Top plant controller skills needed to get the job.

What are the top 3 traits or skills every plant controller must have to excel?

Can you suggest any tips or insights to develop your plant controller expertise?

A successful plant controller must be comfortable inside the plant, must quickly build a trusting relationship with plant managers. Listen well and you will learn their problems. Solve them. Example and overflow of inventory clogging the plant, why,ask what is the carrying cost of extra inventory units. Solve their problem perhaps by making it visible to top management.

Every good plant manager know how well his department is doing. He or she has three or four key items that he tracks, KPI's. Learn what the KPI's are, follow them yourself and stay ahead of him.

Every plant has what I call "trueisms" everyone knows what they are and never challenges them,test the "trueisms" most likely they are wrong--good opportunity.

When you are leading the monthly variance meeting if you want to cement good relationships with you operations peers never blindside a manager at the meeting. Tell him in advance that you are going to discuss variance x.

Prepare for meetings, know the facts and prepare for likely questions, take it a step further and prepare for questions that are likely arise from the first set of questions.

If you have a tough problem, the easy answer is usually wrong continue digging.
and ask, does this make sence?