Join Me in Providence, RI for "Leveraging Lean to Thrive in Uncertain Times"

It’s my favorite time of year and I don’t mean fall which I enjoy. In a few short weeks the best of New England’s Lean Community will gather at the 20^th Annual Northeast Lean Conference. It truly is a goldmine of practical insights & inspiration for Lean practitioners - from those just starting out to seasoned leaders - through practical & engaging sessions led by fellow practitioners. This year’s conference is being held in Providence, RI on November 7^th and 8^th. The theme is something we can all relate to in any industry or service, "Leveraging Lean to Thrive in Uncertain Times".

Every business has faced challenges in recent years since COVID with labor shortages, electronic component shortages, global supply disruptions, and inflation for example. Being able to thrive in these uncertain times requires leadership and lean practices to overcome adversity. The agenda includes tracks for Leading to Thrive, Harnessing Employee Creativity, Leveraging Lean in Non Production Settings, and Collaborate & Standardize. The practical learning format features exceptional keynote and breakout presentations, interdepartmental panels, peer-to-peer discussions, hands-on simulations, interactive learning and sharing, and unlimited networking opportunities.

I’ve been a frequent attendee and presenter over the last 20 years. You can find many of my posts from past conferences highlighting the value GBMP brings to them. These conferences have been so invigorating, informative, and great networking opportunities. You do not want to miss this opportunity to join me and 500 passionate Lean, Six Sigma and Continuous Improvement professionals just like you.

Use discount code “Lean-Journey” to receive $150 off your registration to this year’s conference.

Register Here

Lean Quote: The Goose Story Teaches Lessons in Teamwork

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"I've shown the players geese videos. I've shown them why geese fly in V formation, what everybody's role is, how geese support each other and, most importantly, why you fly further together. That's the bottom line. Geese wouldn't be able to migrate to the sun without all traveling together. It's the same for us."   —  Emma Hayes, US Women’s Soccer Gold Metal Coach

I share with you the Goose Story by Dr. Harry Clarke Noyes in the hopes that it might also inspire you to collaborate, share with & learn from others with the goal of becoming a better leader.

 THE GOOSE STORY

 BY DR. HARRY CLARKE NOYES

 

Next

fall, when

you see Geese

heading South for

the Winter, flying along

in V formation, you might

consider what science has dis‐

covered as to why they fly that way:

as each bird flaps its wings, it creates an

uplift for the bird immediately following. By

flying in V formation the whole flock adds at least

71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

 

Key Takeaway: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When

a goose falls

out of formation,

it suddenly feels the drag

and resistance of trying to go it alone

and quickly gets back into formation to take

advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.

 Key Takeaway: If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are.

When

the Head Goose

gets tired, it rotates back

in the wing and another goose flies point.

 Key Takeaway: It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs.

Geese

honk from behind to

encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

 

 

Key Takeaway: As a leader, how are you communicating with; and encouraging your team?

Finally,

and this is important,

when a goose gets sick, or is

wounded by gunshots and falls out

of formation, two other geese fall out with that

goose and follow it down to lend help and protection.

They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly, or until

it dies. Only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation

to catch up with their group

Key Takeaway: If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.

 

3 Benefits for Developing a Coaching Culture Within Your Organization

In the ever-evolving landscape of modern workplaces, organizations are recognizing the transformative power of fostering a coaching culture. It's not just a trend; it's a strategic approach that empowers individuals, enhances teamwork, and propels businesses toward unprecedented success.

In a coaching culture, managers and leaders act as coaches, guiding their team members towards achieving their goals and potential. This promotes a positive and empowering work environment, where employees feel valued, supported, and motivated to take ownership of their growth and development. It aligns with the idea that everyone has untapped potential, and with the right guidance, individuals can unlock their capabilities, enhance their skills, and contribute more effectively to the organization's success.

Consider the following benefits of a coaching culture, and you won’t have to wonder why your company needs it — you’ll be wondering why everyone’s not doing it.

1. Empowered employees

Coaching helps empower employees to come up with solutions and implement their ideas. This benefits the organization because empowered employees know they have the freedom to be proactive and make decisions that will improve the company.

