What kind of a crew leader are you?

[tree md]

Being that most climbers are the crew leaders in most operations I was just wondering what kind of crew leaders some of you are. I am totally type A personality and have been known to be a hot head. Especially when things are not going my way. I have mellowed out a lot over the past few years but I still have my moments.

I have been doing trees a long time and I know everything from technical removal to raking the yard and like for things to be done my way as I believe I have it down to a science. Over the past few years I have been taking a look at how I manage and have made a few changes. Used to be I would bury my crew with brush and get a little irate when things didn't go fast enough for me. I was kind of taught like that. I get up in the morning on fire and I'm in a rush to do everything. If someone is taking to long to do something I get highly pissed. Here of late I have been asking myself why be mad all the time. I am learning to slow down a little so things will run a little smoother. It is no good for anyone to keep up a level of intensity where people are uncomfortable and feel under pressure. My jobs seem to have been going a lot smoother over the past few years since I have taken it down a notch. Some days I like to think I am even enjoyable to work with. I have tried really hard to quit micro managing everything. Instead of getting irate with someone I try to take the time to show them how I want something done instead of getting irate about it. My biggest pet peeve is raking. I cannot stand to see someone rake from the truck to the work area. I mean it is elementary to me to see that you need to start out at the furthest point and work your way to the truck so you're not carrying piles over the area that you just cleaned up. Amazing how many people do not get that.

Here is a couple of things that I do to make sure I have a good day. Gas, oil and start the saws myself in the morning so I don't have to take the chance of getting pissed at someone for flooding a saw or not getting an oil cap on correctly. Be a little more understanding when someone doesn't know something and take the time to walk them through it. Don't bury my guys then set up there with lots of hang time getting pissed off. If I do bury them, I get down and help. Always back the trucks up myself when I can. I cannot stand to see someone fool around forever trying to back in.

Anyway, Just some random #### I have been thinking about. I figure life is too short to stay pissed off all the time. And I don't want to rush someone into an accident. So I have tried to take it down a notch and not have everyone running around on pins and needles.

So what kind of crew leader are you?

 

[Mike Cantolina]

You don't realize how much you know until you're around someone who doesn't know squat. Lol

 

[tree md]

My groundy has been with me for 5 years now. He is pretty good but if you want to see me get irate, let me have to tell him something I have already told him a thousand times!!!

 

[dh1984]

well i try to take it easy on my crew because if i don't i would get the snot knocked out of me.

the reason they would knock the snot out of me. is their all my brothers and they don't do well with someone is trying to work them to death.

besides i like it clean up under where i drop limbs and brush at because it is safer for my crew to work. then i don't have to worry about dropping anything on them while they are clearing brush up.

 

[Mike Cantolina]

I usually don't get worked up unless it's something dangerous. Remember to catch them doing something right around others and correct them in private if possible. Also remember that doing ground work is a job that is extremely hard to stay focused on, especially if you've been doing it for a while. Also, if they've never climbed it is really hard for them to put their selves in your shoes.

I hope that came out right, I'm getting tired.

 

[beastmaster]

As I get older I have mellowed out a lot. I have come to understand that lots of people lack common sense. I also now realize most people don't care, and its not often a grounds men matches my standards. I use to take it personal if my rope was tangled up in dropped limbs, or my saw is sent up with no gas. Or how about everyone wanting to go use the bathroom as soon as lunch is over. It bothers me when everyone is off doing their own thing instead of working together. Why can't they work smart? but insist on making it harder by not thinking ahead. I really hate it when I ask if something is on the truck and I get a ,''should be", How about when you come out of the tree to help the grounds men, and one of them all of a sudden now wants to spend 10 min. putting your rope in the bag while you carries rounds up the hill
i now realize everyone is doing the best they can, and I'm not as critical. It does no good to get mad and yell, it pisses them off, and frustrates you.
I use to think I could set an example and others would follow, but that doesn't seem to work either. You have to just except what you got and find each persons strengths and know their weaknesses and deal with it. These days if their not stoned on the job and wear their helmets I'm happy.
A few months ago I had it with several guys, and went old school on them after work. I'm not as tough as I use to be, and I guess I got the hell kicked out of me. but it sure got their attention. Its just not worth getting to upset over.

