Re-Energized To Supervise
3 MIN
Joe Ramlow didn't want to be a supervisor. But Koch’s meaningful approach to leadership changed his perspective.
Joe Ramlow was a quality engineer at Philips-Medisize when Molex acquired it in 2016. He helped the company design and manufacture innovations for the medical industry. Joe had a reputation for solving problems and finding ways to optimize equipment and processes. Three years later, after working as a business analyst, Joe recommended the formation of a new team to better integrate people, processes and technologies globally.
The company liked the idea, but when Joe was asked to serve as the supervisor of that new group, he told them ‘absolutely not’ based on his previous supervising experiences.
At other organizations, Joe was required to issue orders, and team members were supposed to follow every instruction. At one healthcare company, Joe had 34 people reporting to him. The business had conditioned employees to expect a standard, three percent raise each year with no incentive to create added value. Hiring skilled people from outside the company was also met with resistance in favor of everyone waiting their turn to advance. These past experiences were “extremely demotivating,” Joe said. “Any innovation was completely squashed by the supervisory process. I viewed it as managerial nonsense.”
A Different Approach to Supervising
After further thought, Joe agreed to supervise the new group under one condition – he wanted to hire someone who could become the supervisor within a year. The business agreed and Joe started building a team. The first difference he noticed in supervising at a Koch company was the emphasis on everyone achieving their potential. “My supervisor didn’t want me managing too many people because I needed to focus on their development. I was completely stunned that the company recognized the importance of people and not just the technical elements of what we were doing.”
“I viewed [supervising] as managerial nonsense.”
The business was also willing to help Joe improve as a supervisor. He joined a leadership development workshop series with other supervisors from across Koch companies. “What struck me was how open people were to challenges and questions. I’m in the medical field and was suddenly talking with people who have backgrounds in lumber and glass, but our supervising responsibilities were similar.” One participant inspired Joe to lead more effectively. “He said, ‘You’re hiring these people. You’re making sure they work from a virtue and talents perspective. Trust them. Ask them how they would solve the problems.’ I had always been the one to jump in and say how we would solve a problem. The role of a supervisor changes that because you are no longer responsible for just doing the work yourself.”
Joe started using his one-on-one meetings with team members to seek input and talk about their goals and ideas instead of just reviewing projects. Eventually, it was time to conduct performance and compensation reviews. “Their contributions led to the compensation conversations. I put together the feedback and market analysis. It was the first fair assessment of someone’s compensation that I had ever been able to do. I knew this was the kind of company I wanted to work for long term.”
A New Perspective
Eight years later, Joe is directing a digital business enablement team at the company. “Most of the people from our original group are taking what they learned and expanding that into other areas. Some have transitioned from technical roles into supervising.”
Michelle Pooser, Joe’s supervisor, applauds his approach. “Joe became a supervisor for the right reasons. He thinks about the people as opposed to the stature it could bring him. That’s a big difference.”
Joe is proud of how his group works to understand business priorities and determine ways that technology can assist. “They are finding transformative ways to solve problems and teaching others to do the same. Helping team members self-actualize creates exponential value. I think that’s amazing.”
Give it a Try
The power of these principles happens through application. There’s no substitute for learning as you apply.
- Grow your internal knowledge network across Koch. Look for people with different perspectives to common challenges.
- Supervisors: In your one-on-ones with employees, go beyond project updates to address individual goals, career aspirations and personal development.
- What makes Joe an effective supervisor?
- Supervisors: What lessons did Joe learn that you can apply to your approach?
- What styles of supervising have you encountered? Which ones best enabled you to contribute in a meaningful way?