Develop a plan before you start working. I remember in my green years, it was so frustrating to not know what I was supposed to be doing. It keeps things safe, efficient and helps to establish healthy communication from the beginning of the job on through.
Be willing to slow down and teach your ground persons. Develop a culture of proficiency and efficiency instead of flat hard work. "Work smart not hard" rings true, especially for the ground persons.
Be cognizant of ground person's strengths, weaknesses, and where they need to improve.
Utilize mechanical advantages (equipment, moving the truck closer to the work, rigging, etc) whenever possible to make the work the least laborious as possible. What may be 5 minutes faster today through hard work can create a lifetime of injury.
Be firm but courteous. This job can be stressful. You may have to yell over machinery. I've learned (and am still learning) tone is very important. You don't want to make everyone around you uncomfortable and hate working with you, as this absolutely kills productivity and makes for a high turnover rate, even if you do everything else correctly. Remember "people quit managers, not jobs".
Have fun! You're with these people more than you are with your family. Every day won't be rainbows and sunshine, but a good attitude will make the rainy days much more manageable.
