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The best foremen are workers who have come up through the ranks in the same company, and not too quickly. They are not men who have switched around from company to company to get higher pay, or young fancy Dans promoted early just because the companies were shorthanded. You can usually spot a first-rate tree foreman by his economy of motion and of words. He keeps an eye on his men's work as it goes along, and keeps them moving. Before his juniors come down from their trees he makes sure all their cuts are properly made and painted so that time will not be lost sending a man up again. He handles the most ticklish operations himself. His men don't hesitate to ask his help or instruction, because they trust his leadership and he has given them crew spirit. If such a foreman comes to you with questions or suggestions after the salesman has gone, he may not strike you as being a brilliant conversationalist, but listen to him carefully. He is up in the trees every day. He can see much more up there than can ever be seen from the ground. Even if his ideas differ from yours and the salesman's, unless they are miles out of line, accept them. In a like way, the best salesmen are those who came up from foreman. They are taken out of the trees, put into business suits, and promoted to a drawing-account-plus-commissions basis primarily because of their thorough know-how, not their persuasiveness. I am speaking now of big-company salesmen. From the client's viewpoint, former foremen are the best. They are the least likely to be high-pressure artists. |
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