What makes a good manager in mining

By Alston D'Lima, Operations Manager

Ask what makes a good manager in mining and most people go straight to experience and technical knowledge. Both help. Neither is the thing.

In this industry, plans change, conditions change and things go wrong — often at short notice and usually at the least convenient moment. What holds an operation together when that happens is not how much your manager knows. It is how they lead the people on the ground, every day.

Three qualities stand out to me.

1. A good manager listens

The first is someone who listens. Properly.

That means they can take on board what you have told them and understand where it is coming from — whether that is from a personal sense or a technical sense. They have that understanding of what is actually going on, not just the version that appears in the report.

This matters more in mining than in a lot of other environments because so much of the important information never makes it into a system. The people closest to the work know when something is not right well before it shows up in a KPI. Whether that knowledge gets surfaced or sat on depends almost entirely on whether people believe there is any point in raising it.

A manager who listens well creates an operation where problems arrive early and small. One who doesn't creates an operation where problems arrive late and expensive. The difference compounds over time.

2. A good manager cares

The second, and I think this is really important, is someone who cares.

They are not just going to fob you off if you tell them something. There is an actual understanding, and a willingness to see your perspective on how things are done.

Mining is demanding work. Rosters are long, people are away from home, conditions are hard, and the margin for error on safety is nil. A manager who treats their team as a resource to be scheduled will get compliance out of them. A manager who is genuinely invested in how their people are travelling will get discretionary effort — and, more importantly, honesty. People tell the truth to managers they believe are on their side.

Caring is not softness, either. Some of the most demanding managers I have worked for cared a great deal about their teams. The two go together more often than people assume.

3. A good manager manages through actions, not words

The third quality is a manager who manages through actions, not just words.

They do something. You see the actions come out of the things you have told them — whether that is building on your own personal development, or making a change to a process. Something happens.

When you see that leadership in action, it means a lot more than the words do. Anyone can say the right thing in a toolbox meeting. Far fewer follow through when it costs them time, money or a difficult conversation with someone above them.

This is also where the first two qualities either become real or fall over. Listening that leads to nothing is worse than not asking at all, because you have now demonstrated that raising an issue is a waste of effort. But a team that has watched something they raised actually change will keep bringing things forward — and that is exactly what you want in an operation where the next problem is already on its way.

Why it matters here

In mining, things don't always go to plan. Good leadership is what keeps everything moving safely and effectively when they don't.

It is not complicated. Listen to your people. Care about them. Then act on what you have heard, visibly enough that they can see it happened.

Keen to hear what others think makes a great manager on site.