and then. Even if our management team accepts that that’s all there going to get out of us and we get to keep our jobs, our careers have stopped. It is doubtful we will get that next promotion. We have not been able to fulfill all the requirements of our present position.
So, how do we continue to grow and prosper you may ask. When there is just not enough time to get everything done, what do we do to create more time. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s honestly a lot easier than you think. And once you start doing it correctly, you’ll see it and go dang. But then it’s hard not to revert back to our comfort zones! Its that human nature thing. We are programed to be comfortable. All we have to do is get comfortable with something else!
It’s a little work, but first we’ll need to make sure our team knows what and how to do their job. They need to know that we are there for them, that we respect them, and that we are consistently going to be fair to each and that we are all going to be held accountable for doing our jobs. Having friends is good, having great employees is money in your pocket!
Then schedule your day. No, its not impossible, its easy! So, and I’m making up times and tasks here, so write down that you are going to send that morning email at 6:15 a.m. and put that reminder in your phone. Next, plan out your daily start up meeting or safety meeting. Then make a reminder for 6:45 that you are walking the dock and checking with your receivers. Put your lunch time in there, have a reminder for it. We’re scheduling our day! Then make a reminder to check with your plant manager, just a quick how’s things going, oh, and schedule to do the same with your safety manager. If we approach them around the same time every day, they will know that we are organized and have plans.
You can delegate some of your daily things too. Maybe assign a lumper to check wheel chocks every hour. Give them a piece of paper with times and door numbers across the top and sides, just to place a check mark beside each that have them and a comment line for if he or she had to say something to a driver. Done, one less simple task for us and it didn’t cost them more than 5 minutes.
Being a good lead, supervisor, or leader is nothing more than doing what we always wanted our own leaders and bosses to do before we took their jobs. We’ve been taught, we know what we want to accomplish, and I assure you that you can do it. You are the right man or woman for the task. Put all those human nature urges behind you, push through the procrastination, hone your time management skills and go make it happen. You are the best one for the job. Remember if you don’t do it your way by being that leader, then you’re going to do it someone else’s way because they will be that leader!
Well, apologies for going a little long today but as you know, we here at WAOC feel our careers can rock, not only provide for our families but fill our needs of accomplishment and success as well.
Until next week, march forward, climb over any obstacles and go make it happen. Be safe in all Ya’ll do so we can visit again next week!