Tag Archives: growth

Off Balance

“Sometimes, during the day, I feel like I am lost,” Miriam lamented.

“How so?” I asked

“Things just seem off-balance. I don’t know if it’s the circumstance we are in, with all the changes, or if it’s me?”

“It’s easy to see the circumstances that have changed. And, part of it is you,” I nodded.

“So, it is me?”

I continued to nod, “Yep. Think about the moment you feel off-kilter, what happens?”

“I am just about to do something, out of instinct, then I have to second-guess, is this what I should really be doing, right now?”

“So, you have a habit that is breaking, at least in question?”

It was Miriam’s turn to nod. “And, breaking a habit feels off-balance. Habits are supposed to help me take consistent action. And, now I am not so sure the next action is right?”

“Miriam, it’s normal, welcome to the world of professional growth.”

Critical for Growth

Nicole was still stymied over our discussion about the role of the supervisor. “But if I am not actively working on the line with everyone else, I don’t feel like I accomplished anything at the end of the day.”

“Nicole, let’s talk about the value-add of the supervisor. While your team members do the production work, your job is to make sure production gets done. The value you bring to the party, as the supervisor, is that the work is complete, at the target volume, at the defined quality standard and on time. To make that happen, your job is to schedule the appropriate materials, schedule the appropriate team members and make sure the right machines are available. Your value-add is consistency, thoroughness (no gaps) and completeness (the job gets finished).

“The Mom and Pop operation, just starting out, doesn’t have to worry about that stuff. They just have to finish today’s job for today’s customer. As organizations grow, as volume increases and there are more customers than you can count with fingers and toes, these are the issues that make or break a company. Is the right volume of product (or service) produced, of consistent quality, on time? Successful supervisors are responsible for taking the organization to that next level. It is a different sense of accomplishment, yet critical for the company to grow.”

Is Your Infrastructure Ready to Grow?

“You want to grow bigger? What do you need to focus on? Because I don’t think you are ready.” I asked.

The group looked at each other, not sure, maybe some ideas rattling around in their heads, but no one wanted to speak first.

“Before you think about getting bigger,” I continued, “what is your biggest challenge, right now? Look, you called me in here. You all look tired, worn out. You have been working way past 5p every day. And now, you have an opportunity to take a risk, which will grow your company 30 percent over the next 12 months. What is your biggest challenge, right now? What has to get fixed before you even think about taking this next risk?”

“We feel like we are fighting too many fires, right now,” Marcus explained. “And this new project will fail, if we don’t get some of these fires under control.”

“Why are these fires happening?”

“Our team members run into problems they are not capable of solving. We tried to empower them, but that still doesn’t mean they have the capability to make the right decisions. So we are down in the trenches with them, helping to put out the fire.”

“Is it possible, that you don’t have a clear understanding of the level of work in those roles? And that you have placed people in those roles who do NOT have the capability to solve the problems and make the decisions that go with the role?”

“Isn’t that what I just said?” Marcus replied.

“You described the people you placed in the role, but the root cause of the underperformance is that you, as the manager, don’t clearly understand the level of work in those roles. The biggest mistake most organizations make is underestimating the level of work in the role. Without identifying the level of work in the role, most organizations hire someone without the necessary capability. And then wonder why the fires begin to flare.”