Manufacturing and industrial companies have long faced international competition, shortages of skilled labor and challenges of innovation. All these concerns intensified with the onset of the global pandemic in 2020 and supply line issues and materials shortages.
When a company is looking to fill a senior manufacturing position, the characteristics comprising what to look for in industrial and manufacturing executives become critical to an operation’s very survival.
Innovation
Manufacturing leaders must bring the energy and vision necessary to drive innovation. They establish an expectation and hold teams accountable for finding new and better ways to do things, whether that’s refining a design, revamping a process, or flattening hierarchies so cross-functional teams have more freedom to work together.
Communication
Tell teams what you’re going to do, do it and then tell them what you did. Clarity and consistency in communication are essential in the increasingly complex manufacturing and industrial landscape. All teams across organizations of any size must understand the guiding principles and goals that should direct their every effort.
Inspiration
Communicating clearly is one thing, but doing it in a way that inspires workers at every level of the organization to give their best is a gift that great manufacturing leaders display. When considering what to look for in industrial and manufacturing executives, include the ability to inspire loyalty and commitment to the organization’s goals. Potential leaders should be able to express a vision for the organization that generates enthusiasm and creativity across the company.
Trustworthiness, Transparency, & Honesty
No one loves a snake. Untrustworthy leaders can do fatal damage to organizations, undermining trust, setting teams against each other and generating suspicion and infighting among middle managers and other executives. Checking reputations for trustworthiness, honesty and transparent behavior is a critical step when considering candidates for executive positions.
Experienced manufacturing executive recruiters can dig deep and make discreet, confidential inquiries with key people in their well-developed network to get a sense of a candidate’s effect on the organizations they’ve worked with and how they present themselves. Search professionals help you see whether “what you see is what you get,” or if you’re looking at a brilliant disguise.
Decisiveness
Now more than ever, manufacturing executives must make difficult decisions. These may include shutting down plants, revamping product lines and “turning the ocean liner around,” transforming it into a swift cutter that can dodge storms and zip ahead of others in the race toward market dominance.
Technical Enthusiasm
Manufacturing and industrial executives must be knowledgeable and enthusiastic about technical innovations When interviewing a candidate ask them to demonstrate how they have modernized technology to Keep their organization on the cutting edge.
When your company needs a new industrial or manufacturing leader, consider working with Battalia Winston. We’ll join your search team, adding our experience, expertise and deep research capability to bring you outstanding candidates who will move your company forward, even in the toughest times.
