Recently, a mechanic was trying to diagnose a small issue with my car by driving fast & slow, accelerating quickly & slowly, switching the AC on and off etc. He wasn’t just hearing noise. He was listening for patterns. That’s what leaders must do.
In my experience across manufacturing and warehousing, excellence is unlocked through three types of listening:
- Listen to the machines
Train operators to detect early abnormalities. Conduct simple daily and weekly inspections. Act before downtime escalates
Get this right and reliability improves, asset utilisation lifts and chaos reduces.
- Listen to your people
The disengaged are often “seemingly” disengaged. As I shared in UNLOCK, involvement drives belief. Ask: What’s frustrating you? Where are we losing time? Engagement and productivity move together.
- Listen to the business rhythm
Structured huddles and reviews are not meetings. They are listening systems.
They help you detect deviation before it becomes crisis.
Excellence is rarely about louder directives. It is about deeper listening.
Question for you – If your business started whispering today, would you hear it?
