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The power went out. Again!I looked out my second story office window and knew exactly why. I could hear the sounds throughout the morning. This crew of 4 men and 3 bucket trucks stringing power lines along the new poles they had been planting in the front and back yards of my neighborhood the past few weeks.Often during this time, I would be working on my laptop on the front porch and watched this professional teamwork in total synchronicity, moving from pole to pole in planned sequence. First it was connecting the phone lines. Then, cable. Today, and finally, from the back alley, the electricity.What was of extreme interest to me was the foreman of this well- oiled machine. A big, burly middle-aged fellow whose sheer stature and hard look would intimidate most. But, he always uttered his commands, some very loudly as his underlings were often thirty-five feet in the air, with warm authority.You could tell his crew really liked and had great respect for him. Although this was far from your typical 'lean on your shovel' squad, they still joked while working at a well-managed pace. Bossman, whose job description no doubt mandated a no hands-on, no physical labor approach, was always doing something to speed things along, be it picking up refuse or spooling wire. In fact, while they were in the process of connecting my power, guess who was pruning the overgrown pine tree branches in my backyard to make it easier for his boys?It was at this point that I brought my high-wire friends a sampling of my special blend coffee (I prepared this, just prior to 'lights out'), reserved usually for special company. Setting a tray down on the patio table, I engaged 'Jim' in conversation and remarked how much I enjoyed watching them work and how much it reminded me of my great production team when I owned a drycleaning business. Another well-oiled, and fun to run machine.His sun-hardened face beamed with pride as he began telling me about what a great group of guys he had and how they were the most productive crew in this large company.No wonder!Our conversation was not a long one. Jim had to get his boys back to the matter at hand, and that was to get my power back. But it served to make me think that here was a man who loved what he does, made a positive impact on those around him and earned the sincere respect of those under, and, above him. I could only surmise that Jim also had a great family life.Why do I tell this story? Simple. It's a simple story of real success! No, Jim is not famous.
