Building team chemistry can often be a challenge. For Antron Jordan, a production technician at First Quality’s diaper manufacturing plant in Macon, Georgia, leading a team is much like perfecting a recipe or solving a Rubik’s cube—both hobbies he enjoys outside of work.
He continually mentors his team of five, encouraging them to hone their skills and performance. In doing so, he’s paying forward the support and guidance he received when he first began working on the production line, having previously worked as a security guard at the plant.
“Back then, I was the new guy on the line, and I was nervous, but my co-workers told me everything was going to be all right. They trained me, and then once I got going, I started training people up, too.”
Now, the mentee has become the mentor. There’s plenty of mentoring to be done in Macon, as First Quality completes a major expansion at the facility and hires hundreds of new workers. This growth is one of the reasons why Antron has faith in a career at First Quality: “People are always going to need diapers. And it’s reassuring to know the company is growing.”
That doesn’t mean manufacturing diapers is easy, especially when you’re leading a team. When he talks to people around town in Macon, they tend to assume making diapers is simple.
Patience pays off
So, whether he’s adapting to a changing environment, incorporating new team members, or taking on additional responsibilities, how does Antron manage it?
“Patience. You’ve got to have patience,” he said. Not unlike when he is cooking ribs to be perfectly tender, or as he practices reducing the time it takes to decipher a Rubik’s cube—which today he has down to about a minute.
In addition, Antron knows team performance depends on making people comfortable as they tackle new tasks that can feel overwhelming.
“When you’re on my team, we’re all about chemistry,” he explained. “We have a comfortable environment as we’re working together and after work, too. We hang out sometimes, and we’re always there to help each other out if there are any concerns or issues. We rely on each other.”
