Kevin Burns Blog

The gap between good technical skills and effective leadership can cost industrial companies millions in lost productivity, safety incidents, and employee turnover in manufacturing and industrial environments. When your best machinist, welder, or electrician becomes a supervisor, they need more than just technical expertise to succeed. Recent data shows that only 30% of workers feel engaged in their jobs - a problem that often starts with supervisors struggling to communicate team goals effectively.

If you're like most safety managers, you've tried everything to improve your safety metrics. New programs. Better PPE. Enhanced training. Stricter policies. Yet somehow, the results never quite meet your expectations. What if the most powerful tool for transforming safety performance isn't another program or policy, but something far more fundamental? What if the key to breakthrough safety performance is already on your payroll just waiting to be developed?

Ever feel like your safety program is stuck in a loop? Most companies pour resources into training everyone, hoping to create a safety-minded workforce. But despite the endless meetings, constant reminders, and substantial investment, genuine buy-in remains elusive. What if the solution isn't about reaching more people, but focusing on the right ones? Research reveals a surprising truth about how change really happens in organizations, and it starts with your supervisors.

What if I told you that right now, your company is losing thousands of dollars waiting for new supervisors to learn their jobs? It's true. Every time you promote a great worker to supervisor, you start a two-year countdown of costly mistakes, confused teams, and missed opportunities. The worst part? Most companies think this is normal. But it doesn't have to be this way. Let me show you why this happens and how to fix it before it costs your company another dollar.

What's the real cost of underdeveloped supervisors? In today's competitive business environment, frontline supervisors can either multiply or diminish your organization's success. Through a powerful chain reaction, their leadership skills—or lack thereof—ripple through your entire operation, affecting everything from employee retention to bottom-line profits. Discover how developing your supervisors' leadership capabilities creates measurable business value.

Every industrial organization strives to achieve safety excellence. However, many companies find themselves stuck at a performance plateau despite having solid safety programs in place. This article explores why developing frontline supervisor leadership skills is crucial for breaking through these plateaus and creating a sustainable safety culture that protects every worker.

If your supervisors are struggling with high turnover, spotty attendance, and productivity issues, you might think you made the wrong choice in promoting them. But before you blame their leadership abilities, ask yourself: Did you ever teach them how to lead? The problem with most supervisor promotions isn't the person you chose – it's what happens (or doesn't happen) after you choose them.

Want to know the real secret to employee motivation? It's not money, fancy perks, or even recognition programs. The greatest motivator is success - and frontline supervisors hold the key to creating an environment where employees can experience wins both big and small.

Are you leveraging your most powerful asset in building a robust safety culture? Your frontline supervisors hold the key to transforming safety from a set of rules into a shared commitment. A supervisor's soft skills - building trust, fostering respect, and empowering team members - can dramatically influence safety outcomes. A supervisor's leadership abilities aren't just good for safety—it's crucial for overall organizational success. 

Technical expertise isn't enough for today's industrial supervisors. The ability to connect with team members is the real key to success. Supervisor relationship skills drive employee retention, productivity, and safety. Do you have a plan to develop these crucial abilities in your frontline leaders?