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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?