Unlocking Leadership: Kayla Micek Grows as a Manufacturing Leader
Are you an aspiring leader who is hungry for growth?
If so, Kayla Micek’s leadership story might resonate with you.
Within two months of joining Clickstop, Kayla embarked on her leadership journey by stepping up as a 2nd shift manager on the Manufacturing Team. As the needs of the team and company changed, Kayla moved into a team leader role with 1st shift.
Motivated to improve her leadership skills and make a meaningful impact, Kayla enrolled in the Leadership in Manufacturing program at Kirkwood Community College after her fellow team leaders completed the program last year.
Kayla approached the program with determination and an open mind. “I love to learn. I’m a student at heart,” she shared. Her goal was not only to excel in her role as a team leader but also to foster a culture of growth and development within Clickstop’s Manufacturing Team.
Throughout the program, Kayla immersed herself, engaging with professors, classmates, and industry professionals. She actively participated in discussions, shared experiences, and sought advice, leveraging the collective wisdom of her peers from regional businesses to ones as large as John Deere. She used this opportunity to broaden her understanding of effective leadership practices in the specific field of Manufacturing.
“Even though everyone is looking to you for leadership, it’s not about you at all,” stated Kayla. “It is always about them. I came into the experience thinking that a leader is someone who comes in, puts processes in place, and holds people accountable. Yes, that’s important, but it’s just as important to care about the people.”
Embracing each class session as an opportunity for growth, Kayla absorbed insights on communication strategies, conflict resolution techniques, and the nuances of team dynamics. “I learned about the ‘careabouts’ people have,” Kayla noted. “Conflict stems from two people caring about specific things.” This realization encouraged her to have hard conversations to address issues and come up with 200% solutions, not 50/50 solutions.
This focus on the intangibles and the personal side of leadership led to self-reflection. Kayla spent time considering how she was working and how her prior experiences have influenced her understanding of leadership. These reflections helped her understand who she wanted to be as a leader, what she’d learned that could help her evolve, and how these aspirations aligned with Clickstop’s expectations of managers.
“I’ve focused on slowing down, being more patient, and bringing people in to help solve problems.” Kayla emphasized. “Creating buy-in only helps grow the person, the team, and the company.”
Kayla’s journey through the Leadership in Manufacturing program continues to yield great outcomes, both professionally and personally. Armed with these new skills and principles, Kayla has fostered a more cohesive and engaged team environment at Clickstop which led her to be named the Courageous Award winner. This recognition stemmed from her growing understanding and application of having hard conversation and managing conflict while also seeing how those actions aligned with the Clickstop Code. Meanwhile, in her personal life, she’s seen how applicable these skills are in her relationships and have fueled her aspirations to grow into a management role.
This experience demonstrates Clickstop’s vision of creating an employee experience where individuals and their families lead extraordinarily better lives as a result of working at Clickstop. Kayla’s story is another example of why we invest in growth opportunities for our employee-owners. We’ve seen time and again that investing in our people transforms their lives and transforms Clickstop.
If you’re eager to grow personally and professionally, start your journey with us today and be part of a community dedicated to growth and excellence at clickstop.com/careers.