90 Days to Professionalize Your Machine Shop: Mission (Part 2 of 12)

As I speak with Shop Owners from all over the world and discuss the challenges they face, I've noticed a common theme: Many Shop Owners struggle with having a disengaged team.

They don't usually say it in those clear terms though, they usually begin by describing the symptoms they are facing:

• Its hard to retain the most talented team members.
• Employees lack an attention to detail. They cut corners and make excuses.
• Workers put in a minimal effort. They clock in late and leave early.
• Employees waste time on activities that don't move the business forward.

Any of those sound familiar? They hurt the organization in different ways:

• Deadlines aren't met
• Parts are scrapped.
• Productivity is low.
• Conflict between team members.
• A lack of accountability when things go sideways.
• A lack of respect for the company leadership.

Ouch.

Much could be said on the topic of limited labor markets and a lack of skilled machinists in the trade. But that's not what we'll focus on today. ?

With that intro, here are some questions worth exploring:

• How do Shop Owners increase engagement and productivity?
• How do Shop Owners create an environment that attracts great workers and unifies the team toward a desired outcome?
• How do you make your employees feel like their contributions matter?
• How do you propel the organization forward to reach new heights?

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Does this sound too unrealistic?

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The truth is, high-performing team members are looking for two things to happen in their career: First, a meaningful mission that aligns with their ambition and values. Second, an important role to play in achieving that mission.

Notice how I didn't mention anything about financial compensation?

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Create an effective Mission Statement

So, how about that word "Mission". Do you think that talking about mission is best saved for executives in large corporations? Guess again.

The word mission might mean something different to everyone, so let's digest that a bit. Many companies craft what they call a "Mission Statement". Often this phrase is crafted to let the outside world know what you're all about. Senior management might lock themselves in a boardroom for an afternoon and go to great lengths to create something clever and wordy.

Those Mission Statements often sound something like this:

"At ABC Aerospace Precision, we work closely with our customers to provide tailored solutions to complex challenges with skill and advanced technology and we do it with integrity, respect, and a commitment to the highest ethical standards..."

Yes, I'm being a bit facetious.

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Did you notice what's missing? A Mission! Those might all be great qualities, and true in a sense, but there's no good way to measure if you've reached the objective!

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Mission Statements that move a Machine Shop forward need to accomplish 3 things:

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1. Define an Objective. Ideally something economic and measurable.?
2. Set a Deadline. This creates a sense of urgency to make daily progress.
3. Communicate a "Because". A reason that points to a better world.

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Aim for clarity, not cleverness. Use plain language. For those readers who have a mission statement that they really like, ask yourself: if you went down to the shop floor and asked your lead machinist what the mission statement is, would they be able to recite it to you? In most cases, probably not. Effective mission statements need to be memorable. Recite the mission statement at your all-staff meeting. Use it as a filter to make decisions. Let it guide your next step forward.

An effective mission statement for the fictional company above might read something like this:

"At ABC Aerospace Precision, we're going to increase job shop revenue by 50% and decrease lead times by 25% over the next 12 months, because receiving quality components on-time allows our customers to innovate for a better world."

Can you pick out three the key ingredients I listed above?

The objective is clear, so is the timeline. The "because" is an answer to two well-known machine shop injustices: poor quality and long lead-times. If ABC Aerospace Precision made components for military aircraft, the "because" might sounds like:

"….because the safety of our nation depends on reliable military aircraft"

How much more compelling can you get??

Is this too "Touchy-Feely" for the Manufacturing World?

You might think so.

Some of you might say: "Dave, I'm late on a dozen active PO's. I spend my entire day putting out fires, I'm too busy for this stuff."

Well, you can leave if you'd like, no hard feelings from me.

but.

If you'd like to get off that hamster wheel and accomplish something meaningful and specific, I'd encourage you to stay. Book a call with me, we can talk it out later. Life is too short to spend putting out fires. (Unless you’re an actual fire-fighter)

You'll notice that a Mission Statement in this format is more internal facing than others you've heard before, and so it should be. Your customers aren't going to accomplish your mission for you. Your team is.

Here's an important point: you can have BOTH. If you already have a mission statement that you like. Just call this new one something else.

Define What Winning Looks Like.

You need to define for your team what winning looks like. In doing so, your team will understand what they need to be working on in order to achieve the goals of the organization. As a result, they'll feel productive and satisfied in their work. When an employee feels like they're contributions matter, they'll tend to stick around and you'll reduce employee turnover.

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When you define a goal that leads to increased revenue and profit, then you can afford to be generous with your team. You can let them know how appreciated they are by offering great pay, perks and profit sharing.

My point is: great pay isn't everything when it comes to employee satisfaction and retention.

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When a Shop Owner defines a meaningful mission, they also understand what characteristics their team needs to exhibit in order to achieve those goals.

Translation: You'll clearly understand the type of person you need to hire.

For those of you who still aren't convinced, let's distill this into three clear and simple outcomes:

• When your team is aligned and engaged in a defined mission, they waste less energy and are more productive.
• You'll understand what characteristics you want your team to exhibit, and who you want to hire.
• When employees are engaged, challenged, and feel like their efforts are meaningful, they stick around.

Where do we go from here?

Once you define a meaningful mission, the next steps would include defining a set of company values, and the key tasks that each department must complete each day to feel connected to the overall mission of the organization. These are of equal importance and shouldn't be forgotten. Much could be said on that, but we'll park it here for now. Mission on it's own is something that takes time to digest!

?When you define what winning looks like at your Machine Shop by using an effective Mission Statement, the goals of your company are more likely to be acted on and the mission is more likely to be completed.

That said, this isn't a quick fix. Nor is it a blanket solution to all of your HR woes. Think of it more like a firm foundation on which you'll build your house. Even the most well-built houses need regular maintenance and updating over time.

Is your Machine Shop on a mission to accomplish something meaningful and specific? Or is it stuck on the hamster wheel?

Have a different point of view? Drop it in the comments below. Need help implementing a meaningful mission? Book a call with me and let's talk it out.