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Craftsmanship: the Meaning of Life

"Manage  more,  supervise  less."sports
- Bryce's LawWhen I got into the work forcewriters who could never understand why
back  in  the  mid-1970's  it  seemedButkus  played  as  hard  as  he
everyone dressed in a suit and tie, drankdid year after year for a losing football
black  coffee,  smokedteam. True,  Dick  loved  the
their brains out, and worked their buttsgame, but beyond that, the sports writers
off. Today,  golf  shirtsdidn't  understand  one  thing
have replaced suits, herbal tea and bottledabout the seven time All-Pro linebacker:
water  have  replacedButkus  took  his  job
coffee, nobody is allowed to smoke, andpersonally. It was important to him that
rarely  does  anyone  workhis  opponents  know  that
beyond 5:00pm. More importantly, we used tothey had been tackled by the best player; as
care  about  the  work  wehe  said, "When  they
produced; there was a sense ofget up from the ground I want them to say
craftsmanship, regardless of the job.My'it  must  have  been  Butkus
Brother-in-law in Cincinnati conducted me on
a  tour  of  his  company'sthat got me'." Dick Butkus was a
craftsman.The craftsman has a burning desire
machine-tool shop years ago and showed meto  produce  a  superior  product/service
how  he  could  take  a  block  of
because he sees it as a reflection of
aluminum and convert it into ahimself. As  such,  the  lines  delineating
high-precision  machine  tool. It  was  a
their personal life and professional life
pleasure to watch him work, as it is toare  blurred. This  is  a  significant
watch  anyone  who  knows
characteristic that clearly separates a
what they are doing, be it a waitress, acraftsman  from the  average  worker. The
programmer,  a  laborer  or
craftsman's work is his life. He does not
a clerk.Quality and service used to beshirk  responsibility,  but  rather
considered  paramount  in  this
embraces it with confidence and embosses his
country. If it wasn't just right, you werename  on  the  finished  product.
expected  to  do  it  over
Conversely, making a work related mistake of
again until you got it right. We caredany kind pains a true craftsman.Job titles
about  what  we  producedare normally inconsequential to the craftsman
who  is  more
because it was a reflection of our personal
character  andinterested in delivering a quality product
service  enjoyed  by  the
integrity. But somewhere along the line we
lost  our  way  andcustomer. Instead, the craftsman takes
pleasure  in  being  touted  as
craftsmanship has fallen by the wayside.
Why? Probably  becausethe best in his craft. He appreciates
recognition;  when  someone
we no longer care.In today's litigious
society, employees are acutely aware that itmakes a compliment about a product, the
iscraftsman  views  it  as  a
difficult to be fired due to poorpersonal compliment. This too runs contrary
performance. They  know  they  willto  today's  corporate
still get paid and receive benefits,world where people desperately seek
regardless  of  the  amount  of  effortrecognition  through  simple
they put forth. Consequently, there isjob titles. Want someone with an inflated
little  to  encourage  peopleego? Give  them  a  title.
to perform better. Money isn't a motivatingWant something done right? Call a
factor  anymore. Peoplecraftsman.Productivity"Dependable",
"professional", and "resourceful" are
now expect bonuses, raises and other perksadjectives  that
to  be  paid  out  regardless
aptly describe the craftsman. He is not one
of how well they perform during thewho  fabricates  excuses  but,
year.We've also become a nation content with
doing  small  things. Americarather, always finds a way to get the job
done. The  craftsman  is  typically
used to be known as a powerhouse that could
tackle  large  projects,your most productive employee. He is
mindful  of  the  concept  of  productivity
such as building skyscrapers, designing
innovative  bridges  and  tunnelsthat we have touted for years:Productivity =
Effectiveness X EfficiencyMost people
spanning substantial bodies of water,fallaciously equate productivity with
engineering  transcontinentalefficiency,  which  simply
railroads and highway systems, conqueringgauges how fast we can perform a given task.
air  and  space  travel,  andEffectiveness,  on  the  other  hand,
defending freedom not just once but in twovalidates the necessity of the task itself.
world  wars. If  you  reallyThere  is  nothing  more  unproductive
wanted something done, you talked to thethan to do something efficiently that should
Americans  and  no  one  else. Nownot  have  been  done  at  all. An
we get excited over iPods, cell phones, andindustrial robot, for example, can
other electronic trinkets.Many believeefficiently perform such tasks as welding.
