Yesterday, the Newcomer Sharing Session presentation came to an end.
This sharing session is a briefing presentation that the company gives to recent new hires, typically including those who have been with the company for about one month to six months. I happened to be on the list this time. Besides me, the Production Management department had another controller, the Material Control department had four new hires, and the Production & Sales department had two new hires, making a total of eight participants. In addition to the department heads, the Factory Director and the General Manager were also present.
Each new hire had to prepare a PPT covering their current responsibilities, what they had learned, challenges encountered, self-reflection, and future outlook.
To be honest, I really didn’t want to do it at first.
My regular work already keeps me busy with overtime until seven or eight every day, with tasks that never seem to end. Having to spend extra time preparing this presentation made me wonder, “What’s the point?” Moreover, much of what’s said in these reports tends to be superficial; we could never really bring up company problems, unfairness, or personal complaints.
In short, everyone knows this is a presentation where you can only say nice things.
Even so, I still forced myself to find time and spent nearly half a day finishing the entire presentation.
On the day of the presentation, I saw that everyone was quite serious. Some prepared notes, others kept quietly reciting their content. I myself silently went over my script once more while waiting. Maybe because I’ve been fairly good at oral presentations since my student days, I still get nervous before going on stage, but once I see the keywords, I can usually figure out what to say next.
So instead of memorizing the entire script, I organized the key points and flow in my mind, went over it once, and then waited to present.
Among all the presentations, the one that left the deepest impression on me was from a colleague in the Material Control department.
In her self-reflection section, she wrote: “Need to improve work-life and mental balance.” I was a bit shocked when I saw it, but also admired her. I know she, like me, almost always works overtime until very late before going home. The fact that she dared to write this down directly really struck a chord with me.
Because I didn’t dare to write it.
I didn’t dare to write that the workload was too heavy, that I work overtime until very late every day, or that I often feel overwhelmed by work.
I could only hint at it indirectly, mentioning that the scope of part numbers I handle now ranges from samples, mass production, rework, and outsourced items, to new customer trial production on new lines. This was my way of expressing that my responsibilities have truly been increasing.
I also didn’t dare to write about communication issues with the production line.
To be honest, this is the first time I’ve encountered a production line that simply cannot communicate properly with the Production Controller. No matter how difficult previous lines were, they would at least discuss matters. But the current mode often means they’re unwilling to provide information directly. I have to guess, ask, and dig for everything myself. This is actually very painful for a Production Controller and has been the most challenging issue I’ve faced so far.
But I still didn’t dare to write it.
Because I know that even if I did, upper management probably couldn’t really solve anything. Some issues aren’t something a single presentation can fix; they’re the result of long-term accumulated department culture and communication patterns. I’ve also been wondering which matters should be raised and which might be seen as going over someone’s head.
So in the end, I chose to keep many things to myself.
Overall, the Newcomer Sharing Session ended smoothly. The presentation itself was just a process. The real challenges are the problems that keep coming every day when I return to my post. After all, true ability isn’t about how beautiful the PPT looks, but about how you accumulate experience amid chaos, how you keep adjusting after hitting walls again and again, and slowly improve to become a truly independent Production Controller—that’s what matters most.