Luis Urzua: Super Supervisor — Tip of the Week

I’ve done a video training series with the help of M. Lee Smith Publishers called “Super Supervisors.” When this series was done, no one had heard of Luis Urzua, the shift foreman of the Chilean miners who were trapped a half mile under ground for more than two months. We’ve heard of him now, and he is a “super supervisor.” He wasn’t perfect, but having been selected as a shift foreman, Urzua was considered to be the best of the best. As it turned out, he was.

After the mine collapse, he led a team to survey the damage and determined there wasn’t a way out. Yet he continued to supervise. He instituted a rigid, but crucial, set of rules. He ordered that the emergency food in the mine would be rationed into miminal portions. As a result of this decision, the miners had food and water, albeit small portions, until Urzua was able to be in contact with rescuers on the surface.

While waiting on what seemed an impossible rescue, Urzua used his experience in topography to make detailed maps of the area the miners were in, and he kept the miners on a 12-hour shift. He had regular conference calls with key people on the surface. He maintained control of the situation, using a touch of democracy.

He deserves credit for the miners remaining as together as they could, for keeping them busy when there could have been panic, and for preparing them for their incredible rescue. Urzua’s performance will become an important lesson in supervision and leadership. Not surprisingly, he was also the last person to be rescued. The tip? Don’t just make lists of what supervisors should do. Have them study real life situations where supervisors showed how to supervise.