It's ok if I, "Bitch." And people get down on me. I always go for the underdog too. In this case the underdog is someone who cant speak for themselves. When I sit down and explain why something works the way it does or why its in our best interest to do something a certain way. It all goes in one ear and out the other. For example...
Were pretty slow right now. So the ceramist helped me out by grabbing 6 cases to waxup for press. I said use wax A because its clean. (I keep the lid on it and try hard to keep it clean as a whistle, I even wrote, "KEEP CLEAN" on the lid.) But they chose to use an old beige wax that's been sitting out in the open for over a year and has god knows what floating around in it and little bits and pieces of stone and I dunno dead knats and just dirty. So they waxed one up and I saw and reminded them why I said use wax A. And they continued to complete all 6 waxups in dirty wax...
And even though I turned the dipping pot on and explained to use it and to even then readapt the shoulders before beginning the waxup, they chose not too. So when I showed them the voids that need to be fixed, they said it was cause it kept breaking. To which I explained that's another reason to dip the dies. If you dip the dies you have a nice flexible backbone or wax frame to apply the brittle carving wax too.
It all went in one ear and out the other....
So the next morning, I come in at 5:30, crank some Pandora, and sit down and begin to seal the margins under the microscope and spru/invest/etc... but have to readapt everything and almost start over...
So I'm not barking, I'm just saying, Use this wax, this is why. But they just don't wanna play along. And its like that, with almost everything.
Do this, This way, And this is why... then they do almost the opposite...
And I wont be going anywhere, I love this lab and my employer is bad ass too. My employer has a unique situation over here that I love being a part of, even if its a small role, I want to be a part of it.
Any advice on the best way to get your coworkers or employees to listen to you is greatly appreciated. A dental lab is a different atmosphere than most workplaces. So when I try to find good resources online about communication in the workplace, its mostly information that doesn't fit a dental labs atmosphere. I know the best way to be a good manager is first, your people need to like you. So I do what I've seen bosses that I loved do which is simple,
when someone needs help, help them. When someone wants to talk, listen. When someone has an idea, consider it, etc... I've had some great managers and employers before that did a great job because people liked them. I remember one at a large lab, if she needed something done, no matter how much of a pain in the ass it was, all of her techs would volunteer to go the extra mile for her. Because they knew that when they needed something, she would be there. So that's one thing I make sure of, when someone needs something, I'm there.
Anyway, my coffee was delicious and so was my bagel, its 6 am, time to get started, Pandora commence.
