Why Hope Is Not a Strategy—And How You Can Replace it on the Manufacturing Floor
There’s a four-letter word you shouldn’t use on the manufacturing floor: hope! While hope plays a valuable role in life, relying on hope can slow productivity, increase the risk of safety issues and other problems, and negatively impact the way you show up for your team and organization.
But how can you eliminate hope from your operations, and what should you do instead? As a former war correspondent, speaker and author Shawn Rhodes knows firsthand why hope is not a strong strategy for finding success and avoiding disaster—and he came onto the Mindfulness Manufacturing podcast to share actionable tips for replacing hope in your operations and organization.
Replacing Hope, Tip #1: Change Your Mindset
To remove hope from your operations, start with your own mindset. Instead of hoping everything works out for the best, take action to ensure you get the best possible outcomes. To do this, assess your situation and identify areas where you’re relying on hope. Then, take action to replace hope. For example, if you have a part that needs to be repaired, address the issue and get it fixed or replaced instead of hoping the part won’t break.
Replacing Hope, Tip #2: What Can I Do Differently?
If you want to change your mindset and find ways to eliminate hope in your processes, take some time to reflect on previous failures or setbacks. What caused the issue? If you could go back, what would you do differently? Hold yourself accountable and take ownership as a leader, and you can find new success through looking at your past setbacks.
Replacing Hope, Tip #3: Have the Courage to Take a Pause
In manufacturing, it may feel impossible to take a pause or shut down operations to address an issue. But if you have the courage to step up and hold yourself and others accountable, you’ll address small issues before they cause bigger problems down the line. While it may feel hard or even counterintuitive to a small pause, it can actually save time and resources in the future.
Learn More on the Podcast
To learn more about changing your strategy and mindset to replace hope, listen to Shawn Rhodes’s episode of Mindfulness Manufacturing here.