Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
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4. You have a team to support you • Reach out and ask for help. You do not need to carry the weight of this alone. We do not always need to be the smartest person in the room and as you look around your team, empower them; let them have a part in the learning and the success that will come. • I have always believed that the answers will be found in the room. Lean on your team and trust them to do their jobs. 5. The answers are indeed in the room • Empower your team to speak their minds if they have a better or innovative solution to an issue. Anything less than that is a disservice to one another, to your organi- zation and to the voiceless equipment you are charged with managing. • I know that I expect — no, I demand — that kind of thinking and leadership from my oncology team. Wouldn't you? 6. Take bad thoughts captive • Do not let your bad thoughts live rent-free in your head. By this, I mean we tend to worry about things that never happen. We worry about things we do not have control over — things that happen regardless if we worry or not. Lastly, we worry about things from yesterday or tomorrow, and because both of those are days we do not have, we only make today worse and counterproductive. • Put your energy into things you have direct control and influence over. Be aware of the other things and learn from them but have a short memory (that includes the good and the bad). Tomorrow is a day found only on a fool's calendar. 7. You are in charge of the data • Not the other way around. All these things are tools — arrows in your quiver; use them wisely, but do not be a victim of analysis paralysis. ink of this as using the proper wrench size and type (metric or SAE) for the proper application. • Do not be a victim. If you have an oil analysis program that triggers water at too low of a ppm and you have zero capa- bility of achieving that, then make relevant and applicable adjustments. e same would go for ISO Particle Count Cleanliness and other test flags. If you do not take charge of your data, all you have is white noise or a dashboard of yellow and red alerts that are demoralizing, and your team will lose focus. 8. If not me, then who? • Our world is always looking for somebody else to do the job and take the blame, so inevitably it gets overlooked. If you see a need, take charge. You do not have to be the leader to be in charge; leadership is about influence. It is all about super accountability and if everyone could apply just a bit of that, think of what our improvements could be. 9. Anything worth doing is worth doing well • Our world is full of mediocrity, so do not strive to be the second best. • Stop for a moment and think of all the Olympic Medal Winners, from Gold to Silver to Bronze and even those that might miss the medal platform alto- gether. In many cases, only tenths of seconds separate first from fourth and beyond. Strive to be the best as humanly possible within your capabilities. In the end, all we are responsible for is our atti- tude and our efforts. 10. When faced with unwelcome news, press in • Everything is not about you but should be about others. When life throws you a curve ball, swing for the fence. Be a blessing to others on your team. Do not be a complainer but rather a solution provider. A bad attitude is truly just like a cancer: it seeks to eat, destroy and devour all that is good. Life owes none of us anything but a chance and what we do with that chance is completely up to us. • In a comparable manner, think of how you can apply this philosophy to your job as a maintenance or engineering profes- sional. You speak on behalf of your equipment — your assets that do not have a voice and cannot speak on their own behalf. Every day, week, month and year, countless components will fail (with many failures being lubricant-related). Having a vigilant, well-informed oil anal - ysis program is one of the best steps to take. My father used to say to me, "Do not be a dumb smart guy; do not let your fancy schooling and book learning get in the way of your real education and learning when you are in the field working with old Bessie — the engine, pump and hydraulic system. If you listen closely to her, she will tell you what is happening, what is ailing her." Conclusion I have many challenges before me with my health, and if anything, this has taught me to value what is important: to love people and to always be willing to pass along what I know to make our world a better place. Employing a state of urgency causes self-reflection in establishing my personal and professional priorities, such as what I do today and what really counts from an eternal perspective. I look at what impact I have on the lives of those I work with, being a servant leader and leaving a legacy when I have taken my last breath. At present, my prognosis has been a "watch-and-wait," meaning that just like a maintenance professional, I will take more frequent "oil" samples and then do triggered testing based on those results. I will closely watch the trends, react accordingly, and do my absolute best to take care of myself with rest, nutrients, exercise and ensure a healthy work-life balance. When we have our health, we have everything and should pattern or copy this approach to some extent into our profes- sional lives. Our equipment will run itself to destruction if we let it. It is not sentient and depends on you to be its advocate. ML COVER STORY 12 | September - October | www . machinerylubrication.com