Leadership in manufacturing involves developing skills for tomorrow’s challenges. Top industry leaders create change by influencing employees to improve their performance and support organizational growth.
Leadership in manufacturing is a learned skill. Therefore, you should focus on developing the following skills and qualities to overcome industry-related challenges.
Strategic Planning
Focus on market trends to keep pace with customer demands. Also, make difficult decisions to align with and capitalize on customer demands.
Your strategic planning might include the following:
- Alternative supply chains
- New technologies
- Updated workflows
- New manufacturing plants
- New markets
Integrity
Regularly share your vision, goals, and expectations for your manufacturing team. Also, build relationships based on honesty, integrity, and transparency. Additionally, maintain high standards for communication, trust, and respect.
Motivation
Encourage your manufacturing team to continuously improve their performance. For instance, provide challenging work that supports skill development, engagement, and productivity. Also, offer the necessary guidance and support to keep your team motivated to grow.
Accountability
Work with your manufacturing team to develop specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. Hold your team accountable for achieving their goals.
Hold yourself and your team accountable for their actions. Provide the necessary resources, guidance, and support to follow through with commitments.
Empower your team to share what they learn from their mistakes. Encourage everyone to do better going forward.
Results Orientation
Focus on your manufacturing team’s daily and weekly accomplishments. Also, emphasize how their contributions and results impact the organization. Show that you value your team’s efforts by providing a gift card, a paid day off, a small bonus, or another reward when appropriate.
Collaboration
Work with other departments and teams to improve business processes and overcome challenges. Collaborate to share, develop, and implement the best ideas to support manufacturing firm growth.
Innovation
Model thought leadership to optimize business processes. Disruptions are the catalysts for innovation in the manufacturing industry.
For instance, question why things are done a certain way and how they could improve. Also, seek methods to develop and improve products and workflows.
Do You Need to Add to Your Manufacturing Team?
Connectology can provide you with leadership-focused manufacturing candidates to help reach company goals. Contact us to learn more today.
