Q. How do you communicate
effectively?
Communication has to go
both ways. I don’t just talk to
everybody — it has to be a dialogue. I want to get feedback from the employees and
feedback from the customers.
Communication is not just,
‘Hey, let’s listen to me talk.’
It has to be a two-way street.
Written communication is
very important. I give these
talks but nobody really
remembers that stuff. It’s all
fluff. Visuals — if it’s written,
it’s clear, it’s concise, and you
can refer to it.
You should have things that
are simple. Visuals are good;
we use a lot of charts and graphs around the place. We
use a lot of metrics because
our whole business is built
upon being a low-cost producer.
We have to be the most efficient, lowest cost way to make
something. We’re not selling
brand equity; we’re not selling
advertising or some kind of
ephemeral concept. We’re selling parts. The guy who gets
the contract is the lowest cost
bidder.
It’s very important we take
all the fat out of everything
everywhere. So we have a lot
of metrics. What gets measured gets approved.
Q. How do you make sure
your metrics are working?
Measure, measure, measure,
and then report it to people
so they can see it. We take it
down to the individual performer’s level. Of course,
most of it is companywide,
because we do not want to
promote competing with your
co-workers.
We try to make it clear that
you are not competing with
your co-workers; we are all
working together, competing
with the rest of the world as a
company.
But having and measuring
metrics are huge. You have to
always be improving. You are
going to fluctuate a little, but
you can take that out. You just
have to have positive trends.
Everybody wants to be part
of something that is working
and successful. Nothing succeeds like success.
It’s like [how] having a professional sports team in your
town makes the town fired up.
Having a successful metric
like sales or productivity rate
or whatever it is you’re measuring, if you are really doing
well at it, it just permeates the
culture.
HOW TO REACH: Talan Products Inc., (216) 458-0170 or www.talanproducts.com
