Winning, or losing, at the front line

01Mar10

I know I may be weird, but I like Mondays! There is always something a bit energizing having a new week to focus, a new week to do work that matters. It really is a gift. There were two things I read last week that set up this week’s work well. Tom Peters talked about the importance of the first line of management in his blog. (www.tompeters.com). McKinsey had an excellent article on the importance of focusing on the talent at the first line, and the difference between organizations who do this well and those that don’t. ( https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com How_companies_manage_the_frontline_today_McKinsey_Survey_results_2537)

I have long held the opinion that execution is the key component of excellence. There are many great ideas out there, but if they cannot be converted to a product or service someone will actually pay for, they won’t help a company. I read this morning that GM is already hinting at a schedule slip for the Volt. I understand the importance of a flawless launch, but it does concern me that perhaps the new GM is the old GM in new wrapping. They have got to execute this well.

The key to execution is translating plans to action, and this happens at the front line. I believe you can’t really appreciate the complexity of an organization until you have supervised the workforce on the front lines. Every new program, process, or system introduced in the organization must be implemented there. I also believe that many authors of these new initiatives have never supervised at the front line and have no idea of the difficulties they cause for the supervisors.

When I was a first liner, our main job was to lead our work teams. That meant getting to know them, communicating plans and directions, answering their questions, getting them resources…stuff you need to do to get stuff done.

These days, the front liners have seen their time with their team diminished by the never ending paperwork created by new initiatives. Many have become glorified clerks. On top of this, cutbacks have increased their span of control so much the best they can do is manage the exceptions. With little time for coaching, bossing has made a comeback! Each day becomes a battle to meet schedules with shrinking resources. It is a damn tough job.

Some companies I work with understand the importance of front line management and invest in their supervisors. McKinsey found that interpersonal skills and leadership training are critical at this level. I couldn’t agree more. It is difficult to free up the supervisors for training. I have a solution that might work. Have some of those folks making up these new initiatives fill in for them. They might learn something. Plus it would be fun to watch.

Advertisement

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  Leave a Comment