Controllers are expected to be good at:

• Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate manufacturing systems.
• Working with hand operated industrial machines and power tools.
• Adjusting knobs, levers, and physical or touch sensitive buttons in industrial devices.
• Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.

Most strategists should excel at:

• Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

• Operating mining machines to gathering coal and convey it to floors or shuttle cars.
• Determining locations, boundaries, and depths of holes or channels to be cutting.
• Repositioning machines for making additional holes or cuts.
• Driving machines into their positions at the working sites.
• Moving controls for starting and regulating movement of conveyors and for starting and positioning drill cutters or torches.
• Observing and listening to equipment operation for detecting binding or stoppage of tools or other equipment malfunctions.
• Repairing, oiling, and adjusting machines, and changing cutting teeth, using wrenches.
• Moving levers for raising and lowering the hydraulic safety bars that are supporting roofs above machines until other workers are completing the framing.
• Installing casings for preventing cave ins.
• Guiding and assisting of the crews laying tracks and resetting supports and blocking.
• Applying new technologies developed for minimizing the environmental impacts of coal mining.
• Scraping or washing conveyors, using belt scrapers or belt washers, for minimizing dust production.