The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Maintenance Organizations - HABIT 7

Habit 7 – Sharpen the Saw

Habit 7 is the law of continuous improvement. It’s about personal development and the development of personnel. We read articles like this one and attend seminars and conferences because we want to develop our skills, and that’s very admirable. Part of our employee strategy mentioned in Habit 2 may revolve around training or Sharpening the Saw. Effective organizations recognize that employees can’t be held responsible to do something in a certain way if they haven't been properly trained. They commonly use workflows as the preferred method of mapping out organizational activities that can then be easily followed and adhered to. They also recognize that precision maintenance skills and predictive maintenance skills are not always skills craftspeople bring to the company with them.

When companies proactively train personnel, they must first establish the end goal. For example, an end goal might be for employees to perform the tasks as outlined in the job plans. Some necessary first steps would be to find out what skills are needed to do that and what skills exist. Doing so allows for targeted training, which is less expensive than blanket training and more palatable to the student—another win/win. Learning additional skills often leads to job enhancement, which usually leads to job enrichment for the employee.

Conclusion

This is an extremely high overview of the 7 Habits and how they apply to successful maintenance organizations. Dr. Covey is listed as one of Time Magazine’s 25 Most Influential People for good reason. Practicing the 7 Habits has increased the productivity and quality of life of countless people. Read and re-read these 7 Habits looking for more ways in which they can apply in your life and in your organization. Research the topic more by reading or listening to the original works by Dr. Steven Covey or by contacting MRG.