by Julie | Nov 1, 2016 | Interim Management, Management
Last week, the Investment Casting Institute hosted the 63rd Annual Technical Conference and Expo. The key note speaker was Keni Thomas, a former Army Ranger who was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge from the United States Army. Keni was one of our brave soliders who fought in the “Black Hawk Down” battle in Mogadishu, Somalia.
If you have seen the movie “Black Hawk Down” then you know the story, but, his talk didn’t focus on what happened during that battle as much as the importance of leadership. He quoted the Army manual on Military Leadership’s definition of leadership: “Leadership is the process of influencing others to accomplish the mission by providing purpose, direction and motivation.”
As he points out, there is nothing in the definition that mentions rank, position or pay-grade. Leadership is about the example you set regardless of where you fall in the pecking order.
Often times when we are faced with a problem at work, we wait for some one else to fix it. Keni’s point was that we shouldn’t wonder who is going to fix it but rather, we should just accept responsibility and get it done.
Imagine how much more we could get done if everyone adopted this philosophy. What if we spent time explaining to each team member the importance of their individual role and how it impacts the greater good? What if our organizations developed leaders rather than supervisors and managers, how much further along would the organization be?
At the end of his speech, Keni received a standing ovation. There is no doubt that part of this was a heart felt appreciation for what the military does to keep us safe and the sacrifices they make along the way. But, I also believe that his humble perspective of the value that every team member contributes to the greater good was a powerful wake-up call to the entire audience.
Thank you Keni Thomas. Thank you US Military. Thank you to those people in our lives that demonstrate leadership on a daily basis.
by Julie | Oct 13, 2016 | Management, Process Improvement
GIVING YOUR EMPLOYEES THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO DRIVE IMPROVEMENT
After writing my article titled, “Don’t Rely on Super Heroes to Achieve Your Business Objectives”, I received numerous comments about not wanting to have too strict of a process that it stifles operator input. I completely agree as we need employees who are engaged in their work to drive improvements. And in order to do that, they need to have the freedom to come up with new, innovative ways to improve the processes they work in every day.
As a manager, I would tell my employees, if you make a wrong decision but your thought process is right, then we will do some coaching about how you arrived at your decision. But, if you make a wrong decision and your thought process is wrong, we will have a completely different discussion.
My team knew my priorities were: safety, quality and communication. So, as they made changes, they needed to think through how the changes would impact these priorities.
The area where they struggled the most was communication. Having honest, direct communication is difficult and in order to that well, employees need to see this demonstrated on a consistent basis and be given the necessary training on how to communicate effectively, especially in emotional situations.
As they made process improvements, we would talk through their decision making process and as necessary, make suggestions on how things could be improved upon in the future. Of course, there were times when decision making wasn’t done with safety, quality or communication in mind. During those difficult circumstances, I would discuss how the outcome could have been improved by keeping them in mind.
Over time, my team was better equipped to make improvements to the process while keeping the business priorities at the forefront of their minds. This provided an opportunity to make process improvements without relying on their favorite super hero.
by Julie | Sep 29, 2016 | Efficiency, Management, Process Improvement
Addressing the Gaps in Your Systems
Your plant has highly detailed procedures on how to do each job. The operators are trained not to deviate from the procedures. But, what happens when a conscientious operator notices as problem with a part. In order to properly process it, the operator must deviate from the procedure. Without a system which instructs the operator how to handle this situation, scrap parts may be made.
So, what does the operator do? Deviate from the procedure or blindly follow the process?
W. Edwards Deming, considered the patriarch of process control was quoted as saying, “A bad system will beat a good person every time.” John Hunter, author of Management Matters summed this is up best by saying, “relying on heroic measures is a bad way to manage.”
If you want your people to be successful, you need to put the systems in place in order to allow them to do that. If you find your employees are making a lot of mistakes, perhaps the training system needs to be augmented in order to prevent mistakes from happening. If you find your employees aren’t consistently performing at the level that is required, maybe it is time to review the processes they use on a daily basis and address those areas that are causing issues.
I love super heroes, but, I wouldn’t want to have to depend on them every day to make my business successful!
by Julie | Sep 22, 2016 | Interim Management, Management
The Best Way to Improve Your Bottom Line
I recently met with a managing partner of a professional services firm. His philosophy on how to approach his clients was simply stated, “when the ball falls on the line, the client gets the point.” He believes the customer will remember how they were valued when there is a “tie” and that will impact their long-term relationship.
What a refreshing way to approach our customers. I believe more and more businesses are forgetting the importance of taking care of the customer. As competition increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to stand out from the crowd.
