Adding Value to Mine Sites with a Professional Mining Leadership Program

Outliers Mining Solutions offers a variety of training services for leadership in the mining industry. Of particular value to mining operations is our Professional Mining Leadership Program.

From the unique experience of our staff to the values that we bring in our service delivery – OMS expert trainer’s methodology is proven to provide sustainable change management solutions.

Outliers is unmatched in the experience level of our mining leadership trainers. As director of this service, I bring over 40 years of hands-on mining experience to the table. In addition to my contributions, our expert trainers have extensive experience in managing mine site operations in each crucial role within the organization, working from front line supervisors to the executive level.

I’ve never lost my passion for open-pit operations or my respect for the people that work towards the success of mine sites. This passion is contagious.

Our team didn’t learn to talk mining – we learned to mine. Our program is designed in such a way that no production time is lost and no one is taken off the job.

Our trainers work in the field, in real-time in the mining operation.

Nowhere else can you find Outliers Mining Solutions’ years of hands-on experience in mining leadership training, mentoring supervisors in their own world.

At Outliers, the principal focus of supervisor training is the Performance Management Cycle.

The elements of the Performance Management Cycle are:

• Assign
• Observe
• Evaluate
• Feedback

 This cycle of Performance Management – to measure performance against expectations is:

• A continuous improvement process.
• A gap analysis – to identify what improvement areas will enable expectations to be reached and exceeded.

Effective communication is key- This process rests on sufficiently describing the assignment – and therefore the expected outcomes.

Over many mine sites and cultures, one reality we see at the supervisor level through to managers is that leaders often struggle to adequately describe task assignments.

People are assigned tasks without clear expectations or understanding of why they are there, and the full scope of their assignment. The performance management cycle seeks to disrupt that mindset and provide everyone with a clear understanding of what tasks should be completed (and by whom) to be the most productive and effective in the use of resources.

At Outliers Mining Solutions, our expert’s unique perspective allows us to reduce supervisor frustrations – and communicate with mutual respect with site managers. We get “buy-in” from the whole team not only because we know that process changes we are suggesting will improve workplace efficiency, but because we’re practiced in operational communications to explain the suggestions to the miners that will be affected.

This training program doesn’t focus on a total production number, but rather on the production fundamentals that build to that number:  

• Manpower allocation
• Truck spot times at shovel
• Queue and hang times
• Truckload factors
• Travel speeds
• Travel way (haul road) conditions 

Fundamentals that are completely within the control of the Mining Supervisor – and their crew.

Every Supervisor in every operating department will benefit from Outliers Mining Solutions Professional Mine Leadership Program.

Today, we see many FIFO operations requiring workers from a broad range of geographic locations to live in camps far away from their families. It wasn’t always this way- The shift in operating environment has caused quite a number of things to change.

As our industry has become more and more KPI focused, the external elements of trust and teamwork are stripped from mining teams- The way leadership functions has shifted.

Our training focuses on rebuilding these leadership objectives.

 It takes four years to train a tradesman, several months to become a qualified shovel operator,

Yet most mining supervisors do not receive formal training.

Many supervisors are lacking two things – leadership training and true operating experience.

Supervisors placed in this position are set up to fail.

OMS is committed to providing an understanding of what supervisors are asking their people to do – by way of coaching leadership skills and increasing fundamental knowledge of equipment and operating skills.

Each supervisor is a unique individual, so each OMS Mining Supervisor Training program is customized to the operating culture of each individual mine site.

What sets Outliers’ training apart is that our first step is to always get to know each individual, and then deliver training appropriate to each of them.

• Whether a seasoned supervisor or new to the game, we coach everyone as an individual within the framework they exist.
• We work to know each individual and build respect between supervisor and mentor.

Outliers Mining Solutions believe that this is the fundamental standard to deliver sustained improvement- To establish trust and credibility in that team of two – after which the technical aspects of managing performance of the operations, well that part is easy.

This training technique goes deeper than a checklist of processes – we take the time and care to build understanding, improve communication and increase efficiency. To us, it’s about taking a system that sets supervisors up for failure, understanding the people in those roles, and making the change to set them up for success.

To learn more about our mine supervisor training program, visit this link.