north american operational excellence summit

Summit to Summit

To the left, you’ll see a photo of me (Steve) at the top of Kings Peak, the highest point in the state of Utah. It was about a 30-mile hike I underwent with 2 friends. 20 of those miles were leading up to the base of the mountain, which was near the tree line. One friend and experienced climber / hiker, Justin, took the role of our leader. He’s done similar hikes in the Tetons, a few hours away from Kings, made sure we had the right equipment, and had strategic GPS coordinates to check along the way, and keep us focused on the goal: Summit King Peak.

Once the tree line ended and the hike turned into a class 2-3 rock scramble we encountered several problems: large boulders, loose rock, deep snow, cliffs, and more. Quickly our team made decisions that would get us closer and closer to the 13,528-foot high point.

Are you leading your team to the Summit?

If you’re leading a team, whether it is a department, front-line team, or entire organization, make sure you have a common goals to align around. Have your GPS coordinates to confirm you’re on the right track, they might be metrics/targets that you reflect on daily/monthly/yearly. If you’ve gotten off track, do problem solving so you can get back.

Yes, sometimes you need to lead from you gut, but you better check your coordinates: not only does it allow you and your team to do problem solving when you’re off track, but it also gives your team confidence in you. What’s your team’s goal? Are you checking to ensure you’re on the right track?

NAOE Summit

To learn more from great leaders, join us at the North American Operational Excellence Summit in October.