The School of Jack

[kevin wooldridge]

As a supe, i wouldn't expect my team to do nothing or work under any conditions that i wouldn't be prepared to do myself!

A fine sentiment and of course it helps if a supervisor is also technically competent at all of the tasks that an underling is expected to carry out. But the art of leadership is surely delegation and vinnie0057's earlier point about having to do the paperwork in their own time because of pressure to also be 'upfronting' it in the trench, demonstrates that there is a balance to be struck. In the days when I used to interview diggers striving for promotion to supervisor, that was always the question over which most stumbled - where do you draw the line between remaining one of the diggers and getting on with fulfilling your supervisory duties...