The 3M Chem Ops Way Guidebook
Module Release Dates
May 1, 2025 - Trust
June 2, 2025 - Accountability
July 16, 2025 - Communication
More to come!
Welcome to the 3M Chem Ops Way Leadership Program. This program is designed to help you grow as a leader in the real world of chemical operations. Over the next 12 months, we will focus on practical skills and mindsets tied to the five leadership values that drive success at 3M Chem Ops: Transparency, Courage, Vision, Resiliency, and Unity.
Before you begin, please take a few minutes to complete this short reflection form. This is your space to pause, reflect, and think about how you want to grow as a leader.
How the 3M Chem Ops Way Leadership Program Works
This program is organized into a series of short learning modules. Each module is built around one of the five leadership pillars and includes focused sessions to explore real-world leadership behaviors.
Throughout the series, certain modules will offer an additional session titled Extra Insights, designed to deepen your leadership development journey and provide opportunities for further exploration if you wish.
New modules will be released on a regular schedule. You will receive an email when a new one is available. From there, we ask that you:
Log in to the platform
Read both sessions under the module topic
Reflect on the ideas
Answer the short questions at the end if you want to track your progress and growth over time
The leadership pillars matter, but only if they are built on something solid. At 3M Chem Ops, that foundation is called Operational Discipline and it is the starting point for everything we’ll cover in the 3M Chem Ops Leadership Way program.
Operational Discipline at 3M Chem Ops
When no one is watching, what guides the choices you make?
Operational Discipline is how we answer that question. It is the standard that helps us stay consistent, accountable, and focused in every part of the job.
Results-Driven Operational Discipline means consistently following clear rules, steps, or processes to achieve specific, measurable goals.
Clear goals: Everyone knows exactly what's expected. If not clear – stop and ask.
Consistent actions: Everyone follows the established steps every time.
Accountability: Everyone takes responsibility for tasks and outcomes.
Focus on results: For everyone, the priority is always on achieving specific outcomes.
When this approach is used, people will be more organized, reliable, and focused.
It helps your teams work together better, face challenges confidently, and clearly see how their daily actions lead directly to achieving the group's big-picture goals.
How Operational Discipline Strengthens Our Pillars of Leadership:
Transparency: Clear rules and steps help everyone understand what's expected and why decisions are made, creating openness and trust.
Courage: When clear processes are in place, everyone feels safer speaking up, taking smart risks, and making tough decisions.
Vision: Following consistent practices helps everyone move in the same direction toward the shared big-picture goals.
Resiliency: Clear and consistent steps make it easier for everyone to handle unexpected problems, quickly bounce back, and stay on track.
Unity: When everyone follows the same guidelines, teams work better together, creating a strong sense of teamwork and collaboration.
—————————————————————
Leading with Operational Discipline is how we set the tone, build trust, and ensure every person has what they need to succeed. As you move through the 3M Chem Ops Way Leadership Program, keep returning to this foundation. Every decision, every behavior, and every process begins here.
