ized labor costs were strangling the company, and production and quality were dismal against global competitors. In summary, Ford was on the ropes. Mulally took decisive action and instituted an innova- tive vision for the company called “One Ford: one team, one plan, one goal.” The entire company was unified under one vision of success. In a scant two years, the U.S. auto industry faced a crisis, GM and Chrysler declared bankruptcy, and Ford alone survived without a government bailout. Eventually Ford once again became the num- ber one auto manufacturer in the United States. Leaders must develop and com- municate a practical, understand- able vision. Every employee of the company should be able to say what that vision is. Feedback – How are we doing? Most organizations require man- agers to provide a review of per- formance to every employee once a year during an evaluation. That is not enough. Even if it were done well, and often it is not, employees need regular feedback as to how they are doing. I heard a story about a 16-year- old boy who called a grocery store manager to ask about a stock clerk position. The store manager told the boy that there was no open- ing available for that job. Then the boy then asked, “Is your current employee positively self-motivat- ed, and customer- focused and does he have a great attitude?” “Why yes,” he replied. “He is one of the best employees I have ever hired.” Impressed by the boy’s questions, the manager suggested that the young man come in and fill out an application for a future position. “No sir,” the young man replied. “I won’t be coming in because I already have the job as your stock clerk. I just wanted to see how I am doing.” Sandy Smith will be a featured speaker at Total Solutions Plus in Washington, D.C., November 4-7, speaking about “Leading and Managing Knowledge Workers who Think for a Living.” For more than 25 years, Sandy Smith has been a professional speaker, corporate training specialist, meeting facili- tator, and executive coach with leading organizations in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Clients range from such diverse areas as healthcare, manufacturing, market- ing, retail, and U.S. government. Sandy is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post. In his pre- sentations, Sandy uses a lively style to address the most pressing issues and trends in modern busi- ness and to promote best practices for improvement. Sandy has been a long-time consultant to leading ceramic tile manufacturing firms and distributors. Reach him at sandysmithseminars.com. BUSINESS TIP –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 30 TileLetter | September 2017