Ronald J. Schenk, CUSP

Our mission is to advocate for safety and health in the powerline construction and maintenance industry by: Researching and developing, safety, training and health standards Educating, training and assessing skills Defining best practices Auditing programs and advising management Advising regulatory agencies

Evaluating Crew Supervisors

February 18, 2013 | Ronald J. Schenk, CUSP | Leadership Development

Do your crew supervisors know what they should know about effectively managing a group of lineworkers to construct and maintain high-voltage power line systems? Often we find out the answer to this question too late. We made too many assumptions early on and the crew supervisor has now failed – possibly in a big way. […]

Effective Customer Relationships for Crew Leaders

February 9, 2012 | Ronald J. Schenk, CUSP | Leadership Development

In iP’s earlier installments of the Supervisory Series (April 2011, June 2011, August 2011, October 2011 and December 2011), we discussed the importance of career development for lineworkers targeted for supervisory responsibilities. We also discussed the supervisory skills required to be effective as a crew leader or foreman, including a full article on human behavior […]

T&D Safety Management for Crew Leaders

December 16, 2011 | Ronald J. Schenk, CUSP | Leadership Development

In iP’s earlier installments of the Supervisory Series (April 2011, June 2011, August 2011 and October 2011), we discussed the importance of career development for lineworkers targeted for supervisory responsibilities. We also considered the supervisory skills required to be effective as a crew leader or foreman, including a full article on human behavior and communication […]

T&D Best Practices for Crew Leaders

October 20, 2011 | Ronald J. Schenk, CUSP | Leadership Development

In iP’s earlier installments of the Supervisory Series (April 2011, June 2011 and August 2011), we discussed the importance of career development for lineworkers targeted for supervisory responsibilities. We also discussed the supervisory skills required to be effective as a crew leader or foreman, including a full article on human behavior and communication skills. In […]

Human Behavior and Communication Skills for Crew Leaders

August 15, 2011 | Ronald J. Schenk, CUSP | Leadership Development

In iP’s earlier installments of the Supervisory Series (April 2011 and June 2011), we discussed the importance of career development for lineworkers targeted for supervisory responsibilities, as well as the supervisory skills required to be effective as a crew leader or foreman. In this installment, we will discuss one additional set of supervisory skills that […]

Supervisory Skills for Crew Leaders

June 8, 2011 | Ronald J. Schenk, CUSP | Leadership Development

In iP’s first installment of the Supervisory Series (April 2011), we discussed how many organizations react when they are in sudden need of a crew foreman. Most have no career development plans for their lineworkers and have not taken the time to adequately prepare qualified crew members to move into a supervisory position. A quick […]

Crew Foreman Needed: Who Do We Pick?

April 8, 2011 | Ronald J. Schenk, CUSP | Leadership Development

It happens all too often. We need a foreman as soon as possible. The crew leader position is vacant for any number of reasons – often suddenly – and we need someone now. A powerline crew can possibly continue to work minus a groundman, helper or apprentice. Depending on the crew configuration and work assignments, […]