On Site Training, Training by doing and showing the way

Go, go audit our people, Jay. Please see to it that all are in their proper uniforms, and are complying with our 5-step procedure. Go!

My, my, yesterday I asked him to perform an audit. I requested the same last Monday. How come I am not receiving any reports? Why do I have to always ask for it. I was hoping he'll make a great report with a list of superb suggestions and improvements aside from the audit deviations (which I do not expect to be zero).

I was really disappointed. I shook my head from left to right then from right to left. Don't get me wrong. I am so disappointed with myself. Yes, with myself, not with him, my supervising staff. I should have known that Jay, a newbie, needs a dash of supervision himself. He is not doing the task assigned because it was not clear what the output should be. Though I specifically described to him to list down the audit findings, probably he needs more guidance.

So the following day, I let him proceed to the work area to audit. I found myself there too at the shop floor, doing my own audit. I was just trying to show him that this is of importance to me and that he has to do it. He has to do it the proper way, really going to the people, one by one.

I called him after our audit and let him list down our joint findings on a clean sheet of paper. We started reviewing the list and placing the actions to be taken to correct the deviations and pinning down the who's and the when's.

The following Monday, I was so glad to receive a message that he conducted his Monday audit. He reported to me his findings and what actions they have completed. Now, I'm impressed. He has done well, more so, the team was able to comply 100 %.

Just this afternoon, four visitors (two of whom are members of the management group) went to the shop floor. I was not there, but I have a high level of confidence in terms of the area and the people since Jay has been doing his periodic audit and reporting results.

This is good. Our efforts will bear fruits. For my part, I still have to check on Jay once in a while and do random audits myself to assess accuracy of the report I am receiving. You see as time goes by, it is possible that the audit checklist has to be updated and the definition of compliance reviewed.

Let's keep the fire burning. Let's all do our share of the work. Great satisfaction is drawn from our victories, whether big or small, and audit compliance is a big thing for me.

Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.
Stephen Covey