Kevin Burns Blog

Every senior manager knows the pain: you promote your best technical worker to supervisor, then watch helplessly as good employees underperform, then eventually quit, because your new supervisor doesn't know how to lead. The trial-and-error approach to supervisor development isn't just inefficient—it's destroying your teams and killing your safety culture. It's time to identify your real enemy and fight back with proven leadership development that works from day one.

Most companies standardize everything except the leadership skills of supervisors who actually run operations, creating costly performance variations.

When emergencies strike, are your frontline supervisors prepared to lead? Learn why developing supervisor leadership skills is your most effective crisis prevention strategy and how safety professionals can champion this critical effort.

Even the best safety programs can fall short of their potential when frontline supervisors lack proper development. Discover how strategic investment in supervisor leadership skills creates a foundation for exceptional safety performance, increased employee engagement, and a thriving safety culture that extends beyond compliance.

The most successful supervisors often appear to do the least. By mastering the art of delegation, they build self-sufficient teams that run smoothly without constant intervention. Learn how the "Lonely Maytag Repairman" mindset can transform your leadership approach and deliver exceptional results through strategic delegation.

Want to know how top companies get better work from their teams? Supervisors who build real connections with team members create safer workplaces, higher productivity, and employees who stay longer. Learn simple ways to help supervisors move beyond just giving orders to building relationships that help the whole business succeed.

(Bonus: download a free resource, Supervisors & Safety Culture ebook)

Think your frontline turnover problem requires bigger paychecks? Think again. The real reason your best employees keep walking out the door is less to do with compensation and more with who's leading them daily. Discover how focusing on supervisor skills—not just pay scales—can dramatically reduce turnover costs.

Supervisor confidence can transform safety performance in industrial settings. Learn why confident frontline leaders are your most powerful asset in creating a strong safety culture. Learn practical strategies for developing the leadership skills your supervisors need to drive safety.

The gap between good technical skills and effective leadership can cost industrial companies millions in lost productivity, safety incidents, and employee turnover in manufacturing and industrial environments. When your best machinist, welder, or electrician becomes a supervisor, they need more than just technical expertise to succeed. Recent data shows that only 30% of workers feel engaged in their jobs - a problem that often starts with supervisors struggling to communicate team goals effectively.

If you're like most safety managers, you've tried everything to improve your safety metrics. New programs. Better PPE. Enhanced training. Stricter policies. Yet somehow, the results never quite meet your expectations. What if the most powerful tool for transforming safety performance isn't another program or policy, but something far more fundamental? What if the key to breakthrough safety performance is already on your payroll just waiting to be developed?