Isn’t North America the land of endless possibilities? Where is the spirit, the drive and the ambition to make things happen? Hasn’t this country always been able to overcome obstacles? There is no doubt that manufacturing is essential for our economy. We need pro-active leaders who want to create something new and exciting.
Please see my “Top 10 Common Sense Insights” to Make Manufacturing Sexy!
Possibility Thinking – shift from a cost to a quality mentality.
Positive Mindset and Attitude – do we have the drive to make it happen or do we make excuses and get hung up on the little things?
Innovation and Creativity – how creative and innovative is our workforce allowed to be?
Global Advantage and Diversity – incredulously not too many companies seem to take advantage of this huge competitive edge.
Tap into the Unused Brainpower of the People – isn’t it mind-boggling that people cannot reach Industrial Engineering Masters their full potential because very few managers know how to bring out the best in their people?
Education and the Willingness to Learn and to Grow – discover the power of asking the right questions. Learn to listen and pay more attention to the people who do the job every day.
Show Respect – don’t treat employees like little kids – you have to be little to belittle.
Shift from Blame-storming Meetings How To Manufacture A Prototype to Brainstorming Sessions.
Promote Inspirational Manufacturing Leadership Successes in Manufacturing Journals, Magazines and Newspapers – let’s talk more about people instead of machines and tools.
Create a 2011 Manufacturing Calendar – have pictures of employees who have the most cost-saving sexiest ideas.
I think we need to realize that we are in a competitive global manufacturing economy. We need to compete. We can’t keep assuming that just because we’ve won most of the time, we’re entitled to keep winning. We have to keep working at it, to keep getting better plant by plant and worker by worker. That’s how winners stay on top.
There are two economies at the moment that have weathered the super-recession well because they make things and export them. The first one is China because they are cheap. The second one is Germany because they are good.
The question is what route North America will choose to go?