We devote a lot of time and space
to productivity enhancements, and because of this some readers have let me have
it between the eyes for making it sound as if I see those developments as a
replacement for operator skill. Not so.
It’s true I believe they can
offer real, bottom-line, moneymaking contributions to a company's balance
sheet—that they can pay for themselves again and again in operational
performance and that helps free workers for other more valuable tasks than
driving stakes in the ground. Yes, they can help less-experienced operators do a
better job. But productivity enhancements by themselves cannot match, much less
replace, the value of a skilled bladehand. Anyone who believes they can is
ignoring a factor of critical importance to both the business owner and the
equipment operator: personal satisfaction.
To the extent these enhancements
are viewed as helpful tools, I champion them and think them invaluable, but we
should never wish or expect them to replace or stand in the way of the actions
of the operator. There are a number of reasons for this, the most important in
my opinion being the sense of pride and achievement that can come only from
knowing that it is our skill that has accomplished a task; otherwise, why
should we care about a job—or even care about coming to work in the first
place?
Finally, in your capacity as a
business owner, if the people who work for you can’t point to a completed
project and say with a measure of pride, “You see that? That's my work,” they’re
not getting one of the fundamental benefits of their chosen occupation, and
you’re not getting the full return on your investment in them and your
equipment.