• Job Title: First-level unit supervisor, reporting to section head.
• Employment History: Eleven years with company, four in present position.
• Education: Now attending four-year undergraduate school at night.
• Personal: 36 years old; 10-year-old daughter; veteran and still active in Air Force Reserve unit as a master sergeant crew chief.

Attends university at night. Course work includes “Industrial Management,” which relates directly to unit’s work, and “Cost Accounting,” which is more applicable to another department’s work. Also enrolled in several company correspondence courses that have helped handle personnel issues in unit more effectively. Wishes to develop professionally. Has expressed interest in taking on other job responsibilities, such as cost accounting, at some point.

Perhaps due to military training, is able to stay calm even under intense pressure.

Example: Several weeks ago, unit was behind schedule due to excessive absenteeism. Denucci’s home caught fire (it later turned out to be a minor problem). Denucci fielded the call from a neighbour, asked another employee to take over, and drove home, all without appearing nervous or upset.

Relaxed temperament extends to dealing with direct reports.

Example: One person in unit complained bitterly about not getting the supervisor’s job that Denucci received four years ago. Employee harassed Denucci, who handled the situation well, did not become visibly angry, and ignored all provocation, including personal attacks.

Demonstrates solid ability to perform a complex job. Work involves tracking detailed materials processing operations, as well as considerable paperwork requiring extensive documentation. Is not always accurate on these reports, but readily acknowledges mistakes and corrects them.

Example: Denucci consistently makes unintentional mistakes each week when documenting waste. Recently, the accounting department surfaced such an error involving materials classification. Denucci quickly made the correction.

Begins work on time when arriving and after any break. Wastes little time talking or visiting, showing concern for other units’ deadlines. Understands how both individual and unit responsibilities fit into the “big picture” of the company’s production processes.

Example: Several months ago, a team of engineering and planning personnel suggested rearranging equipment in the unit, with links to new equipment. A few weeks before the changeover, the team briefed Denucci, who pointed out several potential problems that they had overlooked. Some of these problems could have been serious enough to halt production. Denucci had some other less critical concerns, but they were significant enough that the engineers redesigned the changeover, using Denucci as a consultant. The re-engineering team found Denucci to be decisive, knowledgeable, and confident.

• Job Title: First-level unit supervisor, reporting to section head.
• Employment History: Eleven years with company, four in present position.
• Education: One year of undergraduate work in community college 12 years ago.
• Personal: 37 years old; two sons, ages three and six, and a nine year- old daughter; veteran; participates in civic and religious activities.

Very popular in local community. Spends a lot of time organising hikes, games, and sports activities. Sometimes shows more interest in community activities than work. Takes more time off than usual, and often receives permission to leave early to attend civic or religious committee meetings. Frequently talks about those activities at work. Popular at plant as well. Attracts others to lunch table and to plant softball team. Leadership and friendliness contribute to popularity.

Example: Abadan never abuses coffee or lunch breaks, and neither do direct reports. All return to work immediately after break. Abadan also sets an example by beginning work on time and housekeeping the unit.

Quick to learn. Shows insight in many technical and administrative matters. Readily admits not knowing all the answers, and not afraid to ask questions. Knows that when one person is able to ask, others will be helped.

Example: At a previous supervisor’s meeting, a representative from the plant’s “Methods” group explained upcoming changes in installation, time reporting, and unit count, all due to a new robotics arm being introduced. Abadan seemed to grasp the complex changes quickly and easily.

Readily expresses ideas in meetings and on shop floor.

Example: The other day, another unit supervisor had difficulty integrating some new work operations and discussed the problem with Abadan. A senior plant executive happened to stop in during the discussion. Rather than feel inhibited, Abadan continued to discuss the problem and contributed some valuable new ideas. Soon, Abadan’s section head arrived with two other section heads, who also joined the discussion. When the group reached a decision, one of the section heads asked for a summary of the discussion, which Abadan provided articulately and accurately.

Focuses on completing jobs according to manager’s specifications. During project discussion, seems to successfully sense what section head wants. Explores all angles and expresses opinions, but also listens, so always knows what manager expects.

Does not get upset when things go wrong. Does not blame, but instead reviews situation and notes how to avoid a future recurrence.

Example: A power failure recently occurred while Abadan was supervising the night “make-up force.” This group sets up heavy stamping equipment for the day shift, resetting and clearing all machines to eliminate excess material. Only two of the machines can be reset at one time. Due to miscommunication, three crews tried to reset their machines simultaneously, and the resulting overload blew the main power panel. Abadan quickly responded by setting up emergency lights, appraising the situation, organising the make-up force and calmly explaining to everyone what had happened. Rather than blame the crews, Abadan simply noted how the miscommunication had occurred, so that it would not happen again.

• Job Title: First-level unit supervisor, reporting to section head.
• Employment History: Ten years with company, three in present position.
• Education: High school equivalent.
• Personal: 34 years old; two sons, ages six and nine; mildly active in community and religious organisations.

Can handle many responsibilities simultaneously.

Example: Recently, the section head was out sick just before a scheduled major changeover involving new equipment. The changeover involved a number of units. Santos stepped in to assist the changeover planning group while maintaining the daily work routine.

Is an articulate and compelling speaker.

Example: Several months ago, Santos met with unit employees and spoke to them about the Community Fund Service Campaign. The company president overheard the talk, and later told others how articulate and forthright Santos was. Afterwards, Santos has fulfilled many requests to talk at company or outside functions, without complaining about the extra time demands.

Able to work on special assignments and fit them into the busy daily work schedule, even if it means extra time and effort.

Example: One day in the cafeteria, Santos overheard two unit employees talking with people from another unit about a new production method they were testing. The other group expressed interest, but complained about being excluded. Santos knew that there had been no attempt to exclude others, but felt that there might well be better coordination of the test trials among the supervisors so that everyone would be informed. Santos made this suggestion to the section head, volunteered to coordinate the effort, and did so successfully and cheerfully.

Tackles difficult projects methodically and with dedication.

Example: One of Santos’ assignments was to integrate a new production job into the unit’s normal operations. Santos knew very little about the job, but took the time to ask key questions before beginning the task. Santos then formulated a thorough plan and successfully implemented each step of the integration process: training, job descriptions, quality control measures, and so on. This plan took considerable effort, including overtime and some work on weekends as well.

Works successfully with different kinds of people.

Example: Santos has ten direct reports. Some are new, and others have been at Portersquare for 10 to 15 years. This group consists of many different personalities. One employee frequently irritated the others, and in some other production units would have been disruptive. Santos worked with this person closely, offered valuable suggestions, and enlisted the employee’s cooperation to change.

Has a tendency to harshly criticise others when they fail to meet certain standards, especially concerning performance.

Example: Santos once encountered some employees of another supervisor’s group who were “goofing off” (as Santos put it). Their own supervisor had left work early. The next day, Santos strongly admonished this supervisor to exert more control, set up more rigid rules, and be present to administer them.

Has contributed innovative solutions to the unit’s systems problems in production, quality control, and safety. Initiates projects while informing the section head. Respects section head’s expertise and position, and likes the section head as a person.