Little voices
Can say big things!
I was inspired to write this by a comment I received from a previous post that really resonated for me.
One of the fundamental errors that people in positions of power in business often make is not listening to the people who do the work on the floor and it doesn't matter whether the "floor” is high tech or semi-skilled labour.
I remember a number of years ago I was consulting to one of the divisions of one of NZ's biggest companies. The GM had decided to go headlong down the path of lean manufacturing. Now Lean is a really good thing, but it is a process that requires the absolute focus and c-operation of everyone in the business. In this instance, the GM had gone off to attend a number of courses overseas to learn all about Lean. He returned to his business an absolute warrior king for Lean and couldn't wait to get it done.
The inevitable happened. He never explained the "why”. He was like a religious fanatic and alienated those around him with the constant drive for change. It is psychology 101 that change occurs for most people as a threat or something to be angry about unless they have got the context, the purpose and most importantly understanding of their place within it.
The factory, which had its recognised issues with efficiency and productivity nose-dived as people struggled to make sense of what was happening around them. I wasn't there to see how it ended. My project finished and I moved on, but it has stayed with me for a long time. As far as I can recall, the plan was either axed completely or wound back to first principles and started again.
The lesson I was left with was how incredibly important it is to listen to the voices of the people who make things happen in the operation. They won't always be eloquent with their feedback. In another role, years late I asked for honest feedback on a draft change plan I was considering. I would like to think it was a testament to the degree of trust that existed that someone in greasy overalls told me that ÿour idea is fucked and will make the production line break down altogether'. As the GM, I had a fleeting moment of pompous anger but then I felt the energy and creativity that can be released when people feel empowered.
The end of that story was that the guys went away with my "dumb idea” and turned it into something that really did work. It looked kind of like what I had envisaged but it had elements that I never would have considered because I don't do the actual work.
I can't overstate the power of the voice from the floor. As a leader or senior manager, you just have to suspend the notion that you know best. Think of yourself as being at the middle of a creative process and recognise that the more engaged your people are in the project, the more horsepower, differential logic and energy will be brought to bear.
Including your people in what you're trying to achieve will often look messy, complicated and pointless at the start. People argue, battle for power and position and influence and really just behave like any other group of human beings. But, you're the leader and you can set the tone by leading. Calm, encouraging, intolerant of bad behaviour, focused precisely on what the problem being solved is and keeping that at the forefront of peoples minds until they get what they're doing and start collaborating rather than competing.
In all my business experience, making this happen is my all time favourite, especially watching the pride and ownership people take when they've made something happen.
Leadership is an utter privilege and especially when you get it right and people take your stuff and make it their own.