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Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:
Lean
Tip #1426 – If You Make a Mistake, Correct it Right Away.
Stuff
happens. Accept it, and adjust accordingly. Corrections are necessary along the
way. Acknowledge that the mistake happened, especially when it affects other
people, then correct it.
Lean
Tip #1427 - Do Not Make Excuses.
Start
by questioning current practices. Making excuses for not doing something is
easy. Again, focus on the outcome. Then, take action. There is no excuse for
not trying something.
Lean
Tip #1428 - Kaizen Ideas are Infinite.
Kaizen
is a process of learning and growing, steadily and continually. There are always
ways to "tweak" elements of your life in order to improve them. It
has been said that life is a journey, not a destination. And practicing the philosophy of continuous
improvement, of kaizen, will help you to make the most of that journey!
Lean
Tip #1429 - Think Small When It Comes to Improvements
Many
companies today are only looking for the, “BIG WINS” when it comes to
improvements. While big wins are always nice, they really aren’t going to be
able to happen very often. A company that identifies small areas of improvement
and implements them frequently is going to make much more progress over time
than one that ignores the small things and only focuses on bigger issues.
Lean
Tip #1430 - Empower Employees to Take Steps Toward Improvement
Good
managers are an invaluable part of having a facility that engages in continuous
improvement. This is because good managers know that it is often going to be
the employees who come up with the next great improvement idea. Employees
perform their jobs all day everyday so it is no surprise that they will be the
ones to find problems and hopefully the solutions to them.
Lean
Tip #1431 - Recognize Successes
When
a change is made that results in improvement in the facility it should always
be recognized. This recognition could be something as simple as a thank you
from the department manager or as large as corporate recognition with a bonus
or other reward. To the extent possible, all recognition of improvements made
should be done as publicly as possible to help motivate others to work
towards improvements.
If
someone has an idea that doesn’t work out as planned, it can still be a good
idea to recognize that even though it didn’t work out, it was still a good
thing that they made the attempt. As the saying goes, you miss 100% of the
shots you don’t take. Even when ideas are unsuccessful it is still a learning
opportunity and it may trigger ideas about the next great improvement in the
facility. Never punish people for making an attempt at improving the facility.
Lean
Tip #1432 - Engage the Full Team to Find Improvement Opportunities
Continuous
improvement in a facility is almost never going to be made by a single person.
This is why you need to have the entire team involved. This starts with the CEO
and leadership team and goes all the way to the front line employees. By
creating a teamwork environment where everyone is working together to ensure
ongoing improvement you will be much more successful in the long run.
Even
when employees propose an unrealistic idea it should still be seen as a
positive step. Taking all ideas seriously and trying to find ways to implement
them if practical can allow employees to have the confidence in the management
team that they need to want to bring new ideas up to the team.
Lean
Tip #1433 - Know Your Processes
You
can’t make improvements on something if you don’t really know what is going on
with it. This is why you should have a clear understanding of everything that
is happening in the facility. A great strategy for this is to employ value
stream mapping. This will help you pinpoint where all the value for your
products is added so that you can eliminate any waste that is involved.
Keeping
your value stream maps updated and accurate is important. Every time a change
is made to an area, for example, make sure you know how it is impacting the
value add to that area. This will ensure you are always evaluating an accurate
portrayal of your facility so you can make the needed improvements on an
ongoing basis.
Lean
Tip #1434 - Never Give Up
Whenever
thinking about Kaizen continuous improvement you need to recognize that the
‘continuous’ part of the strategy is extremely important. This is a strategy
that should be implemented as soon as possible and then continued indefinitely
into the future. As soon as one improvement is made, it is time to start
looking at what the next improvement opportunity will be.
It
is also important to remember that there will be failures along the way. Some
ideas will be tried and found to not produce the results that are needed. When
this happens make sure you and your team don’t get discouraged or give up.
Instead, start the process of finding and implementing improvements over and
you’ll soon achieve the results you were hoping for.
Lean
Tip #1435 - Implement Hoshin Planning
Hoshin
Planning is a concept where all employees are looked at as the experts in their
specific jobs that they are. Since they are seen as experts, they will be held
accountable for achieving the desired successes, including continuous improvement.
This is different than empowering employees because it not only gives them the
ability to identify changes, but actually puts them in the decision making
position.
In
addition to helping ensure employees are contributing to the continuous successes
desired, you are also empowering them with more trust and responsibility. It
has been shown that this type of strategy can improve job satisfaction and
company results.
Lean
Tip #1436 - Collaborate with Employees to Set Goals
According
to recent research
done by Gallup, only about half of employees understand what is expected of
them and even more concerning, managers aren’t even sure of what is expected of
them! If employees aren’t aware of what they should be working towards, they
are just existing, not developing. Managers can combat this to by including
employees in the process of goal setting. They should be just as aware of their
strengths and weaknesses as their managers are so they can constantly assess
their work, set milestones and think about the big picture. Doing so will help
them plan reasonably attainable goals with managers.
Lean
Tip #1437 - Make Employee Performance Goals Attainable
Shoot
for the stars isn’t really an analogy that works in performance management.
Managing employee performance is all about practical, attainable and realistic
goal setting. While having ambitious goals shouldn’t be a bad thing, it can
negatively impact employee morale and engagement. Managers should assess each
employee’s strengths and craft goals based off individual development. One
thing that should be avoided is expecting each employee to meet the same goals.
They are not the same person and goals should reflect that. Personalization is
key.
Lean
Tip #1438 - Align Employee Goals with Company Goals
As
thoughtful as it might seem, managers don’t just exist to help employees reach
their own professional goals. The idea is that those goals should align with
the overarching goals of the organization. This is not news!
However,
alignment can be difficult if managers don’t understand the strengths,
weaknesses and intrinsic motivators of their people. One surefire way to
familiarize managers with these elements is regular communication with team
members. They should try to increase communication to at least once a week,
especially during big projects and track each employee’s progress to identify
strengths and areas of improvement.
Lean
Tip #1439 - Recognize Goal Achievement (or Lack Thereof)
Recognizing
employee performance goal achievement (or any goal achievement really) is
another motivating factor to continued goal success. Employees will be engaged
and motivated from the above tips, but often times, realizing the success of
professional development can take time. Managers can keep employees engaged by
rewarding them when they’ve met goals. Rewards can come in the form of a bonus,
a pay raise, an extra day of vacation, the possibilities are nearly endless. At
the very least, managers should take time to personally recognize their team’s
successes, whether it’s in one-on-one meetings or in front of the entire
company or department.
Lean
Tip #1440 - Link Vision With Day-to-Day Reality
Goal
setting is the opportunity to link employees’ every day work to the larger
strategy of the organization. It has been said that a goal is a “dream with a
deadline.” Leaders can take steps to communicate the organization’s vision for
the future in inspirational terms as well as in setting practical goals and
objectives that demonstrate a clear path to achieving that vision. Managers can
then help employees plan their own part in setting individual goals that are
aligned to and support the overall vision.
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