Inspect what you expect

Inspect What You Expect

Something taught to me by a business owner I had the pleasure of working with years ago. He said, if you want things to get done, inspect what you expect. What he meant by that is how we should check up on the things we care about. Physically interact with every facet and joint of the business. By making your presence known, you install yourself in the lives and activities in your workers. You’re showing them that you’re looking to them to ensure quality, you place a seed of trust. By nurturing that seed, you are fostering an environment of workers looking to maintain that trust and build upon that. Everything from walking the floor and visiting each piece of construction, to the loading of trucks, and the job sites themselves--by making an appearance, I am showing my workers that their efforts and product matters to me. Don’t be a figment, be active in your engagement with your workers.

To inspect what we expect means we take an active role in examining the flow of our business and production. Looking at things from the ground as opposed to from the top of the world, gives a different perspective to both the employees and the employer. Interacting with your product and those directly making the product ensures a higher quality that is less likely to be in products made from more austere and aloof environments. Taking an active role in your business and your life results in more of your expectations and goals being realized. Instead of relying solely on a process or routine to take care of it for you, your participation means you have more control over the results. It’s often said, if you want something done right, do it yourself. Maybe you don’t have to go that far, but making sure you inspect all levels of production ensures that much more of a higher quality.