By Richard Godfrey, CEO & Co-founder Avec-me
In August 2024 SAIC (a Chinese state-owned manufacturer) announced that they would build cars, under the classic MG brand, in Mexico. This announcement was not, on its own, unique except for one thing. Automotive assembly in Mexico is a major activity. US, European, Japanese and other Asian brands have been assembling world class automobiles in Mexico for decades. What made this announcement different was that these would be vehicles BUILT IN Mexico for SALE IN Mexico.
Typically, most automotive production completed in Mexico is for shipment to US, Canadian and overseas markets. This car will be a car for Mexico, Central and South American markets.
Regardless of how you feel about the politics behind various state and private enterprises at work in the automotive world think about how it would feel to be a production worker building cars that were meant as much for you and your neighbors as they are for foreign markets.
Ownership, Innovation and Pride
More than a century ago Henry Ford captured the magic in this approach when he said,
“I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one…” Henry Ford
In that vision he made the builder the buyer. Every bolt they turned, every weld they made, every wire they soldered and tire the installed might be their tire or their neighbor’s.
The concept of “skin in the game” is an old one. When we feel that there is a part of us in what we produce we bring our best self to our efforts. This isn’t to say we don’t take care in our work when we’re building products we may never consume – I once installed vulcanized rubber soles on military boots – and never served in the armed forces. I still did my best. But, would there have been a little more “magic” in my work if I knew my brother or sister, my neighbor or friend might one day wear those boots in battle?
Be That Leader
Even if the product or services you produce will never be directly used or owned by your team members work to create a “skin in the game” culture where the pride and effort you invest is at the highest level.
One of the amazing things that also happens with this approach is that it unleashes innovation. When my name is on the label I somehow feel engaged in making that product just a little bit better.
I don’t know where the practice of putting employee names on product labels began but I do know that when I see “This product made and inspected by Andre” I feel like I’m getting something just a little bit more special. And, I expect if I was Andre that I’d be just a little bit more engaged, more innovative and more careful in letting that product out of the door with my name on it.
As a leader, have you found ways to connect your products and the people who make them to their own pride, creativity and contribution? Do team members feel that the products and services they provide are an emblem of their personal commitment and creativity? What could you do to make this connection more tangible? How could you use this type of connection to encourage more innovation and creativity at all levels of the product process?
In our book, Connection Cures Contention we explore a concept we call “Build With”. There are innumerable organizations out there built around “Build For” – organizations where individual effort is to advance someone else’s agenda. Build With organizations create a culture of engagement and ownership at all levels where individual ideas, creativity and improvement are as critical to organizational success as those at the top levels of leadership or at the center of research, development and innovation.
We would invite you to read our book, Connection Cures Contention, available on Amazon. We’d also love to have you join the “connection conversations” on our website at www.avec-me.com
