--- title: Managing 12 Industrial Problems When One Decision Fixes Them All? description: Frontline supervisors drive every metric. Most operations leaders manage them as twelve separate problems. But they have one source. image: https://www.kevburns.com/hubfs/12-1-1.jpg --- Managing 12 Industrial Problems When One Decision Fixes Them All? [![KevBurns Learning: We teach industrial supervisors how to be really great leaders.](https://www.kevburns.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Kev-Burns-Learning-white.png?width=240&height=118&name=Kev-Burns-Learning-white.png "KevBurns Learning: We teach industrial supervisors how to be really great leaders.")](https://www.kevburns.com/) - [About](https://www.kevburns.com/about-kevin-burns) - [Supervisor Academy](https://www.kevburns.com/supervisors) - [7 Reasons to Not Work With Us](https://www.kevburns.com/7-reasons-not-to-work-with-us) - [52 Benefits of Safety](https://www.kevburns.com/52-benefits) - [Hope Calculator](https://www.kevburns.com/calculator) - [Issues](https://www.kevburns.com/safety-issues) - [People](https://www.kevburns.com/people-issues) - [Safety](https://www.kevburns.com/safety-issues) - [Escalations](https://www.kevburns.com/escalation-issues) - [Resources](https://www.kevburns.com/books) - [Books](https://www.kevburns.com/books) - [Newsletter](https://www.kevburns.com/newsletter) - [Downloads](https://www.kevburns.com/downloads) - [Case Study NBU](https://www.kevburns.com/nbu-case-study) - [Case Study WCC](https://www.kevburns.com/wcc-case-study-2026) - [ROI Videos](https://www.kevburns.com/videos) - [Speaking](https://www.kevburns.com/speaking) - [Media/Podcast](https://www.kevburns.com/media) - [Blog](https://www.kevburns.com/blog) - [Contact](https://www.kevburns.com/contact-us) - [About](https://www.kevburns.com/about-kevin-burns) - [Supervisor Academy](https://www.kevburns.com/supervisors) - [7 Reasons to Not Work With Us](https://www.kevburns.com/7-reasons-not-to-work-with-us) - [52 Benefits of Safety](https://www.kevburns.com/52-benefits) - [Hope Calculator](https://www.kevburns.com/calculator) - [Issues](https://www.kevburns.com/safety-issues) - [People](https://www.kevburns.com/people-issues) - [Safety](https://www.kevburns.com/safety-issues) - [Escalations](https://www.kevburns.com/escalation-issues) - [Resources](https://www.kevburns.com/books) - [Books](https://www.kevburns.com/books) - [Newsletter](https://www.kevburns.com/newsletter) - [Downloads](https://www.kevburns.com/downloads) - [Case Study NBU](https://www.kevburns.com/nbu-case-study) - [Case Study WCC](https://www.kevburns.com/wcc-case-study-2026) - [ROI Videos](https://www.kevburns.com/videos) - [Speaking](https://www.kevburns.com/speaking) - [Media/Podcast](https://www.kevburns.com/media) - [Blog](https://www.kevburns.com/blog) - [Contact](https://www.kevburns.com/contact-us) # Kevin Burns Blog #### Improve safety culture. Build teamwork. Get employee buy-in. [Current Articles](https://www.kevburns.com/blog) [RSS](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/rss.xml) [Why Work With Kevin?](https://www.kevburns.com/about-kevin-burns) # Managing 12 Industrial Problems When One Decision Fixes Them All? Posted by [Kevin Burns](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/author/kevin-burns) on September 4, 2026 Turnover. Absenteeism. Rework. Near misses. Grievances. Quality issues. Up to 12 important metrics that matter to your success. And there are problems with every one of them at some point. And you have a fix for each one. A program, a policy, a committee, a campaign. But still, the numbers drift back. Here's why. They're not twelve problems. They're twelve symptoms of the one decision you made years ago. You took your best technical people and made them supervisors. Then you handed them a crew and never taught them how to work with people. That's a Hope Promotion. You promote them, and then you hope they figure it out. Most don't. Because nobody ever showed them how. Twelve dashboards. One root cause. I made a video about this a few months ago, and sadly, almost nobody watched it. I think I packaged it badly, because the idea inside it is the one I most want you to have. Operations VPs, plant managers, safety managers: how many of your supervisors got people-skills training before you gave them the crew?       Topics: [safety culture](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/safety-culture), [the carefull supervisor](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/the-carefull-supervisor), [Developing effective frontline leaders](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/developing-effective-frontline-leaders), [Supervisor leadership skills](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/supervisor-leadership-skills), [Leadership Development](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/leadership-development), [PeopleWork Supervisor Academy](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/peoplework-supervisor-academy), [Industrial Supervision](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/industrial-supervision), [workplace culture](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/workplace-culture), [frontline leadership](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/frontline-leadership), [supervisor development](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/supervisor-development), [frontline supervisors](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/frontline-supervisors), [operations management](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/operations-management), [operational performance](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/operational-performance), [12 metrics](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/12-metrics), [absenteeism and safety](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/absenteeism-and-safety), [CareFull Supervisor](https://www.kevburns.com/blog/topic/carefull-supervisor) ### Subscribe today to Kevin's blog --- Kevin Burns' newest book, **The CareFull Supervisor**. This is the book that every frontline supervisor should read.   ![carefull-supervisor-3d-covers-400-1](https://www.kevburns.com/hs-fs/hubfs/carefull-supervisor-3d-covers-400-1.png?width=253&height=253&name=carefull-supervisor-3d-covers-400-1.png)   **BUY NOW:** [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/CareFull-Supervisor-Tools-Succeed-Employees/dp/1039197256)| [B&N](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-carefull-supervisor-kevin-burns/1144577942) | [Indigo](https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-carefull-supervisor-the-tools-to-succeed-and-be-the-supervisor-employees-want-to-have/9781039197268.html)| [FreisenPress](https://books.friesenpress.com/store/title/119734000383321344)| [Kobo](https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-carefull-supervisor)| Audible --- ### Recent Posts - [About](https://www.kevburns.com/about-kevin-burns) - [Supervisor Academy](https://www.kevburns.com/supervisors) - [Blog](https://www.kevburns.com/blog) #### © 2026 PeopleWork Align Inc. [![Kev-Burns-Learning-white](https://www.kevburns.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Kev-Burns-Learning-white.png?width=180&height=89&name=Kev-Burns-Learning-white.png "Kev-Burns-Learning-white")](https://www.kevburns.com)