When employees understand the boundaries and freedoms that have been defined for them, they are able to use their knowledge and skills to the fullest. Research shows that employees who work for organizations that promote employee empowerment are more engaged, take more initiative, and report greater job satisfaction. When employees are granted the autonomy to make decisions within their scope of expertise, not only do they feel valued, but they also make their organization more responsive, more innovative, and, ultimately, more productive.

2. Improved performance

Another benefit of coaching is that it can greatly improve individual performance. Most employees want to do a great job. In addition to providing training and the necessary resources to do the work, organizations that also provide one-on-one coaching are able to improve individual performance, which ultimately leads to better organizational performance.

The importance of ongoing interactions in a coaching relationship cannot be overstated, especially when the goal is to improve performance. It starts with providing clear direction for a specific task or goal and laying out a path to achieving it. A good coach will periodically check in—ideally, at least once a week—to discuss the progress that has been made, help overcome any hurdles, and highlight areas for improvement. When coaches explain why something is done a certain way and how that method evolved, employees gain new knowledge and can apply it to other work.

3. Higher engagement

Improving employee engagement is a goal for many companies, and coaching is one way to get individuals to stay tuned in. Gallup estimates that the cost of poor management and lost productivity from employees who are either not engaged or are actively disengaged is between $960 billion and $1.2 trillion per year. This loss can have a major impact on the bottom line, especially for companies with larger workforces.

Despite this dismal statistic, the modern workforce wants to be engaged. Employees want to understand how their roles connect to the larger team and to the organization as a whole. According to the Gallup study referenced above, employees who strongly agree that they can link their goals to the organization’s goals are 3.5 times more likely to be engaged. Unfortunately, only 44 percent of employees say that they can see this connection.

Engagement is directly linked to the frequency of communication with a manager and the content of those conversations. The same Gallup report indicates that employees who receive daily feedback from their manager are 3 times more likely to be engaged than those who receive feedback once a year or less.

Creating accountability through coaching and goal-setting also helps improve engagement because employees own the results of their actions and behaviors and are accountable to both themselves and their coach. When individuals know that they are responsible for completing a task or behaving a certain way—and have the skills and competencies to do it—they are motivated to stay engaged and meet their goals.

The benefits of coaching extend beyond just increased engagement, better performance, and empowered employees. Developing leaders from within the organization helps build the leadership pipeline and grows institutional knowledge.

Teaching leaders how to be coaches also helps them become better at their jobs. They learn how to give and receive feedback, set measurable goals, and track milestones. They must also model the behavior they want to see in their employees, which means they are more accountable for their own actions and behaviors. All of these skills can be applied in future leadership positions, as well.

5 Impactful Lessons From Christopher Columbus

There are many important and valuable life lessons that we can gather from the adventurous life of one of history’s most famous pioneers. Christopher Columbus had many ups and downs in his life, but he never let that stop him from what he wanted to achieve. I think we can learn most from Christopher Columbus strong and brilliant character. We can learn from his innovative thinking, persistence, and his mental strength. Columbus was definitely a man to be admired and deserves all the credit and glory he receives in our country and around the world.

Christopher Columbus demonstrated several remarkable traits that are just as applicable today as lessons in as they were more than five centuries ago.

1.     Have Big Bold, Passionate Purpose and Don’t Be Afraid to Be Different

The initial purpose of the expedition organized by Columbus was to find a shorter way to China and India to stop Muslim domination of the trade routes through the Middle East. He did have a personal interest in this event, of course. However, the success of this expedition would impact not only him and his country but also all of Europe.

In his day ship captains kept in sight of the shore, ensuring they would not fall of the edge of the Earth or be consumed by sea monsters. Columbus understood that if he continued to do the same thing everyone else was doing, he would at best continue to get the same results as everyone else. If you want to achieve something great it is going to have to be by doing something different than what everyone else is doing.

