Hands-On

When I worked for an employee-owned book warehouse, I was elected to serve on the board of directors after my second full year. When I told my father about this, he replied, "Well, I guess that says something for you, doesn't it? Or maybe it says something about them."
I rose to a position of relative authority rather quickly on that job. I've been lucky or at least fortunate to have made it to the top - or nearly the top - of each of the jobs I've had over the years. Assistant manager is a pretty safe place to to hang your career. I learned the art of clipboard management early on - making notes and making discerning noises as I watched others perform. Still, the proletariat in me has never allowed me to sit still for long. I'm not much of a desk guy.
I used to get in trouble with the other managers at the book warehouse. They wanted to know why I felt it necessary to continue to do so much labor when there was all that management left to do. I figured that the best leadership came from example, so I tried to be the best employee first, and then added the evaluation, scheduling, and system analysis on top of it. I thought that this would be especially appreciated in an employee owned company. It turns out that I was wrong. As much as my employees appreciated my efforts, the rest of the company belonged in front of a computer on a desk in an office. I was a little too "hands-on" for my own good.
Here's the sad note: Most of the places where I've managed or directed have gone out of business or ceased to be for one reason or another. I hear my father's words again - and then I go back to work.