They Just Don't Get It!

This disconnect isn't usually about incompetence or arrogance. It's about different pressures, priorities, and languages. Executives focus on strategy, growth, and profitability. They speak in terms of EBITDA, margins, market share, and shareholder value. Most have never worked on the floor, so they don't know what really happens day to day. And even the few who came up through operations aren't immune from the common refrain: "He used to be one of us, but he forgot everything he knew the moment he got promoted." Meanwhile, the shop floor lives in a different world. Most employees have never heard corporate-speak in the first place. Their focus is the immediate: keeping machines running, meeting schedules, solving quality problems, watching out for safety, and simply getting through the shift. Strategy feels distant when you're living in a world where everything is both urgent and important. That's why this book is written for site leaders, the ones caught in the middle. Their ultimate job description is simple: execute and deliver results. Fail at that, and you won't be in the role very long.

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