Recon #17 of 17. Chief Mine Geologist: Psychological Aspects

Hi everyone and thanks for your interest in mining geology!

This is the final post in the reconciliation series, and it will differ slightly from the previous ones. Rather than focusing on the technical aspects of mining geology or the intricacies of block modeling and data collection, I’d like to take a moment, after several years in this role, to reflect on one important question: What are our responsibilities as Chief Mine Geologists?

The short and simple answer might resemble a general list of contractual responsibilities: managing the ore control team, developing block models, monitoring ore control, preparing reports on time, etc., etc., etc. However, I feel that strictly following this protocol won’t be much different from setting the mine up for failure. Instead, I’d suggest something more like this: Taking total extreme ownership (credit to Jocko Willink) of every aspect related to the ore delivery process—from drillhole results to the final product. This includes proactively monitoring and coordinating all related teams and activities, even (and especially) those outside your direct management control.

The irony is that, despite our team being called "ore control," many crucial aspects of actual ore control—such as delivering the grade from its in situ location to a bar or con — are not within our direct control. Without proper supervision, the blasting team might mess up the polygon boundaries or, even worse, cause waste to overflow into the ore. The mining team might not control dilution, and the quality of tail sampling on the plant likely won’t be monitored as closely as it should be. These aspects directly impact grade preservation, yet they rarely become KPIs for the respective departments. A mining superintendent is typically more concerned with tonnes moved than with ore loss, and a processing technician might prioritize milled tonnage over how clean the tail autosampler cutter is.

Even worse, in some cases, pushing teams to focus on the selectivity of ore mining and other practices that improve metal flow and reduce losses often directly contradicts more obvious KPIs or requires redirecting valuable staff from pressing ongoing issues. That’s why the key focus for anyone in the Chief Geo position should be on developing open, trusting, and constructive relationships with all stakeholders. It's essential to guide them in ensuring that every aspect of their work is calibrated to achieve the highest quality in material extraction.

Why? Simply because if you’re doing your job well, you are the only person—or part of the only team—that fully understands what’s happening across the entire process, while every other team focuses solely on their specific area of control. If all your checkpoints are in place and you discover a grade drop between the polygon and the mill feed, and you know that dispatch isn't utilizing the automatic GPS material selection, it's your responsibility to inform them and then do everything possible to secure the budgets, install the systems, and provide the necessary training. This is Extreme Ownership in action. For those geos who think this isn’t their job, I have some bad news: it likely isn’t, but you have to do it anyway just because no one else would.

Only the Chief Mine Geo has the full picture of the ore flow within the mine. Top management often isn’t well-versed in the details of how ore is lost or diluted, relying instead on high-level reports. Mine planners are bogged down with weekly and monthly schedules and forecasts, operations are under constant pressure to move tonnes, and the processing team is focused on recoveries and plant maintenance. With a well-developed reconciliation system, you’ll know exactly where the weak link is each month, and it’s your job to address it. Yes, sometimes there will be a clash of interests. Yes, sometimes you’ll step on someone’s toes. But in my view, this is the only true way to manage ore control, and sharing the inevitable success with all the other teams feels much better than dealing with those minor inconveniences along the way.

With this somewhat philosophical article, I’m wrapping up the reconciliation series. After receiving several similar requests, I’ll compile all the posts into a single PDF next week and share a combined summary with cross-links to each article in the series. Thanks again for your interest, and feel free to share your thoughts or experiences in the comments.

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