Reflections ... Reinforcing STOP Work
I trust you all have read the Quality STOP Work communication shared earlier this week.
We want everyone within APM to have the confidence they can stop work at any time when something doesn’t look, sound, or feel right. That confidence comes from reinforcement of our STOP Work culture. In the attached communication these expectations are laid out for leaders and supervisors.
Our Expectation as Leaders
We expect supervisors to:
Encourage craft to stop early and speak up
Support Stop Work decisions without hesitation
Reinforce that stopping for quality is a sign of professionalism, not failure
There is one other bullet I would add to this expectation.
Respond to a STOP Work moment with “Thank You.”
IMHO the key to STOP Work reinforcement rests with the person receiving a STOP Work moment. How will you respond?
My expectation is that everyone in APM responds first with two words, “THANK YOU.”
Why? Because stopping work takes courage. It takes courage to stop, to intervene when something is not right. It especially takes courage when you are less experienced – you don’t want to look incompetent, or approaching someone in an advanced position – you don’t want to overstep.
Why? Because stopping work says I care. I care enough to step up and say something. I care enough about you to intervene. It especially says I care when you are stopping someone who may not see what they are doing is risky or foolish.
After we say “Thank You.”, the next thing we do is listen and have a conversation. We return the care by showing humility and respect by considering the other person’s perspective. Then we come to a resolution, and we restart work with collective confidence that our work will be done safely with quality.
-Jake