Don't Let Shit Fall Through the Cracks. Literally.

Muck fork minus one critical tine!

As a leader, I always felt the most basic responsibility I had was to make sure my team had the right tools for the job. And that those tools worked. When they didn’t and it was out of my control it was THE most frustrating thing! In that case transparency is your best friend. Make sure people know you’re aware and working on solutions. 

I was reminded of that when I went out to muck the pasture and discovered that since my last shift, one of the tines had broken off the muck fork. You wouldn’t think that a big deal…but this tool was ENGINEERED based on the average diameter of a ball of manure. With just ONE tine is missing - it took me 3x as long to do the job to my standard.

Now I could have just left the dung that fell through the crack…that just isn’t how I work. But if you leave an essential work tool nonfunctional - people will eventually adapt and just let shit fall through the cracks. And we start to wonder about job satisfaction. I usually find mucking incredibly zen…but with the damaged fork is was not. < Hence this reflection! > We also start to wonder about productivity. 

Check in regularly on tools and make sure your team knows to speak up if they aren’t working.

I don’t advocate thinking of people as tools but in this analogy…it works. If you have a team member who isn’t quite getting the job done it has the same impact on your team as a broken muck tine.

Nobody wants to have coaching conversations…but they are essential. Fine your zen as a leader having hard conversations. That one talent will pay huge dividends in respect.

Addressing issues when the first tine breaks is key. When 3 or 4 of those babies are gone - you’re wasting money and time.