Almost every operation has said it at some point. It's probably on a poster in the break room. It gets implied in the Monday meeting, in the safety huddle, in the onboarding package. We're like a family here.
If your safety meetings are falling apart - employees interrupting, side conversations, someone hijacking the agenda - you've probably already tried the obvious fix.
In nearly 30 years of working with industrial companies, almost every single one has admitted the same thing. They have a communications problem, a departmental silo problem, or heaven help them, both.
You gave them the title. You gave them the schedule, the paperwork, and the HR contact number. But there is one thing most organizations never give their supervisors when they promote them. And it is the only thing that actually matters.
Your safety numbers are connected to your turnover numbers. Your engagement numbers are connected to your absenteeism numbers. Quality issues are connected to your succession planning. With apologies to Levitt and Dubner's Freakonomics, there is a single thread that connects them all. Find out why your individual initiatives are only getting modest results.
Your supervisors work hard. No one is questioning that. But hard work and effective leadership are two different things, and confusing them is costing your operation. This post breaks down the gap between a busy supervisor and an effective one, and what it takes to close it.
The safety program doesn't build a safety culture. Only your supervisors can do that. And they can only do it when they have the right foundation. Here are the four pillars that make the difference.
Your company has a detailed plan for maintaining every piece of equipment on your floor. You schedule it, budget for it, and treat it like a non-negotiable. But the people who oversee the operation of that equipment? They get nothing. Here's why that has to change — and what it costs you every single day that it doesn't.
Frontline supervisors want to succeed — but they can't do it without their employer. Here are five things your supervisors actually need from you to build stronger teams, better safety culture, and more consistent production.
