M9 – Swedberg

One thing that I have experienced is that when people have a supervisor that is willing to discuss the job with them, the workers are more willing to ask questions and comment on different parts of the job. In past jobs, this has allowed me to have a better understanding of the bigger picture. One such job involved digging trenches between two poles. Because of the interactions I had with the supervisor, I knew that the trenches were being dug to help replace the ground system for a radio tower. As a result, digging the trenches did not seem like busy work and it allowed me to learn about things that are involved in replacing a radio tower.

One supervisor who inspires and motivates me is the one that I worked under when I helped out with a children’s program. Our job was to provide snacks to the children. Through this job, she taught me that is important to respect everyone’s opinion. My supervisor would asked me about my opinion involving the size of the snack and about future snack ideas. While children preferred sugary snacks like cookies, the teachers preferred snacks like pretzels. In order to try to satisfy both preferences, my supervisor would arrange a sugary snack one week and a healthier snack the following week. As a result, she inspired me to ask others for their opinions and then respect those opinions.