March 2, 2022

This paid piece is sponsored by South Dakota Manufacturing & Technology Solutions.

When the first Lean Leadership for Supervisors course was held in early 2020, the idea was to reach those early in their management careers.

It has done that – plus much more.

“We’ve had owners and plant managers, along with supervisors at all levels, those being prepared for leadership roles and those who just would like additional leadership training,” said Kellie Ecker Kolb, a business adviser for northeast South Dakota who instructs the class for South Dakota Manufacturing & Technology Solutions.

“It’s been very positive – beyond our expectations.”

Lean Leadership for Supervisors will hold its next 12-week course in Sioux Falls starting March 14 and one in northeast South Dakota beginning April 5.

In addition to the open registration courses, other businesses have worked with MTS to offer company-specific courses.

Each session is capped at 12 participants to allow for a small peer group-like setting.

In many cases, once one or two people from a business have gone through the course, their colleagues have followed.

That was the case at Tea-based Scherer Inc., where director of manufacturing Levi Schmid went through the first time the course was held in Sioux Falls and several co-workers have followed.

“There was a lot of self-discovery,” he said. “That was one of the biggest things I took away: recognizing my abilities and inabilities.”

Sessions include:

• Building your lean leadership foundation.
• Understanding yourself and others.
• Living into your values.
• Fundamental lean principles.
• Priority and time management.
• Delegating and motivating with purpose.
• Approaching difficult conversations.
• Effective goal setting.
• Becoming a coaching leader.
• Lean problem-solving and decision-making.
• Managing your team effectively.

“Not everything we’re trying to teach our leaders is based on what we’re manufacturing in our plant,” Schmid said. “This approach involves you taking ideas from the class, trying them out at work and reporting out results, so it’s results-driven. It’s things I still use, so it was very beneficial.”

It’s also not just for manufacturers but any business that incorporates lean methodology into its operation.

“Lean is something that works for any organization,” Kolb said. “We work with a variety of manufacturing companies – as well as some nonmanufacturers – on lean systems and process improvement. What we found was there was a gap that businesses needed help filling related to culture. This class helps to address that by blending lean principles with the ‘respect for people’ pillar.”

At Midstates Printing, a commercial printing operation in Aberdeen, vice president of manufacturing Paul Hopkins has sent multiple supervisors through the program and anticipates sending more. He’s hoping other businesses in northeast South Dakota will be interested in the upcoming session.

“We’ve got people lined up and are waiting for others. I view this course as part of our leadership development going forward,” he said. “It’s a huge benefit. It’s affordable, it’s interactive, it’s personal, and it’s a good chance for networking. You realize everybody thinks their situation is unique, and then you find everyone actually has the same struggles.”

He can see the results in the workplace after his colleagues complete the program, he said.

“It’s relevant to what I think businesses should be doing – continuous improvement, streamlined processes – but there’s also a people element to it and how you guide people through that,” he said. “And it’s a benefit working through this with MTS. They’ve already been involved in our business, they know our team and our processes, so this is part of a bigger partnership for us.”

Schmid at Scherer agreed.

“The people there that we’ve worked with have been amazing,” he said. “They’re great people. I could call or email right now, and they’d get right back to me. They’re very good at what they do and passionate about it, which I think drives results.” 

What to know

The course is designed to accommodate participants’ schedules, meeting for four hours every other week for 12 weeks. The Sioux Falls class will be at the Holiday Inn & Suites, 2040 W. Russell St. The northeast South Dakota class tentatively is slated for Aberdeen with a location to be determined.

Here’s a look at the expected outcomes:

• Sharpen skills in navigating difficult conversations.
• Master the art of coaching to help teams execute at peak performance.
• Integrate plan-do-check-act into problem-solving.
• Combine goal setting and accountability to foster growth.
• Apply lean method Kanban personally to increase productivity and organization.
• Increase influence as a leader by learning about both personal and team member communication styles.
• Explore different leadership styles and how to apply them.

It’s a $2,500 investment plus tax per participant, which includes a DISC assessment and all course materials. There is a 20 percent discount offered for companies sending multiple participants.

Register by clicking here, or email [email protected] with questions.