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Management Side
Week of 9 March 15: Do we require Managers or Technicians? Part II

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Two weeks ago we talked about the attributes of the person who fills the top job in a large pulp and paper company. This week, we are going to tumble a few rungs down the ladder to the role of the production manager.

Common wisdom suggests that this person should have a degree in pulp and paper science, or if not that, perhaps an engineering degree. No matter which, this person certainly must be able to understand the science behind mill operations.

An old friend and I lament that we could probably operate today's paper machines, but that today's paper machine operators could not operate a machine configured as they were forty years ago. It is good news that they don't have to do so, but instructive as to why we believe this. It is simple: machines forty years ago were not computer controlled--you had to know the machine, know where the valves, switches and levers were in order to make it work. Operating today's paper machines is more similar to operating a video game. It appears to us that today's papermakers are far removed from having a feel for the old processes.

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Several people who worked for me in earlier times as process engineers or in similar roles have risen to the level of production manager or higher. However, I am getting reports on some of them concerning their abilities as managers that make me sad. They have focused on being technicians and never learned to be managers. They operate in an autocratic, close-to-the-vest sort of manner. They have not learned the multiplicative power of developing and managing their people. They are getting the job done, but barely. Their employers are not getting nearly all the potential possible out of the assets deployed.

So, what do we need, managers or technicians? The answer is we need both. As a senior manager, you cannot assume your sharpest technical wizard knows anything about management. In fact, it is likely that if they have never been in a management position, they know nothing, or at least very little, about management.

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And I have more news for you--holding an MBA does not mean a person has learned how to be a manager. It depends on concentration--most MBA candidates concentrate on financial analysis. They can put together a mean spreadsheet on businesses about which they know nothing, but they can't manage people.

The best technicians have degrees from one of our fine pulp and paper schools. The best managers are trained by the military. The overall most effective managers have at least some military training as leaders. In fact, the best managers I have known in this business came with a military background and (surprise!) never bothered even to join any sort of pulp and paper technical organization. They received their technical training from courses developed by their employers or sponsored by suppliers. I would put the people I am thinking about up against any manager of any machine or production department in our industry.

I hope that last paragraph did not leave you thinking that I am anti-technical education. Certainly not--in fact, I strongly support more technical education in our industry. My point is this: being technically trained does not automatically mean one is a manager. Companies that don't know this or don't pay attention to it are not operating at their peak performance. It is as simple as that.

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By the way, if you are a mid- to senior-level manager, how do you know whether your direct reports are good managers? You certainly won't find this out by asking them! You have to spend time, lots of time, roaming your areas of responsibility and talking to people. In fact, that is how they did it in the old days. Mid level managers spent lots of time looking down into their organizations, not look up to curry favor with their current bosses. I think we should return to this method of managing, if we want to really build great companies.

What do you think? Am I on the right track or not? Give us your opinion here.

For safety this week, if most companies ran their entire organizations with the care they show their safety initiatives, we would have many better managed companies.

Be safe and we will talk next week.

You can own your Nip Impressions Library by ordering "Raising EBITDA ... the lessons of Nip Impressions."


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