In the U.S. Navy, there's a concept called "deckplate leadership." The idea is simple: effective leaders don't manage from a distance. They're present where the work actually happens — on the deckplates, not isolated in the wardroom.
It's a principle that stuck with me. Across different chapters of my career — military service, time in academia, years in the corporate world — the same truth kept surfacing. The best teams I've been part of, and the best teams I've built, share a common foundation: leaders who show up, listen, and treat expertise with the respect it deserves.
In precision manufacturing, this matters more than most industries. The people running complex machines, programming tool paths, and holding tolerances measured in ten-thousandths are specialists. They've developed judgment and intuition that takes years to build. They know things that can't be captured in a procedure manual.
Leadership in this environment isn't about having all the answers. It's about recognizing that you don't — and creating conditions where the people who do can apply their knowledge fully.
What does that look like in practice?
It means being present on the shop floor, not just passing through. It means asking questions before making decisions. It means removing obstacles instead of adding oversight. It means giving people genuine ownership of their domain and trusting them to deliver.
Most importantly, it means understanding that respect isn't a management technique — it's the foundation everything else is built on. When skilled tradespeople feel like their expertise is valued, when they're treated as partners rather than subordinates, something shifts. Problems get surfaced earlier. Solutions come from the people closest to the work. Quality becomes personal, not just procedural.
This isn't soft thinking. It's practical. Collaboration and mutual respect aren't just culture words for the break room poster. They're how you get precision, consistency, and a team that actually cares about outcomes. They're how you build something that lasts.
The deckplates are where the real work happens. That's where leaders belong. That's what we do at Infinity.