Keeping distance when managing

One of the great things about operating a machine shop is the potential be successful and thrive whether the shop is small, medium or large. You certainly don’t have to be big to be profitable.

Usually, machine shops are small enterprises, where employees personally interface with owners and managers. Many are family-owned with employee relationships being more intimate than they might be at large companies. This presents a unique set of challenges for a machine shop manager, including how to maintain good relationships with employees, earn their respect and show concern for their well-being. At the same time, you can’t allow yourself to become too involved with their personal lives and must remain objective and manage from a safe distance. That balancing act between professional and personal can be difficult.

At our shop, there are more than 15 employees who have been with us for 10 or more years. They’re almost like extended family. Managing a smaller shop requires balancing these family-like relationships in a fair and unbiased manner. This is not an easy job. It’s important to show respect and even empathy for the personal difficulties of employees. However, establishing boundaries is important to ensure employee relationships remain appropriate and aboveboard.

As the previous owner and company manager before my tenure, my dad employed people he knew personally outside of work, or at least he tried to. He was an involved and pushy boss, but he was also generous and gave people a shot when others wouldn’t. This benefited the company at times, but not always.

One reason he was successful in dealing with employees and balancing his personal and professional relationships was his ability to compartmentalize situations, intently focusing only on the matter at hand. Even if it was a reprimand or otherwise unpleasant experience for the recipient, he could block out the personal aspect of the relationship and move on. He had the ability to handle it without causing distress. The employees still with us were willing to adapt to his personality and approach, and now they’re adapting to mine.

I’m trying to embrace Dad’s thoughtful qualities, understanding that some people deserve a second chance in life. The daily grind of managing a shop can make one cynical about people and their problems, but employees are human and have issues.

A related challenge arises when a worker is promoted to manage a group of what were previously his coworkers. It’s not an easy situation to tackle and much thought should be given to how this arrangement may impact personal relationships. If you’re climbing the career ladder to become a manager but find that doing so causes friction with other employees, maybe your management ambition would be better applied at another company. But, if you are capable of incorporating my dad’s knack for compartmentalization and are not overly sensitive, managing friends or peers can be a great experience. There are many examples of successful job shop owners and managers who were once regular employees at those shops.

Small businesses like machine shops employ tight-knit groups of people who must find a way to operate in a professional manner, personal history aside. If you can master your approach to employee relationships accordingly, management of your team will be far less emotionally draining. CTE