Where is the "mole" that is sabotaging your reliability program?

Hello fellow practitioners! Apologise for missing in action for a while. I have been working on various asset management roles that have been rather frustrating. I suppose the usual time an organisation accepts that they need a Reliability/ Asset Management personnel is when they would have been pretty deep in the mud pit to get out themselves. Nothing is new when we admit that every Reliability/ Asset Management role is rather frustrating. Only weirdos like us who cannot live without a good challenge would roll ourselves into the mud pit for fun. Perhaps we have an insane definition for fun…

Yesterday, my colleagues and I were discussing the conflicting goals of reliability target against overtime payment to maintenance crew. The more reliable your plant is, the less overtime labour cost will be incurred.

I don’t want to start off on the wrong context that I am against overtime payment and portray that I put full support behind capitalism to pay the workers the least, and extract the most profit out of every hardworking family breadwinner here. This is purely a discussion from our team’s experience, and in my opinion should be managed. The billion dollar question is… How?

Culture at organisation A, we experience frontline maintenance crew collaborating among themselves to “create” urgent overtime work sustainably, either through poor workmanship, or intentional slowdown of work completion.

Notice that I mentioned culture of the organisation, instead of practice of the organisation? You’re right on the money! It is a culture issue, but which part of the culture? Whether we realise it or not, it is applicable to most if not all organisations out there. Culture is built over the years by the organisation’s LEADERSHIP. I capitalised the letters to put a strong emphasis on it intentionally. Imagine below:

Leadership at organisation B, leaders who lead by example, support sustainability, accept individuality, embrace continuous improvements. Leadership that believes in nurturing the next generation, and bringing out the best in you with committed support to train you to do your job well and give their best to groom your career aspirations.

Leadership at organisation C, seniors who boss you around, micro-managing, expect a person to work like a robot precision with no break, strong emphasis of cost cutting, hiring the cheapest, buying the cheapest, yet expect the team to deliver high reliability.

I’m sure by now you know which organisation you want to work for. Leadership makes or breaks an organisation. In reality, organisation B and C are at both extreme ends of the distribution curve. Organisation we work for probably sits somewhere in between with a combination of values from both end of the spectrum.

Every organisation will have their fair share of imperfections. It is an art to balance how much to give without turning employees into a spoilt demanding lot, and how much to hold back without compromising basic reasonable requests. I have experienced an organisation that refuses to send their employees for training purely because it costs money and the leadership believes as the employees skilled up, they would leave. What is the consequential cost to the organisation for not training them? Operating with unskilled labour? Does such organisation still have a chance surviving in an ever competitive market?

Back to the original question of how then do you improve plant reliability without incurring overtime costs? I would suggest you look into a comprehensive reliability program that involves both operations and maintenance. To have a reliably operating equipment requires more than maintenance crew doing a great job, it also require the operations crew to operate it within the constraint that present itself from time to time. With the availability of advance condition monitoring technology, most failure mechanisms can be detected, and replacement can be planned in advance, reducing unplanned downtime and thus overtime labour cost.

Identical plant availability, and reliability KPI should be shared among Operations & Maintenance, overtime payment is to be gradually reduced and finally eliminated further down the road. This will encourage team work and more collaboration between Operations & Maintenance that will lead to a more fulfilled work environment, and higher employee retention.

From another perspective, earnings as a result of overtime work reduction can be converted into incentive payments to all deserving employees. With such a scheme, an organisation can be labelled as stable, reliable and highly rated in terms of its operations and the quality of its employees who produce excellent deliveries with minimum overtime work. This would be attractive and who would leave such organisation for another job.

Feel free to share your alternative or successful experience with me! You can reach me at harry (at) wiwoweb (dot) net

Drive Success with Emotional Intelligence

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/29252/emotional-intelligence-success

What is emotional intelligence (EI)? If you ask this question, you will probably get many different and vague answers. The fact is that the concept of EI in the workplace and the connection between EI and leadership abilities is still being studied.

Since 1990, Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer, who are considered the leading researchers on EI, have defined it as “the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions.” In short, it is the mental ability to reason about emotions, and the capacity to improve thinking and gain better results by using emotions.

Salovey and Mayer have created a model that identifies four factors of emotional intelligence:

• The perception of emotions
• The ability to reason using emotions
• The ability to understand emotions
• The ability to manage emotions

These four factors refer to the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions. Salovey and Mayer propose that the four factors of their model are prioritized from the more basic psychological processes reflecting the relatively simple abilities of perceiving and expressing emotion to the more complex and conscious higher level reflecting the regulation of emotion.

It is a growing belief that leaders and workers who demonstrate emotional intelligence can go a long way toward helping companies improve productivity and profitability. For example, the department head who is brilliant, has a high IQ and may be an expert in his field can get superior results if he also knows how to stay motivated under stress, motivate others, foster complex interpersonal relationships with employees and clients, and build teams.

The Difference Between EI and IQ

EI is the ability to use both your emotions and cognitive skills. EI competencies include empathy, intuition, creativity, flexibility, coping, stress management, and intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. In contrast, IQ is a number used to represent the apparent relative intelligence of a person. IQ is the measure of cognitive abilities only (e.g., the ability to learn, the skilled use of reason, the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one’s environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria such as tests).

Consider the following two examples:

Anna had a high IQ. She showed strong reasoning skills, was analytical and was focused on tasks. She learned new things quickly. However, she discounted how she and others were feeling. She was known to lose her temper if things did not go the way she expected or wanted. She found it difficult or impossible to relate to people who were not as smart as she was and lacked empathy for others. As a result, her ability to be effective in team situations was limited, even though her IQ was very high.

Jose had a high EI. He demonstrated strong interpersonal and intrapersonal relationship skills, making friends easily and managing his emotions well. This made him highly effective in his work, even though there were others who had higher IQs. A key component of his success, his high EI allowed him to consider the emotional component of interactions, using both his cognitive abilities and his understanding of emotions. He was creative and flexible in the face of adversity and resilient after setbacks. As a result, he was able to influence and motivate people because he understood and took into consideration what mattered to them. His authenticity and integrity made him a natural leader.

The Connection of EI to Effective Leadership and Organizational Success

Organizations are facing enormous challenges related to the downturn in the economic environment. Today, it is recognized that leadership skills are the most important asset of managers. At the heart of great leadership skills is the ability to develop and maintain interpersonal relationships. These skills include communication, active listening, managing conflict, inspiring and motivating individuals and groups, initiating and managing change, and collaborating and cooperating with other to reach shared goals.

The above skills are all traits that are shared by leaders with high EI. This then is the link that connects leaders with EI. Evidence is beginning to emerge that leaders with high emotional intelligence tend to demonstrate an open-mindedness that creates generous, people-oriented attributes, helping them to attract and keep great colleagues and employees.

A leader with high EI is more likely to have the ability to align personal and subordinate goals to accomplish company goals. In their book, "The Flight of the Buffalo," James A. Belasco and Ralph C. Stayer cite four responsibilities that a leader must implement at all levels of an organization:

• Transfer ownership for work to the people who do the work.
• Create an environment that is conducive to the transfer of ownership, a place where each person wants to be responsible for his or her own performance. This means that the leader must paint a clear picture of what great performance looks like for the company and the individual, focusing on performance factors; aligning organization systems, processes and structure to enable successful performance; engaging each individual’s heart, mind and hands in the business of the business; and energizing, motivating and inspiring people around the business focus.
• Develop individual capability and competence.
• Create conditions in the organization that challenge every person to continually learn and grow in skills and knowledge.

These four principles of leadership responsibility align personal and company goals through emotional intelligence.

A study that shows a direct correlation between high EI within leadership ranks and bottom-line profitability was conducted by Harvard psychologist David McClelland in 1996. He studied a large global food and beverage company and found that division leaders with high EI outperformed yearly earnings by 20 percent, while those without high EI underperformed by the same amount.

Danger to Leaders of Emotional Incompetence

Developing emotional intelligence means acknowledging that emotions are always present in the workplace and then consciously doing something intelligent with the emotions. People tend to vary dramatically in the skills to which they use their own emotions and react to the emotions of others. This can be the difference between good leaders and bad leaders.

The behaviors related to low or no EI can be devastating to the overall health of an organization. In 2002, Fortune magazine ran a series of articles on why companies fail. In one such article titled, "Fearing the Boss More than the Competition," the following was stated: "Sometimes CEOs don't get the information they need to make informed decisions. The main reason, says Daniel Goleman, a psychologist and author of the book 'Primal Leadership,' is that subordinates are afraid to tell them the truth. Even when a boss doesn’t intend to quash dissent, subtle signals – a sour expression, a curt response – can broadcast the message that bad news isn’t welcome. That's why, according to a study by Goleman and two associates, higher-ranking executives are less likely to have an accurate assessment of their own performance."

As an executive and management coach, it has been my personal experience that challenges of the leaders with whom I work are seldom related to lack of technical skills but most often are related to emotional failings; they are too authoritarian, they cannot handle conflict, they generate fear rather than respect, etc.

The Role of Emotional Intelligence Today

The best leaders employ many tools and have the ability to be flexible in their leadership style, demonstrating situational leadership. There is no question that effective leadership determines the success of an organization. Organizations that place a strong focus on leaders who demonstrate high EI are able to see the results of high-impact leadership behaviors. High-impact leadership can instill trust and passionate commitment to the organization’s goals, mission and vision, especially during today’s turbulent times. It is this commitment that drives success and profitability.

About the Author

Debbie Zmorenski

Deborah K. Zmorenski, MBA, is the co-owner and senior partner of Leader’s Strategic Advantage Inc., an Orlando, Fla.-based consulting firm. During her 34-year career with the Walt Disney ... Read More

Choose Continuous Improvement over Lean Manufacturing

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/29408/lean-continuous-improvement

Some organizations misuse lean manufacturing to overwork their people and reduce the overall headcount. Let me assure you, I am not arguing to counter the fact that reducing the headcount will save money. In the short term, it most certainly will save money. However, this savings in headcount does come at a higher cost.

Some managers seek headcount reduction because they associate fewer operators with increased profits. Elimination of headcount for this reason yields poor results culturally. Soon after launching a campaign such as this, operators will start noticing the intent. This will lead to a refusal to cooperate with any effort to reduce headcount and eliminate waste. The operators will begin to adamantly resist changes because they are fearful of losing their job or possibly contributing to a co-worker’s job loss. This causes stress, conflict, finger-pointing and eventually failure. It also is a surefire way to pit management against the shop floor.

This lack of understanding has left a bad taste in the mouths of many shop-floor employees. Likewise, it has also contributed to the conquered attitude of many managers because they have attempted this idea of “lean” before and have seen it fail more than once. Understandably, this is frustrating for an organization’s leadership as well as other employees. It leads me to the opinion that the word “lean” might need to be eliminated from our vocabulary for a while.

I think when leaders focus strictly on lean, they inevitably pay more attention to the dollar numbers. While the dollar numbers are important, there are other elements within an organization that far outweigh the bottom dollar. These elements create awe-inspiring flexibility and opportunity for future growth.

It is my opinion that running a lean organization is actually a by-product of continuous improvement philosophies, specifically the eighth waste (the underutilization of people). When you focus your sights on lean and lean alone, you miss the bigger picture.

Culture is the most important element to true organizational maturity. Continuous improvement philosophy zeroes in on culture and stimulates its development. It focuses on the people and the success of the organizational team. Its aim is to involve and engage everyone, to educate and stimulate the minds of the people. It requires everyone’s engagement, commitment and trust. It is culture-driven and will help the company grow. Everyone should be trained on its ideals and philosophies.

For a continuous improvement organization to truly thrive, leadership must dedicate at least 85 percent of its efforts to the development of employees through training, influence and on-the-job training. Once the majority of the organization understands the philosophy, then and only then is it time to move to the next step. Otherwise, resistance will remain at the doorstep.

The remaining 15 percent can then be dedicated to implementing the actual tools and engaging employees. The employees who own the process need to make the change and improve the organization’s current state (with assistance from a trained continuous improvement team). Not only does this encourage them, but it also increases the chance that the change will be sustained and standardized.

Organizational leaders must be careful not to put the cart before the horse. You cannot simply read or benchmark other companies and expect that you can photocopy that into your organization. You have to remember a picture is a snapshot in time. It does not tell you what happened before the picture was taken. Therefore, you cannot expect significant, highly profitable changes too fast. You cannot have the baby without going through the labor, so to speak.

Let’s get “lean” out of our heads and start communicating continuous improvement. It’s broader, includes everyone (especially the operators) and will provide long-term gains. Let’s train, empower and engage rather than cut time, rebalance and lay off. 

About the Author

Eric Bigelow

Eric Bigelow is an industrial engineer and continuous improvement professional. He is currently a lean coordinator located in Spirit Lake, Iowa. He has trained numerous individuals in lean ... Read More

Develop Better Managers by Coaching

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/29217/coaching-better-managers

Performance coaching is not about disciplinary action, nor is it about accountability (although it may promote accountability in the long term). It is really about leadership development — teaching your team of supervisors, managers and leaders the skills and behaviors that are necessary to perform their jobs as efficiently as possible in order to get the best results for themselves and the company.

Performance coaching is not about telling your management team what to do; it is about telling them how to get the best results from their people and processes. If you are experiencing mediocre productivity, ongoing conflict or high turnover, you should look first at your management team. They are the root cause for success and failure. There is an old Chinese proverb that says, "For every hundred men hacking away at the branches of a diseased tree, only one will stoop to inspect the roots."

It is surprising to me the number of managers and executives I meet who have no idea how to conduct performance coaching sessions. While facilitating an executive coaching session with a vice president, she told me that she had continually written her managers up and that they continued to deliver substandard performance. Her frustration was evident, but writing people up is self-defeating when you have not performed due diligence in the supervisor's or manager's performance training. It does not teach the skills the employee or manager needs to move forward. It only punishes them for making mistakes and not performing up to expected standards.

Most supervisors and managers want to do a good job, but many do not have the skills to deal with the complicated workforce issues prevalent in today's organizations. Many supervisors and managers are learning as they go. This process is slow, ineffective and costly to organizations, as supervisors and managers bungle their way through each day, trying to do the right things.

To effectively conduct performance coaching sessions, you must first understand the root cause of poor performance. Performance is a function of both ability and motivation. For example, someone with 100-percent motivation and 75-percent ability can achieve good to above average performance. However, someone with 25-percent ability will most likely not be able to perform to expected standards no matter how highly motivated they are to succeed. In the latter case, you will have to identify a strategic plan to provide this person with the skills he or she needs to succeed, or assess whether he or she is in the right position.

Key signs that low ability may be the root cause of poor performance include:

• Evidence of strong effort despite poor performance
• Lack of improvement over time despite ongoing coaching and training

Performance Coaching for Management Development

Coaching to develop your management team allows leaders to leverage the organization's human capital, creating a competitive advantage. Supervisors and managers have a direct impact on how employees feel about working for the organization.

"Once the economy turns around, disgruntled employees will certainly begin to consider a job change," said Lori Dernavich, a business advisor on workplace performance solutions and founder of Lori Dernavich LLC.

Coaching and counseling for management development ranges from helping poor performers improve to capitalizing on high-potential supervisors and managers by keeping them challenged and encouraging them to continuously improve their skills.

Coaching is not a one-way street. Both the leader and the supervisor or manager share the responsibility for positive results. Highly effective performance coaches have the following characteristics:

• Base the coaching relationship on trust
• Are optimists about human nature
• Give people opportunities to take risks and learn from their mistakes
• Practice effective listening skills
• Speak candidly
• Encourage personal accountability and ownership
• Know their strengths and weaknesses and continually strive to leverage strengths and overcome weaknesses
• Are continuous learners

Below are three key strategies for effective performance coaching.

Create a Culture of Involvement and Ownership

Tactics include:

1. Provide the knowledge, skills, tools, resources and education to ensure the supervisor's or manager's success.
2. Share the vision, mission and business objectives, ensuring that they understand where they fit in to the big picture.
3. Set clear standards for results and behaviors.
4. Reward and recognize results and behaviors.

Provide Challenging Assignments

Tactics include:

1. Assess the supervisor's or manager's abilities.
2. Make assignments that align with their abilities.
3. Provide clear direction and expectations.
4. Remove roadblocks and barriers.
5. Trust them to accomplish the task.
6. Reward and recognize effort and results.

Provide Ongoing Coaching

Tactics include:

1. Provide constructive criticism. Meet monthly to discuss the supervisor's or manager's progress and areas where improvement is needed.
2. Document the monthly conversations.
3. Remove barriers and roadblocks.
4. Provide tools and resources.
5. Use effective listening and feedback skills.

Coaches as Mentors

I am frequently asked about the difference between coaches and mentors. It is true that great coaches often become dedicated mentors. The definition of a mentor is: "A person who gives another person the benefit of his or her years of experience and/or education. This is experience that is shared in such a way that the mentor helps to develop a mentee's skills and abilities, benefiting the mentee and the organization." However, there are clear differences between a coach and a mentor. Below is a quick guide to mentoring for improved performance.

Why Mentoring is Different than Coaching

Coaching is not the same as mentoring. Mentoring is concerned with the development of the whole person and driven by the person's own work/life goals. It is usually unstructured and informal. Coaching is much more about achieving specific objectives in a particular way. Coaching is also more formal and more structured, usually around a coaching process or methodology.

In other words, mentoring is less skill-based and more of a relationship-based process. A good mentoring relationship is identified by the willingness and capability of both parties to ask questions, challenge assumptions and disagree.

The mentor is far less likely to have a direct-line relationship with the mentee, and in a mentoring relationship, this distance is desirable. Mentoring is rarely a critical part of an individual's job role but rather an extra element that rewards the mentor with fresh thinking as well as the opportunity to transfer knowledge and experience to a less experienced colleague, peer or employee. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, the following tips may prove useful.

Tips for Effective Mentoring

• The mentee has no direct-line reporting to the mentor. This fosters trust, and the mentee feels more comfortable in sharing uncertainties about his or her abilities, creating free-flowing, open communication.


• The mentor/mentee relationship is mutually satisfying. The mentor gets the satisfaction of watching someone grow as a result of his or her insights. The mentee gains a feeling of being valued, receiving beneficial direction and attention from someone who is respected and admired.


• The intensity of the relationship is matched. It is taking up actual and mental time in proportions with which both people are comfortable. This time commitment is flexible as the mentee's needs change (e.g., there may be several meetings in a short period of time during a very challenging period, then none for months).


• At any time, either party can stop the relationship and the mentoring process. There is no obligation for continuance.


• The mentee is not a protégé. It is not a teacher-pupil relationship, nor does the mentee (necessarily) have the patronage of the mentor.


• An effective mentor gives wise counsel, and the mentee feels comfortable speaking on issues that may be sensitive. Once this trust is developed, the mentor can give advice or assist with tough recommendations.


• The mentor is not mentoring two people at the same time who have a close working relationship. Discretion and confidentiality are paramount. The rules of engagement are stated up front with an agreement between the mentor and the mentee on who should be aware of the mentoring relationship.


• The obligation for continuing is two-sided. When the mentor feels he or she has value to add and the mentee is getting something from the relationship, the mentoring may go on indefinitely. Otherwise, either side can end it without justification.


• Mentoring programs are about guidance and facilitation rather than formal training.

Becoming a mentor is a personal choice. Learning to effectively provide performance coaching is a necessary skill for retaining top talent within the management and front-line employee ranks. It is critical that leadership within organizations do everything in their power to give management the skills they need to successfully get results through people and processes.

About the Author

Debbie Zmorenski

Deborah K. Zmorenski, MBA, is the co-owner and senior partner of Leader’s Strategic Advantage Inc., an Orlando, Fla.-based consulting firm. During her 34-year career with the Walt Disney ... Read More

Are You a Leader or a Manager?

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/29209/leader-or-manager

Leaders who lead by example are mentors and role models, building business results through relationships and integrity.

Before delving into the topic of the leadership example, it may be helpful to define leaders and leadership. Beginning with the root word of lead, Webster's Dictionary defines lead as "to guide and conduct; to govern; to precede." Also from Webster's, a leader is defined as "one who leads; a guide; a captain; a head of party."

In contrast, the definition of manage is "to wield; to direct; to conduct or minister; to have under command; to treat with judgment."

Simply put: Managers manage processes, and leaders inspire and motivate others to accomplish goals. Ask yourself, which definition applies to you? Are you a leader or a manager? Which would you rather be?

Great leaders lead by example, demonstrating their values through their actions. These leaders build relationships by mentoring and providing guidance, creating cohesive teams and earning the loyalty of their employees.

There are many managers in organizations across the country yet very few leaders. How does this happen? It happens because most organizations still use an old, outdated method for hiring into and promoting people from within the organization. That method is to choose people who are very good at what they do, without consideration as to whether they can motivate and inspire people.

Managers are tactical, hands-on personalities. There is no argument that managers can achieve results. However, the results are almost always short-term results. People will do what they are told for many reasons, such as fear of losing their job, lack of education or experience making him or her unwilling to argue (even if they feel the manager is wrong), or apathy toward the company and its goals.

Leaders provide guidance. They motivate and inspire people to take action. In this way, leaders achieve long-term results through a productive, happy workforce. There are many strategies used by leaders to achieve these results. The behavior that has the most powerful impact on employees, customers and vendors is leading by example.

The next time you have a staff meeting, try this exercise. Ask everyone who has integrity to raise his or her hand. You will probably see all hands raised. Next, ask them to raise their hand if everyone that they work with has integrity. You will see many less hands. Why is this? As people, it is natural that we judge ourselves based on our intentions, while others judge us based on our behaviors. So while most people intend to always have integrity and to do the right things, the fact of the matter is that it does not always happen.

Leaders who lead by example are those exceptional individuals who, more often than not, do the right things. They demonstrate the right behaviors and follow through on promises and commitments. In addition, they act as role models and mentors, are great listeners, and do not live by the adage, "Do as I say, not as I do."

It has been said that leaders who lead by example walk the talk, but what does this mean? Paul Fireman, past chairman of Reebok International, made a promise that Reebok would overtake its main competitor, Nike, in two years. To fulfill this promise, he did not threaten or bribe the people who worked for him. He motivated his employees by showing them that he was willing to take risks, encouraging them to take risks as well.

He told them that he would do whatever it took to reach this goal. He then followed through on that promise by spending the money to build an innovative product-development program and hiring the world's top sports figures as spokespeople. Fireman talked and walked the new Reebok vision 24 hours a day.

"You need to build an enrollment," Fireman said. "I don't think you can dictate that to people. I don't think you can tell people to go, march, do this. You've got to make them want to ride along. It's a leader's job to foster those feelings. We are in this together. We are part of a team."

Leaders who lead by example are courageous. You can recognize courageous leaders by looking for the following characteristics and behaviors:

• They provide information, encourage their employees to make decisions that they support and do not take credit for the employees' successful ideas.
• They are continually coaching, providing honest and direct feedback, and supporting their employees. Under these circumstances, employees will build skills and rely less on the leader.
• They empower employees and provide opportunities for greater responsibility.
• They recognize employees' problem-solving actions and encourage risk-taking, rewarding the employee for the effort as well as the results.
• They face conflict and confrontation on tough issues and fight the right battles for employees, customers and the organization.
• They do what they say they will do.

Great listening skills characterize leaders who lead by example. This is different than saying they have an open-door policy. Leaders should be willing to listen to employees' concerns and ideas and seriously consider implementing their ideas whenever possible. They also must take complaints seriously and take the time to investigate claims of ill treatment or inappropriate behavior on the part of other leaders.

In today's business world, there are many distractions. Consider this example: An employee comes into your office and states that he needs to speak to you. Immediately, you know it's serious. You try to do all the right things. You put down your pen, forward your phone calls and give the employee your attention, yet it is hard to ignore the ding of e-mail that just arrived. The phone rings three times before switching to voice-mail. Others pop their heads in periodically to ask a quick question. You hear an argument in the hall. How do you turn off all of this? It is not easy, but blind motivational speaker David DeNotaris has some advice.

Since he does not have the advantage of observing body language and facial expressions while listening, DeNotaris has learned to listen, as he says, "like a blind man." In other words, he believes that everyone can learn to listen with the heart rather than the head.

"When you are listening with your head, you're collecting facts and thinking, 'I'd better prepare something to say when this person is done speaking,'" says DeNotaris. "But when you listen with the heart, you show interest in the other person's feelings – not your own reputation. You find out what the other person wants and needs, and then you can speak in a way that meets those needs."

Learning to be a leader who leads by example is not an easy task, especially with the distractions and stress of the business environment today. Many times in coaching sessions, leaders have said they do not have any idea where to start. Try these quick activities to identify the characteristics of a person who leads by example.

1. Identify at least one person who was or is a role model for you as a leader. This person may have been a teacher, your parents, a religious figure, an athlete or a boss, for example.
2. Make a list of the things that they did or said that inspired your loyalty and motivated you to succeed. What characteristics and behaviors did they demonstrate that you would like to exhibit to others?
3. How will you do this?
4. What behaviors or characteristics do you need to change to be more like the role model who influenced you?

Leaders who lead by example are mentors, willing to give of themselves to promote the growth and development of others. These leaders get to know their employees and build relationships that last a lifetime. They learn employees' names, know about their families, and take the time to understand what motivates and inspires them. Most importantly, they practice the behaviors that motivate and inspire others. These leaders demonstrate strong ethics and moral behavior in their business and personal life.

In short, leaders who lead by example are the leaders who are competent and drive business results for the organization while building relationships with employees, customers and vendors. These are the most effective people in an organization. Unfortunately, these are also the most difficult people to find. When you find one, you must do whatever it takes to keep them in the organization, for they will take your business to new heights.

About the Author

Debbie Zmorenski

Deborah K. Zmorenski, MBA, is the co-owner and senior partner of Leader’s Strategic Advantage Inc., an Orlando, Fla.-based consulting firm. During her 34-year career with the Walt Disney ... Read More

2 Keys for Organizational Effectiveness

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:

http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/29133/organizational-effectiveness-keys

Great leaders are able to critically assess an organization's structure and culture, and are willing to make changes where needed in order to position the company for success. However, organizational effectiveness is about more than structure.
There are two secrets within the element of organizational effectiveness that are critical to the success of any company:

1. Maintaining a lean and efficient internal organizational structure.
2. Ensuring that your organization has policies and processes in place to hold leaders accountable for their behaviors as well as results.

"Maintaining a lean and efficient organization" means that leaders must regularly assess the current structure of the company to determine its ability to contribute to the success of the organization. A heavily layered organization is oppressive, inhibits communication, hinders the sharing of ideas and interferes with the ability to take care of customers and employees.

Eventually, employees and customers will get discouraged and give up. The end result can be high employee turnover and customer defection.

Ensuring that your organization is not top heavy and that it is as lean as possible facilitates strong relationships with employees and communication in all directions at all levels. It also makes it easier for customers to express their ideas, wants and needs.

Look around your organization and ask yourself these questions:

• Is employee turnover high?
• Are employees doing only enough to get by or stay out of trouble?
• Are your employees apathetic?
• Are customers defecting at a rate higher than the average for your industry?
• Do you get more complaints than compliments on service?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, this may be a warning sign or symptom of an organizational structure that makes it difficult or even impossible for employees to share their ideas or communicate daily operational needs.

Here are two tactics for assessing the leanness of your organizational structure:

1. Evaluate the job description of each manager in your organization. Is there duplication of responsibilities that may cause confusion and interference with effective processes or delay growth and forward progress?
2. Conduct a business process review to identify overlap and inefficiencies within policies, processes and procedures.

The second element of organizational structure is leadership accountability — ensuring you have clearly articulated expectations and have processes in place for holding leaders accountable not only for business performance but also for behaviors.

Many organizations today realize that “Type A” managers — leaders who are controlling, autocratic and manage by intimidation — are ineffective and damaging to the organization. In most companies, these types of managers are no longer tolerated. Within your organizational structure, you must not only consider the physical structure but also the types of managers or leaders that have power and authority over employees and processes.

For example, if you have a leader who is delivering on business performance but behaves inappropriately, that person has to change or go. These are tough decisions to make. However, you cannot afford to tolerate such people or their behaviors for very long. They may be contributing successfully to the bottom line for the time being, but ultimately these leaders will create chaos and failure within your organizational structure, eroding profits through employee turnover and customer defection. In addition, the employees who will leave are the productive ones that you cannot afford to lose.

Generally, leaders fall into one of four categories:

1. The person who is neither delivering on business results nor exhibiting appropriate behavior. There is no question that these leaders must be asked to leave the company.
2. The leader who delivers great business results but does not model the right behavior. This leader is contributing to the bottom line but is not treating employees well. Often called “results-oriented leaders,” they are leaving dead bodies in their wake. Yet it is traditional in business that these people are rewarded and promoted for bringing bottom-line results to the organization without thought for the long-term consequences of their actions.
3. The third type of leader has strong relationship skills but does not demonstrate business savvy. These leaders are liked and respected by their employees. Employees readily follow them blindly and happily down whichever path the leader chooses. The good news is that with some training these leaders usually can learn the business skills necessary to be successful. In other words, the leaders with strong relationship skills are most likely to develop into ideal leaders if they can learn competent business skills.
4. The fourth leadership type is the ideal leader. These are the people who are getting business results for your organization, demonstrating the organization’s values and behaviors, and building great relationships with the employees and customers. They have learned to balance the leadership characteristics of building relationships with holding people accountable. They take disciplinary action when necessary, reward and recognize when it is appropriate, bring money to the bottom line, and give great service to customers. If this type of leader sounds like a miracle worker, it is for good reason. Mastering this scope of relationship and business skills is very difficult. It is no surprise that these people are a small percentage of leaders in any organization. When you find them, you must do everything in your power to keep them.

Within your organizational structure, you must have processes and tools in place to help you identify which types of leaders are running your organization. Once you have identified where your leaders fit, it is up to you to have processes in place that will clearly state expectations for business results and behavior. You must then provide the tools, training, knowledge and skills that will allow each leader to realize his or her full potential. Once you have done these things, you must hold these people accountable for their performance and behavior.

If they cannot deliver on both goals, then you may have to make a decision about allowing them to remain in a leadership position or possibly move them to a different role in the organization. It may even be necessary to ask them to leave the organization. Although this may cause short-term strain, it will allow you to promote from within or hire from outside the organization an ideal leader who will contribute to the long-term success of the organization.

About the Author

Debbie Zmorenski

Deborah K. Zmorenski, MBA, is the co-owner and senior partner of Leader’s Strategic Advantage Inc., an Orlando, Fla.-based consulting firm. During her 34-year career with the Walt Disney ... Read More

Why Leaders Must Have Vision

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/29109/leaders-have-vision

Great leaders have vision. There are very few natural visionary leaders in the corporate world. I have been lucky to have worked with two during my 34-year career with Walt Disney World. The good news is that this is a skill that can be learned. It is probably the most powerful tool in a leader’s toolbox. So what is a vision? How does it work, and how is it different from a vision statement?

Let's begin by defining a vision statement and a vision. A vision statement is a statement of words describing where and what an organization wants to be in the future. It usually remains unchanged for many years. There is nothing wrong with vision statements. They have their place in the organizational structure. However, vision statements do not necessarily translate into action. Without action, an organization has a nicely framed statement on the wall but no forward motion.

In contrast, vision can be defined as a picture in the leader's imagination that motivates people to action when communicated compellingly, passionately and clearly.

To be a visionary, a leader need have nothing more than a clear vision of the future. The difficult task is communicating that vision with clarity and passion in order to motivate and inspire people to take action. A visionary leader who clearly and passionately communicates his or her vision can motivate employees to act with passion and purpose, thereby ensuring that everyone is working toward a common goal. The end result is that everyone contributes to the organization's forward momentum.

"In order to take the organization to the highest possible level, leaders must engage their people with a compelling and tangible vision," said Warren Bennis, professor of business administration at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business.

What follows is a practice exercise that you can use to develop and hone your visionary communication skills:

Step 1: Think of one challenge within your department, division or organization.

Step 2: Imagine the big picture. Visualize the incredible future success that you will realize from the new and improved situation, as well as the benefits to the organization and to the employees. This is your chance to be a true visionary. No dream is too big or too fantastic. This is the "pie in the sky" result you are seeing.

Step 3: Determine how you will communicate your vision. What words and phrases will you use? In what environment will you choose to communicate your vision – in a staff meeting, one on one, with supervisors and managers? How will you communicate the benefits to the staff and to the organization? Write down your ideas on paper.

Step 4: Practice communicating what you have written. Make sure it sounds sincere. Practice out loud to yourself and to others. If you don't believe it, no one else will believe it either.
If you use this exercise frequently, you will find that expressing your vision in a compelling and clear manner will soon feel very natural.

When you are ready to communicate your vision to your employees, give them only the vision of success. Great leaders use vision as a tool to inspire and motivate, not to dictate. Do not give your employees the steps for achieving the vision, but let them determine the methods and tactics for achieving the goal. Great leaders know how to give the gift of vision and then step away.

About the Author

Debbie Zmorenski

Deborah K. Zmorenski, MBA, is the co-owner and senior partner of Leader’s Strategic Advantage Inc., an Orlando, Fla.-based consulting firm. During her 34-year career with the Walt Disney ... Read More

Best Ways to Prevent Equipment Problems

Article extract from MachineryLubrication newsletter:
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/30560/prevent-equipment-problems

Preventive maintenance methods are often promoted but rarely put into practice. This article will attempt to encourage a paradigm shift in maintenance thinking with prevention driving most of the activities. The main thrust will be on leadership and not 
simply management.


Leadership vs. Management


The classic definition of management is to do things right. The definition of leadership is to do the right things. The difference may be subtle but very important. How often have you witnessed someone planning a repair job to be completed within an allotted timeframe when no one was asking why this repair needed to be made so frequently? 


A manager attempts to get work done on time, while a leader attempts to minimize or eliminate the required work. A manager continually asks for more people, while a leader tries to maximize the effectiveness of his or her staff. A manager tackles problems as they arrive, while a leader asks why continual problems are tolerated.


Prevention Depends 
on Leadership


Without proper leadership, problem prevention is very difficult to achieve. The following case studies illustrate a variety of situations in which preventive techniques were used effectively in a typical mill environment.


A Poorly Designed 
Hydraulic System 


In this mill, steel slabs issuing from a caster started as a long, continuous hot metal strand. A torch cutter sliced off 30-foot slabs from the front end as the strand moved at a slow pace. The slabs were lifted off the table rolls and stacked for delivery to a storage yard by a carrier. The tongs resembled two pairs of giant 10-foot scissors operated by hydraulic cylinders and fed by a hydraulic system mounted near the top of the scissor arms. The system had a vertical tank with a pump mounted beside it. Due to space limitations, the valves, tubing and hoses were located directly over the pump and motor, making for a very congested design. The entire assembly hung from a crane. When an O-ring blew or a valve needed changing, quite a bit of disassembly was required to access the bad part. A lot of time was also wasted with repairs on this equipment due to the design.


The cause of the problem was obvious, and only a redesign would suffice. The supplier of the tongs was contacted and told the system design was inadequate. With “manifolding” technology, much of the pipe, tubing and hoses could be eliminated as well as the congestion in the confined spaces. The supplier agreed to redesign this part of the system, which solved the problem. This case exemplified a unique issue where only prevention of future problems would suffice. Learning to live with the problem was not an option.

Inefficient Purchasing 
of Lubricants


At this particular company, lubricants and hydraulic fluids were purchased by individual departments with no coordination between them. Consequently, the number of brands proliferated, increasing the chances of duplication. Products were procured by brand name, and the purchasing department had no choice but to buy what was requested. Because lubricants were purchased by brand name with no competition, suspicions arose that prices might be excessive. When a problem arose, quality was blamed and another supplier was brought in to solve it.


It was suspected that the company was living with a problem that could be resolved. Because ASTM and other test methods could help determine product quality, a committee was formed to decide how to purchase lubricants based on these tests. A strategy was soon developed. All products would be tested for important parameters to uncover duplicates. Products would be separated by categories such as petroleum hydraulic fluids, fire-resistant hydraulic fluids, general-purpose greases, electric-motor bearing greases, petroleum turbine oils, gear oils, anti-friction bearing oils, petroleum circulating oils and synthetic oils.


Specifications were also written for each lubricant type based on the test results of the higher grades in each category. Every specification was assigned a unique number, and equipment throughout the plant was tagged with the number of the product it was 
to receive.


The specifications were sent out for bids from various suppliers. The lowest bidder was awarded the business for one year. The prices received were markedly lower than the comparable branded products.


After the initial groundwork was completed, the system began to function well. The inventory shrank because so many locations used the same products. Purchasing in bulk became possible due to consolidation, which also resulted in a reduction in drums and costs. Samples of incoming products were taken periodically to ensure quality. Gradually, the overall quality improved. 


The goal of the system was to purchase high-quality products at the least possible cost and to eliminate as many empty drums as possible. Mistakes related to applying the wrong lubricant were also reduced. Once the system was in place, it took very little time to maintain it. 


This was an example of a plant living with a problem that not many thought was a problem. It was only after some penetrating questions were asked that most were convinced that there might be a better way of doing things. How the plant was purchasing lubricants was costing much more than necessary both in dollars and in manpower.


Short Motor Bearing Life


In this hot mill, as the steel strand issues from the last finishing stand, a long series of rolls conveys it at high speed to the coilers. Each roll is individually driven by an electric motor. Water cascades down from sprays to cool the strip as it speeds toward the coilers. Despite elaborate splash guards, it is almost impossible to keep water off the motor shafts. The shaft seals were not adequate to keep water out of the motors, and trying different seal designs did not help. The motor repair shop could barely keep up with all the failures. Finally, a seal company recommended adding flingers on the shaft. These consisted of a rubber device that looked much like a shaft seal but with a hole in the center slightly smaller than the shaft diameter. As a motor was repaired and ready to ship, the repairman would slip a flinger onto the shaft up to the housing. When the motor was installed in this wet environment, any water that migrated toward the seal area would be flung off due to the rotating flinger. In this way, water could not get to the seal. Motor bearing life increased tremendously. In this instance, a serious problem was prevented with a simple device but only after someone asked why this was being tolerated.


Frequent Servo-valve Repairs


As steel mill technology improved, more and more servo valves were being used on the mill’s hydraulic systems to gain precision. Because of dirt sensitivity, systems with servo valves must be filtered to extreme cleanliness. Despite great efforts, servo-valve losses were becoming excessive at the mill. Costs were also high since the repairs could not be done in-house. 


To prevent these failures, a non-bypass duplex filter separated by a three-way valve with an electrical alarm was installed ahead of each valve. The filters had a cleanliness level of 1 to 2 microns. When the alarm sounded, maintenance personnel knew they had only a few minutes to switch the three-way valve to the clean side before a shutdown occurred. A clean filter element was always on standby. The result was that the servo-valve failures virtually ceased.


Once again, a simple design change prevented a serious problem. However, the difference with the servo-valve issue was that production was being affected as well as repair costs.

