WWJ Closeup, December 2025

LOGAN SMITH
Field Supervisor
Premier Drilling
Elko, Nevada

BEST LEADERSHIP ADVICE EVER RECEIVED?
“Leadership is not defined by the exercise of power, but by the capacity to increase the sense of power among those led. The most essential work of the leader is to create more leaders.”—Mary Parker Follett. So, ask yourself: Are you creating leaders or subordinates?

AS A TRAINER, HOW DO YOU PROVIDE NECESSARY OVERSIGHT WHILE EMPOWERING AUTONOMY?
Stop micromanaging. Set a clear and realistic goal. Give your people space to make a plan, follow up with them, making any necessary corrections. Understand it will take time and will likely slow production temporarily. They won’t be perfect at first, but neither were you.

IN YOUR COACHING ROLE, WHAT ARE YOUR TOP GOALS FOR YOUR CREWS?
Safety above all else. It doesn’t matter if we came in on time and under budget; if we hurt one person, we have failed. Secondly, don’t expect to move up if you haven’t trained your replacement.

TOP TIP IN DEVELOPING A SOLID PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE PLAN?
The best preventative maintenance plan is a predictive maintenance plan. Do your PM but also track and understand when and why parts will fail. Then schedule your downtime based on the data and fix things before they snowball into something worse.

NO. 1 ISSUE FACING THE WATER WELL DRILLING INDUSTRY?
The aging workforce paired with less people choosing to enter the industry means over the next 10 to 20 years there will be half of the people with a quarter of the experience.

HOW CAN COMPANIES RECRUIT THE NEXT GENERATION OF DRILLERS?
This one is going to sting a little: Offer them more incentive. Over the last five years prices have gone up 50% while the industry wages have remained stagnant. Without sufficient incentive, people will just choose an easier trade.