Ted Iverson shares an article on talent utilization and what he learned from a well-seasoned associate.
Several years ago I was on a site visit in the Midwestern United States. As a member of a team of examiners, over the course of nearly a week, we would meet with individuals at all levels of the company to determine if they sufficiently met the criteria to be recognized for this leading international business award. The applicant organization was a top tier manufacturer for the building and construction industry. Three of their sites applied independently. All were within driving distance of each other. The first two sites were not memorable. They had done some good things, but a lot of what we saw was “window dressing” obviously mandated from above and not taken to heart by site leadership. Associates were distant shadows in the background and looked upon the team of examiners with silent apprehension as site leaders explained how each area functioned.
Then we went to the third site. Following the traditional introduction meeting, we went into the production area. As I bridged the entryway, a well-seasoned associate pierced the veil of site leadership who were guiding the tour. His steps were quick and with direct eye contact he placed a hand on my arm and said, “You have got to see the things that we have done in my area!”
I departed the group and accompanied him to his work area, a tightly organized set of equipment, work benches and necessary supplies. He worked mostly independent, supplying small assemblies to multiple other work teams within the factory. Without any prompt or direction he described how he had studied the work flow, changed, improved, measured, and then repeated the process multiple times over the past few years. He explained how with each improvement he was able to accomplish more, much more, with less effort and frustration, until now he was performing nearly four times what he had been able to do previously and he had ideas to again go beyond that level of performance. With each element he described, the energy of his eyes and passion in his voice drew me in. I had seen this before. Not the same man, not the same business, not the same improvements, but this level of engagement, empowerment, enthusiasm, and commitment to learn and study, measure and improve. It is a tangible energy shown by people who are connecting with their potential.
Key points include:
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Management hype
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Talent well-utilized
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Working with vs for
Read the full article, Talent Utilization – ” the absolute best years of my entire career “, on LinkedIn.