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I supervise 48 men, 24 every other week as they rotate shifts each week. These are mechanics, welders, machinists, and painters.
I have no delusions about my importance - they are the ones who get the work done. They are the ones who know the tricks, the smart way and the best way to accomplish their tasks. We work as a team. I treat them like men, not "numbers", and they appreciate that, as anyone would. I constantly seek their input. We couldn't survive otherwise.
Any man who thinks he knows it all is both a fool and a danger to those around him. You can quote me on that.... 
I had the same experience for 25 years, 30 to 60 stagehands everyday, always new to me in a new workplace so I relied on their experience in their "home field" and any plan that I saw wouldn't achieve the objective got reworked to suit my goal. And, everyday I had at least two or so that were unwilling to adapt to achieve the goal so they got the "because I said so" treatment; some workers are just that way and can not be led gently. The better workers were always happy to see us return the next year, the unwilling rarely kept their position long enough to be on the call 12 months later.
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)
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