November 2022 Volume 4

OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT

that employees don’t leave companies, they leave leaders, (which I do believe is true) then being truly present for your employees should be a top priority. Build into those around you. Provide guidance and direction. Take the time to get to know them. Be sincere and genuinely concerned about them and their personal journey. When I was a young leader in manufacturing, I had the chance to work for a plant manager who understood this very well. She was great at putting everything else to the side, both literally and figuratively, and focusing just on me. She knew about my issues and challenges, about my successes and accomplishments, about me and my family, and about what motivated me to do my best work everyday. I never had the impression that she had something more important to do or needed to be elsewhere. She was truly present. And, by pouring into her team, she was a very successful leader who delivered excellent results. We all would have run through a brick wall for her and were thrilled to be a part of her team. In this day and age of labor shortages and retention issues, being truly present is a leadership approach that has never been more important. Be present. Be Unexpected We all tend to fall into a routine or a pattern of our daily and weekly activities. We stop at the same gas station every morning for a Diet Coke. We drive the same roads to work every day. We have the same meetings at the same time every week. We do the same type of work week after week. We lead the same way that we always have led. And on and on and on. As a leader, how can you be different? How can you be memorable? How can you be the topic of discussion at the dinner table for something unexpected that you did for a team member? How can you do something different that makes your team excited and energized? I had a boss early in my career call me into his office and said “run home and get some warm clothes. We are spending the afternoon on snowmobiles.” Wow! How cool is that?!? Sure, we had lots to do and stuff to get done, but he wanted to reward me for things done well. Did we miss a half day of work? Yup. Was I “all in” and committed to working for that guy and for that company? Yup. That was over 30 years ago, and I still remember how excited I was to work for him and for that organization. Another example. After a brutal product launch that took a bunch of extra time and energy, I had a leader hand me an envelope full of cash. Inside the envelope was a $1 dollar bill, a $5 dollar bill, a $10 dollar bill, a $20 dollar bill, a $50 dollar bill and a $100 dollar bill. Wow! That was a lot of cash for a young employee like me. The only instructions inside were that I could keep three of the bills for myself, and I had to give the other three bills to my wife. My choice! The only other instruction was… “choose wisely” .... with a smiley face. Again, how cool is that?!? And truthfully, while the cash was nice, it was the creativity and thoughtfulness of that gesture that made a huge impact on me…and my wife! (I will let you guess which bills I kept and which three I gave to my wife.) What can you do to be unexpected? How can you, in a creative

way, recognize positive performance or someone going above and beyond? Or how can you just do something fun or different to start a positive buzz throughout the plant? Some simple ideas…. Put a thank you card in the mail to an employee and their family to let them know how important they are to the team. Surprise someone and take them to the local coffee shop for a conversation and a cup of coffee. Give someone who has gone above and beyond the afternoon off with a couple tickets to a ballgame. Go work next to someone on the floor for an hour or two to say thanks and to hear their thoughts on how to improve. Cancel your staff meeting and take the staff out for ice cream. Do something different. The ultimate goal is to change the routine, make it memorable, break a pattern, and give folks something positive to talk about at the dinner table. The ideas don’t need to cost a lot of money or take a lot of time…. they just need to be creative and thoughtful. Be unexpected. Be you. Be present. Be Unexpected. This is not meant to be an all inclusive list or recipe of how to be a great leader. However, I am hopeful that youmay be able to find a nugget or two of real, practical ideas and thoughts that may be useful as you continue along your leadership journey. Lead on.

Forrest Large is an enthusiastic training and development professional with over 30 years of experience in the business of learning. He has held global leadership positions within Fortune 100 organizations, as well as establishing his own team and leadership development consulting firm. His areas of expertise include Curriculum Design, Adult Learning Theory, Team Facilitation and Leadership Development. With a background in operations and manufacturing, Forrest utilizes a style focused on relationship building, action learning, measurable results, and bottom line impact.

Forrest received his undergraduate degree from Eastern Washington University, and a master’s degree in Management from Aquinas College. He is a member of ASTD, AMA, ISPI, and an Achieve Global certified trainer. He has conducted training sessions throughout the world and for numerous organizations, including Kid’s Hope USA, Adoption Associates, the Holland Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S. House of Representatives. Email: forrest.a.large@gmail.com.

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