Going From Doer to Leader in Manufacturing

Businesses of all sorts require two types of people to operate — doers and leaders. The doers are the ones who produce companies’ products or provide their services. The leaders support, coach and guide the doers and provide vision and direction for their teams, departments and the organization as a whole.When a front-line employee is promoted to being a front-line manager, they move from being a doer to a leader, which can be a challenging transition. In manufacturing companies, this typically means pulling people off of the floor and putting them in charge of managing their former peers. These roles are very different and without the right preparation, new managers will struggle.

What’s the Difference Between a Doer and a Leader?

Of course not everything changes when a doer becomes a leader. For example, safety is paramount in a manufacturing setting; everyone from the CEO down to the newest shop-floor employee must agree on what it takes to keep everyone safe. Additionally, both doers and leaders must have a dedication to quality, recognize of the importance of processes and a commitment to following procedures. But while doers may hold leadership positions on safety committees or emergency response teams, their jobs focus on completing clear-cut tasks such as bolting one part onto another, or using a machine to fill and seal barrels. Leaders’ responsibilities are more abstract. They oversee doers’ work, finding ways to make the processes safer, faster or more efficient. Doers are responsible for meeting goals and leaders are responsible for ensuring those goals are met by setting expectations, giving feedback and holding people accountable — all while not jumping in to do the work themselves.

Doers and Leaders Put Similar Skills to Different Uses

Manufacturing doers and leaders need generally the same skills to succeed. The catch is each has to use those skills in a different way. For example, results-oriented problem-solvers will stand out at any level of a manufacturing company, but doers may use their problem-solving skills to address immediate problems that are holding up production. Leaders may use them to tackle longer-term issues facing their departments or the entire company, such as quality improvement.

How to Help an Employee Move From Doer to Leader

To successfully transition to being leaders, doers also must have leadership skills such as the ability to deliver useful feedback, resolve conflicts and set priorities — and that can be where they struggle. High-performing people in hands-on positions often run into challenges when they’re chosen to step into leadership roles because they go from being experts at one level to being novices at the the next, which can leave them feeling incompetent. New leaders may feel unprepared to handle their new responsibilities. They may even have trouble letting go of old, familiar tasks — after all, that’s what they’re good at.To help new leaders grow into the role, their managers should take these steps:

• Set expectations. Many new leaders who were originally doers are confused about their new roles. Their own managers need to tell them their roles have completely changed and they must adjust to meeting different expectations.

• Be patient. The process of learning new skills and meeting new expectations can take months — and definitely won’t happen overnight. Those who manage new leaders should provide frequent feedback and concrete examples of what success looks like. Leaders who were doers may be used to success coming quickly, so they need to know that the goals they’ll be aiming for may take longer to reach.

• Provide support. Designate mentors who can guide new leaders along their development paths. Ensure these new leaders learn from others how best to approach new problems and manage people who were once their peers.

Leaders who were doers can become some of the most effective managers in a manufacturing setting. If they’re given the time and resources to grow into their roles, the knowledge they gained as doers will help them be excellent leaders.Want to learn more about leadership development in manufacturing? Download our guide:Success Labs is a full-service, strategic organizational and leadership development company located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to explore their business potential and improve their company and cultural performance. Contact us to get proactive about your people strategy.