Lean
Tip #856 - Don’t Automatically Blame the Tool
It’s
not the hammer’s fault if the person swinging it uses the wrong end. It just
won’t work well. Most tools are decent enough, they’re just used incorrectly.
Rushing to change a tool because things aren’t working well may be a mistake.
Lean
Tip #857 - Make Time to Think Together
Create
regularly scheduled time to share observations and ideas without a structured
agenda. It could be a semi-annual half-day to reflect on your successes or it
could be more frequent and less formal. Start each day with a “daily huddle” to
keep the lines of communications open.
Lean
Tip #858 - Don’t Be Afraid to Take Risks
Encourage
an entrepreneurial climate, where risk taking is celebrated. If people know
that attempts to innovate are accepted, rather than punished, there’s an
increased likelihood of seeing creative problem solving.
Lean
Tip #859 - Challenge Your Assumptions
When
we don’t know the full story, we tend to fill in the blanks with assumptions,
many of which have little grounding in reality. Instead of assuming, take the
time to learn the real story. For example, if a team member doesn’t answer your
question right away, it doesn’t necessarily mean she’s being difficult or
passive aggressive. She might just need a little time to think.
Lean
Tip #860 - Learn From When Things Work
It’s
important to identify challenges, but why stop there? Invite your team members
to share stories of how they overcame challenges in the past. Then encourage
them to apply those lessons to their current challenges. Connecting to past
successes inspires people and leaves them more willing to use discretionary
effort. This is where real performance gains happen.
Lean
Tip #861 – Engage Employees By Noticing What Gets Done
It
is easy, and at times inevitable, for managers to keep their focus on what's
not finished and what's broken. But if you want people to care about their
work, it's critical to notice and to call attention to what's going well. At
every opportunity, and at least once a day, comment on a job well done or a
crisis averted. We can't expect people to aim for high goals if we don't give
them credit for the small ones.
Lean
Tip #862 – Engage Employees By Soliciting Ideas for Improvement
If
you do one-on-one meetings with your team, or in informal "stop-by"
talks, ask your employees individually for their thoughts on the department's
operations. Ask "What should we be focusing on? What could run better in
our group?" If the solutions offered seem impractical, don't shoot them
down—talk through the obstacles so your colleagues will understand the
challenges of implementing what they've suggested. Above all, don't send the
message that you're the only one who is qualified to make improvements. We
don't keep smart people unless we make them part of our brain trust.
Lean
Tip #863 – Engage Employees By Being Transparent
Show
employees that you are committed to seeing change by being transparent. It’s
one thing to say that you will be transparent but employees can see what you
do. Back up your claims with actions like having regular communications about
changes in processes important to employees.
Lean
Tip #864 – Engage Employees By Removing Systemic Barriers
In
a business of largely manufacturing environments, I’ve found key themes that
can get in the way of engagement across an entire site or segment no matter how
good the frontline supervisor might be at it. Themes such as communication and
trust, pay and benefits, office vs. plant culture, and (lack of) change management
must be identified by actively listening to your frontline associates and
addressed by the senior leadership in addition to direct manager-associate
conversations.
Lean
Tip #865 – Engage Employees By Celebrating Successes
It’s
comes as no surprise that celebrating the good stuff that happens will in-turn
also encourage more ideas thus spinning the cycle of innovation and engagement
round and round. Not only does celebrating success mean another surge of
re-engagement, it also shows employees that you appreciate the work that
they’re doing and that you’re taking the time and effort to make things even
better for them.
Lean
Tip #866 - Focus on the Future
People
need to feel confident in their future. They need to trust that their leaders
will guide them to their collective goal. Make sure all team members know what
the long-term vision is for the company, and how they fit in to the strategic
plan. Don’t worry about sounding like a broken record, reminding people of the
future vision is at the core of what great leaders do.
Lean
Tip #867 - Ask for Ideas and Opinions to Show Appreciation
A
great way to make people feel appreciated, is to ask them for their opinion and
ideas. You don’t have to accept or implement every idea, but it’s important for
people to know that their ideas count. This can be as simple as going around
the table at each meeting and asking, “Do you have anything you’d like to add?”
or “What do you think about this approach?”
Lean
Tip #868 – Design and Hold Informal Learning Opportunities
People
are engaged less by formal training courses and more by experiences that enable
them to grow. Setup a mentorship program or a formalized job rotation schedule
to enable people to gain exposure, experiences and relationships outside their
department.
Lean
Tip #869 - Leverage “Lunch and Learns”
One
of the easiest and cheapest ways to foster ongoing growth is to implement a
weekly or monthly lunch-and-learn program. You simply recruit volunteers to
lead a one-hour program and buy some pizzas or sandwiches for the conference
room. Perhaps someone can share the key findings from a conference they
recently attended.
Lean
Tip #870 - Get to Know the Reasons Employees Disengage
The
most common reasons include: job or workplace did not meet employee’s
expectations; mismatch between job and employee; not enough coaching and
feedback; too few growth or advancement opportunities; not feeling valued,
appreciated, or recognized for contributions; stress, workload, and work-life
imbalance; loss of trust and confidence in leaders; perceived unfairness or
favoritism; and perceived lack of support by leaders, managers or supervisors
on a personal and professional level. Conducting periodic audits or evaluations
of how employees perceive these aspects of the organization can be helpful in
getting a pulse of how engaged your workforce is.
