by Carel Two-Eagle

Created on: April 02, 2008

As a manager with over 35 years of supervisory experience, I can state unequivocally that, as a manager, yes, it is important for your employees to like you. That does not mean they are always going to, and some days some of them will definitely dislike you strongly. But if you treat your employees with fairness, firmness, consistency, and an open mind, overall your employees will reward you with higher production and higher-quality production, less absenteeism, and a generally more comfortable working environment than if they don't.

In my first considerable business, I had up to 17 men working for me, for 20 years. I run my operations on the KISS principle, which means, KEEP IT STUPIDLY SIMPLE; the premise being, that everyone is human, and everyone - including yours truly - has Dumb Days. As a result of the KISS principle, there were few questions about what was wanted, and no questions about the rules under which the shop operated.

Among the signs posted in the shop, was one that read, "There is no pecking order here. There is Carel, and the rest of you guys." The reason was simple, and everyone understood it instinctively. I signed the pay checks, therefore I lead the parade. If the parade went through a mud hole, that was OK - I was responsible, since I was "the point guy". If anyone had a problem with this, they didn't come to work for me.

I didn't hire or allow people to come in with alcohol or "recreational" drugs in them, and even in the '70's, we didn't have anyone trying to beat me on it. Violation of this simple, basic safety rule meant instant firing and no good recommendation to a subsequent potential employer. In-house drug-testing was much more difficult then than now, but if I had had any question of the need for it, I would have instituted it and explained it to the crew in terms of safety for all. Work is not a playtime or a playground. Period.

We put work in 12 foreign countries. My guys worked like slaves, but only because they wanted to. When the matter of personal time came up, I told them, "You know when the deadline for completion is. So long as you get your part done, to spec and in time, I don't care if you come in and work from 2 a.m. - 10 a.m. I hire adults, and I expect people to behave accordingly."

As regards employee theft - lately called "shrink" - I told the men, "If you steal from 'the company', you steal from each other. If you do it enough, none of us will have a job. Think about that. There are no free rides. If you really

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