By Sue Bingham
Manufacturing lives and dies by the numbers. Measurable data that tells you whether you have met production goals or are running at full capacity is an essential part of improving operations and safety at any well-run company. But leadership skills are what companies really need to grow and innovate.
Yet many frontline leaders (FLLs) don’t possess critical leadership skills — a discrepancy that can have dire consequences. At the heart of this problem are expectations set by senior leadership that are far too low. Consequently, traditional job descriptions often fail to communicate the skills that FLLs actually need to succeed.
For example, a low-expectation job description might state, “Do whatever it takes to make sure the job gets done,” whereas high-performance expectations require potential FLLs to “Inspire and develop a highly competent team that continuously produces the highest-quality products in the most cost-effective way.”
Low expectations result in the wrong people being promoted. Almost universally, companies promote their most loyal, reliable, and technically skilled operators to frontline supervisor positions. While these are highly valued attributes, notice how this list says nothing about leadership capabilities. Misleading expectations lead to front lines stacked with people who lack the aptitude to do the job — people promoted without the clarity of expectation at the highest levels of leadership.
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About the Author: Sue Bingham is the founder and principal of HPWP Group. She works closely with company leaders to analyze their organizations and facilitate the implementation of commonsense systems that have a positive impact on their organizations’ bottom line. She has a passion for helping companies embrace and transition to high-performance work environments. Sue is the bestselling author of Creating the High Performance Work Place.