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Great leaders speak with a resounding VOICE!
You have probably heard the saying, “People don’t leave jobs, they leave leaders.” So, what does it take to be a leader (person in charge [PIC], supervisor, manager, executive) for whom people love to work? What are the things that they do, the skills and behaviors that they demonstrate,
How to create a culture by design to retain right-fit talent
In my last blog, I presented strategies for managing layoffs. Hopefully you have not had to downsize, or maybe you’ve completed this difficult process and are ready to move forward. It seems contradictory to speak about retaining right-fit talent when thousands of organizations have had to let some
Can maintenance and operations coexist? A radical process change story
My previous blog described a plant with no supervisors and with self-directed work teams that handled maintenance and operations. Most of us come from traditional plant organizations with an operations group and a maintenance group with their own supervisors and specialized skilled crafts. One of the
The art of managing layoffs: What to do when cuts are unavoidable
Prior to layoffs, you must maintain lines of open communication regarding the state of the company. The idea of keeping bad news from employees never works. They often hear through the grapevine or even the news media that the company is struggling. If you do not share this information with them, you
Three alternatives to laying off staff members
In this blog, I had intended to discuss the tips and strategies for retaining right-fit employees beyond the training process. It occurred to me that discussing employee retention when so many companies are in the midst of downsizing seems a bit contradictory. So, I thought it best to address the topic
The supervisor must be more than a boss
My previous blog post began this rambling discussion about supervisors. I brought up the dilemma of what happens when we redesign work so that a portion of a supervisor’s duties are streamlined, thereby freeing up some of the supervisor’s work time. If, in the redesign, the process did not
No-no’s for the maintenance planner role
Organizations should have a clear work description of what a planner’s role is. The role may vary between organizations, mainly due to plant size. Some organizations have combined planners/supervisors. Some have dedicated planners for shutdowns/turnarounds. Many have people with a planner’s
Keep the best talent with a measurable OJT program
Once you have job descriptions in place (check out my previous column for tips and guidelines), it is time to think about how you are going to leverage the talents and skills of a new employee through training. It is true that training is an investment in time and money. A study by the American Management
Debbie Z’s Six elements of a good job description
Before we can discuss training, we must revisit in greater detail the topic of job descriptions. In my second blog, I briefly mentioned the importance of having job descriptions that clearly define the expected
Workforce retention: How do you keep your best employees?
In my first two blog columns for Reliable Plant, we discussed the first two steps in becoming a talent management organization. Now that you have a good idea of how to attract and hire right-fit/best-fit talent, the question becomes, “How do you keep them?” After all, if you are going to
