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Some, not all, young people in the industry often want to know what it takes to get into management. The answer is simple to state, a bit more difficult to execute. It is this: perform beyond expectations and become known for it.

However, before we go further into this (likely next week), let's discuss some matters that you can use to test yourself to determine if you have the disposition to be a manager.

First, you must be absolutely legal, moral and ethical in your dealings with your company and other people, whether your actions are known or unknown.

Next, you have to start to develop an interest in the goings on at your company from the company's point of view, not just your own. This means you must start thinking about the P & L (Profit & Loss) statement. I am not saying you have to be an accountant, but you have to be cognizant of, and leverage where you can, those things that spin the invoice printer (that is, produce income) and slow the writing of checks (that is, reduce outflow). Expect to develop finesse in these areas as time goes on, for not all activities that spin the invoice printer are good for the long run, nor are all things that slow the writing of checks good for the long run.

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Examples? If you could sell your paper machine, you would have created a big day for your company today, but what will it do tomorrow? Likewise (and you know this is one of my favorites), you can avoid spending money on maintenance today but there will be hell to pay down the road.

One of the greatest real life examples of someone not ready for management occurred a few years ago at a company I was advising. An engineer who had generally operated as a one person department expressed interest in going into management. The mill did not have a maintenance manager and this person was given the assignment temporarily. He had not been in the position long when there was a shutdown day. Along about 11:30 in the morning, his maintenance crew was in the process of removing a press roll. It was about half way out of the machine. He left them and left the campus to go to lunch!

When he got back, I chewed him out, even though he didn't work for me. His retort was, "You didn't expect me to skip lunch, did you?" Well, actually, at that point, yes, I did. In fact, that is the reason we have vending machines in the mill. After, not during, the roll changing operation, IF the whole crew took a break, then he could, too. He did not make permanent maintenance manager.

In the military, at chow time, chow is served in order of lowest rank to highest rank. This is a good example for the work environment and does not apply only to meal time.

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I had the opportunity once to become the maintenance manager in a mill, a promotion from a staff position. Actually, I was given maintenance, technical, powerhouse--essentially anything that was not production. It was a great opportunity. A few weeks after I showed up, a new senior executive over the whole complex arrived. The place was a mess and having emergency breakdowns day and night.

Many months later, this senior executive told me that when he took over a facility, he usually fired a direct reporter early on, just to get everyone's attention. He had looked over all the resumes of his direct reporters and, having the least experience in my job, I was in his sights. However, after a couple of weeks he realized that when there was a crash or something went bump in the night, I always called him from the scene of the disaster. In short order, he decided I was the only one of his direct reporters he could not do without.

What did I say at the beginning of this column? Perform beyond expectations and become known for it. I did it without even trying, just because that is the way I think.

Only you know if you can pass the test I have given you here. However, you can take our quiz this week for more enlightenment on this subject. You can take it here.

Safety goes hand-in-hand with being a good manager. If you have a poor safety record, you will never get the chance at management.

Be safe and we will talk next week.

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