Macon Progress

Once upon a time in 1998, I helped a team in Macon Georgia improve the reliability and safety of one of their production lines. The work was exciting, the team was enthusiastic, and we were making breakthroughs beyond what I ever imagined could happen. Something was missing, however. For some reason our sponsor, the Business Unit Manager, never came out to the line to see what we were doing. Although the team didn’t seem to mind, it really bothered me. After all, we were doing things so quickly and effectively, and solving so many problems that others weren’t able to solve, I wondered why he didn’t appear to be interested in our progress. If you know me, you could predict I would do something about it. And, I wouldn’t be subtle about it.

On the evening of the first day, after the team left, I went to the sponsor’s office. I wanted to see if I could convince him to come out to the line the next day while we were doing our work. I thought his visit would reinforce the importance of the team’s work and might also show him what his people were capable of accomplishing when empowered to do so. During our discussion, I shared my observations of the team’s progress and how well they were working together and being open to changes in thinking. Then I asked him if he thought he might have some time the next day to join us for a while, so the team could show off their accomplishments. He informed me he would be tied up in meetings all day and might check things out when he had time. I left his office a bit frustrated, but hoped he’d stop by during a break, even though he made no commitment to do so.

The next day, the team made even more breakthroughs and were extremely proud of their efforts. We were having fun and people from the crew and the maintenance department came by to see what we were doing. It made the team feel good that people were noticing their work. By the end of the day, we still hadn’t been visited by our sponsor or any member of the management team. It didn’t feel right and I was determined to do something about it. I wanted to visit with my sponsor that evening, but I found out he had left the plant early to play golf or watch a high school baseball game, or something else that was a higher priority for him. I was getting really frustrated and probably should have left it alone, but I couldn’t.

On the third day, during a break, I decided to walk to the sponsor’s office and spend some time with him, if possible. Luckily (or unluckily), he was in his office and agreed to spend a few minutes with me. I started off by describing the great effort of the team. He listened to what I had to say, but seemed to be waiting for what I was really there to discuss. I then talked about how the team had been visited by others and how it seemed to drive enthusiasm and pride in the team. Finally, I told him that although it was great to have his sponsorship to do this work, it was disappointing that neither he nor the management team had come out to the line at any time during the week. I understood how busy things were at the plant, but I also felt it would be impactful for him to visit and demonstrate his commitment to the efforts of the team during the week.

I could tell I had struck a nerve. “Adam,” he said, “If you are questioning my commitment, you can do it from Lancaster (corporate headquarters)!” At that point, all I could do was try to dig myself out of a pretty deep hole. I really don’t remember what I said, but I wasn’t fired and I wasn’t sent home, so I guess that’s a win. I tried not to let my disappointment show to the team and the rest of the week we continued to make amazing breakthroughs. At the end of the week, we were able to get some management team members to join us for a tour of the changes. The sponsor showed up too. To this day, I don’t know if he would have showed up without our conversation, but I learned an extremely valuable lesson in that moment. I needed to develop a process to align with leadership and gain their commitment.

Now, many years later, I am able to provide the image of commitment to leadership teams. I illustrate what’s going to happen, how they can support team efforts, and what’s expected of them. Then, I can look the leadership team in the eyes to see if they are willing to commit. There have been times that I have had to walk away from an assignment or a potential client engagement, as it became clear they wouldn’t commit as much as I believed was required. It’s hard to walk away from a paying job, but I feel like my role is to give teams the best chance to win. If I don’t think they have the support to do that, I don’t want to subject them to a frustrating experience.