The BPIF is the principal business support organisation representing the UK print, printed packaging and graphic communication industry and is one of the country's leading trade associations. We are a not-for-profit-distribution organisation.
Team Leader Training: Championing continuous improvement
back to list
22 July 2010
You don't need to do a thing...your supervisor will turn out ok in the long run.
"The team leader role is probably the biggest poisoned chalice in any printer. What's more, if unlucky, the new team leader may have a manager who thinks that because the new manager was the best in the team in their previous role, that management skills will somehow come to them instinctively", so stated Kathy Woodward, Head of BPIF Training in a recent article.
Well she would, wouldn't she? But the act of converting 'supervisors' into genuine team leaders who can champion continuous improvement can have extraordinary impact in raising company performance. For example, Kingfisher Print and Design in Totnes, made effective team leading a key part of business development strategy, and put all five team leaders over time through the ViP/BPIF joint programme. There are three elements: Managing Yourself, Managing the Team, Improving Processes, delivered in four two day modules over four months.
The results have been dramatic - "Each of my managers that went on the Team Leader Training came back enthused and full of new ideas", reported Ross Belloti, MD of Kingfisher. Whilst Andy Carlisle of Ordnance Survey described the course as, "A life changing experience, making me a better and more motivated manager."
Of course you can say 'we are too busy to spare the time', 'too strapped for cash to spare the cost' - but when the press underperforms yet again or another avoidable spoilage occures, remember the team leader you put in charge may not need the blame but may need urgent support to make a better manager.
The last Team Leader Training programme for 2010 starts in mid September in Stratford.
