Leading With Gemba And Purpose In Manufacturing With Craig Sommerville

In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove speaks with Craig Sommerville, Independent Consultant in Supply Chain Strategy and Transformation at Springbank Consulting Ltd.

Craig Sommerville built his career in large pharma and CDMO manufacturing, spending over 25 years at GSK before moving into independent consulting through Springbank Consulting Ltd. In this conversation, he shares the three ingredients he believes make a great leader: clarity of purpose, authenticity and building high performing teams. He explains why he chose manufacturing over research for its immediate impact, and how being deliberate, transparent and persistent took him from head office back to a manufacturing site in Scotland. Craig also introduces gemba with purpose, his practice for focused walks around gemba — the Japanese term for “the real place” where the work happens.

Key Takeaways

· Gain a practical definition of gemba with purpose, Craig Sommerville's practice for walking the shop floor with a specific problem in mind.

· Uncover why a gemba with no clear purpose leaves employees disengaged, while a focused, supportive walk builds trust and lifts engagement.

· Learn why clarity of purpose, authenticity and building high performing teams are Craig Sommerville's three essential leadership ingredients.

· Apply Craig Sommerville's lesson on authenticity: copying a directive leadership style left him feeling inauthentic and drained.

· Take away Craig Sommerville's closing advice for new leaders: be bold and ambitious, but lead with humility.

· Identify the operating cadence Craig Sommerville uses to keep a site aligned, from town halls to weekly one-to-ones owned by the team.

· Explore the strategic and family reasons that led Craig Sommerville back to a manufacturing site in Scotland.

· Discover why Craig Sommerville chose manufacturing over research, favouring change with an immediate impact over results that can take twelve to fifteen years to appear.

· Understand how being the technical face of an organisation to suppliers built Craig Sommerville's earliest leadership skills.

Snippets

· "Be deliberate, be transparent and be persistent."

· "You try to emulate that style, and it doesn't come across quite well. You come across as inauthentic. It's energy sapping as well."

· "Gemba with purpose is not just a walk around... You start the gemba with a view as to what problem you're going to solve, and keep it focused on that problem."

Timestamps & Topics

The following timestamps are approximations:

· [01:25] – Active Ingredients: Craig Sommerville's three leadership ingredients

· [04:49] – Career Choice: Choosing manufacturing impact over laboratory research

· [13:39] – First Leadership: Becoming the technical face of GSK to suppliers

· [16:50] – Purposeful Move: Leaving head office for a manufacturing site in Scotland

· [24:24] – Authenticity: Why copying a directive leadership style backfired

· [36:59] – Gemba With Purpose: Walking the shop floor with focus

· [45:20] – Future Outlook: The rise of AI and why Generation Alpha gives Craig hope

Resources

• Follow Craig Sommerville on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-sommerville-1222025/

• Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/

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