SIRF Masterclass | Leaders Standard Work with Paul Dunlop

In this SIRF Masterclass, Paul Dunlop will share his passion for Leader Standard Work and the implications it has for Leaders at all levels of organizations. 

In his consulting role, Paul spends a good deal of his time in client businesses alleviating "busy work" and burden through the valuable tool of Leader Standard Work that frees leaders to focus their time, energy and expertise on the "right" things. 



The Basics of Leader Standard Work

“I’m too busy” – it’s a catch cry we hear all too often from leaders and one that is far too easily accepted and excused but not often challenged in our modern workplace. The questions are – what are we busy doing? Are we adding value and working on the right things? In my experience frontline and middle managers are the barometer for where an organization and its processes are on the spectrum from abject chaos to stability and control. This creates a significant dilemma for most, if not all organizations undertaking change processes and continuous improvement activity. As the key stakeholders in translating and implementing strategic initiatives are stretched too thin and stuck in hourly / daily activity.

An unstable process with poor organizational and personal structure will drive this highly reactive management culture meaning leaders are stuck continually firefighting and problem solving in the moment. This puts leaders in in the situation where they must work harder and longer to get above the day to day and find time and space to think and behave proactively. This is not a sustainable model for the organization or individual stuck in this particular rut.

The “too busy” dilemma is primarily an indicator of an absence of process or processes that are broken or negotiable. The leaders must wrestle with the process daily to achieve the desired outcomes meaning their valuable time is compromised and the focus and priorities are often directed toward low value or wasteful activity. There is also an element of choice and ambiguity that comes into play where individuals lack clarity and focus on their core functions and choose to prioritize low value activity over key tasks. Leaders in these situations are generally spending upward of 80% of their time reacting to the stimulus in the environment, working longer hours than necessary and feeling the emotional burden of stress and fatigue. This choice is not one made from an informed place – it is made out of necessity in lieu of adequate tools and structure to support a leaders activity.

The bedrock of any continuous improvement activity in an organization is based on standards and all activity is ideally highly standardized and highly specified. A leaders daily activity should be no exception thus the development of leader standard work as an antidote to support the highly reactive, unfocussed and overburdened leader. Leader standard work is a key element in the integrity of an organization’s structure and its ability to translate, implement and deliver strategic outcomes and to facilitate the critical feedback from the process and frontline employees.

Paul brings with him over 25 years of management and manufacturing experience across a broad range of industries. In his operational management roles Paul has led successful Lean implementation and transformations using the principles of the Toyota Production System and is green belt certified. Paul’s passion for operational excellence using Lean tools and methodology has helped drive sustained continuous improvement and financial performance at many businesses.

Paul’s expertise in training and facilitation methods enables engagement and effective knowledge transfer at all levels of the organization. Paul’s ability to identify with and form effective and lasting relationships with all stakeholders is a hallmark of his approach. Paul believes this is critical in the modern workplace as we strive to align and include our teams around a set of shared strategic objectives and a clearly defined methodology.

Paul’s human centered approach focuses on engaging the ongoing support and commitment of both frontline staff and senior management through effective Lean leadership to facilitate engagement and inclusive problem-solving cultures.

This is a great opportunity to learn from Paul's wisdom and experience that may help your and your companies Leadership Effectiveness and Continuous Improvement journey. 

FAQs

Who should attend?

C.I. Leads & C.I. Managers, Plant & Production Supervisors and Managers, Process Engineers, 

When do I need to register by?

March 19th 

Investment?

This event is included in SIRF Roundtable membership

Who can I contact for further information?

Vic Tas NSW QLD - Brian.Niven@sirfrt.com             

WA & SA -  Henk.Koster@sirfrt.com