Stupid People Get Nervous
In 1991 I was working my first big job in Baltimore. I was working with a heavy hauling and rigging company and we were picking up a 40-ton piece of machinery with a crane that was wedged between two buildings and in tricky wind conditions that could result in an absolute tragedy. I was almost sick to my stomach because there were 10-12 guys in harms way as the crane lifted the piece off the ground.
At that time I was working for a tough ironworker who said little and scared everyone who ever met him. He was also a confident, intelligent man who was cocksure of every move he ever made.
The other player in this story was an equally brilliant engineer from Baltimore Gas & Electric. She had studied for years and could dazzle you with plans, sketches, and ideas. On the morning of the lift, we all met near the crane. "Are you nervous?" the brilliant engineer asked the ironworker.
The ironworker spun on his heels, looked her straight in the eyes and asked the question right back: "Are you nervous?"
"Yeah, I'm nervous," she said. She looked at me. I was certainly nervous.
"Only stupid people get nervous," he said.
The lift started and the ironworker stood calmly as the crane grabbed the weight and as the operator slowly raised it through the alleyway and between the buildings.
"Boom up! Boom up!" the engineer was screaming. "You're going to tip it over!"
The ironworker stood there with his arms crossed. For some reason, I was no longer nervous.
The operator did not boom up. Instead, he stayed on the course set for him by the ironworker. Ten minutes later, the piece was safely on the ground.
As we walked away from the crane, the engineer ran over and congratulated the ironworker. "I thought we were going to lose it there for a second," she said.
"That's because you were nervous," he answered. He turned to me, "Let's get a beer or a hundred," he said.
"Were you nervous?" I asked.
"I was nervous as we prepared, but I thought of every possible scenario way before she did. There's a time to be nervous, but it's not in the middle of something. By then it's too late."
We drank a lot of beer that night. He was celebrating a great lift. I was celebrating a lesson I'd never forget.
At that time I was working for a tough ironworker who said little and scared everyone who ever met him. He was also a confident, intelligent man who was cocksure of every move he ever made.
The other player in this story was an equally brilliant engineer from Baltimore Gas & Electric. She had studied for years and could dazzle you with plans, sketches, and ideas. On the morning of the lift, we all met near the crane. "Are you nervous?" the brilliant engineer asked the ironworker.
The ironworker spun on his heels, looked her straight in the eyes and asked the question right back: "Are you nervous?"
"Yeah, I'm nervous," she said. She looked at me. I was certainly nervous.
"Only stupid people get nervous," he said.
The lift started and the ironworker stood calmly as the crane grabbed the weight and as the operator slowly raised it through the alleyway and between the buildings.
"Boom up! Boom up!" the engineer was screaming. "You're going to tip it over!"
The ironworker stood there with his arms crossed. For some reason, I was no longer nervous.
The operator did not boom up. Instead, he stayed on the course set for him by the ironworker. Ten minutes later, the piece was safely on the ground.
As we walked away from the crane, the engineer ran over and congratulated the ironworker. "I thought we were going to lose it there for a second," she said.
"That's because you were nervous," he answered. He turned to me, "Let's get a beer or a hundred," he said.
"Were you nervous?" I asked.
"I was nervous as we prepared, but I thought of every possible scenario way before she did. There's a time to be nervous, but it's not in the middle of something. By then it's too late."
We drank a lot of beer that night. He was celebrating a great lift. I was celebrating a lesson I'd never forget.
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