2.     Believe in Yourself, Even if No One Else Does

Everywhere Christopher Columbus went people laughed at him for his idea that the Earth was round as he traveled Europe looking for support. He was sent away time after time. His peers and colleagues in the sail industry thought him to be a mad man for making such suggestions. Everywhere he went sharing his idea he was dismissed, ridiculed and marginalized. It is very easy to stat to listen to the voices of the naysayers. They will always be around. Leaders who believe in their mission will ignore the naysayers and continue moving forward.

3.     Be Passionate About What You Do

Christopher Columbus first sailed as a teen. He never considered any other activity, even when one of his voyages nearly cost him life in 1476. One of his quotes perfectly describes his passion:

"I went to sea from the most tender age and have continued in a sea life to this day. Whoever gives himself up to this art wants to know the secrets of Nature hear below. It is more than forty years that I have been thus engaged. Wherever anyone has sailed, there I have sailed".

It's not enough to have passion. You need to share it with your investors, partners, employees, and customers. That's how they know that your products and services are perfected, and your business will survive hard times as well.

4.     Find People Who Believe In You

Columbus had big bold purpose, self-confidence, and passion - but no one would take a risk of financing his expedition if it weren't for his professionalism. Columbus was a great sailor. He made four transatlantic voyages and even survived a shipwreck.

On his first voyage into the Atlantic Ocean, the commercial fleet he was sailing with was attacked by French privateers off the coast of Portugal. His ship was burned, and Columbus had to swim to the Portuguese shore. In addition, after participating in several other expeditions to Africa, Columbus gained knowledge of the Atlantic currents flowing east and west from the Canary Islands.

His views, ideas, passion, and experience convinced Ferdinand II and Isabella I of Spain to finance his expedition.

Leaders know they cannot be successful alone. They need the support of people who believe in them. Even if those people are uncertain themselves, they believe enough to put themselves on the line and be part of your team. Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain were the first. And then there were the people on his crew. Each of his supporters may have had different goals and objectives than Columbus, but they were all aligned in supporting him in his efforts. Undoubtedly some were less supportive than others. It doesn't matter. Great leaders use this support, whatever the level, to move forward.

5.     Stick To Your Goals

And last, but not least...we know that Ferdinand II and Isabella I of Spain supported the initial expedition, but Columbus had a hard time making this happen. In fact, he proposed a three-ship voyage of discovery across the Atlantic first to the Portuguese king, then to Genoa and finally to Venice. He was rejected each time.

Later in 1486, he went to the Spanish monarchy of Queen Isabella, and Ferdinand II, whose nautical experts were skeptical, so they initially rejected Christopher Columbus. However, the monarchs were intrigued by the idea and kept Columbus on a retainer. In 1492 they agreed to finance his expedition. That's how Christopher Columbus discovered America.

The world could've seen much more brilliant ideas if only their creators kept going, even after initial rejection. And the truth is most of the time you don't need massive efforts to make something happen.

While we may not be as adventurous as Columbus, we can draw a lesson or two from his perseverance to realize his vision. In order to realize our life goals, we need to do what it takes to achieve it, even in the face of repeated failures. Failures are what we steer away from, but it’s failures that will ultimately lead us to success. Such an irony!

As an important historical character, we remember Columbus this day on our calendar, but we can also learn about life, leadership, good and evil, our humanity, and character which glorifies God or character that brings Him disgrace.  The challenge for all business entrepreneurs, developers and leaders is to learn from history; even from the story of Christopher Columbus.

Lean Quote: Fall is Here, Time to Let Go, and Renew

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."   —  F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Fall season shows us that everything in life is fluid and changing and in order to move forward, we need to embrace the change. As the days get colder, the nights longer and the leaves on trees fewer, nature welcomes this new phase of its own existence.

When we see that despairing look of naked trees and dull skies, it may feel like everything is dying and this change is not for the better. Yet, without the fall, there would be no spring nor summer, and nature embraces this temporary death to reborn again in spring.

This is what we should do too. Not every change is positive, and a rare one goes smoothly. A period of transition almost always involves pain and crisis. But only when we learn to accept a new phase in our life, we realize that every change is for the better.

If it is a negative one, then it aims to shake our values and views, which will later be proven vital for our self-growth.

