JUNE 2013 - Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association

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anxious. Listening matters that much more: “It may be a bigdeal to them when we make a mistake. They’re afraid they’regoing to lose their jobs.”This is what Red Heitkamp calls listening with emotionalintelligence. At its root, actively listening with emotionalintelligence is not only hearing the actual words someone says, butalso understanding the perspectives and motivations behind thewords. A good listener sets aside assumptions and expectations.Hearing from EmployeesThe ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.- Woodrow WilsonHeitkamp says he had an “aha moment” when he learnedabout the 16 types of the Myers Briggs Personality Indicator(MBPI). This theory/test of personality type and cognitivestyle recognizes and values that people learn things in differentways. It provides one way of recognizing each team member’scontribution, and helping leaders capitalize on individualstrengths and tendencies.The bigger the company, Heitkamp continues, the moreeffort it takes to recognize the uniqueness of employees at alllevels and to hear from them. “You can’t talk in person withevery person every day, so you learn to listen through othermethods. But be creative. Depending on the kind of informationyou’re looking for, you might try a survey, a suggestion box, afocus group, an employee question column in the companynewsletter, or an open-door policy for a couple of hours a week.”Heitkamp recommends taking advantage of all the toolsand technologies available for reaching out to and listeningto employees. Younger workers may respond more readily toTwitter and tweets, for example. It can be worth the effort tomove out of your comfort zone and experiment a little. Youmight ask your employees directly about how they would preferto stay in touch with you. That said, don’t ask if you don’t wantto hear the answer! And, despite the current rage over all thingstechnocentric, do make sure you see your team members inperson once in a while, too. Nothing can replace the personaltouch of connection.Electronic technologies may be useful in expanding onthe face-to-face interactions of employees and departments,especially for those working at different locations, even more soif they are cities or countries apart. And don’t forget intershiftcommunication. Scheduling a few minutes of overlap timebetween shifts is a great statement about the importance ofemployee interaction, and contributes to overall esprit de corps.You may not need overlap for every shift change, but scheduleit regularly. If you are a dynamic company, things are changingall the time and your workers need to keep up, too. A littleemployee training on how to listen won’t hurt, either.Learning from Colleagues and NetworksI only wish I could find an institute that teaches people howto listen. Business people need to listen at least as much asthey need to talk. Too many people fail to realize that realcommunication goes in both directions.- Lee Iacocca, former CEO, Chrysler CorporationNetworking is about relationship-building. The two mostimportant networking skills you can develop are listening andasking questions. Why? Because listening validates the otherperson and shows respect. Asking questions shows an activeinterest in another’s opinions and thoughts. Simple, right?A champion of networks of all kinds, Heitkamp says thatnetworking is about knowing. “If you pull the shades, you can’tlook out, and you see and hear nothing but yourself.” You need tolift the shades, open the windows, look out and connect to others.For starters, Heitkamp suggests attending seminars, servingon boards, and becoming active in trade associations relevant toboth you and your customers. Enable networks both in and outof your company for employees as well. Their channels will bedifferent from yours, and you may need their perspective, too.And when you participate in networking relationships, you’vegot to share part of yourself, too. Heitkamp says, “You can’t bepart of a viable partnership—inside or outside your company—without it. You owe it to the relationship to participate.”“Our industry is full of ‘I’ve got a secret,’” says Heitkamp.“We need to realize that it’s hard to develop anything if you’rethe only one who knows something. If that’s where you are,you won’t listen to and learn from others very well, and youwon’t take full advantage of the latest technologies that areavailable through sharing. Look at Apple—once it published itsstandards, it developed twice as fast.”Mike Schuffenhauer agrees: “There are a lot of ideas outthere I haven’t thought of, and it’s nice to hear from somebodyelse. Industry groups can provide a safe environment for talkingabout your company. You don’t have to be super-specific aboutdetails and customers. You can learn things from other energeticpeople who have worked hard, too.”And Then, Do What you Need to DoWe listened to what our customers wanted and acted on whatthey said. Good things happen when you pay attention.- John F. Smith, former CEO and president, General MotorsThe point of all this listening, of course, is to obtain theinformation you need—through hard fact or gut knowledge—to ensure the vitality of your business. Here’s a brief example ofhow it can work:24 | PRECISION MANUFACTURING May | June 2013LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS SERIES