Craftsmanship is in decline due to theBut
general  apathy  found
if you are welding the wrong thing, then it
in today's society. Maybe. I tend tois  counterproductive. Going  back  to
believe  it  is  due  to  an  erosion
our description of a methodology,
of our moral values. Let me give you aneffectiveness defines "Who/What/When/Where
example. Having  a  child  in  college,Why",
my interest was piqued recently by anefficiency defines "How." The craftsman is
article  describing  the  pervasiveness  ofwell  aware  of  the  difference
cheating and plagiarism in our schools. Itbetween the two and knows how to apply both.
is  not  my  intent  to  make  aAs  such,  the  craftsman  is  in  tune
political statement here but many of thewith his work environment and corporate
students  mentioned  in  the  articleculture.So how do we make craftsmen?Not
easily. Because of the human dynamics
rationalized their cheating on the fact thatinvolved  with  the  craftsman,
one  of  our  past  Presidents
you will need to be a pretty intuitive
cheated and lied under oath, and got awaymanager  or  industrial
with  it. They  figured  if  it  is
psychologist to make it happen. Selecting
okay for the Commander-in-Chief to act thissuitable  candidates  is  the
way,  it  was  an  acceptable  form
logical first step. Devise an aptitude test
of behavior.Arnold Toynbee, the famedto  determine  the  candidate's
English  historian, observed, "Civilizations
suitability to become a craftsman. After
die from suicide, not by murder." If theall,  "you  cannot  make  a  silk
moral  fabric  of  our  society
purse from a sow's ear." Aside from
dies, our story is told as evidenced byspecific  knowledge  and  experience
other  great  civilizations  that
in a given field (e.g., programming,
long preceded us. Our perspective needs towoodworking,  construction,  accounting,
be  realigned: Our  personal
etc.), here are some other important traits
and professional lives must be viewed asto  look  for:
one. As  Toynbee  remarked,
Fertility of mind - judge his ability to
"The supreme accomplishment is to blur thelearn,  to  adapt  to  changing
line  between  work  and  play." By
conditions, and to look beyond his scope of
doing so, we identify more closely with ourwork. Evaluate  his
work  and  assume  a  greater
professional curiosity.Confidence - judge
pride in workmanship. We do not need tohow  well  the  candidate  knows  himself,
hear  this  from  our  boss,  but
particularly how well he knows his own
rather from within. As strange as it maylimitations. He
sound,  I  see  Craftsmanship  as
should admit his deficiencies and not
being patriotic in nature; doing a goodfabricate excuses.Dedication - judge his
quality  job  is  part  of  leadingloyalty  and  determination  to
a good and honorable life and builds on theaccomplish something. What is his
individual's  esteem,  theattendance  record?
company he works for, and the country heWhat outside clubs and organizations does he
lives in.The biggest problem though is thatbelong
we  have  forgotten  how  to  manage
to and how active is he in
people. The manager's primary goal is tothem?Entrepreneurial spirit - judge his
create  the  proper  workpersonal  initiative.
environment for employees to produce theIs he driven to succeed (but not to the
desired  work  products. Thispoint  of  reckless
is different than a supervisory capacityabandon)? Does he have a problem with
that  directs  how  each  personaccountability?
performs the various tasks of a job. InThis says a lot about assuming
fact,  I  encourage  managers  toresponsibility.Attention to detail - judge
his  ability  to  focus  on  a  subject.
manage more and supervise less. I cringe
when  I  see  a  manager  try  toDoes he have a problem with discipline or
organization? A  person's
"micromanage" either a Fortune 500 company
or a non-profit organization.Yes, people needdress, mannerisms, and speech says a lot
to  be  trained  in  order  to  properlyabout a person.Reliability - judge his
ability  to  assume  responsibility  and
perform their work but following this,
employees  should  be  maturecarry a task through to
completion.Resourcefulness - judge his
enough to supervise themselves. In the oldability  to  adapt  to  changing
days,  management  stressed
conditions and persevere to see a task
discipline, accountability, and structure;through  to  completion.
three  ugly  words  in  today's
The candidate cannot be inflexible; he must
workplace.Understanding CraftsmanshipSomebe  able  to  find
might say craftsmanship is a simple concept
that  we  shouldsolutions to solve problems.Socialization
skills - does he work better alone or as a
intuitively know. Not true; most peopleteam
today  have  no  comprehension  as
player? His position may depend on his
to what makes up a good craftsman; they haveanswer.
either  forgotten  or  it  has
When you have selected suitable candidates,
simply passed them by. Craftsmanship can behere  are  three  areas  to
found  in  any  field  of  endeavor
concentrate  on:
imaginable, be it in the product sector or
service  industry. Craftsmanship,Develop their skills and knowledge by
allowing  such  things  as:
therefore, is universally applicable to any
line of work.Craftsmanship is notparticipation in trade groups, outside
"workmanship", nor is it synonymous withcertification  and  on-going
quality,
training, subscriptions to trade journals,
although the three concepts are closelycontinued  education,
related. Let's  begin  by
etc. Some companies even go as far as to
giving "Craftsmanship" a definition: "Thedevelop  an  in-house
production  and  delivery
school to teach the company's way of doing
of quality goods or services from highlythings. If  the  in-house
skilled workmen."Quality relates to the
absence of errors or defects in the finishedschool is good, it will promote confidence
through  consistency. Even
product or service. In other words,
finished  goods  operateif people leave the company, they will
recommend  your  company  because
according to their specifications (customers
get  precisely  whatthey know the quality of the work produced.
