Posted on September 20, 2022 at 12:43 PM by Mary Ann Fussell
An old wise man once told me that I would earn within two or three thousand dollars of what my closest friends would earn. I’m not sure that’s true. However, I’m sure that it’s much like the old sayings that say; you are what you eat and you are who you hang out with. And yes, I do believe who I surround myself with absolutely matters.
I also believe that to be a great leader you can’t simply rely on your own skills and knowledge but you must be able to identify the strengths of everyone around you and be able to plug them in where they will not only fit but thrive in the position you place them. Nothing inspires your co-workers more than knowing they have been successful in their current position. Success will also drive them to learn other positions that benefit your team. The hardest thing for people in charge to remember is that they didn’t always know everything. Someone taught them as well.
My son Maison would live in his room and on his phone or on his game if I would allow it. Over the years I have tried to get him interested in motorcycles, four wheelers or hunting to no avail. But recently I bought an old 1979 Trans Am and although it’s nowhere near perfect he loves that old car. So, I remind myself regularly that it is my responsibility to teach him how to work on it and take care of it and if I fuss at him while we are working on the car, he will be less likely to want to work on it with me.
Projects that I would normally do in just a few minutes take four times as long because I need to explain to him what I’m doing and why I did it in that particular order; so, the next time when we do it, he will understand or at least be familiar with what we are doing.
I have some of the best co-workers in the world that are not scared to work. I think that it has a lot to do with the fact that I’m the first one there in the mornings and the last one to leave. I’m first to pick up the shovel, sledge hammer or slide under the trucks to fix them or to operate the equipment. In the evening when the dump trucks come into the yard and one needs a repair so it can work the next day, I don’t have to ask them will they stay late and help get it fixed. We all just jump in there and get it done. That’s what years of experience will teach you.
I hope you are successful in everything you do and I hope you are secure enough to elevate your whole team with you.
Your Mayor in Training,
Rick Allen