Employee engagement is the lifeblood of any successful operation. Organizations need to foster a culture where employees feel connected to the company’s mission, motivated to contribute their best efforts, and empowered to make a difference.
Jonathan Chase, a seasoned leader with 23 years at John Deere, understands the importance of driving engagement. Throughout his career, he has witnessed the power of engaged employees firsthand. Having held multiple roles at John Deere, including sales, marketing, business development, manufacturing engineering, and factory operations leadership. He even lived in Mannheim, Germany, for four years, supporting Deere’s European operations.
Jon was a guest on the Accelerating Operational Performance podcast where he shared insights on the key drivers of engagement, the importance of connecting with people, and the role of leadership in fostering a culture of shared purpose and continuous improvement. We discuss his unique perspective on simplifying metrics, empowering employees, and aligning teams to achieve common goals. You can listen to his full episode here or watch it on YouTube here.
The Power of Vision and Communication to Drive Engagement
“I think at the end of the day, it’s about how you connect with people, and especially as you go further from a leadership standpoint, it’s the ability to have a vision, be able to articulate that vision but do it in a simple way that people understand, and they can see themselves in that.”
Effective leadership goes beyond simply managing tasks and metrics; it’s about inspiring and motivating individuals to contribute their best efforts. Jon shares a compelling anecdote from his time as a factory manager, where he inherited a system burdened with a staggering 48 metrics. Recognizing that this complexity hindered employee understanding and engagement, he embarked on a mission to simplify.
He ended up distilling those 48 metrics down to a concise set of four key focus areas: team, fans, franchise, and innovation. This simplification wasn’t merely about reducing numbers; it was about creating a narrative that resonated with every employee. By framing the factory’s goals in terms of these four easily understandable concepts, he empowered employees to see the direct connection between their daily work and the company’s overarching mission.
This approach had a profound impact on employee engagement. Technicians on the shop floor, who were previously disengaged and overwhelmed by the sheer number of metrics, now felt like they were part of something bigger. They could readily identify how their individual contributions supported the company’s success in building a strong team, satisfying customers (“fans”), strengthening the business (“franchise”), and driving innovation. This clarity of purpose gave team members a sense of ownership and pride, which in turn led to increased motivation and productivity.
Jon’s story shows how powerful clear communication and a shared vision can be in getting employees excited about their work. By making complex ideas simple, leaders can help their teams understand the impact of their work and encourage them to give their best to achieve the organization’s goals.
Embracing Lean and Continuous Improvement to Drive Engagement
Continuous improvement is not merely a project or a temporary initiative, but rather a way of life. It requires a deep-rooted cultural shift, where every employee, from the shop floor technician to the top executive, is committed to ongoing improvement.
Jon believes it’s important to give team members the power to make improvements. He talks about his experience with a joint venture between Hitachi Construction and John Deere, where factory workers were called “technicians” to show respect for their skills. This small change shows a bigger idea: valuing everyone’s work.
Because of this joint venture they adopted Kaizen, which is a Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement of working practices and personal efficiency. This means creating a workplace where people feel comfortable sharing their ideas. He thinks it’s important for managers and workers to trust each other, so everyone feels safe sharing their thoughts.
Setting your sights on building a culture of always getting better, giving employees the power to act, and creating a space where everyone can share ideas, you too, can help your organization thrive.
“I was responsible for a joint venture between Hitachi Construction and John Deere, so they were responsible for making all of the hydraulic construction excavators for North and South America, and so it was a unique mix of Japanese manufacturing with U.S. manufacturing and innovation, and so we used all the Japanese terms, and Kaizen, and really visual manufacturing. And of course, 5S was a huge part of that.”
The Importance of Explaining Why to Drive Engagement
Effective communication is a cornerstone of successful leadership, and we couldn’t agree more with Jon on the importance of explaining the “why” behind decisions. Even that small explanation can drive engagement and foster a sense of ownership among employees. He shares a valuable lesson he learned from a former supervisor, who challenged him to take ownership of problems and come up with solutions, rather than simply passing the “monkey” on to someone else. This experience taught him the importance of empowering employees to think critically and contribute to decision-making processes.
The concept of decision-making waste comes to mind, which occurs when decisions are made at a level higher than necessary in the organizational hierarchy. This can lead to inefficiencies, delays, and a sense of disconnect between employees and management. By pushing decision-making down to the appropriate level, leaders can empower employees to take ownership of their work and contribute to the company’s success.
