Had an issue at work today. The full crew was here and we were a mighty machine. Cranking out product in near record time. When time came for packing up I noticed a piece part was incorrectly installed on one box. In checking further, I realized with heart dropping acceptance that all 300 units and an entire days work was scrap. Every box was done the same way. Agog and aghast, I stopped the line. The usual sounds of 3 screwdrivers constant whir, boxes clanging as they are stacked, noise and chaos came to a complete halt in an instant. I've never witnessed such profound silence. We all sat for a full 5 minutes letting it sink in. That was a moment I will never forget. The feeling amongst the group was utter defeat. It was up to me to salvage attitude. I squashed my own horror and gave a pep talk, sort of. Tried to wrangle the situation into a learning experience. We were all at fault. There was ample opportunity for anyone to notice and say "hey, we have a problem". I sent everyone home and spent the next many hours undoing our days doings.
I was surprised by my own feelings after the fact. It was a moment of retrospect for me and one they are going to hear about tomorrow. We all need to slow down, pay attention and look out for each others work. We have been to individually focused. I am happy for the lesson. It will be interesting what tomorrow brings. I have to have a big talk. But knowing my employees, they will rise to the occasion. We built a brick wall this afternoon, one that we will move tomorrow. The lesson I will attempt to impart is that experience is what you get when you get what you don't want.
This I know........
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