 

[hunthawkdog]

reults

i have goood results with rewarding them and praise. finding someone that wants to kick brush for a living is hard . i make it ther saw or ther truck and ask ther opinion even though i dont care about the response . when the hired man feels like hes a part of the works i think it takes out some of the drudgery out . if they think ther only gonna get 10 an hour what do they have to strive for i tell em if we get done under 8 hr on job there is a bonous and if we eat out i pay . if they got problems at home i try to help . it makes some try harder some dont care sooner or later you get a loyal one . then you treat him like your best dog and let him ride in the cab. a good hired man is an asset not an expense . ive beeen yelled at and gone fistacufs on site and yelled and acted a fool and none of that did anyone any good . yea i get burned by the help oh well . when you get a guy who needs a chance and he succeds even if he moves on it makes all the loses worht it

 

[formationrx]

im a complete ####### jerk!

just kiddin...
i got all the patience in the world or i got none at all.... there is no in between... anyone can be stupid once... twice i warn them and their ain't no third time... i demand that the crew listen... and show a decent rate of forward progress... when working i try to blend with their individual styles/talents..... everyone MUST work together as single unit in the most efficient way possible. you get more with sugar then you do with salt. i m good to my guys who earn it...and fire anyone who sucks immediately... they are a danger or they slow things down way too much. i expect them to do what they say they are going to do... i dont like lazy ####s, alcoholics, potheads, or people who sell themselves as something they are not. i hate too much talking on the job site and people coming to work improperly rested.... a positive attitude is a must... complainers are gone quick. i look for adaptability and those who can think on their feet... everyone must respect themselves, each other, and all the equipment.... i prank the hell out of the guys ..and they get me back pretty good too.... everyone has to have manners and feel they have the freedom to express themselves or ask a question. i dont have strictly ground men... at some point everyone learns to climb. i m good to my crew and in return they are good to me. i realize most people cant do this kinda work... and i m glad i have the ones i do... a good crewman is worth his weight in gold...

 

[TimberMcPherson]

I have worked around high stress, micro managing, shouting prats, who although knew there job, could only run a crew by whipping them. Makes for stressed out crews, high staff turnover and more injuries and damages. On of my guys, a really good worker and climber wouldnt even show if this guy was going to be running things he wound everyone up so tight. Guys nearly go killed around him because they were being yelled at to do 10 things at once.

In treework and racing, smoothness creates speed. Speed made for the sake of speed is unstable and fleeting.

 

[tree md]

Ahh, the rope rollers.... You're always gonna have the guy who wants to grab a rope and start coiling it or putting it in the bag when it's time to start carrying rounds. I tell them number 1 to never touch my climbing line unless I instruct them to. Actually, I like for the ropes to be kept in the bags and spooled out as needed, then flaked back in the bag when not in use. It makes rope management so much easier. Amazing how many people don't get that either. I had one young guy working for me a couple of years back who was a little light in the britches. I was topside sending down chunks and of course I could see what everyone was doing. He kept trying to hide from my other guy who was older and considerably bigger when they it was time to move the larger pieces (it was a big tree). I chuckled to myself because I knew he was tired and not used to the work. I told him Kyle you've got to help Nate with the rounds because that's what buddies do for each other and he started picking up the slack. I think it's funny to watch how the guys will do anything to get out of carrying a round.

I agree, making them feel part of the whole operation, that their opinions matter and giving them "their" own saw helps but nothing I have found helps more than $$$.

We prank around a lot as well. That tends to help everyone bond and lessens the drudgery. I try to make everyone feel important. I don't do a lot of yelling anymore. I do snap sometimes when I am doing something risky and they are not following directions but I explain once I get on the ground that it is sometimes stressful on me up there. I used to work for an old guy when I was younger that yelled, berated and belittled everyone on the crew. His operation didn't run very smoothly and to be frank, he is dead now.

Groundwork is drudgery so I do things to try to make the day a little easier like buying lunch and I will usually ice down a water mellon to eat on breaks in the hot Summer. I tell them it doesn't matter if we finish at 2 or 5, the pay is the same. That usually puts a little pep in their step.

 

[Kottonwood]

Ahh, the rope rollers.... You're always gonna have the guy who wants to grab a rope and start coiling it or putting it in the bag when it's time to start carrying rounds. I tell them number 1 to never touch my climbing line unless I instruct them to. Actually, I like for the ropes to be kept in the bags and spooled out as needed, then flaked back in the bag when not in use. It makes rope management so much easier. Amazing how many people don't get that either. I had one young guy working for me a couple of years back who was a little light in the britches. I was topside sending down chunks and of course I could see what everyone was doing. He kept trying to hide from my other guy who was older and considerably bigger when they it was time to move the larger pieces (it was a big tree). I chuckled to myself because I knew he was tired and not used to the work. I told him Kyle you've got to help Nate with the rounds because that's what buddies do for each other and he started picking up the slack. I think it's funny to watch how the guys will do anything to get out of carrying a round.

I agree, making them feel part of the whole operation, that their opinions matter and giving them "their" own saw helps but nothing I have found helps more than $$$.

We prank around a lot as well. That tends to help everyone bond and lessens the drudgery. I try to make everyone feel important. I don't do a lot of yelling anymore. I do snap sometimes when I am doing something risky and they are not following directions but I explain once I get on the ground that it is sometimes stressful on me up there. I used to work for an old guy when I was younger that yelled, berated and belittled everyone on the crew. His operation didn't run very smoothly and to be frank, he is dead now.

