Thank you!

   Thank you for going on this journey with me. I have learned a lot about what kind of leader I am and what kind of leader I want to be. I feel that I have learned how to represent myself in a manner that is professional and effective in a given situation. I have been very privileged to learn from many great leaders in my life and they have given me a solid base at which I can grow and make them proud. I will continue on my journey to make myself a better leader and in the process hope to encourage others to become better leaders as well.

   In the future I intend to follow the path that I have chosen to take and along the way be mindful of the strong and inspiring leaders I meet. I intend to pull from their strength and learn even more from them. I want to help others to become great leaders themselves. I have learned all it takes is time and encouragement to show someone you care about their personal journeys. I will use this on my team and hopefully watch them blossom into great leaders. Again, thank you to those that have given me the greatest gift of all......their time. 

Leadership devlopement curriculum

   

Leadership styles

    There are many different leadership styles. The three main styles are the Dictator style, Coaching style and the Democratic style. First the Dictator style is just what is seems. The leader in the situation gives commands. The orders must be followed without deviations. The leader in these cases make all the decisions and does not rely on the team. The team must complete assignments given in a timely manner without mistakes. If a mistake is made by the team there will be a consequence. This is a very ineffective style. It can cause high attendance problems and team members can suffer from low self esteem. Most leaders that use this approach are not successful.

       

  The Coaching style is more widely used. In this case the leader has a goal to achieve so they will mentor and coach the team to complete the goal. The team will learn and use the knowledge on future projects. The leader will work with the individuals on the team to assist them in each task. They show the individual how to do the task and then give them another task to use that knowledge. The team will feel involved and will appreciate the knowledge and time given to make them a better individual on the team. The team will build trust and loyalty to the leader. The Coaching leader is building a team of leaders. This is a very effective leadership style. 

       The Democratic leader likes to poll the team. In this case the leader takes into consideration the thoughts or opinions of every team member. The team ultimately makes the decisions. The leader will blend in with the team and treat all members equal. This can be an extremely effective style if the team is full of knowledge and have good leadership skills. This can occur only after the leader has coached each individual on the team and trusts the team members. This can be a very bad situation if the leader does not put forth the effort to build the teams knowledge. Each member should be privy to all details of a decision. This creates mutual  trust, loyalty, respect and longevity among team members as well as the leader. 

This link will give even more leadership styles!!

Lean manufacturing

Google defines lean manufacturing:
Lean manufacturing or lean production, often simply "lean", is a systematic method for the elimination of waste ("Muda") within a manufacturing system. Lean also takes into account waste created through overburden ("Muri") and waste created through unevenness in work loads ("Mura").

First what is waste? Waste can be things thrown into the trash or unused resources such as machines and people. Are you using the machines to capacity? Are you throwing away things that can be recycled or re-purposed? Are the people working efficiently? The easiest way to find where to start is by looking at what costs the most to the organization. If labor is an increasing negative variable then first focus on this. Time the process from the start to the finish. Do this 10 times and set a standard. When you set reachable expectations you will see that the people will react positively. Set up tracking boards. Monitor by day, shift and job. Post the results so that each shift or person performing the task have something to meet or exceed. You should find that a good operator will take this as a challenge to beat their score or others. As long as the job is being done correctly and not causing quality issues let them. 

Get the team involved in solving negative variances. In my minimal experience, I have seen negative variances improve just by sitting down and showing what the variances are and asking for ways to improve. I might suggest anything thrown away from a particularly expensive job to be checked to be sure the correct quality criteria is being followed. Get the people that are doing the job to understand the ramifications of throwing away good product. Let them help to solve the problem. This creates "buy in". Meaning, if they are actively involved, they will feel more ownership. Definitely praise good results. They will be more agreeing to take on other improvement tasks if they feel ownership and what they did mattered. Ask if they see where this improvement could be used elsewhere. The people closest to the production see more and can prevent more than you may think. In the past I have heard sayings like "when in doubt throw it out". This promotes more wasteful activity. Let the team know how this will affect the goals within the facility. Usually once everyone is in the same direction the team will help monitor and prevent bad situations and big loses. 

Good site to explore lean concepts!!!

Evaluating employees

     When evaluating others you must first find a point of reference. For example: When I do employee evaluations I first think of the way the operators should behave. Next I think of someone who does the job the way I want it done. Then I ask what makes them so good at what they do. Is it a good mindset? Do they race themselves and others in order to get good numbers and efficiency? Are they a good team player? Do they keep their areas clean and organized? Once I've established what I need in an employee then I ask does the employee I'm evaluating have those same quality's. What are their strong suits and what should be worked on? Pick a couple thing that are great and a couple things that need work. The point of an evaluation is to boost the individual as well as to help them realize what can help them get better. When giving an evaluation be specific. You never want the employee to be lost when they leave. Specifics can help the employee to understand what you are looking for. I might comment that I observed them sweeping and organizing their work station while the job was down for maintenance. I will tell them that I really appreciate them keeping busy and making sure the area is kept clean. Praise the employee for the little things. We all deal with the negative stuff daily and it can really wear down anyone. So now is the time to praise them for the good that you have seen.