The Fall season also demonstrates that it is crucial to let go the things that belong to the past. Trees lose their leaves, and it is both sad and beautiful, painful and necessary, morbid and inevitable. Every fall, nature goes through this melancholic transition and says goodbye to the cheerful summer version of itself. Yet, it lets it go without regrets and welcomes the change.

This is an important life lesson for us to remember. If we don’t let things go and dwell on the past, our personal growth stops and we eventually find ourselves stuck in life.

Six Effective Skills of Servant Leadership

In today’s world, leaders are being called upon to provide a new kind of leadership: servant leadership. Gone are the days when a simple “command-and-control” pattern worked. The old military style of the “kick-in-the-rear” has outlived its time. It no longer fits contemporary social values, and it is no longer very effective.

An effective leader is one who is highly effective in six major skills and concepts:

Build Common Vision and Values
To be a good visionary you have to be able to see the big picture, understand what’s happening, and decide where your team needs to go. You must have a clearly defined vision for your team’s success.  You know what they want to accomplish and each team member’s role.  You must keep up to date on current events in their field.  You’re also knowledgeable and informed, so you’re able to make timely decisions.  You need to foresee problems and plan for them.  Service leaders are role models for the values that they represent.

If you don’t know where you want to go, any road will take you there. – Anon 

Sets Direction
Your job as a leader is to help people get things done. People work more productively when they have clearly defined goals to achieve. You make the strategic vision into a reality. A leader sets the overall direction for the team. This means choosing what’s most important for the team to accomplish, setting goals to accomplish it, setting priorities that keep everyone’s mind on the goals on a day-to-day basis, and helping everyone understand the plan.

A leader’s job is to turn great thoughts into crude deeds. – Peter Drucker

Persuasion
It’s not enough to have a clear vision and a sense of direction, although those are critical elements of effective leadership. You must also be able to get others to see, understand, and believe in the vision. When the whole team believes in the leader’s vision, they are more likely to commit to achieving that vision.  Leaders convey self-confidence in themselves and in their abilities.  They are able to communicate effectively with their team to ensure that each member is clear on the team’s direction and priorities.  They frequently remind the team of the goals and mission in order to keep them on target.  Leaders are good listeners.  They allow others to communicate their ideas and create an atmosphere where they are comfortable doing so.  Leaders follow through on their decisions and see them through to completion.

Being an effective leader means knowing how to “enroll” others in your vision. – Warren Bennis

Help and Support
You are there to help when people need you. You help them keep their minds focused on the real priorities and maintain a positive frame of mind about their work. Leaders ensure that everyone functions well as a team and provides the team with the tools and resources required to achieve the desired outcome.  You need to have the skills to think logically and analytically. You need a good command of essential facts and figures. And you must be able to approach problems systematically. They encourage creativity and provide guidance to resolve issues quickly and efficiently.

Great ideas need landing gear as well as wings. – Anon.

Develop and Challenge Employees
You must help people develop their capabilities and express their potential, both individually and collectively. People don’t thrive as individuals when they’re stuck in dead-end jobs, doing the same old things over and over. Everyone needs to be challenged at times, to take on new things, and to learn new skills. An effective leader is one who sees to it that people have a chance to grow.

Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions. – Oliver Wendell Holmes

Show Respect and Appreciation
One of the deepest human needs is the need for appreciation.  Servant leaders give respect and recognition where it is due.  They show team members that they care by showing respect and appreciation for their efforts.  A good leader can inspire people and help them feel good about what they’re doing. It could be as simple as communicating their gratitude.  In return, these leaders receive loyalty, dedication and higher productivity.  Leaders encourage team members to contribute ideas and they value these ideas.

The deepest craving in all human beings is the need to be appreciated. – William James

Successful leaders maintain a service-oriented approach and inspire their teams to do the same. In your company, imagine what your team would look like if everyone was operating as servant leaders. How much more would your team members enjoy their work? How much more effectively could your team operate? What impact would this have on your employees and your customers?

There are countless benefits of actively implementing and improving your servant leadership qualities. These six skills represent the traits necessary to become an effective Servant Leader.  By evaluating your current skills and comparing them against the items listed above, you will be able to get an idea of the skills you need to develop. I challenge you to start experimenting with ways you can become a better servant leader, and determining how you can help your staff to do the same.

