Crouser & Associates Performance Group program helps printers prosper through on-site assistance as well as twice yearly group meetings. Reply to this message for more information by Email or call (304) 342-5100. Crouser Report OnLine is the Copyright Thomas P. Crouser. Material may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent.

Discipline: That s What s Missing In Many Print Shops

(Copyright 1995 Thomas P. Crouser September 27, 1995)

Discipline is not what you think. It s not being mean or nasty. Discipline is just doing what is most important instead of what s most fun. One of the prime responsibilities of the leader is to maintain organizational discipline. That s what s missing in many print shops today.

Organizational discipline is the cumulation of several disciplines required for the business to work. It begins with self-discipline. Does the leader do what s most important or are they self-indulgent and do what s most fun. Many self-indulgents with unbalanced budgets have to increase sales while they cut costs yet they spend their time playing with a computer. Leaders don t set type. They do what is important for their success.

Discipline extends to supervision. Many leaders try to replace discipline with incentive plans so they won t have to get their hands dirty or confront. Doesn t work. Enforcing discipline goes with the territory of being leader. The leader is required to see others do what is most important. Have a client on the telephone right now whose $40,000 salesperson is spending their time updating a data base instead of selling something to someone. They re complaining to us that the person doesn t do what they are supposed to do. Hum, let me think. I got it! The leader should enforce the organizational discipline. Assure people working under you do what is most important not what is most fun.

Discipline extends to procedures as well. Many production problems aren t production problems. They re order entry discipline problems. The production team can t produce a job whose production specifications have not yet been decided. Biggest offender of order entry discipline usually is the leader who requires everyone else to follow procedures but then don t themselves. It s discipline which is missing in the order entry process. Do what is important. Fill out the appropriate information. Not what s most fun.

And there is the ever present time and place discipline. Prime time. That s 8 to 5 pm Monday through Friday. Prime place. Where the work is being done. The leader who doesn t show up until 11 am shouldn t be surprised to find that the work in the shop doesn t really begin until 10:30 am. No amount of extra hours put in at night or on weekends or at home by the leader can make up for the loss of prime time hours in the shop. Time and place discipline. Doing what is most important when and where it is most important to do it.

Discipline is not being mean or nasty. Discipline is just doing what is most important instead of what s most fun. That s what s missing in many print shops today: discipline. And discipline is the job of the leader.

Happy Trails. . .Tom Crouser
Crouser & Associates Performance Group program includes two on-site evaluations by Tom Crouser each year along with two group meetings. Management training is held during the group meetings along with participation in a meeting with non-competing printers. Join others who have decided to run their business instead of the business running them. Reply to this message by Email Tom Crouser for more detailed information or call Clark Workman at (304) 342-5100. Or fax (304) 342-5187 or contact crouser@ibm.net.
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Tuesday, January 02, 1996 8:33:16