The Linesman's job
Many years ago, when i was a management trainee with American President Lines, a container shipping company, I did a few months working the ships at the Port of Oakland.
I worked with the Marine superintendents who planned the loading and unloading of these huge container vessels and who managed all the labor involved with the cranes, dockworkers etc.
One night, at the end of the last shift, the linesman dropped the last line and the ship was on its way back to China. The Marine superintendent,who had been doing this job for 20+ years, turned to me and said: "Hans, this is why I love this job. We work incredibly hard and long hours while the vessel is in port, and god knows how many things can go wrong...but when that last line is off and the ship is on its way, that linesman is done, I am done. We can go home and have no worries. Its done until the next ship comes in. You, Hans, are preparing for a life in management where problems, issues and priorities just keep on going. You will lie in bed at night worrying about picking up where you left off."
I have thought about that conversation often in the last 28 years.
Yes, as managers we manage priorities and issues that have long lifespans, and we don't have the luxury of tying up all the loose ends at the end of every day.
But...as managers we have to understand that we cannot afford to stretch things out, to let them linger interminably. We have an obligation to make decisions quickly and decisively, to see to it that problems get addressed and put to bed. When leading team meetings, we have an obligation to minute decisions made and not allow them to be brought up for discussion again and again. We have to work the ship, let it sail and move on to the next ship.
I talk to my teams about getting things done, "Box it up, tape it up and put it in the shelf and move on to the next issue!"
We must be constantly mindful not to take things almost to the finish line and then let them fester. Your organization sees that indecisiveness, and over time you are juggling multiple priorities, always adding and never completely closing things out to lessen the load and allow focus on the new.
I remember those words, and the image of the linesman dropping that last line, seeing the ship move away from the dock. And have known ever since that every day we make choices to act decisively, make decisions and move on.
It makes for better productivity. It makes for better team motivation.
...and it makes for better sleep at night!
I worked with the Marine superintendents who planned the loading and unloading of these huge container vessels and who managed all the labor involved with the cranes, dockworkers etc.
One night, at the end of the last shift, the linesman dropped the last line and the ship was on its way back to China. The Marine superintendent,who had been doing this job for 20+ years, turned to me and said: "Hans, this is why I love this job. We work incredibly hard and long hours while the vessel is in port, and god knows how many things can go wrong...but when that last line is off and the ship is on its way, that linesman is done, I am done. We can go home and have no worries. Its done until the next ship comes in. You, Hans, are preparing for a life in management where problems, issues and priorities just keep on going. You will lie in bed at night worrying about picking up where you left off."
I have thought about that conversation often in the last 28 years.
Yes, as managers we manage priorities and issues that have long lifespans, and we don't have the luxury of tying up all the loose ends at the end of every day.
But...as managers we have to understand that we cannot afford to stretch things out, to let them linger interminably. We have an obligation to make decisions quickly and decisively, to see to it that problems get addressed and put to bed. When leading team meetings, we have an obligation to minute decisions made and not allow them to be brought up for discussion again and again. We have to work the ship, let it sail and move on to the next ship.
I talk to my teams about getting things done, "Box it up, tape it up and put it in the shelf and move on to the next issue!"
We must be constantly mindful not to take things almost to the finish line and then let them fester. Your organization sees that indecisiveness, and over time you are juggling multiple priorities, always adding and never completely closing things out to lessen the load and allow focus on the new.
I remember those words, and the image of the linesman dropping that last line, seeing the ship move away from the dock. And have known ever since that every day we make choices to act decisively, make decisions and move on.
It makes for better productivity. It makes for better team motivation.
...and it makes for better sleep at night!
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