A Series of Uncomfortable Conversations

I've been a manager longer than I've been an operator. Wastewater operators already have a lot to learn and I was foolish enough to hop headlong into management of an industry where at the time every single person was older than me. It was quite challenging but it really helped me take ownership of my career, learning, and appreciate the leadership structure a lot more than I ever would have if I hadn’t taken a leap into the seedy underbelly of management. Here are a few takeaways:

As a young (and very green) manager, I implemented the only successfully strategy I could: I listened to the older operators that were under my management. I asked lots of questions, truly and honestly wanting answers only learned from years of their experience. The amount of wastewater and water study material out there is vast, but institutionalized knowledge specific to the plant you’re at is pretty scarce. That is because a lot of the old timers have retired and there hasn’t been a very good emphasis on succession planning at most facilities. It’s even worse if you’re working contract operations as you probably won’t have anyone to rely on that actually worked that plant. If you do, count yourself lucky. If you’re a licensed operator you should already have the general wastewater knowledge, you just need to refine it with your the plant specific knowledge. So, that’s what I did and it worked out quite well for me. It allowed me to earn the respect of some of the older operators, and they imparted to me every valve that hadn’t been turned in years or piece of equipment that no longer worked. You’ll really want to know those things when you have to bypass or isolate flows.The last thing you want to be doing is digging through ancient as-builts while you’re trying to manage a rain event. You’ll quickly understand the trust you need to build with your operators as you can’t run these plants by yourself. If you do try and go it alone, you’ll be crushed by the responsibility.

Another thing I quickly realized is that the picture is a lot bigger than I had ever knew just working as an operator. Doing rounds, maintenance, and lab are all important but I never put much thought into how that is all managed. Making schedules, overseeing workload, and trying to navigate personnel issues (of which there are numerous), were all things I never really factored into of running a plant. Additionally learning about monthly operating reports, budgeting, asset management programs was very overwhelming. I thought the boss had it easy and I quickly realized, well, I was dead wrong. Once you break the various aspects down to their individual parts it becomes much easier. The personnel issues never do, at least not for me.

Finally, be ready to have many uncomfortable conversations with people. This is a very harsh reality I have faced, especially since I am a pretty non-confrontational person. I never thought I’d have to remind people they have to do the job they signed up for and is clearly stated in their job description. I never thought I’d have to tell people it isn’t acceptable to sleep on the job or stash pornography mags around the plant (that should tell you something about the age of that individual). However, those are all real discussions that I have had to have in addition to following up with progressive discipline on such matters. It is never easy but it is going to happen to you if you choose to enter the managements side of things.

If none of the things above sound like something you want to do, I suggest you stick to be being an operator. If you decide you want to step up into management, be ready to be overwhelmed, under appreciated, and frustrated. You’ll have far too many uncomfortable conversations that never seem to end. You’ll feel alone and often times the responsibility of it all will feel like too much. But if you spend as much time honing your soft skills as you do your technical skills, you’ll survive. If you break things down into smaller chunks, build solid teams that you can rely on, and take a truly collaborative approach, you will likely succeed. You’ll grow into an even better operator but you’ll now have the skills that translate into other industries. Management can be hard but it is also incredibly rewarding. Seeing your operators grow and pass their certifications is great. Seeing projects for your plant from design to construction is one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do as water industry professional. That project will often outlast your lifetime, so just think of it that when the engineers drive you insane (they will). In the end the darkness will pass and there will be light.