I have visited a lot of finishing shops
during the last five years. It affords me the opportunity to meet the people that
read the magazine. And, I always learn about finishing, whether it is the application
of new technology or a new twist on the use of old technology. It's certainly
the best part of my job.
After
making these visits, I try to relay to you what makes a particular shop successful.
Those success factors could be any number of things: a reputation for quality
work, a sound strategy and plan for growth, skilled employees, efficient and innovative
equipment, high-quality coatings, etc.
But,
there is one thing that separates the truly great shops from the good ones, and
that thing is hard to convey in an article. That thing is something you pick up
on when you walk the plant, talk with management and/or the owner and watch the
employees do their job. What is that thing?
Passion.
Virtually
every successful company I can think of has a passionate leader. The owner or
manager's passion is hard to describe in words, but we all know it when we see
it. In these great shops, that passion is passed from the owner to all the employees
at the company, even to its customers and suppliers.
Passion
for your work is infectious and gets customers excited about your company and
what you can do for them.
Passion keeps what you're doing fresh. It allows you to take a new look at old
ideas and create new products and processes that will benefit you and your customers.
Passion
can help you overcome obstacles and difficult circumstances that hold others back.
Fortunately,
for those of us at PF and the finishing industry, many shops I visit have someone
very passionate about finishing running the show. That gives me great confidence
that our industry will overcome any and all difficulties we're facing right now
or will face in the future. Passion truly is a difference maker.
