Life Is An Injection Molding Machine

Most manufacturing processes take somewhat useless raw materials and turn them into something much more valuable.  This is generally done by reshaping the raw material using a variety of different external forces.  Simple examples might include extreme temperatures or pressures (or both), imparting very high stresses and strains on the material.

 

Injection molding is the process by which small pellets of plastic are quickly shaped into an endless variety of products.  The cold plastic pellets are fed into a heated barrel, where a precision screw advances the material down the barrel.  The screw and barrel work together to melt the material in preparation of forcing the material through a very small hole and into a mold.  The cavity of the mold will determine the final shape of the product.  The product quickly cools, and is removed from the mold, and the process is repeated.  Most of the small common plastic parts you encounter each day are likely injection molded.

 

 

Call me strange, but I have often rehearsed what a conversation might sound like between myself and these little pellets of plastic.  I am quite convinced that it would be full of complaints and confusion coming from the plastic pellets. 

• "Why are you doing this to us?" 
• "We are just fine the way we are." 
• "Don't you know how much this is going to hurt?" 
• "It's too hot!" 
• "The pressure is just too much for us to handle." 
• "The stress and strain is more than we can take."

And with each complaint, I know how I could respond.  After all, if they could just see what I see.

• "Trust me, I know what I am doing."
• "You can take it, I know you can."
• "It wouldn't make sense for me to put you through this if I didn't already know you can do it."
• "It might be hot and stressful, but it will be worth it."
• "If you could see the part you are going to make, you wouldn't be complaining this much."
• "If you could just understand how much worth you will soon have ..."

The entire scenario just seems so obvious from my perspective.  I am taking an insignificant handful of pellets, and shaping them into something wonderful.  The value of which completely justifies the conditions of the process.  In fact, it can't be done any other way.  Without the heat, without the pressure, without the stresses and strains, the end result simply can't be achieved.  The pellets will experience no change, and no progression in their respective purpose.  If I chose to listen to the pellets and relieve them of these extreme conditions, I would be doing them a disservice.

 

Life ... is no different I think.  How often do we, as pellets, find ourselves shaking our fists at the heavens?

• "Why are you going this to me?"
• "I was just fine before things changed."
• "Don't you know how much this hurts?"
• "It's too hot, too much pressure, too much stress, too much strain."
• "I can't take it any longer."
• or the ever popular, "If you loved me, you wouldn't allow this to happen."

And with each confused complaint, a loving Father in Heaven responds in a variety of ways.

• "Trust me, I know what I am doing."
• "You can take it, I know you can."
• "It will be worth it."
• "If you could see what you can become, you wouldn't be complaining this much."
• "If you could just understand your potential and worth ..."

 

The entire scenario must seem so obvious from His perspective.  He is molding us unto something wonderful, the value of which completely justifies the conditions of our existence.  In fact, it can't be done any other way.  Without the trials, without the disappointments, without the pains, the end results simply can't be achieved.  We would experience no change, and no progression. 

 

I believe He has a plan for us.  Faith requires us to trust His experience and perspective.  I get excited when I think about what He is shaping me to become. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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R. Dru Laws is Senior Vice President of Seljan Company in Lake Mills Wisconsin, and the Vice President of ARM (Association of Rotational Molding).  He just concluded a valuable few years as a global contributing editor to RotoWorld Magazine. Dru has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University, and an MSc in Polymer Engineering from the Queens University of Belfast.

 

 

That Old Grizzled Guy

It was 9:01 a.m., I know because I had just looked at my phone.  I was walking down one of the newly framed corridors of the latest project when I heard, “Good morning, Sir, I have a question”.  This interaction was nothing new and I didn’t really give it much thought until I was walking back to the construction trailer 10 minutes later.  When was the term “Sir” attached to me? 

 

Sir.  The military uses that title regularly and it denotes respect.  My father always taught me that the term "sir" was for men of age and experience.  But I’m not old.  Most of the time people say “sir” to “That Old Grizzled Guy” in the corner.  You know, the guy that’s been around so long that no one seems to know where he comes from.  He’s just always been there.  However, you know he has the answer.

 

So I started to thinking back on my career.  My first job was at 15 with Coach Jones.  He was the High School Basketball Coach that worked with the County Rec. Department looking over public parks and the swimming pool during the summers when school was in recess.  He was a pretty good egg.  He taught me a lot.  I called him "Sir".  Tragically he died early in a trucking accident.  He seemed like that “Old Grizzled Guy”, at the time.

 

After High School I became an apprentice electrician.  I was hired on as a gopher, shuffling wire here and there for the Journeyman.  Conduit in bundles of 10 gets very heavy after the first 3 flights of stairs.  The Superintendent of construction was most definitely one of those Old Grizzled Guys.  People said “Sir” to him all the time.  For heaven’s sake he must have been way over 50.  I know this because his side burns were very grey.  My boss even referred to him as “Sir”, and my boss was old too.  I don’t remember him being overly harsh.  I don’t remember him yelling, screaming, being demanding or anything some might expect from the “Bosses boss” but I was nervous in his presence.

 

I soon moved to painting, then framing, then a stint in roofing and on to drywall.  Each time I can think of one or more persons that I worked for or purchased materials from that fit the title of “That Old Grizzled Guy”.

