How CEOs Can Build a More Collaborative and Empowered Culture

This past week I had the pleasure of meeting with Mike, the CEO of a global automation company. Mike’s company is still family owned despite having eight locations around the world. During our discussions when I asked Mike about demand for robotics and his customer base he shared a dramatic example: “In some instances Shawn, our automation has replaced a 12 person operation, requiring only one or two people to feed and retrieve parts.”

Clearly industry is changing as we know it. Despite reductions in manpower through the introduction of automation and robotics, the reality is that every manufacturer (and distributor, insurance agency, bank, association) requires people. We may require fewer of them, but those we do require need to have a desire to contribute.

The question is, how can we build an operation in which all employees, young and old alike, actually want to contribute? Fortunately I have the answer and it’s not theoretical. It’s based on the best practices of dozens of my clients from across North America.

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The answer is in my new book from McGraw Hill entitled “Operational Empowerment: Collaborate, Innovate and Engage to Beat the Competition”. This has been described by many as a CEOs playbook to build a more collaborative and empowered culture. This type of culture will in turn create a distinct competitive advantage.