Groundwork is drudgery so I do things to try to make the day a little easier like buying lunch and I will usually ice down a water mellon to eat on breaks in the hot Summer. I tell them it doesn't matter if we finish at 2 or 5, the pay is the same. That usually puts a little pep in their step.

Yup.... a well paid crew is a beautiful thing indeed. My lowest paid guy makes 15 an hour. I grew up around crazy micro managing climber/foremans and underpaid, underskilled groundmen. I used to wonder how anyone could do this job for longer than a couple years with all the #######s and ####ty bosses you had to work with.

I never get mad on the jobsite, or at least I don't let it show to much. I put a lot of responsibility on my groundmen and they take a lot of pride in what they do, one of my GM is actually a CA..... We are to the point now that the only thing I really have to critique them on is silly #### like bucking logs to lengths divisible by 18". Things go a lot smoother when everyone takes pride in the job and doesn't want any screw ups........ also having a mini loader to lift logs has really made a big impact on morale! When #### does go wrong I just take it in stride and remind myself that things go wrong in this business, so get it fixed and move on.


oh yeah... It's a rule on my site, climber coils his own rope..... GM can handle the rigging lines though.

 

[treemandan]

I think its a pretty bad idea to make " the climber" assume the role of " crew leader".

 

[lone wolf]

[video=youtube;1OZS6wem7OQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OZS6wem7OQ[/video]

 

[Pelorus]

As I get older my standards seem to be getting higher, and my patience level is going down. One example: some guys have ten thumbs and no fingers. Try to show them to tie a simple knot like a bowline, and you might as well discuss the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve with an amoeba. Same results.

Ask them what kind of tree you are about to climb, and get maple instead of oak. Even though their bodies work hard enough, their brains are somewhere else. Tired of equipment getting left behind on jobsites after everything is supposed to get squared away. Tired of sharpening saws that get run into the dirt. Tired of babysitting guys that have zero interest in the occupation other than the $$$. Really hoping the new mini skid is gonna be able to replace one or two humans.

 

[lone wolf]

I think its a pretty bad idea to make " the climber" assume the role of " crew leader".

You are 100 percent correct!How can you control a situation from a tree top tied in and out of earshot?

 

[tree MDS]

As I get older my standards seem to be getting higher, and my patience level is going down. One example: some guys have ten thumbs and no fingers. Try to show them to tie a simple knot like a bowline, and you might as well discuss the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve with an amoeba. Same results.

Ask them what kind of tree you are about to climb, and get maple instead of oak. Even though their bodies work hard enough, their brains are somewhere else. Tired of equipment getting left behind on jobsites after everything is supposed to get squared away. Tired of sharpening saws that get run into the dirt. Tired of babysitting guys that have zero interest in the occupation other than the $$$. Really hoping the new mini skid is gonna be able to replace one or two humans.

Welcome to the tree service!!

 

[lone wolf]

You should be able to get some good ones that are willing to learn.I see what you mean most are stupid not ignorant.Get one with a good attitude towards learning not just some dope that needs money for meth.And keep a close eye on them when dropping logs from aloft or chipping!

 

[superjunior]

The rope coilers....I got two and it drives me nuts. They know not to touch my climbing line but they like to take their sweet ass time coiling the rigging lines, and they still can't get it right. Theyre not tree guys..as much as I'm trying to mold them, they are just not tree guys. Some guys got saw chips in their blood and some never will.

 

[dh1984]

You should be able to get some good ones that are willing to learn.I see what you mean most are stupid not ignorant.Get one with a good attitude towards learning not just some dope that needs money for meth.And keep a close eye on them when dropping logs from aloft or chipping!

thats well said Lone wolf i ran in to a couple of guys that just work to get something to get high with.

They ask me for a job and i told them i'm good with my brothers and dad on my crew.

i seen what kind of work they done first hand.Its not good when their customer calls me to clean their mess up that they left.

We got a tree service right now running around cutting trees to get some pills to snort up their nose.Then try to do the job they agreed too.

the reason i know they do pills is we have a drug house down the road from us and we see their truck with their name all over it there every day.And the law won't bust them or do a thing to them.

 

[lone wolf]

thats well said Lone wolf i ran in to a couple of guys that just work to get something to get high with.

They ask me for a job and i told them i'm good with my brothers and dad on my crew.

i seen what kind of work they done first hand.Its not good when their customer calls me to clean their mess up that they left.

We got a tree service right now running around cutting trees to get some pills to snort up their nose.Then try to do the job they agreed too.

the reason i know they do pills is we have a drug house down the road from us and we see their truck with their name all over it there every day.And the law won't bust them or do a thing to them.

You can bet your Ass the law would bust you if you punched one of them Crackhead Junkies!