    Only choose a couple things to work on. Do not go into the evaluation believing that you are going tell them everything they have ever done wrong. This will only make them shut down. Be sure to give them ways to help improve what you are asking them to work on. For an example, if  you need to work on efficiency you can give them advice on how to get their numbers higher. They can tell you their ideas on making it better as well. Then when they leave there is a plan set and you and the employee should see the efficiency go up. Make sure to let them know when you see progress.
  Lastly, an evaluation is a recap of the year. It should not be a surprise. If the employees goal is to improve efficiency they should know when it happens that it needed work. The evaluation is a way to pin point areas that need work and find ways together to improve on the issue.

Good ideas for doing evaluations (long read but useful)

Body Language

       When speaking in a meeting  or attending a meeting, watch the body language of the attendees. Are they leaning into the speaker or leaning away? Are their arms crossed or close to their side? Do they make eye contact or are they looking away? Are they participating in the conversations or are they just present? These things and more, can tell you whether it is a productive meeting. If someone has their arms crossed they are not open to conversation. They have already made up their minds or do not want to hear others opinion's. To help with this most give out business cards or samples of products. This forces the attendees to uncross the arms and receive information. It also helps to warm up a room by giving out something to keep hands busy. If you are speaking in a meeting and someone is leaning back in their chair, it usually means that the individual is not in agreement to what you are saying. To help with this ask them a question pertaining to what you are speaking about. Simply asking what their opinion is can open them up. Remember if you listen to their side they will be more apt to listen to your side. (See previous post for more information) If the attendees are looking around the room they are not engaged. Most effective speakers will stop and wait until they get their attention and then begin again. Long meetings can be tasking on anyone. If your meeting is dragging on try giving a ten minute break. This helps get everyone back into focus when the meeting resumes.

     As a leader we must remember that our body language speaks volumes as well. Try taking a deep breath before entering a meeting. This will help to release any stress felt from other issues that you have been dealing with. When standing in an open stance you are signaling command. Feet shoulder width apart, hand behind you back, one hand grabbing the other wrist. You are showing that not only are you in command but you are open. Watch politicians during the up coming month. They take open and commanding stances to help you accept their command. 

Other ways politicians try to get your vote

   The color of your clothing could help you gain followers as a leader. The color red is the symbol of passion. Are you passionate about what you are speaking? Try wearing a red tie. The color blue is used in hospitals to help patients and others in waiting rooms stay calm. Do you need people to stay calm? Try wearing a blue shirt. Be aware of what you and others are doing silently. You maybe surprised!!

Dealing with people who are upset

             We all have had to deal with individuals that have been upset. They may not have been upset with you personally but they may be taking it out on you. First step is to keep calm. When your defenses go up your outlook on the issue becomes smaller. For example when someone is upset they tend to confront you by using inappropriate words and can raise their voice. By keeping calm you are able to take in the situation and not try to come up with a argument to throw back at the individual.
         

Next remove the situation from public view. You may be in a work environment and others could decide to interject into the situation and this could make the situation even worse. Once the individual is in a private location you may feel the need to get a witness. A witness is beneficial to both the individual and yourself.  If the individual feels that they were treated poorly during the conversation they may want to go to Human Resources. The witness can be neutral and state the facts which will allow a human resource personnel to get all the details quickly. There will not be all the he said / she said arguments that can follow. Remember to keep your tone calm. By keeping your tone calm you are inadvertently making the individual calmer.  Have you ever tried to yell and be upset with someone that keeps their cool? It can make you feel foolish. Ask for the facts. After they have explained the situation repeat what you have heard.
             "I heard that you feel like Susie is asking too much of you. You said that she expects you to complete your regular tasks as well as some of hers. Is this what you are saying?"
          By repeating what they have said you are letting them know that you understand the issue. Then explain that you will need to speak with Susie to understand why she is asking the individual to do these things. Let them know that you will follow up with them when you have finished your investigation.

extra steps to handle disgruntled employees

        The most important thing is to remember to follow up!! Don't leave them hanging. They will feel like you didn't even listen or care about their issue. Whether you agree with them or not, if you follow up they know that their side was heard. Give good reasons of what you have decided. Never discuss what repercussions may come to Susie, if any. They need to know the facts and how it will be handled in the future. Going any further could result in further frustrations. Be fair and answer any questions with in reason. Make sure to let them know that you took the issue seriously. Everyone wants to be taken seriously.

Being prepared

As a leader, we face many unexpected issues every day. One of the ways to help navigate through all the chaos is to be prepared for the things that are planned. One of the first things to remember is that you are not the only one on your team. Have daily meetings with your team to be sure everyone is up to date on the days activities. Make sure to give clear direction so there are no questions later when you are unavailable. A prepared team is an effective team. One way to promote leadership with in an organization is to let others champion tasks. This allows you to tackle some of the unexpected issues.

Invest in your team by teaching them what is expected and then allowing them to lead for themselves. By using your team and building your team, you are creating a team of leaders. This is useful when unexpected issues arise and you can not be everywhere. A team that has been invested in and is confident in leading can step in and take charge in your absence. By building, investing and coaching your team, you will see that the team will feel appreciated. Once they feel appreciated they will go above and beyond for their leader.  They will be loyal to you and the company. 

Tips to make your employees feel appreciated