Communication may not be the easiest skill to master, but it's one of the most essential attributes of successful leaders.
Furthermore, according to David Reed, director of the plant services division at Eastman Chemical Company, establishing and promoting partnerships between maintenance and reliability organizations is paramount, even though that communication can sometimes be difficult.
"Come from a customer service attitude and try to understand your operations' pain points," Reed recommended. "Also, help align the goals. Are we looking at the same KPIs, and how our KPIs are impacting their KPIs? We all want to get out of the gate in a safe way, so make sure we are all on the same platform."
Eleonor Purcil, digital manufacturing global change leader with Celanese, said she agrees about the importance of clear communication.
"People need to know where they sit in the organization, but they also need to understand what the leader's vision is," Purcil said, adding, "that data is very important," even beyond dealing with daily challenges.
"People are the most important part in process and structure," noted Alex Shelton, director of rotating equipment with Phillips 66. "You can have process and technology but, obviously, they are doomed to fail if you don't have the right people involved. Everyone is talking about having the right tools, engaging maintenance and reliability and how you have to come together as a team within your organization; you have to bridge all those different departments together."
Remember to build bridges and recognize excellence
The "bigger part," Shelton said, is not just finding the synergies or connections or KPIs. "It comes down to physical attributes and having the leadership," he stated.
Shelton pointed to other traits that workers look for in their leaders and managers.
"They want trust, they want honesty and they want to work for someone who appreciates them," he said, recalling one personal experience that drove that lesson home. "Once, in a previous role, I was talking to one of my craftsmen. I said, 'I saw what you've been doing on the job and I've seen what you've been doing all week, and I truly appreciate you. Thank you for working overtime. It's making a big difference.'"
The craftsman replied, "Man, no one has ever come to me and said that. It means a lot that you see what we're doing here."
"You can't just go once a week to a safety meeting and give a stump speech," Shelton continued. "You have to be genuine. And that's what we mean by having 'a successful organization.' It means making sure people understand that it's not just something you need to pretend to be. If you can't own this and be that person, you're going to struggle to implement many of these things." Surprisingly, monetary compensation is not the strongest driving factor among workers, Shelton said.
"What is most important to people is that it's interesting work," he stated.
Lisa Williams, contract labor strategy director with Dow, shared her thoughts about achieving excellence from a unique perspective of "the contractor side," during a panel discussion at Downstream USA 2022, held recently in Houston.
"It's interesting. As an owner/operator with contractors, you want to include that body of workers within your culture; you want them to understand your goals and objectives so they understand how they contribute," Williams said. "But you have to remember they are not direct employees, so there is only so far that you can take that inclusion into the culture."
Williams noted that Dow has "really good relationships" with its contract companies, including some procurement specialists who are "rock stars."
"They ensure that the contracts we put in place to govern them are great so that the contractors (the workers themselves) are delivering to our needs," she said.
"At the same time, as our organization and the needs of our workforce evolves and becomes more technologically demanding, we have to partner in how we're going to support and uplift them so that they can uplift us."