Providing exceptional service is a great way to separate your business from your competitors. Have you walked into a business and felt like you have known the employees forever? Conversely, have you walked into a business and sensed no one cared if you buy from them or not?
That “vibe” comes from the internal culture. If your employees feel valued, they will value their work. If your employees have the customer at the forefront of their daily tasks, they will make decisions that are in the best interest of the customer. But if your employees don’t feel valued, that will be reflected in their work.
A recent study completed by Gallup found that having an engaged workforce can impact profitability, productivity, turnover, employee safety, absenteeism and quality.
Want to guess what Gallup found to be the top influencer for employee engagement? The direct manager.
So, if you want to grow your business, increase profitability or improve your safety record, then now is the time to focus on improving the quality of your management team.
by Julie | Sep 1, 2016 | Employee Training, Management, Safety
It is back to school time. I remember when I was younger, I was thinking about what to wear for the first day of school, making sure I had the perfect outfit for the school yearbook. But, as I got older, my focus turned to the subjects that I was going to be studying. Some my questions were: How hard is the professor? How much homework will she give us? How many exams will we have to take? As I reflect back, I don’t remember thinking much beyond passing each course. In fact, in Linear Analysis, a 400-level math course, the professor actually said and I quote, “I know I have a lot of engineering students in this class and you are wondering what the practical application is for this subject and I will tell you – I have no idea.” And he was right – I have never used anything I learned in that class in the real world.
But, as we look at training our operators, it is important that the information that is being presented has a practical application that the operators can apply to their work and/or personal lives. This doesn’t just apply to the training around their daily tasks, but, it also applies to safety training, HR training and environmental training.
When presenting training to operators, try to tie in real world experiences to the material. In the past, when conducting ladder safety training – I talked about how I almost fell off a ladder while cleaning my gutters at my house. Or when discussing PPE, I talk about the importance of wearing safety glasses, even when working on projects at your home. When discussing environmental training, I include tips on how to dispose of hazardous household chemicals.
If the training material is something that the operator can personalize and understand why it is important, at work or in his personal life, the training will have a much greater impact.
And if you do that, I am sure your operators will be more engaged and receptive than I was in Linear Analysis.
For more practical tips for manufacturing professionals to attract, train and retain your hourly workforce, go to www.keyprocessinnovations.com.
by Julie | Aug 25, 2016 | Employee Training, Management
CAN ANYONE SAY CAFFEINE?
Last week, I had the pleasure of being an instructor for the Investment Casting Institute’s Process Control Seminar. We had students from all over North America come together at Western Michigan University to learn how to apply process control tools in the three major areas of the investment casting process: wax, shell and foundry.
The structure of the course was for investment casting, but, there are definitely some takeaways which can be applied to all employee training.
- Provide multiple methods of learning. As I have previously discussed, everyone learns differently, so make sure you include visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning. Whenever possible, instructors should incorporate activities so the students can apply what they were learning.
- Tie the training back to something that can impact their jobs. Adults want to know that the effort in learning something new is worth it.
- Ensure the instructors are prepared and comfortable with the material they are presenting. We all know what an impact a great instructor can have on learning.
- Provide the training materials in different formats. Some people want their training materials electronically, while others prefer to have hard copies.
- Make sure caffeine is available throughout the day. Very few people are accustomed to sitting and listening to lectures for an entire day. Providing some stimulants, including chocolate, can help keep students focused.
- Control the environment. This includes the temperature of the room, noise in the hallways and conversations amongst students during the lectures.
- Get feedback on what can be improved. The perspective of the course should be evaluated from all angles, not just from the instructor. After the course, make sure to conduct a de-brief with the instructors while their experience is still fresh in their minds.
For more practical tips for manufacturing professionals to attract, train and retain your hourly workforce, go to www.keyprocessinnovations.com.
by Julie | Aug 22, 2016 | Interim Management, Management
A Long Term Strategy for Employee Motivation
I remember one of my first supervisory training classes I attended as a young engineer fresh out of college. One of the questions from the instructor was what do you do when your team is performing at the level you desire? I don’t remember all the potential answers to this multiple choice question, but, I do remember that I got the answer wrong. The correct answer was spend time with your team and get to know them better. I argued with the instructor and my co-workers that there was no need to get to know your team better, all people wanted was for their performance to be recognized through financial compensation, i.e. a bonus. It took me many years to realize how wrong I was and how right the instructor (and my peers) were.
