Tim Glispin, president of Sunshine Sign Co. in North Grafton, provides readers with some advice on navigating a new work environment.
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First and foremost, I don’t consider myself an expert in business. However, I have discovered some methods that have made my transition from my previous career to the position I am in now (president of Sunshine Sign Co.) easier. If just one person finds only one of these items helpful, I would consider that a win.
1) Understand how the work gets done. In any position of leadership, it is imperative to know what it takes to add value for a customer. Jumping in and doing the work yourself, alongside the people that do it, is a great educational experience (as well as a fantastic opportunity to integrate with the team). Report to the front line, get your hands dirty, and struggle. The people doing the work have the best assessment of what needs to happen next to improve.
2) Adapt tools from other industries. If you are like me and have extensive experience in another industry, then you have probably been exposed to tools + techniques not utilized where you are now. Ask yourself if those tools + techniques can be adapted to where you are now for greater effect. A small company can benefit from scaled down/streamlined versions of big company processes. A big company can benefit from small company intuition and creative thinking. For example, lean manufacturing principles (founded by Toyota) can be found everywhere.
3) Pay attention to what has historically made the company successful. If you are walking into an established company, take note of the core competencies that made the organization successful before your time. Try to maintain and enhance those. The largest animals in the forest got to that point for a reason.
4) Pay attention to what has historically held the company back. If you can use a fresh perspective to identify and clear limiting factors, you can make some quick progress.
5) Form a strong team. Last year, I took up rowing on Lake Quinsigamond in the mornings. Several insights entered my mind over those months, and one of them was: “It’s not about what you’re doing or how fast you’re doing it, but who’s in the boat with you and how you’re all collectively operating.” If you assemble and contribute to a strong team, life gets much easier.
