About the Mining Man
Great Ideas for LEADERS in the Mining Industry!
Welcome to MiningMan.com, a project which I hope will help people in the mining industry improve themselves and their teams in the areas of leadership, safety, and productivity. My name is Jamie Ross, a mining engineer from Australia, with a passion for helping leaders in the mining industry master the essential skills they need to create and manage effective teams, and get the best out of the people around them.
I started this site to create a place where I could share my ideas, tips and tools with others in the industry. And to create a place where people could discuss these ideas and help each other with advice.
My background is more than a decade of operational and leadership roles in mining operations throughout Australia, the United States, and China. I’m a mining engineer by qualification, and have worked in operational, technical and management positions, with the majority of my experience in underground coal mining.
In all the different jobs I've had in the industry, I’ve always had the most interest in what things make the difference between a good leader and a poor leader. I’m fascinated by what makes an effective leader, one who gets the best productivity from his team and also keeps his team safe by promoting the best behaviours from them.
My models and ideas about leadership and personal productivity come from observing people I’ve worked with and for, and from studying leading practice techniques, tools and methodologies.
I’ve found that most of the leadership consultants, courses and books out there contain some great tools and ideas, but that they are not that easy to translate to the unique cultural environment of the mining industry. A mining leader faces a totally different management challenge to a manager in an office with his team sitting around him day in day out where he can observe and manage all their activities.
So I hope, through the articles on this blog, and through my work with mining companies and individuals, to provide advice which will really work in a mining operation, to make mining leaders more effective in their roles. I want to avoid theoretical discussions, and give you information which you can take away and apply immediately.
I look forward to hearing from you, either through the comments that follow each article, or directly through any of the contact channels listed at the bottom of the home page or by clicking here. 
Have a safe and productive day!
Jamie Ross
A little more about Mining Man:
Click here to see Mining Man's twitter feed, or here to see our Facebook page, to stay in touch with what Mining Man is up to, and what exciting projects he’s working on now.
Read more about working with Mining Man here.
Published Articles
Right click as select “Save As” to download some of Mining Man’s published articles, papers and conference presentations:
How Social Media can Benefit the Mining Industry
AusIMM newsletter article outlining the new Risk Management Standard for Australia
Article on the Digging Deeper report on mine safety, and recommendations on the ways forward as a result
Health and Safety Newsletter - Six Ways to Improve your Safety Observation
Health and Safety Newsletter - Four Tips for Attending a Risk Assessment
Jamie Ross
Head over to JamieRoss.com.au to find out more about Jamie, why he started this site, and what he's up to now.
You can also meet up with Jamie at the following events, where he'll be presenting or attending (or both!):
2011
- March 9 - 14: Presenting "Implementing Essential Mine Safety" Seminars - Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth
- March 21 - 23: Presenting "How Effective Leadership Creates an Enduring Safety Culture" at the Underground Operators Conference - Canberra, Australia
- March 22: Attending AusIMM Corporate Leaders' Luncheon - Canberra, Australia
- May 4 - 6: Presenting "Mining Financial Basics for New Leaders " at the New Leaders Conference - Newcastle, Australia
- May 17 - 18: Submitted paper for AustMine Conference - Brisbane, Australia
- May 26 - 29: AusIMM National Congress - Hobart, Australia