A little over a year ago I changed jobs, giving up a team of 11 for a team of... well... me. It was a great move, and I still maintain contact with my old team, so I don't feel like I've "lost" anything. I've gained, instead, a new happiness.

Tonight, though, I want to brag on "my" new crew. They don't really report to me, though I've been camped out with them for a couple of months now, bringing them up to speed on building a new product.

In about February, we brought one person into the new production area to start building the simplest of the subassemblies on a new product. She's young (a full generation younger than me!), inquisitive, and motivated. She and I worked together to build the first subs, document the processes, and start picking up subsequent operations.

About a month ago, we brought in three more people. In that time this crew has taken over all the subassemblies and the main assemblies (from the tech group, who has previously done all the assembly work). By Friday, we'll "own" the entire process (and the tech guys will set to work on a new product).

Why am I bragging on them?
1) They're a good crew, each of them motivated and detail-oriented.
2) Two who were not particularly computer-oriented, have become proficient with some of the computer-based operations as easily as learning to ride a bike.
3) We're cross-training, so everybody in the room can perform every task.

This afternoon, that cross-training and their collective motivation paid off. We got in a slight pinch, trying to meet a deadline on a particular five-unit order. I worked on part of the process, trying to get set up to build those units tomorrow, but preparing to stay around post-shift to get it done.

As I looked around the room, though, two others had switched places, moved materials, and picked up the operations that feed the one I was working on, without missing a beat. At 4:55, "my" youngest asked, "do you want me to stay and help?" She had plans this evening, and I wasn't about to ask her to stay. She picked up the tools next to where I was working, grabbed the next kit, and finished it off. At 5pm, the floor was swept and the room was dark. We'd finished the order, thus giving time for a few components to settle overnight. Tomorrow we'll test, pack, and ship. Her final question? "Hey, when we own all this next week, what are you going to do?"

Love my job!

Congrats! Nothin better than "real" teamwork.

It's something else when an entire team is locked in. Like a tight band where all the members can just pick up and play after time away from one another.

I've been on some great teams in my working career. Unfortunately they never last long due to various reasons but when we were together, it was great.

That’s pretty fantastic. The willingness of the younger one, to stay and help. You don’t find that very often.

I suspect that you’re a good organizer.

Glad for your new happiness!

Awesome! Having a self motivated team is a sign of good leadership.
Congrats!

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:
That’s pretty fantastic. The willingness of the younger one, to stay and help. You don’t find that very often.

I'm afraid that's true. This young lady, though, is something else. She's the youngest of the bunch, but if I have any say in who gets moved into a crew leader position, I'll be recommending her. Math isn't really her thing, and she admits it, but she's happy to learn and when it comes to proofreading the prints and assembly documents, she doesn't cut any slack!

The crew stepped it up today, dealing with a half-dozen changes in schedule, building five R&D units, and still shipping three more units than yesterday.

- - - -

Thank you for the compliment, Eddie.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
and still shipping three more units than yesterday

And four more than that, today!

It's a beautiful thing. I've been fortunate to have been on some very good teams.

Sounds like great leadership to me.

— OLD THREAD ALERT —

I just wanted to say, I’ve still got a great crew. We’re up to five on the team now. One’s part-time, and that’s all I’ll say about that. The other four, though, kick butt.

Yep… still love my job!

Glad to read this update. Much of what you posted resonates with me as I work with great people and have several that I mentor and really enjoy working with. I also love my job and am grateful that I do.

One thing I am able to do is appreciate things like this in the moment, vs looking back months or years later and thinking “man I didn’t realize how good that team was”.

It’s one of the best feelings in the world. Good stuff.

That's a great feeling knowing you've built a good team.

BZ, VThoky! As others have said, it’s a very special feeling. Brings back memories of when I had to cobble together a team with research money until we could demonstrate the benefits of our program. Esprit de corps!