More on the mission...
Across decades of working with people and teams from every level and at many different organizations - including small business, large corporate companies and in-between, one thing has become increasingly apparent to me - very capable, dedicated employees are often left under-utilized.
This can happen for many reasons: often it is because when an organization grows or changes, a historically high-performing employee gets a bit left behind. Sometimes there is a hesitation to promote someone or pass on new responsibilities due to perceived risk and the lack of a process to help mitigate it. Sometimes a manager or organization just moves too quickly to plan for or fill a role, missing potential opportunities to upskill an existing, reliable, high-performing team member with a demonstrated aptitude to learn and be successful in new areas.
These misses often come at a detriment to not only the individual, but also to the team and ultimately the whole organization. There is a real cost to hiring outside talent, and it doesn't always pay off. The average increased salary and benefits expense is around +18% - that really adds up over time. When you add direct hiring costs, the time it takes for a new person to get up to speed with business context and relationships and just the overall risk of culture fit and potential mismatched expectations, there is a lot of reason to be sure that there is consideration of upskilling and providing opportunity to existing staff to build capability.
I like to share an example from the time in my career when I was leading a continuous improvement program plant roll-out. Another plant within our network that ran 3 lines of the same product family had been consistently failing to deliver volume requirements and our parent company invested millions into a new line. Within 12 months of the start of implementing the CI initiative, line efficiencies on the original 3 lines had improved so much and output increased such that they no longer needed the new line. The lesson was optimize what you have before you add to it.
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When this becomes a priority, not only do efficiencies and expenses directly improve, you also naturally contribute to morale and company culture and the many additional benefits that a strong, connected, valued team delivers.
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Just as reflected in the shared goals so often assigned to top management, "we win and lose together." I believe this whole-heartedly. Do you really, truly know who is contributing what - and how they could and should be? And do you have a lever to pull when you identify a gap and opportunity? I'd love to be that lever that helps you strengthen your team.
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More about me.
Sabra Billings - Owner/Solutions Mentor
I have spent three decades working within the manufacturing and operations industry, with an unusual breadth of experience. My professional career has included Director of Commercialization for a large co-manufacturer, Director of Project Management for the US division of a large privately held food corporation.
I have directed warehousing and operations for a non-profit and supply chain for a mid-size branded and private label food manufacturer. I led the local focused continuous improvement implementation while part of a large national branded food company and have held key roles in multiple MRP and ERP implementations.
My consulting experience includes working with a start-up to vet a full third-party supply chain and with a multi-branded CPG company to improve their commercialization process during a brand line reformulation. Added to the mix is a four-year stint as an entrepreneur, reopening and significantly growing a local landmark donut shop during covid 19.
Most recently, I served as Director of Operations and Logistics for a co-packed start-up CPG business.
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Having worked up from an entry-level position myself, I have every respect for the contributions team members make at every level of the organization - and I am uniquely, and passionately, positioned to help businesses identify, support and leverage high-potential employees and the processes they drive.