The ability to: launch a team, overcome change fatigue, get a new product to market fast…the challenges continue...
Business Challenge:
In your business, each day in every interaction decisions are made, teams are formed, and results are expected. Some team members have worked together before with established patterns of a fast start, handling conflict and getting right to work. Insert a new team into the process – well, things can go off the rails for a while. While all team members typically have the best of intentions in mind, competing priorities and dueling personalities have a tendency to slow things down.
Compass Tools™:
We’ve been down this road many times and have learned a thing or two about the critical few skills, when applied early, catapult your team toward their goals.
Key Content:
Compass Tools™ are a proprietary set of tools, delivered in real time and used immediately – impacting the team’s performance from hour one.
Outcomes:
By providing the Compass Tools™ to your team you can expect the following:
Meetings that run efficiently with solid next steps linked directly to business outcomes
Feedback to individuals and teams will flow smoothly – even when communicating the more challenging messages
Clear understanding of the different components both internally and externally that impact the results of your teams
Goals with actions directly linked to specific outcomes – with the who, why, what, when clearly defined
Team members who listen and learn attentively to their colleagues, leveraging innovative ideas across your organization
Take a look below at what a few of our clients have to say about the power of the Compass Tools™:
We look forward to speaking with you soon.
About Compass Tools
Q&A with a Plant Manager, Global Pharmaceutical Company
During a major drug shortage this Plant Manager was charged with turning around the performance of a critical manufacturing facility. Chosen for his ‘can do’ attitude and work ethic, this young leaders first Plant Manager assignment was perhaps the most challenging of his career. We worked with this leader over a nine month period. Here’s bit of what he had to say about his experience (comments and scenario edited to protect confidentiality).
Q: What has been your most significant learning, from our start to present (2 months in)?
C: “The most significant learning is the importance of transparent communication from the top of the site to the manufacturing floor. With greater clarity and the message coming from the site lead, the team was much more receptive to changes in work schedules, even during holidays – they understood the ‘why’. This was also true in preparation of evaluations. Clear understanding of the expectations and the potential impact drove much greater collaboration at the site level”.
Q: What is one of the most creative solutions to an issue that has been developed by your team?
C: "We had significant challenges, we had to act fast. Going to the floor with an impromptu all hands to gain support for completing a given task. This enabled us to look the staff in the eye, explain the situation and ask for help. This put it back on their shoulders and they came through”.
Q: What has been your greatest challenge between the start and present?
C: “The greatest challenge was and continues to be breaking down barriers from the past. The old way of doing things was so engrained in the site that gaining trust and credibility while still needing to modify plans was difficult. The ladders of inference at the site have a strong impact on performance of the site and the willingness to forget the past and move forward.
Q: What is a decision/plan/proposed action developed by your team that will have the greatest impact to the plant for the long term?
C: “The greatest impact will be the first pass at the organizational assessment. This has set a scalable structure in place that has enabled short term success and provided a platform for the site to build upon in the future. Roles and responsibilities are more well understood and with each production run execution improves”.
Q: What is a decision/plan/proposed action developed by your team that will have the greatest impact on the total organization (Global Pharmaceutical) for the long term?
C: “Add decisions that were made that enabled the site to this point to stay on track for first to market status will have the most impact long term. If we are to continue to grow in this franchise we must continue to be first to market. At the same time as completing audits, agency audits, and an organizational assessment, we still keep on track to meet this critical business milestone while improving the sustainability of the site. It is not an either or proposition but an “and” proposition”.
— Plant Manager, Global Pharmaceutical Company
“…A great experience learning the Compass Tools – I use them everyday. The end result - our cross functional teams delivered on 300 basis points of gross margin improvement in our division.”
Vice President, Finance
Medical Device Industry