Helping hand

It is the task of a good man to help those in misfortune.

- Sophocles -

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Some of you may know I began a new job a few weeks ago and I'm pleased to report that I've not been fired yet. It's much the opposite actually; I've been praised for my efforts to learn the billion things I need to comprehend to be great at the job but of course, me being me, that's not good enough and I'm pushing myself hard to acquire the technical knowledge more rapidly; I'm very keep to get stuck in an make a real difference.

I'm getting a little closer day by day, is the best way to describe it I guess. Of course it's not just the industry, which is new to me, I have to fit into, it's the workplace and that means building relationships which I'm also working hard to do.

My role is at management level and client-facing; essentially I'm the face of the company to the customer. The company has a factory though, where all the work gets done and I've been spending a fair amount of time there looking at the work-flow, the various jobs we're doing currently and building relationships with the workers there.

They're all quite good chaps, some rough around the edges, some very clever electrical technicians, welders and fabricators, diesel mechanics and a scattering of bright-eyed apprentices. I've learned all their names, a little about their families, likes and dislikes and generally have a good rapport with them. I've even pitched in on a few jobs, got my hands dirty, swept up after them and generally made myself useful. They see me as less an office worker and more one of them because of it. They feel comfortable with me.

Today though, I turned into a bit of a councilor to one of them who, for the second time, had an unfortunate mishap in the factory.

See that circuit board I'm holding in the image above? Well, the unfortunate fellow wired it incorrectly and completely fried the equipment. The job was almost complete, two days work, and during the test and verify stage the equipment was powered up and...Bang. It's costing the company $5,000 in replacement parts and labour-hours and the young chap, a family man, isn't feeling very good. He was pretty much verbally destroyed by the factory manager.

You see, this is episode two. A couple weeks before I started with the company he reversed a massive prime mover (a big ass truck that pulls transport trailers) through one of the factory access doors and tore it off the tracks...That cost $12,000 to repair and additional time and money to repair the damage to the customer's prime mover. I'm surprised this lad still has a job to be honest, but in truth he's a brilliant worker, extremely knowledgeable and quite a nice fellow. I guess the company are loath to exit him for that reason.

I spoke to him after today's circuit board incident and he was pretty dejected. We chatted a bit and he disclosed to me that he's having some difficulties at home. I'll not go into it, but it's taking his focus away from work and I guess could be the root-cause for his two big errors. We chatted about it and I suggested that he come clean with the factory manager and company director and see if some kind of accommodation could be reached. The factory is a very dangerous place for a person whose mind isn't on the job. He agreed and felt a little better. It's happening tomorrow apparently so I'll watch for the results. I hope it works out.

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It left me thinking about the pressures of life and how they affect people differently.

I've worked in high-pressure, unforgiving, jobs in the past and like most people have had ups and downs in life that had the potential to affect my attitude and effectiveness at work. As much as one is told to leave that at home it's virtually impossible for most to do that. I guess in reverse it's difficult to leave some situations at work also right? They seem to spill-over into our personal lives and affect us negatively at times.

For me it's always come down to being present. I mean present in the moment and focusing one hundred percent of my energy there. I have the ability to compartmentalise things, to lock them away for later so I can concentrate on the task immediately ahead of me and be better at it, more present, more effective. Of course, I'm fallible and it doesn't always work.

I've got a few things in mind at the moment, personal things, and I'll be honest, I'm glad I'm not working in a dangerous factory-environment as these things are taking my focus away. After I spoke with that chap today I thought about my own situations and distractions and felt sorry for him because I know how compelling they can be at times - Mine cause me a good deal of distress at times.

I've had no unfortunate accidents due to my distracting thoughts like our friend above and I'm pleased to say no one was injured or killed in the two episodes he caused due to his inattentiveness. I'm glad also for the reminder about presence and what could come from allowing thoughts to drift me away elsewhere; no matter how compelling those thoughts are one must focus on the job at hand.

I'm also pleased to have had the chance to help someone find a little clarity of thought through the fog of worry, concern, anger, fear and uncertainty he's working through because I know how carrying that weight can be crippling to a person - Drive them to their knees emotionally. I feel good I made a difference today; I feel really good about it.