 

Eventually, my brain had to take over because my body was braking down, and I went back to school to finish a degree that I’d started 25 years earlier.  I really had fun sitting with class mates young enough to be my son or daughter.  Even some of the teachers were younger than me.  In fact, one of the mandatory classes was a framing class.  The instructor was a young man that used to be my employee.  You can imagine what that might have been like, especially when he had taken my oldest daughter out on a date once.   Was I a “Sir” to him?  Some of my Professors were well established in their career, and had grey hair, or no hair.  They were “That Old Grizzled Guy” as well.  But what I began to notice about "that guy" was he was becoming a lot more fun.  He listens to the same music as I did.  Watches the same kind of movies and remembers who and what the Bandit is.  We might even talk about our glory days in Football. 

 

So as I sit here I have to ask myself, when did I become“Sir”?  I do have a piece of paper saying I finished school.  I do have 30+ years in the industry.  Most of my kids are out of the house.  I am grey on the sides.  And I am the Superintendent.  But now I realize, I’m probably that “Old Grizzled Guy”.  And I hope I have earned and deserve that great label.

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Roger D. Laws, an old grizzled guy, is a Commercial Construction Superintendent.  He has been a builder for the past 30 years.   His completed projects include many homes and basements, a Walgreens, a dentist office, a rehabilitation center, a community living center and many others.  He is an avid motorcyclist; touring most of the western half of the United States.  Father of 6 children and 2 sons-in-law.  Roger has a B.S. in Technology Management from Utah Valley University.

Be a Dam Leader!

I’ve recently been fascinated to learn about some of the world’s largest Dams.  I’ve been particularly enthralled with China’s “3 Gorges Dam” (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Gorges_Dam ).  As you’ll read, “The Three Gorges Dam is the world's largest power station in terms of installed capacity (22,500 MW). In 2014 the dam generated 98.8 TWh of electricity.”  We could power the entire metro Los Angeles area for over a year with this output.

Although the Dam’s original purpose was to produce energy, there were many other reasons for building this mega-structure.  “The dam is intended to increase the Yangtze River's shipping capacity and reduce the potential for floods downstream by providing flood storage space.”  Not unlike many other dams’ around the world, the 3 Gorges Dam serves many purposes.  For my script, I’ll break the many purposes into two categories; Production and Protection. 

 

So, what does a Dam have to do with your leadership?

Picture for a moment, yourself as the Dam.  You have 2 purposes; produce something and protect and manage the impact you have downstream (and upstream).  

If you recognize that you, as a leader, have the ability to do both effectively and you learn how to manage the flow of information to enhance both production and protection, you’re a Dam Leader!  Sadly, however, most managers cannot effectively produce and manage downstream.  Let me give a few examples.

Example 1:  A micro manager tends to hold back too much water behind the dam and only produce the amount of product that she has direct control over.  She causes damage downstream, because she doesn’t supply enough water to “feed” her staff and therefore starves their autonomy and creativity.  She essentially fails to achieve either of her 2 objectives.  She neither produces at a high rate nor does she protect what is downstream from her.  She starves both.

Example 2: Your company is “stressed” by a series of poor performing quarters and as a result the microscope is placed on you as a leader.  Your production is low and you need to improve it rapidly.  (Again, remember, you’re the Dam in this scenario).  You might have a gut reaction to open the “flood gates” as it were, so as to produce more… At all costs…  As a result of this decision, you’re going to flood everything downstream.  You’ll ask too much of your staff and vendors, you’ll pass the “stress” downstream and heavily damage everything all in the name of more production.  This may produce near term results but will damage the environment downstream.  You are getting production, but you’ve lost the ability to protect.  Again, you’ve failed to accomplish both objectives

Example 3: You work with good friends and associates and you allow for the staff to be casual about their work in order to create a good work environment.  This leads to lower than optimum results, but does generate a very happy workforce.  You’ve let a lot of water escape from the side drains of the dam, but you’re not generating sufficing product.  In this example, your leniency is having the opposite effect of example two.  Downstream is happy and fed, but production cannot support this model for very long.  You’ve failed to be a Dam Leader.

In order to be a Dam Leader you must determine the right balance of production and protection.  You have to be hyper-aware of both at all times.  They are forces that can work very effectively together, but if you get out of balance, you’ll damage one or the other… Or both.

Here are a couple of tips to help you measure how effective you are at being a Dam Leader:

1-      How much autonomy is my leadership allowing downstream?  In other words, are the people that work for me able to work comfortably and efficiently with the amount of water and resources that I am letting through the Dam?

2-      How much product can my Dam produce?  Do you know your capacity right now?  If not, you better figure it out.  For example, can my development team produce 1000 lines of code per day?  Can my cook produce 40 plates per hour?  You must dial in your capacity per generator or you’ll quickly find your Production-Protection out of balance?

3-      How happy is your upstream vs. downstream? 

Question 3 is the winning question.  If your bosses and employees are equally happy – you’re probably a Dam Leader.  You see, Bosses are worried more about production, whereas downstream are worried more about protection.  Question 1 will help you manage downstream and Question 2 will help you manage production.  

Be a Dam Leader!

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DuVall J Laws is the Sr. Director of Information Technology at Partners In Leadership. DuVall has managed in the Insurance, Banking, Healthcare and Leadership Training Industries.  DuVall holds a B.S. in Information Systems from Utah Valley University and an M.B.A from the University of  Redlands.