Defining Exactly How It’s Done

In March, April, and May of 1996, I received a tremendous amount of one-on-one training on how to operate the various pieces of equipment I was assigned to. Initially, someone else was responsible for swapping out the tooling and dies after each order I completed so the next part could be made. For a while, at least until I got proficient in the repetitive movements required to run those presses, the guy doing those setups would have another machine ready for me before I finished. Once I found my rhythm, he could no longer stay ahead of me and that gave me the opportunity to start looking over his shoulder and ask questions. I didn’t feel all that mechanically inclined but I also didn’t enjoy standing around or waiting on someone else so I could get started on my next job, so I was chomping at the bit to learn how to do those setups myself. Just like learning to operate each piece of equipment, the person training me to do those setups and change-overs walked me through every step of the process. They showed me exactly what needed to be done, what adjustments I’d need to make, and what to watch out for through it all. Whether it was running the machine to stamp out parts or making the changes necessary to produce the next order, understanding each specific behavior necessary played a key role in being efficient, but it also had a direct impact on the quality of those parts and it helped me avoid getting hurt - and in a manufacturing facility, significant injuries can happen in a split second!

Over the next several years, I became proficient in running, setting up, and troubleshooting most of the equipment in my home department. During that time, I trained quite a few new folks using that same approach that had been used with me. As I moved in behavior-based safety, I learned how to be just as specific as I spoke with my peers about how the actions they took while performing their jobs help avoid or expose them to the potential for workplace injuries. The common thread was being specific about how their behaviors impacted their results. Had any of those interactions provided only vague generalities, I can’t imagine many of those folks gaining a real understanding, leaving them to fill in the gaps on their own.

Over the last year or so, a nearby town has had its share of drama. I won’t bother sharing even what I know, which is limited to what’s spilled out of the rumor mill. From what I can tell, though, only a select few know the behind-the-scenes details. But that certainly hasn’t stopped people on every side of each issue from creating their own narrative for who’s corrupt or what the next conspiracy theory is. Without a transparent explanation for each of the scenarios that’s got the folks in and around that town all riled up, they’ve been left to fill in the gaps on their - mostly on social media. While it does offer a bit of entertainment value, it’s far from productive (or positive) for anyone involved.

Had the training I was receiving on those machines lacked detail of any kind, I would have had to fill in the gaps on my own - just the folks around that town as they hear random rumors. Unfortunately, failing to share a consistent message about exactly what it looks like to apply our values can result in the same thing. Even when we have our values printed in handbooks and on the wall, we run the risk of ambiguity - and that can set the table for things to go downhill fast. Preventing this is simple, though, so we’ll dig into that next!