Supporting  the  education
they ordered). Such products are normally
durable  and  require  minimalneeds of our workers is not only smart, it
is good business.Teach them the need for
maintenance. Craftsmanship produces qualityproducing  quality  work;  they  should
products. In  the  absence
become intimate with all aspects of their
of craftsmen, a rigorous methodology orwork  process  (5W+H).
assembly  line  process  is
Further, instill discipline and patience in
required to produce quality goods usingtheir work effort.Change their attitude
workers  without  the  expertisetowards  development  so  they  become  more
of craftsmen. Such processes detail "Who"focused on delivering a quality end-product.
is  to  perform  "What"  work,This  is  perhaps
"When", "Where", "Why" and "How" (5W+H),the most difficult element to teach.
thereby  assuring  a  qualityHowever,  it  can  be  realized
product or service is produced. Such is theby having them become intimate with the
underlying  rationale  ofneeds  of  the  customer
the ISO 9000 certification as used by many(have them visit or work with a customer for
companies  today. The  pointawhile  -  "let  them
is, quality is not the exclusive domain ofwalk in the customer's shoes"). It may also
the craftsman.Craftsmanship is also a humanbe  necessary  to
trait. Some  might  argue  a  computer  or
change their form of remuneration by going
industrial robot can produce qualityto  a  reward  system
products  and  are,  therefore,
for work produced (as opposed to guaranteed
craftsmen. However, we must remember theseincome  regardless
devices  are  programmed  by
of what is produced). Changing the mode of
human beings in accordance with the rules offinancial  compensation
the  craftsman. As  such,
is highly controversial in today's business
they are an extension or tool of theworld. But,  as  an
craftsman.Craftsmanship can be found in
either  the  overall  work  process  orexample, can you imagine the change of
attitude  of  today's  professional
a section of it. For example, there are
craftsmen  who  are  intimateathletes if they were paid based on their
accomplishments  (e.g.,  runs
with all facets of building furniture, such
as  a  table,  a  chair  oror points scored, hits, rebounds, etc.)
rather  than  having  a
desk, and can implement the product from
start  to  finish. However,guaranteed income? Their motivation and
attitude  towards
as products grow in complexity, it becomes
difficult  to  find  peopletheir profession and team would change
radically.Candidates must learn to respect
suitably qualified to build them from thetheir  institution,  the  process
womb  to  the  tomb. Consider
by which they work, fellow human beings, and
military weapons alone, such as thethemselves. They  must
complicated  ships,  tanks,  and
also learn not to be afraid to TRY; that
airplanes we now use, with thousands orthey  must  put  their  best
millions  of  parts  to
foot forward, win or lose. Bottom-line:
assemble. Such complexity makes itthey  must  learn  that  their
impossible  for  a  single  person
work has meaning and worth. If they don't
to have the expertise to build the wholeenjoy  their  work,  they
product. The  same  is  true
shouldn't  be  doing  it.
in the service sector where different types
of  expertise  and"There are two things that I want you to
make  up  your  minds  to: first,
capabilities may be required. In other
words,  craftsmen  have  athat you are going to have a good time as
long  as  you  live  -  I  have  no
specific scope of work. The scope of work
may  relate  to  otheruse for the sour-faced man - and next, that
you  are  going  to  do
types of craftsmen through a chain of work
dependencies,  e.g.,something worthwhile, that you are going to
work  hard  and  do  the
Craftsmen A, B and C concentrate on separate
sub-assemblies  whichthings  you  set  out  to  do."
are eventually joined into a single-  President  Theodore  Roosevelt
product.AttributesSo, what are the attributes
of  a  craftsman? What  makes a craftsman aTalk to schoolchildren in Oyster Bay,
Christmas-time 1898CertificationTeaching the
craftsman? There are three basic attributeselements listed above probably cannot be done
described herein:1. Possesses the necessaryin  one
knowledge and skills to perform the work.The
craftsman is an expert in his field offell swoop. Further, companies simply don't
endeavor;  so  much  so  thathave  the  time  or  money  to
he could easily serve as an instructor inwait for the craftsman to be produced.
