In my experience, clean-water plant managers and superintendents have one important thing in common: They are not interested in taking all the credit for their
plants' performance.
When we ask about possibly interviewing them for
feature stories in TPO, we often hear: "Can I include some members of my staff?" Or some variation on that theme.
They have learned an important principle of leadership: That as leaders they are only as good as their teams.
What brought this to light for me was a note from a reader and U.S. Air Force veteran, responding to an article I wrote for another magazine about military officers and their leadership methods. "I will tell you that officers don't get the job done — non-commissioned officers (NCOs) do," he wrote. "These people are the front-line leaders in any unit, be it a combat team or a maintenance unit.
"For all that is said about the military academy graduates, they owe it all to those wearing stripes. Oddly enough, most in the officer corps think it is their grand ideas and actions that get things done. It would never happen, and mistakes are often undone and put right by those with stripes.
"All good officers will credit NCOs for their success. And those NCOs will in turn credit the troops who work with them. Too many officers never seem to get around to mentioning the outstanding performance of those who serve under them."
Out of the way
Now, this may be just one person's opinion — perhaps only a minority of high military officers think and act as
described. At the same time, in the private sector, one can argue that high-profile CEOs get all the credit for their companies' fortunes, while no one mentions the brilliant inventors, the tireless sales managers, the incredibly efficient shop floor workers, and others whose roles were essential.
Be all that as it may; we seem not to have this issue in the clean-water business. In fact, if one can draw conclusions from articles in this magazine, the number one leadership skill among plant managers and supervisors is knowing enough to get out of the way and let highly capable people do their jobs. And then — no small matter — making sure those same people get recognized, if not in splashy public displays, then at least among their industry peers.
That's why team pictures are important components of feature stories we publish. It's never just one or two people who are responsible for a plant's excellent performance, or even for an individual operator's success. Clean water is truly and always a team sport.
From the ground up
For an excellent example of teamwork, see the July issue's profile on the Rock Falls (Ill.) Water Reclamation Facility. They went a step further: Plant personnel worked hand-in-glove with the engineers to design a brand-new facility. Now that plant and process stand as monuments to professional respect and collaboration.
If the plant should ever win an award for its design, you can bet the engineers from Willett Hofmann & Associates won't be hogging the spotlight. And if the plant should win an award for operating performance, it's easy to envision both engineers' and operators' hands holding up the trophy.
There's a popular saying that has been attributed to everyone from Harry Truman to John Wooden to Ralph Waldo Emerson: "It's amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit."
Perhaps a corollary would be: "It's amazing how productive a workplace can be when everyone shares the credit." That seems to be the way things work at clean-water plants around the country.
