Roberto was doing well helping the new work pants associates get up and running. Red Kap had opened its first non-US manufacturing facility, and Roberto was the engineer. Roberto and his management partner, Rodney, were tasked with increasing personnel, production and keeping the quality within Red Kap standards.
One of the first times Roberto and I talked about the strategy and what steps he needed to get done each day, he said, almost as if confessing, “I go out on the floor to get something important done, and I get sidetracked by other requests to help. It takes me more time than it should, and it’s frustrating.” There were 200 associates and 10 supervisors, plus the training supervisors on a temporary assignment.
Interruptions delayed Roberto’s projects. He was very young in his career and had difficulty focusing on what was necessary because urgent issues were distracting him.
Our conversation led to the first section of the Franchise Owner’s Dashboard – Top 3 Priorities. Here’s how that transition played out:
The on-site manufacturing team consisted of Roberto, his management partner, the Honduras general manager, and me, the chief engineer. At our next meeting, Roberto led the discussion to define the top 3 priorities for the week (20% of activities lead to 80% of results) and how engineering could support those priorities.
Roberto attended daily supervisor meetings to help him understand how he could help them. In exchange, he told the supervisors what he was working on and asked for their input.
The results were outstanding. The supervisors had input on the daily focus. They all heard Roberto’s plan simultaneously, so they didn’t ask on the floor. Finally, reviewing the top 3 engineering priorities each day increased the supervisors’ trust and confidence levels in Roberto.
The pant production finished its first year 6 weeks ahead of plan. Every day brought a new dumpster fire or 10 to put out, and they were. Fortunately, the plan helped keep management and engineering aligned.
The volume of interruptions on the manufacturing floor declined so dramatically for Roberto that he wondered if the supervisors and associates didn’t value his input. When we talked with the supervisors, each told us that since the mini-strategy session with Roberto, they taught the sewing associates that Roberto was there to improve their jobs and not to interrupt him. Roberto and I were relieved.
Roberto finished his 24 VF career in a high-level global manufacturing role.
Successful franchise owners use the dashboard to help them and their teams focus on the top 3 priorities for their franchise to take the next step, just like the management team in Honduras.
The Franchise Owner’s Dashboard provides franchise owners with the tool they need to manage their businesses more effectively! 💪 Our vision is to be the go-to source in the franchise industry by creating a set of streamlined tools to support franchisees. 🤩
The Franchise Owner’s Dashboard is free to download at https://bellavistaexecutiveadvisors.com, and so is your 45-minute conversation with me to refine your thoughts.
