The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP
MarketsOpinionsConstruction DrillingWater WellsGeotechnical InvestigationLeadership Toolbox

Stages of Drill Team Development, Part 4: Performing

‘Performing’ Phase Tests Crews against Real Tasks

By Jake Fletcher
cohesive drilling team

Is your team cohesive and ready to work together toward group objectives? Time for the “performing” phase of team development.

Source: Getty Images

November 23, 2022

Welcome back loyal leaders, Capt. Fletch here, zooming in for another edition of the Leadership Toolbox! Last time we explored stage 3 of team development: norming. During that phase, teams explore trust and learn to hold each other accountable. Afterward, we find ourselves at the much-anticipated stage 4: performing. By “performing” I do not mean the riveting theater performances my good friend Brock Yordy was part of in college, rather our team finally begins to function as a well-oiled machine.

Once a team establishes trust, accountability and culture during stage 3, they are ready to test themselves against a real task. Up to this point, your team may have only trained and prepared for a job or objective. Once members prove the team can function cohesively, you as the leader must determine the mission they are ready for — when and what type. Team composition can make this difficult. Are they all new people with a seasoned leader? Are they a team of field-forged veterans? Perhaps they are college students looking to break into the industry. Whatever the case, use your knowledge of the team to as a guide to the team’s readiness. A task of the wrong magnitude or complexity can damage even a well-performing team.

Articles in This Series

  • Part 1: Forming
  • Part 2: Storming
  • Part 3: Norming
  • Part 4: Performing
  • Part 5: Ending

For instance, once the well drilling team at RED HORSE had re-established, I had many ideas for testing their mettle. Our drilling rig had the capability for air-hammer drilling, but no one had extensively trained in or utilized the capability. I found this puzzling. The geological formations we typically encountered in theater responded better to air drilling or a combination of air and mud capabilities, rather than strictly mud. As team leader, I knew my team’s readiness to try this capability, but saw a need for supplemental training.

I brought in Yordy, a fellow The Driller writer, to help train us on the methodology of air drilling. We brought in Mike Epley, who provided us with a hammer bit to get us going. We mobilized the rig to make our first attempt at drilling a construction water well to support our quarry. After several days of training and fine-tuning, we hit water for the first time in that area in recent memory. Ultimately, we had to abandon that particular borehole, but it signified progress. The team had begun performing, whereas before they were mainly idle.

This was a significant risk on my part. Aside from the dangers of air drilling, had we failed miserably the team could have easily regressed into the storming stage. This example highlights the importance networking. Well-connected teams perform well. Good teams are unafraid to ask for help and admit their shortfalls. I love the willingness I see in drilling and construction for people and companies to help one another succeed. I consider it one of our industry’s greatest strengths, this self-awareness that if we succeed as a whole, ultimately, we all succeed. It shows confidence in our abilities to complete work efficiently and satisfactorily.

Performance also has a data driven-side. How do we measure good performance versus bad performance? Team development, especially in drilling and construction, relies on setting key performance indicators. (This topic could take an entire column by itself, so I will save that discussion for another day.) As leaders, our role to understand what data is important. Use it to set the baselines to measure performance as our team progresses through assigned work. Once a team reaches the performance stage, in theory they could live within stages 4 and 5 — performing, and ending or terminating. The team may add or subtract members, and revisit stages as they evolve and work through new and different projects, but they are equipped to understand how to progress through stages and challenges as they operate.

If you have followed this article series, you know these stages are living and fluid. A team can easily slip back and forth between stages depending on any number of factors. As leaders, the more attention and emphasis we can place on the importance of these stages of team development, the stronger our teams will become. We prepare our people to flex and adapt to the ever-changing conditions of drilling and construction work. Leading a team to the performance stage and watching them accomplish work efficiently and to the satisfaction of our customers is one of the greatest accomplishments a team leader can hope to achieve. Every stage builds on the last and each serves an equally important part in the overall development of a team. Understand your team’s readiness, find help when you need it, and then develop systems to monitor and control performance. These tools ultimately determine how well your team performs.

Next time, we enter the final stage: termination or ending. Until then, Capt. Fletch over and out!

See more articles from our December issue!

KEYWORDS: geotechnical drilling training and education water well drilling

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Nd fletcher mug 122020

Jake Fletcher served as a senior leader on the U.S. Air Force’s RED HORSE well drilling training program. He’s currently a captain in the Reserves, and pursing opportunities in the drilling industry. Contact him jacob.william.fletcher@gmail.com.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • geotechnical drilling rig

    6 Onsite Phrases Environmental Drillers Hate

    Here are six phrases that highlight common frustrations...
    Markets
    By: Jeff Garby
  • Wayne Nash

    Pipe Stuck? Common Causes and Solutions for Drillers

    If you have drilled for any length of time, sooner or...
    Opinions
    By: Wayne Nash
  • submersible pumps, water well pumps

    Selecting and Sizing Submersible Pump Cable

    This article helps pump installers and servicers decide...
    Water Wells
    By: Bob Pelikan
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

Tariffs

Tariffs Shake Up the Drilling Industry

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

Related Articles

  • drilling team-building end phase

    Stages of Drill Team Development, Part 5: Ending

    See More
  • team building in the drilling industry

    Stages of Drill Team Development, Part 3: Norming

    See More
  • communication with drilling team

    Stages of Drill Team Development, Part 1: Forming

    See More
×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP