Today’s post was written by Curtiss Quirin, Chief Operating Officer of Crossroads Industrial Services.
I learned a long time ago, you don’t get what you expect, you get what you inspect. This concept is very simple to grasp, but very difficult to implement and sustain. Inspection requires not only the creation of a standard, but also the discipline to observe and audit on a regular basis. If done correctly it will help to create constancy of purpose and the development of a work culture.
How many times have you personally or your company started a new initiative (sometimes with great fanfare), only to see it slip away over time? This generally occurs because the expectation was created, but no follow up was established. This confuses your work force and makes people skeptical of any future changes. That is why before any new initiatives are started, you, as the leader, must decide what is important and be prepared to stay the course. The goal is to set a standard and change behavior.
The following are the key steps required to get started:
- Pick something important
- Involve your people
- Establish measurable requirements
- Make it visible
- Set up an audit frequency
- Have the discipline to stay the course
People will do what is important to them and what they perceive is important to you, but if you ask an employee to do something and never come around to check to see how it is going or whether it was even done, you are sending a very confusing message. So before you begin a new initiative, develop your plan on how you will audit the activity.
Crossroads Industrial Services instills these values in our employees and production managers. Learn more about our unique workforce on our employees page.
