Essay (hifsa)

8 SMT Magazine • October 2016

by Stephen Las Marias I-CONNECT007

What Makes a Great Leader?

Leadership encompasses the ability of an individual to lead or guide other individu- als, teams, or entire organizations in the ac- complishment of common goals. In many in- dustries, great leadership is required now more than ever as companies face a myriad of chal- lenges such as globalization, uncertainties in global markets, and increased demand for flex- ibility. The electronics assembly industry is no different. Amid the rapid change in technology and innovation, leadership is required to drive the organization ahead of its competition and sustain its competitive advantages to overcome new challenges brought about by market de- mands.

But then, there are good leaders, and there are great leaders. How do we differentiate one from the other? According to author Jon Gor- don, good leaders get people to believe in them, while great leaders inspire people to believe in themselves.

Apparently, it’s true. According to our sur- vey on leadership—which is also our topic for this month’s issue of SMT Magazine—the major- ity or 70% of our respondents said the ability to inspire others is the one of the most important traits of a great leader today. This is followed by empowerment of employees, clarity of vision, and then integrity. Great leaders act in the best interest of the team they are leading. And while

E DITOR’S NOTE

10 SMT Magazine • October 2016

having and following a plan is a basic need, the ability to stay positive through challenges and demonstrate high levels of integrity at all times define great leadership.

When you inspire others and act in their best interest, you can be sure that your com- pany is on track for success. We asked our read- ers the most important impact of great lead- ership—and they said it’s happier employees and higher employee retention. Basically, em- ployees are said to be the prime movers in any enterprise, so having long term, happy employ- ees result in better margin and profitability for the company, and improved efficiency of oper- ations.

Another barometer to gauge great leader- ship is whether employees feel empowered to make decisions at their jobs. Majority of our re- spondents say so (Always: 36%; Often: 33%). In this industry, decisions at times have to made immediately because delays can impact cus- tomers, so reducing the time to make these de- cisions is important to both the customer and supplier. This circles back to inspiring others, wherein employees feel confident of their re- sponsibility to make important decisions for their company.

We also asked whether leadership has evolved throughout the years and decades. Ac- cording to our survey, fundamentally speaking,

leadership never changes. Having the clarity of vision and the courage to strive for that vision along with inspiring people to join in on the adventure is a constant. The changing elements are the current means needed to get there— whether that be the product, technology, market savvy, or technical tools to deliver the message.

Nowadays, one of those “changing ele- ments” as mentioned above is the increasing number of millennials joining the workforce— in particular, the manufacturing industry. Therefore, we asked our readers how to lead the generation that says it doesn’t want to be man- aged. The majority said it’s difficult, noting that the greatest leadership challenge when it comes to millennials is dealing with that generation’s narcissism and entitlement.

Which is why a great leader—no matter how clichéd it may sound—must always have a lamp to show the light to the team that is in the dark. Twelve to 16 years of individuals competing for grades does not promote the teamwork needed for success in the real world—so team dynamics needs to be taught. A great leader inspires them from the front. The fact remains that there are things that millennials don’t know. Leading and demonstrating that knowledge helps them real- ize that learning is a part of life, not just a col- legiate phase of life. Millennials want to under-

WHAT MAKES A GREAT LEADER?

October 2016 • SMT Magazine 11

stand a leader’s expectations, but want to be left alone to accomplish them. A great leader gives them the space they need— but intervenes and offers assistance when he sees them going off- track. He can still influence them, but he should let it be “their idea”.

This month’s issue of SMT Magazine cele- brates leadership, and highlights such qualities that define great leaders.

For starters, I caught up with Thomas For- sythe, executive vice president of Kyzen Corp., at the recent NEPCON South China event in Shenzhen to talk about what makes a great lead- er, the changing roles of leaders in this industry, and the impact of effective leadership in the fu- ture of a company.

I also interviewed Vi Technology’s Jean-Marc Peallat, vice president of global sales, about his thoughts on the role of a leader and how it dif- fers from that of a manager and why inspiration is the key to leadership. He also discussed how to lead the younger generation, and what the office or shop floor will look like 10–20 years from now.

Transcend’s Laura Huckabee-Jennings, meanwhile, writes about STI Electronics’ found- er David Raby’s leadership journey, and how he was able to steer his company towards success.

Frederick Blancas of EMS firm Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. talks about how sustain- ability has moved up in the priority agenda of business leaders tasked to shape their compa- nies’ goals, and how they can align aspects of their business with socially meaningful activi- ties that are fulfilled through economic efficien- cy and entrepreneurial innovation.

Susan Mucha of Powell-Mucha Consulting Inc., offers her thoughts about building bridg- es with cross-cultural teams. She notes that as we live in a global society now, more and more leaders are now managing global teams. There- fore, understanding the behavior patterns driv- en by the cultures of team members, having dis- cussions about differences and similarities, and creating an environment where people who are uncomfortable can discuss their concerns, can go a long way to eliminating cultural conflict and building strong teams.

Albert C. Yanez Sr., the corporate VP of As- teelflash Group and president of Asteelflash

AMERICAS, writes about the leadership princi- ples that his company embraces.

I also interviewed Knoll Evangelista of EMS Components Assembly Inc., who talked about leadership, motivation, and how great leaders navigate the challenges to bring their compa- nies to success.

In his column this month, Tom Borkes of The Jefferson Project discusses the cost of man- agement and leadership, and what a company gets from that money.

Our remaining content includes a variety of pieces from around the industry, including reg- ular columnist Robert Voigt of DDM Novastar, who writes about helping users in their search for used SMT assembly equipment and provides some tips to avoid getting a raw deal or actually spending more than new by the time they get that bargain acquisition in good working order.

At NEPCON South China, I had a chance to interview Koh Young Technology Inc.’s Thom- as Lau, sales manager for Southeast Asia, about the challenges and developments happening in the AOI sector. We discussed why manufactur- ers are increasingly looking into strengthening their inspection capabilities.

Then we have Tony Bellitto of Firstronic, and his article on the challenge of developing an effective way to recruit and retain high-qual- ity team members in labor markets where expe- rienced manufacturing talent is in short supply.

Finally, W. Scott Fillebrown of Libra Indus- tries provides ten key items to look for in an EMS company.

I hope you enjoy this month’s issue of SMT Magazine. Next month, we will focus on how vias impact the PCB assembly process.

Don’t forget: We are always in search of col- umnists for SMT Magazine and SMT007 online. If you’re interested, feel free to drop us a note. SMT

Stephen Las Marias is managing editor of SMT Magazine. He has been a technology editor for more than 12 years covering electronics, components, and industrial automation systems.

WHAT MAKES A GREAT LEADER?

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