When leaders explain the “why” behind decisions, not only do they help team members understand the context and rationale, but it creates buy-in and commitment. This transparency and clarity also builds trust and strengthens relationships between team members and management.
Walking the Floor in Marketing to Drive Engagement
While Jon’s experience spans various departments, including factory management, he draws a compelling parallel between leadership in operations and in marketing. He emphasizes the importance of staying connected to the ground level, even in a marketing role. Just as a factory manager walks the factory floor to understand the challenges and perspectives of their team, a marketing leader must also “walk the floor” in their domain.
This means actively engaging with dealers and customers to understand their needs and challenges. He believes that marketing efforts should be closely aligned with the realities of the market, and this alignment can only be achieved through direct interaction with those on the front lines. By spending time with dealers and customers, organizations gain valuable insights into how marketing messages are received and how they can be improved to better resonate with the target audience.
Understanding the challenges and perspectives of dealers and customers, leaders can develop initiatives that are relevant, impactful, and ultimately drive engagement. So, remember to stay connected to the ground level, regardless of your role or department, to ensure that efforts are aligned with the needs of the market and the company’s overall mission.
Aligning Groups and Incentives to Drive Engagement
In any organization, especially large and complex ones, achieving alignment between different groups and their respective incentives can be a significant challenge. Meaning senior leaders must foster collaboration and ensure that everyone is working towards common goals.
Here’s how we suggest to align teams and goals:
- Spend dedicated time with counterparts from other departments to identify and address any discrepancies or misalignments in goals and targets.
- Simplify and clarify goals and metrics to promote alignment. By making objectives clear and easily understandable, leaders can reduce confusion and ensure that everyone is working towards the same outcomes. This clarity also helps to break down silos between departments and foster a more collaborative and cohesive work environment.
- Encourage a culture of “out-collaboration,” where individuals and teams actively seek opportunities to work together and support each other. This collaborative spirit helps to break down barriers between departments.
Jon’s insights on aligning groups and incentives offer valuable guidance if you’re seeking to drive engagement and create a more unified and productive organization.
Leading in a Multi-Generational Environment to Drive Engagement
With multiple generations working side-by-side each generation brings its own set of values, expectations, and communication styles, creating unique challenges for leaders.
Younger generations tend to crave more frequent feedback and a clear understanding of the “why” behind their work. They want to know how they are doing, how they can improve, and how their work contributes to the bigger picture. Older generations, on the other hand, may value autonomy and independence more, preferring to be given a task and the freedom to complete it without constant oversight.
However, Jon cautions against over-generalizing based on generational stereotypes. He emphasizes the importance of understanding individual needs and motivations, recognizing that each employee is unique, regardless of their generation. He shares his own experience of learning to adapt his leadership style to the individual preferences of his team members, rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all approach.
“I quickly learned every person engages in a different way. My job as a leader is to understand the best way that that individual employee wants to engage and think through how do we develop goals together, how do we determine what those key success factors are, and so on.”
This reminds us all to stay adaptable and flexible when leading in a multi-generational environment.
Drive Engagement and Achieve Success with these Key Leadership Insights
Jon’s leadership journey offers invaluable insights for navigating the complexities of manufacturing operations. His emphasis on connecting with people, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, and driving engagement resonates across all levels of an organization.
His experience shows how important it is for good leaders to have a clear vision, communicate well, explain the reasons behind decisions, and make sure everyone’s goals are aligned. When leaders understand what their team members need and what motivates them, they can create a workplace where everyone feels valued and supported.
Leaders who take the time to listen and learn from others can achieve amazing things with their teams. Jon’s leadership philosophy provides a compelling framework for driving engagement and achieving operational success and by embracing his insights and adapting them to their own unique contexts, you can inspire your teams to reach their full potential and contribute to the company’s continued growth and prosperity.
Did you enjoy this blog?
Here are some related topics that you may find interesting:
James Ott on Lean Leadership: Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Vaidesh Subramanyam: The Power of Lean Thinking for Sustainable Success
Dr. Dawn-Marie Turner: A Deep Dive into A Readiness Mindset
Ken Romine: The Core Principles of Effective Operational Leadership
