The Y-12er Spotlight shines on one of our own. It takes all Y-12 employees to make the mission happen successfully and safely. All views and opinions are the employee’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of CNS.
Disciplined Operations Specialist Mack T. might not wear a team jersey during walkdowns at Y-12, but his interactions make him an MVP. He brings intangibles – positive impact, leadership, effort, and a lifetime of experience to the production floor.
“I have a natural passion to do all I can to make sure people are safe,” said Mack. “I see the people behind the conduct of operations (CONOPS), the employees doing the work – when they buy in, they welcome you.”
He enjoys coaching and mentoring employees, especially when it comes to the CNS mission success principle of welcoming a questioning attitude.
“When I come on the floor, I want them to ask questions, and I use those for coaching moments, as a way to ask, ‘What is your suggestion?’ Without that coaching relationship, you could come around and get silence. I take notes, but I’m not the police. There’s an understanding that ‘Mack wants to help us; he wants to make sure we do this the right way,’” he said.
Mack has worked for the Department of Energy for 40 years. The 3 years he’s spent coaching CONOPS at Y-12 have been an unexpected addition to his career. Before working at Y-12, he worked with UCOR for 9 years. But since his hire date on June 7, 1985, the majority of his career experience was at the Savannah River Site (SRS).
“I’ve been doing nuclear work for a long time, and CONOPS is key to how we do our business,” he said. “It’s getting people in the mindset that conduct of operations is imbedded in everything we do.”
Mack worked in Emergency Preparedness, Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) Operations, Liquid Waste, Material Control and Accountability, and was a Production operator and senior training instructor at SRS. He was able to pull from more than two decades of experience to train other employees at SRS. He saw the ripple effects a work-related hazardous incident could create. He was ready for the next chapter ahead of him.
“I went to the VP and said, I have to step away,” he recalled. His VP asked for one small favor. That’s how he became a Loaned Professional from SRS for 6 months with the United Way.
“It changed my perspective,” Mack said. “I went to the United Way to help people who were in need, but little did I know that I was in need of their help. Observing and working with people seeking help during trying times was humbling. It made me ask, what am I complaining about? We’re here to help people in the ways we are able. It costs nothing to be kind, to advise someone to be safe, to tell someone they’re valuable to the mission.”
Today, all of his experiences come together on the floor at Y-12 where he applies the skills he’s learned over a lifetime to support the work today and for the future.
What daily task lets you know you’re helping achieve the site mission? How/why does that task let you know you’re working toward the mission?
That looks like going out each day doing floor-time observations of work-start approvals, prejob briefings, and observing the work being performed in a safe manner. The mission has to be done in a way that is very compliant, very deliberate, with expected repeatable outcomes; following CONOPS plus disciplined operations ensures mission success.
What is your favorite aspect about your work environment?
I enjoy the coaching and mentoring piece of my work being a senior trainer – just being there for that lightbulb-going-off moment and people understanding the why of ‘why is he so passionate about it’ – understanding why disciplined operations has to be.
How do our established procedures, administrative controls, and rules help us in being accountable to CNS, our site, and our peers?
CONOPS used to be a very production-driven process that we only used on the production floor, but it applies to everybody. There are 18 chapters of CONOPS, and while all 18 wouldn’t apply to every job, it’s important to know which chapters apply to you and your organization.
What top strength do you bring to your organization and why?
My experience working with SNM and my training skills. I think my teaching style comes natural to me because I want to help people be the best they can be. The business we’re in is a very serious business of protecting the country and doing what has to be done, but the work has to be accurate, precise, and there has to be dedication to the process. I want everyone to understand how important it is to do things within CONOPS.
What work advice would you offer someone who is new to Y-12?
Follow the policies and procedures, have a positive attitude, be respectable, and smile. I am often asked, ‘Mack, what is it that makes you smile all the time?’ And it’s that I’m so blessed. I look at life each day as another opportunity to be better than I was yesterday. I’ve been through some things that could have prevented me from being here, but since I’m able to be here, I want to be a beacon of light for others.
If you could have walk-up music, such as to the plate in baseball, what would it be?
If I could have a walk-up song it would probably be Mystical’s “Here I Go!” It’s an awesome hype song. “Unstoppable” by Sia would be a close second if I changed in the middle of the season.