Medical device manufacturing is one of RemmeleEngineering’s target sectors. Heitkamp learned long ago thatphysicians rarely meet with medical device sales reps. He beganlooking for other ways to get their attention. With the launch ofRemmele’s next surgical tool, a prospective ad agency proposeda 20-page brochure for a single new surgical tool. They clearlywere not listening or asking the right questions. Heitkamprejected the expensive proposal in favor of a single-pageproduct depiction. “Just enough for a busy surgeon to digest in30 seconds—on the way to the restroom and back,” Heitkampsays with a smile.Heitkamp saved money and time on the briefer, moreeffective sales aid. The surgeons got the information theyneeded, with time left over for feedback. And sales went up.Listening can pay off in ways you can’t imagine. Do a littlebrainstorming. Experiment until you find the best method ofcommunication for your particular audience and purpose.Think about what you want your audience to do once theyhave heard your message. And know that getting your messageacross will be easier and more fruitful if you’ve listen enough toknow who they are.To the leaders of today and tomorrow—we salute you.- B KyleB KYLE is the vice president of business development at the Saint PaulPort Authority in Saint Paul, Minn. She can be reached at blk@sppa.com.Too Much NoiseCommunications experts give the name noise to anything that gets in the way of an intended message. Here are someexamples of noise to watch for and eliminate or work around where you can. Each can affect the sender as well as receiver.• Physical: Remote locations or uncomfortable surroundings such as background noise, poor light, excessive heat or cold.• Environmental: Faulty or outdated equipment, staff shortages.• Flawed System Design: Unclear organizational structure, dysfunctial information systems, lack of supervision ortraining.• Physiological: Personal discomfort caused by ill health or disabilities, including impaired sight or hearing.• Attitudinal: Poor management, lack of consultation with employees, personality conflicts, lack of motivation, bias,preconceived ideas, resistance to change.• Language: Differences in native language, accents, use of legalese, jargon or ambiguous words.• Cultural: Differences in cultural understandings and practices.• Poor Presentation: Without consideration of audience, unorganized, too simple, or too complex.• Message Overload: Too many messages at the same time, not necessarily from the same sender.For further reading:Argyris, Chris. Harvard Business Review on Effective Communication. Boston: Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1999(Harvard Business Review Paperback Series).Thank you to the following donors who made this series possible:Agrimson Tool Company, Inc.Dave FiedlerKurt Manufacturing Company Inc.Production Engineering Corp.Tom DaggettAmerican Engineering TestingDeborah KalinaCliftonLarsonAllen LLPProductivity IncTooling Science, Inc.American Machine &Gundrillling Co., Inc.Anderson Automatics, Inc.Benny Machine CompanyBrian RobinsonCarlson Advisors, LLPColumbia Precision Machine Corp.Concept Machine Tool Sales, Inc.Dakota ElectricDynamic GroupEllison Machinery CompanyHaberman Machine, Inc.Hales Machine Tool, Inc.Hegman Machine Tool, Inc.Huot Manufacturing CompanyInternational Precision Machining, Inc.John HuotJosh RalphLiesch Associates, IncLubrication Technologies, Inc.Lynn MolineMike ReuterMRG Tool and Die Corp.MultiSource Manufacturing LLCNesstech Concrete MoldsNTM, Inc.On Time Delivery Service, Inc.rmsRobert Carlson JRRod GramseScott TaylorSaint Paul Port AuthorityState of MinnesotaSuperior Tool & MachiningTed Roberts JrTim SwansonToolkraft, Inc.Ultra MachiningUniversity National BankWells Fargo BankWilson Tool International, Inc.Wyoming Machine, Inc.Xcel EnergyYeager MachineLEADERSHIP INSIGHTS SERIESMay | June 2013 PRECISION MANUFACTURING | 25
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JUNE 2013 - Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association

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