4-29-10 Shoulda Told Me #9

Apologies to my regular readers for being late to post…. Again!

I’m back on the “someone shoulda told me” bunny trail today.

In my industry, and I’m sure in many others, you have periods of time where you just can’t seem to work enough hours because there is just so much darned work to be accomplished.

In the aerospace industry, a new program introduction is a prime example. When the new program finally makes its way into the factory for the first time, it is generally well, not chaos, but darned close. New parts, new materials, new processes, new everything --- or so it seems. And not surprising, there are generally a few unk-unks to go along with all the “new”. All of us spend a lot of hours working to straighten things out and getting the factory to run smoothly. It requires a lot, and I mean A LOT, of hours from everyone.

So the typical day runs 14 to 16 hours during this period of time. You fall into a routine of arriving at 5 or 6 am (to cover 3rd shift) and then working all the way through to 7 or 8 pm (to cover 2nd shift). It is grueling. But it is also exhilarating. Nothing compares with the sense of satisfaction when the first process works correctly, or first part comes off the line, or ultimately, the first airplane rolls out the door.

So what? There is a lesson to be learned in all of this. As things settled down, I was in such a routine, that I continued to work those long hours -- delving into details that, frankly, were better left to my management and mechanic teams. The long days had become a habit --- an addiction, if you will.

So someone DID tell me (although I wish someone woulda told me sooner!) a very important bit of information. My very wise boss sat me down and said, “Work your butt off when the situation requires, but learn to identify the ‘good times‘ and go home early. Learn when to back off and recharge your batteries.”

And he was/is right. In the heat of the battle, you have to put in the hours. Nothing else will solve the problem. You have to be present to work through the problems. But they will resolve. And once they do, it is easy to just continue on with the executive practices that you used during the battle. But that is a mistake. You have to rest and recharge. Because there WILL be another battle at another time and you have to be ready for it.

So, recognize the good times --- and take advantage of them.

Cheers!