december 2021-january 2022 - 58

[
THE SCHEDULING CONUNDRUM
]
Quality service delivery
begins with a quality team
The scheduling position is not a place for a 'seat warmer,'
but a prime slot for 'A' level employees.
I
Ed Dornheim
Transit Schedule Maker/
Consultant
There is a
vast difference
between the
public and
private sectors'
approaches to
managing a
business and
its culture.
RECENTLY FINISHED A BUSINESS
Master Class with Darren Hardy,
which was enlightening and energizing.
There is a vast difference
between the public and private
sectors' approaches to managing
a business and its culture. One of
the many takeaways was how to
assemble an " A " team and not
to accept lesser players. If there
were ever a position that needed
" A " level employees, it would be
the schedule maker position that
fits the agency's goals and not just
a warm body to fill an open position. Until the
class, I had not considered how much that dictates
the culture you are trying to develop, and
accepting someone who does not meet your criteria
impacts the team. I always believed you could
get someone to come around with enough work
(including myself), but the truth of the matter is
while they might be great somewhere, they are
not with you and will only drain you and the rest
of the team while trying to produce that result.
The term " team " is relative to your situation,
of course. You might be a one-person shop, work
with a large group or operate somewhere between
this spectrum. Maybe you are a union
shop with little control over your team makeup
or you lead a management-level team of schedulers
where you can pick who works for you. The
key is leadership and who sets the tone for everyone
else. I have also been taking a leadership
class with the Darren Hardy group and met six
exceptional entrepreneurs I have worked with
during the past year. It has been a journey to
understand outstanding leadership, be a better
person and get to the root of the problems you
encounter. Not surprisingly, the problem is who
you see when you look in the mirror.
The transit industry does not generally deRead
more from the
Scheduling Conundrum at
MassTransitmag.com/21248910
velop an uplifting attitude and different ways
of understanding our roles. We are the hardcharging
blue-collar team and accept that noth58
| Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | DECEMBER 2021/JANUARY 2022
ing changes or will change. It gets into our psyche
and identifies us even when we leave the job. As
frustrated as I was at the agency level at times,
I still loved my job and the satisfaction of contributing
to the greater good.
So let me take you down a slightly different
path that I picked up in the class. Imagine a
commercial on social media or television. Picture
people going to various social events (forget
about COVID-19 for a moment) and add anything
else you enjoy. People are just reveling in
life, and we pan to a worker or two in the background
as everyone has fun. Hold that pleasant
picture as we fade into the evening sky. Then the
tagline comes up as we go to a beautiful dawn sky
with the words " Transit Scheduler's, The Driving
Force of Your Community, " and you see the
world coming to life again with food shopping,
grabbing a coffee, etc.
I have been asked what I envision Transit
Schedulers University would look like more than
once. In a nutshell, I can give you all the classes
and certificates and mentoring that need to occur.
What was missing was how to find the right fit
for your team. Imagine igniting someone's passion
for learning and helping others. The desire
to enable the riding public, operators, agency and
community to succeed and prosper.
" Transit Scheduler's, The Driving Force of
Your Community. "
162189207 | Dzmitry Baranau | Dreamstime
http://www.MassTransitmag.com/21248910 http://www.MassTransitmag.com
december 2021-january 2022

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