the  subject  matter. But  theInstead,  they  must  understand
craftsman is also smart enough to know thatthe human spirit needs to be cultivated and
education  is  not  a  onebe  allowed  to  grow  over
time thing, that his world and field evolvetime. Because of this, it is strongly
as  new  tools  and  techniquesrecommended  that  an  in-house
are introduced. As such, the craftsman is acertification program be devised specifying
student  of  his  professionwhat  the  candidate  should
and is constantly looking to improveknow and what skills and talents he should
himself. This  is  exercised  throughdemonstrate. This  should  be
such things as continued education, routinedivided into classes of progressive
certification,  studying  booksexpertise;  e.g.,  apprentice,  intermediary,
and trade publications, and industrialand craftsman. The ancient builders in
groups. The  craftsman  willinglyEgypt,  Rome,  and  Greece  understood
participates in trade groups, often at histhis concept and devised such classes of
own  expense,  in  order  to  networkworkmen. Other  disciplines  and
with his peers.It is Important to note thatschools follow similar tactics (the various
the  craftsman  does  not  need  to  be  tolddegrees  or  belts  in  martial
he needs periodic training to sharpen hisarts for example). Each degree is based on
skills. Instead,  he  takes  thespecific  prerequisites  to
personal initiative to stay on top of hismaster before moving on to the next level.An
game. Further,  the  craftsmanin-house certification program has the added
nuance  of  making
has no problem with a periodic job review;
in  fact,  he  welcomes  it  forpeople feel special which greatly enhances
their  self  esteem. If
it might bring out a weakness in a skill he
needs to sharpen.2. Attention to detail.Thethey are made to feel like a vital part of
craftsman understands and respects thethe  company,  regardless  if
process  of  building/delivering
their work of a large magnitude or trivial,
a product or service and is acutely aware ofthey  will  strive  to  do
the  penalties  for  cutting
what is best for the company overall, not
corners. Earlier we discussed the need forjust  themselves. Consequently,
a  methodology  that  specifies
their work adds meaning to their life.There
5W+H. The craftsman is intimate with allis one pitfall to all of this; today's
details  of  his  scope  of  work,"go-go"  management
so much so, he could probably write thestyle fails to see how craftsmanship adds
methodology  himself. Further,value  to  the  company. In
his intimacy of the work process means hefact, there were companies back in the
can  produce  a  reliable  estimate1980's  that  shut  down  such
of time and costs to perform theprograms simply to reduce costs. As a
work.Although many of the craftsman's tasksresult,  quality  suffered,
may  be  repetitive,  it  doesn't
repeat business was lost, products were more
mean he easily falls into a rut. Instead,in  need  of  repair,
he  is  constantly  looking
absenteeism on the job escalated, etc. Want
for new tools and techniques to improve thevalue? How  does
work  process. As  such,
a loyal customer base who has confidence in
he plays the role of Industrial Engineer whoyour  products  or
is  normally  charged
services sound? And what effect would
with such a task.The craftsman's attentionemployee  harmony  have,
to  detail  also  means that he demonstrates
particularly if they believed in the work
patience in his work effort. Again, wary ofthey  were  producing? It
cutting  corners,  the
would be mind-boggling, all because we had
craftsman must possess such patience infaith  in  the  human
order  to  produce  the  product
spirit to produce superior results.A final
the right way.3. Views professional life asnote: craftsmanship is not a one time thing.
an extension of his personal life.TheAfter  it  has
craftsman identifies with the end product
which  is  wherebeen instilled in people, it has to be
cultivated  and  perpetuated. If
pride in workmanship comes from. In his
mind,  the  craftsman  hasa manager slips even for a moment, it will
go  right  out  the  window  and
been charged with the responsibility of
producing  something,  andit will take time to bring it back to life.
As  for  me,  I  like  to  post
wanting to satisfy the customer, puts forth
his  best  effort  tomotivational reminders kind of like the one
recently  spotted  in  the
produce it. In other words, craftsmen take
their  workHickey Freeman manufacturing facility in New
York,
personally. This is a difficult trait to
teach  particularly  in"Excellence is Tolerated."Tim Bryce is the
Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates
today's society where the focus is more on(MBA)
financial  compensation
of Palm Harbor, Florida and has 30 years of
than on the work product itself. It mayexperience  in  the  field.
sound  naive,  but  the
He is available for training and consulting
craftsman believes he will be suitablyon  an  international  basis.
compensated  for
He can be contacted at: Copyright © 2006
producing superior results.Years ago, DickMBA. All rights reserved.
Butkus of the Chicago Bears (NFL) confounded



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