This is a short story of two seemingly simple things we know but very often don’t value as much as they deserve to be.
For the last couple of months, we were working on an export order and learning little things on the job such as; regulations in foreign countries, their work culture, their preferences, their accent and making sense of what they were saying (English, almost but not quite) and the little behaviour traits that give every community their distinct identity. On the tech side we were very much on target and while a lot of back and forth kept happening, we had managed to understand their needs and customize our product to their satisfaction. Consignment loading was planned next week and on Saturday we were breathing easy with all the inspection, packaging and most of the paperwork in place, but for the last bit to be done on dispatch day once the trucks arrive.
Saturday afternoon, a three-way call between us, the customer and the freight forwarder changed things a bit and it was agreed to prepone the loading the same day to avail benefit of a ship available to sail sooner than expected. We agreed because we were ready. Couple of calls and our team assembled, the trucks arrived and so did our preferred loading partner Mr. W and Co.
The job was to load 2 containers with 11 large wooden boxes, 28 drums and 54 gunny bags. We had already confirmed the container dimensions and our boxes were made to fit. We had also done the layout of containers so as to optimize the space. Very clear about the job at hand we along with Mr. W, with his fork lift and crane and tackles began work at 4:30 PM and in little under three hours the containers were loaded, exactly as planned. The last bit of paper work was done and we flagged off the trucks from our factory. Our team member e-mailed the loading photographs and paperwork to our customer and freight forwarder and we left office at 8PM feeling satisfied.
Sunday morning, we relaxed, awaiting update from the freight forwarder. All was well. Then came the panic call from the customer at around 4PM our time. “The loading sequence is wrong”, he claimed and it was impossible for him to accept the consignment in his country that way. Can’t revel much details here but we quickly realized that this was a major fuck up. More importantly, it was critical to agree that there indeed was a fuck up and not waste time finding who fucked, which could be done later.
Our team assembled again and a few more calls later it was agreed that one of the two containers had to be emptied completely and reloaded in reverse sequence. It was 6PM by then. We called Mr. W but he said his team and equipment was committed to another task a few miles away and it would take at least 3-4 hours before they can come back. We could not wait, so we looked for other options and after much contemplation narrowed down on Mr. G for the work. The trucks thankfully had not yet hit the highway and were parked in a customs zone not very far, they were assigned a slot to move Monday morning.
We reached the customs zone at 7PM, Mr. G and his team followed shortly. Couple of hours we thought, we got this, no need to panic. The work started and in the first fifteen minutes we realized that this wasn’t a two-hour job, this could, no, this will take longer!
Mr. G and his team were clumsy to say the least and it took them two hours to get the 28 drums down. The gunny bags and wooden boxes were still inside. What we were going through cannot be sufficiently described as restlessness, it was much worse. All of us kept saying, had Mr. W been here, this would have been over by now, but he was not and we had no choice but to be patient. What followed was an excruciatingly slow-moving night, no food in our bellies, tempers rising, patience running thin with each passing minute, all while Mr. G and team doing their best to pull the boxes out of the container. Eventually at 11PM the container was empty; all the goods spread on the floor. Half way through, now the reloading in reverse sequence.
Then as if just waiting for things to get worse an argument broke between Mr. G and his forklift driver and the later threw his badge, shouted a few choicest expletives and angrily stomped his way out abandoning the work half way through. For a few minutes everyone stood still, clueless, hungry and the chill night temperature making things numb, our minds included. After a few minutes of being like the deer in headlights, we mustered the sense to make a few more calls and find another driver. Calling Mr. W was not an option as Mr. G was his competitor and their men won’t work together.
After waiting for an hour another forklift driver arrived only to wait some more because Mr. B’s remaining team had dispersed by then, some having a smoke, other enjoying a cup of tea and so on. Eventually work resumed past midnight but with reduced energy levels and steadily reducing late night temperature. We eventually finished loading at 4AM. The customer having made to sit through a few video calls to witness the new loading sequence, he finally approved and we proceeded with the repeat paperwork. The containers were sealed and the trucks moved out Monday morning as planned. From there onward, the freight forwarder had to take care.
Now, the two seemingly simple things we know but very often don’t value as much as they deserve to be are; first the value of communication and second the value of competence. The loading sequence error was a major error caused by a minor mistake in communication. Simple things that we assume are obviously understood, well they are not. What is obvious to us, may not be to the other, assuming that the other sees things the same way we do is such a silly mistake and yet we do and keep repeating it.
The second bit is what I am more interested in, the bit about competence. Mr. W and Co. did a task with ease and efficiency what Mr. G found tedious and hard. We often take competence for granted, we never value things that work. Our car works, the microwave works, the plumber troubleshoots in a matter of minutes and we take these things for granted. It is only when things do not work or are not available is when we realize what it takes to function the way they do and what it takes to reach that level of efficiency they operate.
In case of Mr. W, what works in his favour isn’t limited to his forklifts and cranes and tackles, it his people who have mastered the art of loading and unloading, a seemingly simple, laborious work, often associated as a low intelligence job, well let’s just say it is not. Mr. W’s men have honed their skills to perfection with years and years of hard work and experience. Probably a decade ago, they were similar to what Mr. G and Co. are today, but now they are masters of their craft. Everything works like clockwork and appears simple, there is balance in everything the do, literally. The belts are in the right place, the knots are perfect, the crane and forklift move with precision and harmony, there is no bump, no scratch, no shouting, just a few hand signals, an occasion whistle and it’s done. Magic!
We take competence for granted, we do not care to stop and appreciate things that work. This is something we must cultivate, the appreciation for all things which simply work. It need not be a pat on the back every time, a thank you should suffice, or something as little as a thumbs up, but for that to happen we must have the humility to appreciate good work which we often overlook as everyday stuff, what’s the big deal? It is big deal, things that work perfectly every day deserve way more appreciation than outliers that outperform once in a while. In our obsession to celebrate the extraordinary, we ignore the average, but it is the later who ensure things keep moving. And as such, they no longer remain the average, they work in their own unpretentious way, quietly doing their magic.
So, thank you Mr. W and Co. and all of you out there who are not extraordinary stars and celebrities but who work your magic just the same.
P.S.: Oh, the trucks reached the port and the containers will be loaded on the ship as planned. On to the next now…
Aisle Seat Stories 