[Post by Chuck Krugh, August 12, 2022]
“Be an active participant in making our company stronger for the future” is the last of the five expectations I’ve been writing about over the past month and that I laid out during my first week here at Bath Iron Works.
This single expectation has several important parts. First and most important is the word “active.” Active means that you are doing something, that you are engaged and making things happen. It is vital to our company that we are all fully engaged each day we come to work.
When we are fully engaged, we are making things happen and we are paying attention to what is happening. When we are fully engaged, we are participating in building the world’s most sophisticated warships for our country. Each of us should be an active participant in this work every day because this is work to protect the United States of America and our families.
When we are fully engaged and paying attention, we also notice what is happening. In some cases, being fully engaged means we see a potential safety hazard and call our co-worker’s attention to it. In other cases, we notice that a step was missed, and we make sure the process is followed to prevent an error or rework. Every time we notice something that could be safer or fixed, we are working more safely and improving our quality.
These actions alone make our company better. But I know that when you are doing your job, you also notice things that could be improved―processes that could be made safer and more efficient if done a slightly different way or using additional resources more effectively.
I want to hear those suggestions. We need to get better every day. Sometimes important changes are big, but sometimes, they are small. All of those improvements make our company stronger.
Being actively participating in making our company better also requires us all to believe that we can improve. This is what I call having a “can-do attitude.” BIW shipbuilders have a reputation for solving problems―this is the can-do attitude at work. I want every member of the BIW team to feel empowered to solve problems and recommend improvements. Show off your can-do attitude and make our company better!
We need to demonstrate our progress to the Navy. The greater our progress on safety, schedule and reducing rework, the more confidence the Navy has in our continued commitment to making sure Bath Built is Best Built.
Being an active participant in making our company stronger shows the Navy that we are the premier builder of surface combatants. It makes them want to invest in our facility, which in turn benefits all of us with improved amenities and a safer, more efficient workplace.
The stronger our company, the better a place it will be to work. A strong Bath Iron Works is the cornerstone of our communities and a workplace that will endure for future generations.
The Bath Built Is Best Built tradition is part of our legacy. Everything we do to make our company stronger makes Bath Built Is Best Built part of our future.
Chuck
President, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works
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