IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1543955
MARCH 2026 I I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE 111 T H E R I G H T A P P ROAC H cupational health & safety manage- ment) to my areas of expertise. I am very proud that, after 13 years, dozens of clients, and hundreds of audits, I have a 100% track record in client cer- tification to all international standards. In 2016, after a year of intensive training, I became a John Maxwell- certified independent leadership consultant and have now helped hundreds of individuals and leader- ship teams improve their leadership effectiveness. I have found that one of the big- gest mistakes companies make is to promote their best workers into supervisory roles without any formal leadership training. For example, pro- moting your best salesperson to sales manager can be a double-whammy because developing and closing a sale and managing a sales/rep team require two distinct skill sets. You may lose your highest-earning sales professional while also creating dysfunction in the overall sales organization. I've also seen this happen frequently in manufac- turing. Of course there are exceptions, but success is typically improved after providing structured leadership training. This led to writing my sixth book, and the first on leadership, Notorious: Leadership Lessons From History's Most Notorious Leaders, which has now become a complete platform, including an online learning course. I have a passion for sharing my experience and lessons learned through consult- ing, writing, and speaking engagements. The most satisfying moments for me are a great client testimonial or when someone (other than my mom, who reads everything I write) says, "I love your articles, I learned something, and you made me laugh a little." It is always humbling to have your worth validated, and I was honored to be a 2020 recipient of the I-Connect007 "Good for the Indus- try Award," which plaque still occupies a prominent space on my bookshelf. 50 Years of Innovation I have been so fortunate to witness firsthand such a wide range of advancements in both technology and equipment. I developed my own top 10 list, knowing that if you ask 10 people in the industry, you'll get 10 different lists. I've dated them based on when the technology became somewhat main- stream, not the first developmental application. Conclusion I hope this journey down memory lane has brought a smile to my fellow board rats still banging out boards and helped you recall some great memo- ries of the proverbial good old days. It certainly has for me. After 50 years, I have no desire to retire. I will provide value to my clients until it stops being fun. And right now, I'm still having a blast. I-CONNECT007 Steve Williams is president of The Right Approach Consult- ing. To read past columns, click here.