Podcast: Why Quality Professionals Should Consider Kaizen

I recently wrote an article for Quality Magazine on Kaizen where I explain why kaizen is a valuable tool that probably not enough companies take advantage of. If you want to be able to look at your process, if you want to uncover what pains you, these are the kinds of things that Kaizen allows you to do. 

A few weeks ago I sat down with Michelle Bangert, Managing Editor, for a podcast to introduce the article.

Michelle: So much has changed with lean and Kaizen, but is there anything you think today that quality professionals should know about Kaizen?

Tim: Yeah, I think it's a really valuable tool. Probably not enough companies do that. I think it's kind of a concept that maybe is foreign to a lot of people, but it's really just an improvement idea that allows us to get a group of people together, continually look at opportunities for improvement. So if you want to be able to look at your process, if you want to uncover what maybe is, it pains you, if you want to be able to do that, these are the kinds of things that Kaizen allows you to do. So it allows us to challenge the status quo, things that we take for granted, get the right people in the right room and come up with a new process to do things better, more efficiently in the future.

Michelle: I love that you said, if it ain't broke, don't fix it policy. It's still, let's keep fixing things and make it better because someone's doing that. And so we have to keep up. So that was very smart. That's probably the better way. Definitely. So can you remember the first time you were involved in a Kaizen event or one of the early ones you did?

Tim: Yeah, one of the earliest ones I probably did was on the shop floor. You know, I think there's a difference between doing it in the office and doing it on the shop floor. And certainly on the shop floor, you can do things that are physically transformational, you can pick up the machinery of the cell and move it around. So those are very exciting. So I did a Kaizen event that was around changing the physical layout. So we did things that were very, I guess, traditional where you might pass the product along to an area. And we wanted to do a change where we would consolidate the footprint of the cell and do more U-shaped manufacturing cell and parts would be provided from the back of the cell and you would do a certain amount of the work content and you would pass it to the next operation instead of what was more traditional manufacturing. So that was the first Kaizen I ever did and I think you know you probably can read lots of stories online about the U-shaped cells and doing that kind of configuration. But for small piece parts, that's a very common approach to do that. But different than you might tackle in the office, first office guys than I ever did was a value stream mapping activity. Typically in the office, you can't see the waste, the same that you might see in a factory. So you have to map out the processes and you might walk it visually. You pick a process and try to walk that from a customer standpoint and understand all the processes that occur there. So typically a value stream map might be a way to do that technique.

Michelle: Definitely a lot of value, regardless of which approach you're doing. Makes sense. Can you think of any that were especially memorable, whether in a good way or a bad way where one worked really well or maybe didn't work the way you wanted?

Tim: I think the ones that are most memorable are the ones that I think people say that something couldn't occur there or somebody might be challenging. So certainly when I was at wire mold, we had that Kaizen area that They said the group leader was really resistant to change and you know this couldn't be done and I took it as a personal challenge to see what we could do there. So I think people felt that somebody was adversarial there. The group leader was somebody that was against change and it really wasn't the case. It was trying to get to understand like, where they came from. And it wasn't that they were against continuous improvement. They actually had suggested lots of ideas for improvement. They didn't want to be changed. They wanted to be heard. So I went in there with the tact of, well, why don't you just try it, you know. If I prove me wrong kind of mentality, right? You know, let's just try it this way. If I'm wrong, then, you know, but then, you know, so be it. We'll try it your way. So I always took that mentality, like try to listen to what they have to say, because they're making the product. I'm certainly not the expert in making the product. And so if you can get them to listen to what you have to say, and you can listen to what they have to say, generally that compromise will get you a solution in the long run. But I was able to get their ideas incorporated in the design. Obviously, it's a much better Kaizen that way. That one success led to three or four different Kaizens in that area, and we were able to make significant change that way. But I like it when someone says that we can't do it, or that they're really against continuous improvement. Those are the challenges.

 

Listen to the rest of the interview here:

https://www.qualitymag.com/media/podcasts/2594-quality-podcasts/play/317-why-quality-professionals-should-consider-kaizen