What I have learned since that class is that pay is not a long term strategy for motivating your employees. Yes, short term it will motivate your employees to work hard, but, if you want consistent, high-performing employees, they need to find fulfillment in their work. That means that they find the work challenging and rewarding, they enjoy the people they work with and for and they feel appreciated.
Yes, we do work to pay our bills (well, most of us) but work isn’t just about making money. It is about feeling a level of satisfaction from the activity that we spend a majority of our time doing. If we were just working to make money, imagine how difficult it would be to consistently stay focused on the details of the job. But, if our employees feel appreciated doing something that they enjoy, that creates a much more productive work environment.
So, how do we go about creating this ideal work environment? It really does start with getting to know our employees and what they would like to accomplish. Some operators may have a desire to learn a new skill or make a different contribution to the company. Just because an employee has been in a particular position for a long time doesn’t mean he wants to stay there forever. Also, look for opportunities for employees to lead committees or company initiatives. What can’t be overlooked is the importance of making your employees feel appreciated. Sometimes appreciation can be as easy as a simple thank you. Or maybe a gift card to a local restaurant. Or an ice cream sundae in the heat of the summer. It has been my experience that the more spontaneous, the more it means to the employee.
When you come to work, are you feeling appreciated? If not, your employees probably aren’t feeling it either. Maybe it is time for a demonstration of appreciation.
For more practical tips for manufacturing professionals to attract, train and retain your hourly workforce, go to www.keyprocessinnovations.com.
by Julie | Aug 11, 2016 | Consulting, Interim Management, Management
ENHANCING YOUR TEAM’S EFFECTIVENESS
Recently I was reading about the Miracle on Ice when the US Men’s Hockey Team beat the Russians in the 1980 Winter Olympics. What I learned about this team was that the coach, Herb Brooks had to change his entire coaching philosophy in order to get a group of college rivals come together and work as a team. So, he made a deliberate decision to change his coaching style from an easy going guy to a “drill sergeant.” He was harsh, unyielding and ruthless, i.e. making them practice in the middle of the night. His objective was to get them to rally together due to their common hatred of their coach. And it worked.
I started to think about how a different leadership style can have an impact on a team. I think most managers are comfortable with situational leadership, where you adjust your leadership approach to meet the development level of an employee. But, few managers adapt their style in order to have an effect on the output of the team.
How might a change impact the performance of your team? If you sense your team is a bit complacent, perhaps a more direct approach might help improve the performance. Or if you sense a lot of tension among the team members, maybe a more approachable style will make team members more comfortable bringing up issues and asking for your help in resolving them.
If you do decide to make a change, make sure the reason for the change is clear in your mind along with the desired outcome. And changing things up needs to be consistent – your team will be confused if you are a drill sergeant one day and team psychologist the next day.
Who says change has to be a bad thing? If you can improve the output of your team, it may be worth the extra effort.
For more practical tips for manufacturing professionals to attract, train and retain your hourly workforce, go to www.keyprocessinnovations.com.
by Julie | Jul 28, 2016 | Consulting, Management
HOW NOT TO WORK AS A TEAM
Regardless of which side of the political aisle you sit on, I think we can agree that our government is a classic example of how not to work together. They engage in finger pointing, yelling, game playing and focus on the individual goals rather than the collective purpose. For those of us in the private sector, we couldn’t stay in business if we acted like our government.
So, if we can agree that our government isn’t a good example for healthy team work, what does a healthy team look like? As I reflect on my positive and negative experiences working on a team, I came up with the following which I believe are necessary to ensure a healthy team.
- A clear objective. Make sure that the team understands why they are working together. What are the collective objectives that the individuals are working towards? If they don’t know why they are working together, the team isn’t going to succeed.
- A desire for the team to succeed. If the team member or members aren’t committed to working together for good of the team, then ultimately, the individual motives will overcome the team objectives.
- A method for handling disagreements. Having differing opinions is normal, but, it is important that when opinions start to clash, there are guidelines in place to address the disagreements in a healthy manner.
- A willingness to hear the other side. We all can benefit from hearing others with a different opinion. Not just to respond to what they are saying, but, to really listen and understand.
- An ability to admit when we are wrong. As Zac Brown sang with Asyln, “you’re not always right, I’m not always wrong.”
- Accountability. Nothing will derail a team faster than individuals who aren’t held accountable for their contributions.
You may be able to name other requirements for a healthy team. But, I think this list is a good start to ensuring a healthy, functioning team. I’m sure we can agree that we want to be more functional than our federal government.
For more practical tips for manufacturing professionals to attract, train and retain your hourly workforce, go to www.keyprocessinnovations.com.
