Share | The management tips of a small workshop supervisor that stunned countless big bosses!

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Having provided management consulting to companies for many years, I gradually discovered an interesting fact: true management masters are often “hidden” in some corner of the company. They may be just supervisors or team leaders who have not received professional management training, but these \"ordinary people\" possess great wisdom; they are able to develop effective management methods through experience gained from practical work. Once, on the outskirts of a remote town in a central province, I conducted an interview at a small production facility belonging to a certain company. Since over 90% of the workers in the factory were local farmers, they either did not understand the questions I asked or showed no interest in them, making the interviews very difficult—until I met a workshop supervisor surnamed Yue. Director Yue is in his early 30s, gentle in manner and wears glasses; he is the only person with an associate degree in this factory. He speaks in a clear and coherent manner. I learned that 2 years ago, he was the shift leader of another workshop; at that time, that workshop had many problems – accidents occurred frequently, and the quality rate of the products produced never met the standards. In less than two years, he turned this workshop into the best one in the entire company! How did he do it? What is a good leader? Director Yue said, “I believe the responsibility of leaders is to resolve ‘chaos’, establish rules, and train cadres.” ” I asked him what specific things he had done over those two years Director Yue said, “During the first two months I was in this workshop, I spent time with the workers to address technical issues; I often stayed at the factory and never had a regular working hour end. Two months later, most of the production and technical issues were resolved. I began to establish systems, processes, and evaluation criteria; it took another little over a month before the workshop was able to operate normally. Later on, I focused on training managers (section chiefs and team leaders), giving them the freedom to do their work! ” Director Yue told me that he now has roughly half a day each day with nothing to do, and during that time he spends it charging his knowledge by researching industry information and technological developments, as well as self-studying business management. “As a good leader, when an accident occurs, you need to be on the scene, be willing to take responsibility, and resolve the issue ； If the same problem occurs repeatedly, it should be studied carefully, and systems and rules should be established, so that such accidents will become increasingly rare ； Next, focus on training cadres; with more people to help with management, leadership will become increasingly easier! Therefore, the best leaders usually have the easiest jobs, while the worst leaders are often extremely busy. ” It is said that not only Director Yue has achieved \"work liberation\" now; the deputy directors and several section chiefs have also learned this management style. \"They are now very relaxed as well, leaving work on time every day without ever having to work overtime.\" ” Who is a good cadre? “I classify cadres into three categories: First-class cadres are those who are dedicated and find ways to succeed – in addition to working hard, one must think of solutions, use initiative, and accomplish goals on time and to a high standard. Second-rate cadres can carry out orders strictly, but they won’t think of ways to solve problems. Third-rate officials just make excuses; if they can’t finish it in one go, I’ll give you another chance ； If failed twice, there will be a salary cut, demotion, and a severe warning ； If I can’t pay it off in three times, I’ll be transferred or laid off; I definitely refuse to use it! ”Director Yue said. How can one determine whether a cadre is first-class? “It is divided into two parts: the first is to assess performance; we have performance evaluations on a monthly basis, and a final summary is made at the end of the year ； Second is to consider the grassroots support; an **evaluation** is conducted at the end of each year, with all employees in the workshop scoring the managers. The first part consists of objective facts; there’s not much to say about it ； But the second part is a subjective evaluation, which I need to approach with caution. ”Director Yue explained. “I used to work in a government agency; evaluations are still necessary, as a cadre’s support from the people is crucial for carrying out their work. However, the evaluation results can only serve as a reference and cannot be used as an absolute basis for assessment. In my opinion, if a cadre gets only excellent ratings in all evaluations, with scores above 90, it indicates that they have a tendency to be too accommodating, which makes them unsuitable as managers ； If the evaluation score is too low, below 70 points, it indicates poor overall competence and a lack of popularity, so it’s natural that one cannot continue in that position ； The best candidates are those with scores in the middle range, 70-90 points – these are the officials I intend to promote and develop further! ” Tips for assessment and evaluation: “I firmly implement a system of eliminating the lowest performers, hold team competitions, and rank them on a monthly basis.” The specific approach is as follows: each equivalent work section is assigned 3 teams, and the section leader formulates production plans for each team on a daily basis; scores are then assigned based on the completion of tasks that day (including working hours, output, safety in production, and compliance with rules and regulations). Each month, all scores are combined to rank the 3 teams: the first place team receives a reward, the second place team receives neither a reward nor a penalty, and the third place team is fined. ” According to Director Yue, after such mandatory ranking, the three teams competed fiercely with one another, which drove each work section to make continuous progress in terms of technical advancement and efficient production. “We implement a mandatory elimination system for all our managers. For example, if a team leader ends up in last place at least 6 times by the end of the year, sorry, they have to leave their position! The new team leader is elected by the team members, and self-nomination is also encouraged ； The former team leaders were automatically demoted to regular employees, but they could still apply to become team leaders again following the established procedures – this system allows for both promotion and demotion, and people are evaluated based on their abilities and performance, ensuring fairness for the vast majority of employees! ” Drucker said: Management is an art of practice. It seems this statement is true! Since it is an art of practice, true management masters can only emerge in the actual setting of management – even in a small production workshop! With this understanding, in each consulting assignment I pay special attention to seeking advice from these high-performing middle and junior managers, and I have learned a great deal from them. But I find that such people are not common, and it’s particularly regrettable that they have not yet received sufficient attention from management scholars and entrepreneurs... Source: Internet