Excessive Oil Losses


Oil losses were becoming excessive in the mill’s hydraulic and lubrication systems. The millwrights dutifully kept the systems filled and operating but did not report all the oil additions as they were made. When additions were reported, there was no good method for determining the amount. Therefore, it was difficult to establish where the bad leaks were and to schedule repairs. Prevention or reduction of these oil losses was the goal, but they could only be attacked when they occurred.


The decision was made to mount small water meters on the fill lines to each system. These meters had some internal friction, but since the oil was being pumped in as makeup oil, the pressure required was adequate. In cases where the oil flowed by gravity from an upper to a lower floor, low-friction meters were required. Each day, an inspector read the meters to determine if any leaks had gone unreported. If so, action was taken. This was an example of taking preventive action (reading the meters) to prevent further losses. No action could be taken without proper information supplied by the meters.


Rapid Motor Burnouts


The plant’s coke oven doors are approximately 20 feet tall and 4 feet wide. They are made of steel, lined with firebrick and weigh about 1,000 pounds. Each is mounted vertically on each end of the oven and must be lifted off by a huge machine so the red-hot coke can be pushed out. The doors are held in place by two steel arms that are rotated into place behind vertical “buckstays.” In the center of the arms is a hexagonal nut that is 5 inches in diameter. The arms are rotated by a large socket that fits the hexagonal nut and is operated by a motor and gear reducer mounted on the machine. The arms often become wedged behind the buckstays, so an electrician must hold in the overload relays to get the motor to turn. Frequent motor burnouts were attributed to this practice. 


Rather than increase the size of the motors, the decision was made to convert the operation to hydraulic motors due to the inherent overload protection in such a system. Relief-valve adjustment serves this purpose.


Because of the large amount of dirt inherent in the coke plant and the dirt sensitivity of the hydraulic motors, the hydraulic systems were redesigned. This redesign was so successful that no hydraulic motor failures occurred for the first five years. The improved cleanliness also increased pump life. This case was an example of prevention involving a radical design change with which not everyone agreed.


Unchecked Oil Temperatures


At another hot mill in the Pittsburgh area, the challenge was determining the cause of losing several back-up bearings. It seemed to be a case of the oil overheating, but when the coolers were examined, none of the thermometers was working. It also appeared that no one was checking the key system parameters, such as temperature, water content, flow, tank levels and cleanliness. 


When the thermometers were replaced, oil temperatures of 175 degrees F were observed. Evidently, the coolers were having no effect. Once the coolers were replaced, the problem ceased. 


This was a case of not paying attention to signs that can warn of impending problems. Management hastily instituted a form to be completed on each shift that forced someone to watch those important system parameters. 


Misreported Oil Demulsibility 


Oil purchased for the mill’s back-up bearing system needed to be able to drop out water quickly. The purchasing specifications gave a very strict number that had to be obtained from the ASTM D-2711 test. ASTM D-1401 is another test for demulsibility, but it is used for light oils. The heavier oils utilized for these back-up bearings had to be tested with the former test, although it took much longer than the ASTM D-1401 test. 


The mill was experiencing a rise in water levels with samples tested from new loads of oil. Samples taken from in-service oil were having the same problem. Under normal conditions, the water levels should have remained under 5 percent but were now 20 percent. The lab assured the mill that the samples of new oil were within the specification. This situation continued for several months as an investigation was conducted. There were concerns that back-up losses would soon begin rising. 


As luck would have it, the lab shut down, which meant the mill had to find another one. When the next sample was sent to the new lab, the mill immediately received a call that the demulsibility was below specification. The load had been pumped out and replaced with a load from another company. It turned out that the old lab had been using the ASTM D-1401 test because it was quicker than the D-2711 test but did not inform the mill. The oil supplier didn’t even have the equipment to perform the D-2711 test but was relying on its additive supplier to provide the percentage to use. This was a case of having all the needed tools in place but still getting bad information.


Three Phases of Prevention


These case studies encompass preventive actions for three types of situations: an obvious situation, a change of methods situation and an unseen situation. Each of these is described below.


An Obvious Situation


These situations are like the poorly designed hydraulic system or the electric motor bearing issue. The problem is very costly, and the solution is either obvious or requires a design change. The solution will also require time, money and the will to do it. Most agree that solving the problem is worth a try since it is easily seen. These situations are usually designated as “crises.” The alternative is to learn to live with the problem.


A Change of Methods Situation


These situations involve a long-standing way of doing things, such as each department buying lubricants with no attempt at consolidation or not reporting system fluid additions. Although the problems are seen, not everyone envisions a solution or agrees one is needed. Personnel have learned to live with the problem. Basically, the way things are done must be changed.


An “Unseen” Situation


Many times actions can be taken to prevent bad things from happening. These include condition monitoring, regular inspections, close monitoring of system gauges and oil sampling for laboratory tests. Every plant system has parameters that must be checked periodically. These checks consist of people making an assessment of the condition and filing accurate reports. When these people do their jobs correctly, bad things are prevented. 


Short-sighted managers only “see” the people who repair things. Those focused on prevention work in a less dramatic environment. Consequently, when the economy is poor, these jobs often are eliminated. 


Leaders not only must ensure the “seen” is handled efficiently but also that the “unseen” is not neglected. The “unseen” typically requires recognizing the indications of bad things about to happen, which can often be identified in regular inspections by sight, feel, smell or hearing. However, most of the “unseen” must be detected by equipment. This would include temperature, vibration, sound and lab tests. 


The “unseen” also involves a conviction that technology can be used to predict events in order to avoid or plan for them. This conviction is an important leadership attribute. Remember, managers don’t see the “unseen,” but leaders do.

Machinery Lubrication (8/2016)