Don’t expect your engineering credentials to impress many people at your landfill. Be ready to earn their respect the old-fashioned way.
Adam Jochelson, P. E., MOLO
“Frat-Boy Engineer!” That’s what they called me for the first couple months. And I probably don’t have to tell you that it wasn’t meant as a compliment. I didn’t join a fraternity at Duke, but aside from the fact that the label was inaccurate, I can hardly blame them for the sentiment. I had documents and plaques attesting to my understanding of the engineering principles of the facility, but that meant little to guys who had spent more years than I’d been alive operating landfill equipment.
It was clear from the start that if I wanted respect from my landfill operators, I was going to have to earn it and I was okay with that. It was plainly obvious to me who were the most important people at the facility, and that I wasn’t looking at one of them in the mirror. Keep in mind that my first day at McCommas Bluff, was in fact my first day at a landfill.
Respect Begets Respect
Respect and appreciation doesn’t come easily at a landfill. It takes hard work to earn your stripes, but the effort is well worth the reward. Remember that completion of any project at your facility will require a team effort. So you need to make sure everyone at your facility is on your team. The best way to earn the respect you need for this is to give it in equal measure. Take the time to learn your operators’ experiences and work together with them to implement new policies and practices. Ask them to teach you what they know about operating equipment, pushing and packing waste, managing storm water flow, etc.
By making them stakeholders in the process, you’ll engender confidence in the ultimate solution you want. Plus, you’ll break down barriers to implementation. But you must be sincere in your inclusion of their input. Most people can tell if you’re giving their thoughts serious consideration before proceeding. If it’s obvious that you always end up going forward with your own original plans, you lose any of the benefits reaped by asking them in the first place. You may even end up in a worse place than when you started, because your operators won’t trust your intentions.
Trust Me! I’m an Engineer
Ultimately, the teams that perform best are the ones that trust each other to do what needs to be done to put the group in the best position to win. You plan and prepare together so your execution in the field is as good as you can manage. This requires recognition of the fact that, at any given time, some of the players won’t be in the game, and that sometimes you’ll have let your ideas take a back seat to some of your operators. Some days you’ll be the captain, leading your team toward success. Other days you’ll be pushing from the rear while someone with more experience in a particular skill takes the helm. Still other days, you’ll be on the sideline cheering your guys (and gals) on.
Being good at recognizing the right time to fill each role is a characteristic of quality leadership. If you want a strong team that performs confidently at all times, you must build bonds of trust amongst the group. The best way to do that is to make sure everyone knows that his or her contribution is important, and that their voices are heard and considered in the planning stages. It takes time and effort to reach that goal, but the benefits pretty much always outweigh the costs. And once you’re there, it’s like a gift that keeps on giving.
Long-Term Loyalty
I had to overcome a lot of skepticism when I first arrived at McCommas Bluff Landfill. My education and degree didn’t garner automatic respect from the equipment operators. To overcome their reservations, I spent several years asking them to teach me what they knew, show me how to do it myself, and let me prove that I could do it too. Because of that, when the time came that I needed them to help me complete important projects, they were ready to go to bat for me. That kind of loyalty doesn’t come easy, and it doesn’t die quickly either.
I left my position at the City of Dallas on my birthday in 2011. I’ve been gone over four years now, but the guys I worked with there still stop me for a chat whenever I’m back onsite (I visit pretty regularly) or if I see them out and about. They let me know how the place is running, and ask me when I’m coming back to work there. There have definitely been times that I’ve considered the idea of returning to McCommas Bluff—I’ve yet to act on that impulse. But it’s nice to know that I had a positive impact on the place and that I’m missed.
Adam Jochelson, P. E., MOLO, is a Landfill Engineer and Facility Specialist working for GeoShack, Inc. (Dallas, TX), where he promotes the application of cutting edge technologies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of landfill operations. Adam built his knowledge and techniques over a nine-year period as the onsite engineer at McCommas Bluff Landfill in Dallas, TX. His unique experiences in engineering and other fields have combined to create an exceptional understanding of the various challenges inherent in landfill planning, design, and operations. Adam can be reached at (972) 342-3055 or via e-mail at [email protected].