The Just Don't Get It!

The Quick Fix Trap: Activity Isn't the Same as Impact In manufacturing, speed is survival. Leaders pride themselves on reaction time—putting out fires before they spread. But firefighting is deceptive. • Quick fixes feel productive but rarely solve the real problem. • Short-term solutions usually become permanent workarounds. • Recurring issues frustrate teams, waste resources, and erode trust. The workaround mentality starts here. When you patch a problem instead of fixing it, you're training your organization to accept "good enough." That cardboard acting as a shim or stabilizer? It started as a quick fix. The duct tape holding things together? Someone decided a temporary solution was sufficient. Those handwritten signs taped to machines? They began as urgent warnings that became permanent fixtures. Every workaround you see on your plant floor began as a quick fix that someone decided was acceptable.

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