Developing supervisor's leadership skills for increased performance
Optimizing supervisor's managerial skills
Regular one-on-one coaching sessions have been set up to develop managers' strengths and help them work on areas of improvement.
Through this support program, KEFOR managers were able to integrate the critical management skills needed to better align and lead their teams. At the same time, the coaches from Proaction International helped them put in place key rituals for driving employee performance, such as active supervision tours.
Thanks to Proaction International's coaches, our managers now feel fully confident and better prepared to fulfill their role with their teams.
Gérard Robitaille, Controller of Finance and Proactor, KEFOR
Introducing active supervision tours
Three times a day, frontline managers meet with their teams to ensure that procedures are understood and followed, and that team members have everything they need to perform.
These active supervision tours give forepersons the opportunity to detect any deviations and make the necessary corrections in real time, to ensure optimal performance at the end of the day.
With standardized checklists for each workstation, supervisors know exactly what needs to be addressed during floor tours. Observations and results are instantly passed on to the management team, enabling them to react more quickly to issues.
In addition to implementing, standardizing, and ritualizing active supervision tours, coaching has enabled managers to adopt the best approaches for fostering employee involvement. They take advantage of these moments to offer constructive feedback and show their appreciation for their teams. Workers feel that they are listened to and valued, which boosts engagement and contributes to KEFOR's collective success.
With Proaction International's structured active supervision tours, the atmosphere with the team has improved and I'm more organized.
Steven St-Pierre Bernier, Supervisor, KEFOR
Implementing effective manager follow-up
Every week, a steering committee meets to closely follow up on each frontline manager's activities in the plant. Interactive graphs including production data are used to visualize the performance of each sector, in real time. They also help KEFOR to react quickly to challenges and opportunities, ensuring proactive and efficient management.
These meetings are of the utmost importance as they feed into and enrich the weekly coaching sessions conducted by the Proactor with managers.
Establishing a continuous improvement approach through coaching
A Proactor from the management team has been appointed and trained. His role? To ensure the longevity of the approach adopted by the organization with Proaction International's coaches. To this end, he helps the management team optimize its follow-ups as well as the frontline managers reach their full potential, on the manufacture floor.
Every week, the Proactor holds one-on-one coaching sessions with the forepersons. By regularly providing them with an outside perspective, these sessions aim to increase the managers' ability to identify opportunities for improvement.
With this approach, KEFOR’s goal is to increase the overall efficiency and profitability of its plants, while strengthening team spirit and staff motivation – a good way to elevate operational excellence and consolidate the company's position as a market leader.
Tangible results
Since the implementation of the approach, the site has seen a considerable improvement in the productivity and management skills of its frontline managers.
KEFOR is enjoying:
- Between 5% to 7% increase in performance;
- An increase from 51% to 67% of the Management Skills Index;
- An increase from 29% to 63% of the Management Effectiveness Index;
- An increase from 5% to 24% of the Active Supervision Index.
From a strategic point of view, the management team reports:
- Improved employee engagement;
- Optimized management structure, with ritualized production reviews and steering committees;
- Effective system for the management team to follow up on actions executed by the supervisors;
- Supervisors’s ability to identify opportunities to improve team performance, thanks to the weekly coaching sessions held by the Proactor.
Mission accomplished: KEFOR reinvents team management and significantly improves performance
Backed by an approach to operational excellence focused on continuous improvement and personalized coaching, KEFOR has achieved performance gains in addition to enabling its managers to improve their team management ability. This remarkable progress has been felt throughout the organization, positively impacting the working atmosphere and creating greater engagement from every staff member.
This transformation is the result of a bold strategic vision and a successful collaboration with the coaching experts at Proaction International. KEFOR was able to capitalize on the strengths of its managers while optimizing their skills, to create a synergy that benefits both the business results and the employees.
