Lean Tip #2701 – Stick to Your Goals: Create a Measurable
Goal.
Don't bother creating a vague resolution like,
"I want to get healthier," or "I want to be happier." Some
days you'll feel as though you're reaching your goals, but other days you
won't--and an intangible, vague goal will cause you to feel lost.
Create measurable goals like, "I want to
go to the gym three nights per week," or "I want to see my friends
twice a month." Then, you'll have a clear target to aim for.
Lean Tip #2702 – Stick to Your Goals: Identify Clear
Action Steps.
You can't lose weight or get out of debt
without actions steps that will help you get there. Create a plan that includes
objectives that will create change.
Whether you are going to eat a salad for lunch
every day or you're going to stop eating out until you've paid off your credit
card bill, commit to taking action that will help you get closer to your goal.
Lean Tip #2703 – Stick to Your Goals: Set Yourself
Up for Success.
It's easy to feel motivated early on in the
process. But after a week or two, your motivation will naturally wane.
To prepare yourself for that dip in motivation,
set yourself up for success well in advance. Make bad habits inconvenient and
good habits convenient.
Store the cookies in a hard to reach place.
Keep your workout gear packed and ready to go. You'll be more likely to do
things that feel easy, even when your motivation declines.
Lean Tip #2704 – Stick to Your Goals: Plan for Obstacles.
There will always be temptations and obstacles
that could easily derail you from your resolution. It may be an invitation to
dinner that could blow your budget--or your diet. Or it may come in the form of
a special project at work that leaves you with fewer hours to devote to your
goals.
Think about the obstacles you're likely to
encounter in the first weeks after establishing your resolution. Consider how
you'll navigate these challenges, and develop a plan.
Planning ahead for the probable challenges can
help you feel equipped to handle the unexpected obstacles that crop up along
the way as well.
Lean Tip #2705 – Stick to Your Goals:
Track
Your Progress.
You need to know if you're headed in the right
direction. So it's important to find a way to track your progress.
Use an app or a calendar to check off the days
you work on your goal. Or create a chart, spreadsheet, or graph that helps you
visualize your progress.
When you're able to see how you're doing and
the steps you're taking, it can remind you how far you've come. Reviewing your
effort can also help you stay on course when it feels as though you're not
making any headway (which is common).
Keep in mind that progress doesn't always come
in a straight line. Sometimes, things get a little worse before they get
better--but this doesn't mean you should give up.
Lean Tip #2706 – A Culture of Collaboration
Leverages Employee’s Knowledge
Having a culture of collaboration enables
organizations to maximize the knowledge and capabilities of their employees.
Ideas and information spread more easily when employees communicate and
collaborate across an organization. When planning your improvement initiatives
be sure to assemble a diverse team to collaborate and present ideas.
Process improvement is a team effort, so it is
essential to let everyone know “we’re in this together.” To demonstrate this
attitude, some businesses hold cross-functional process improvement
brainstorming sessions to get teams thinking outside the box about process
improvement. These sessions can also serve as an opportunity to work through
process pain points together to jointly come up with the best improvement
ideas.
Lean Tip #2707 – Leadership Credibility is
Critical for Employee Buy In
Most sustainable business transformations start
at the top and trickle down. It’s impossible to promote a culture of continuous
change if managers doubt the benefits of organizational changes. Meet with your
leaders early on to explain key points of the proposed changes. Gaining support
from leaders at different levels in the organization will make your plan
stronger and ensure managers have time to prepare for questions that may arise throughout
the process.
The credibility of your leader is crucial in
getting people to buy in on the change. Their words must be backed up with
actions, and those actions and support should be visible to your entire
operation. This ensures a strong and visible network of leaders to generate
momentum for the process improvement
initiatives.
Lean Tip #2708 – Build Trust With Open and
Transparent Communication
One of the best ways to build trust with your
team members is to be open and transparent with your intentions, your projects,
and your progress. Establish a constant communication plan to keep your team
involved in your improvement efforts. Use many different forums to consistently
communicate the vision and the new changes: large group meetings, memos,
emails, newsletters, posters, and informal one-on-one talks.
Real buy-in invites discussion, debate, and
allows everyone to feel even more vested in the outcome. Establish a way from
team members to communicate with you about their thoughts on the proposed
changes. The feedback you’ll receive is critical and will allow you to refine
your targets and foresee roadblocks that you may have been unaware of.
Lean Tip #2709 – Have A Clear Vision
As you develop changes or make decisions that
will affect your workforce, you should consider how you will communicate these
changes and the reasoning behind them.
Clearly state what will be changing and why.
Make sure you show them why these changes
matters to the organization, how it will positively impact their careers, and
how you plan to measure success. Without knowing why you’re starting a new
initiative, employees have no reason to be on board with the approach you
present.
People have trouble developing a vision of what
life will look like on the other side of a change. So, they tend to cling to
the known rather than embrace the unknown. If your vision for the future is
clear and communicated well, then your team will be more willing to follow you
forward.
Lean Tip #2710 – Ensure Your Team has Proper
Training
People are only as effective as the tools that
they have available. Ensure that your team has the proper training, ongoing
support, and the resources they need to get involved with your improvement
initiatives.
The impact of offering training to your staff
is two-fold. First, it ensures your teams have the proper training, ongoing
support, and the resources they need to get involved with and contribute to
your continuous improvement initiatives. Second, providing your employees with
training that will further their skill-sets demonstrates the organization’s
willingness to invest in them and their careers.
Lean Tip #2711 – Hear What Your Employees Are Actually
Saying
The most powerful way to build any relationship
and make someone feel valued is to listen. Opening your ear to employees to
find out what’s going right and wrong is smart business. You avoid many plane
crashes by regularly asking people, “How’s it going?”, before really listening
to their answer. It’s always nice to get a compliment, but there’s real gold in
well-intentioned criticism from a loyal employee. The only way you’ll get the
gold is by actively listening.
—Barbara Corcoran, founder of The Corcoran
Group and Shark on ”Shark Tank″
Lean Tip #2712 – Empower, Ask, and Listen
Our job as leaders is to empower our teams and
root for them. My employees unequivocally know that I want to win, but not at
their expense. Make it clear to your employees that you want them to be happy
and live their dreams. Instill a strong sense of trust and safety. That kind of
support builds insane loyalty, while inspiring employees to go all in and
deliver.
Another hallmark of a good leader is to ask
questions. It’s the best way to show your team that you recognize they’re more
than just cogs on a wheel. “Hey, how are things going?” “How’s the new baby?”
“What are you excited about lately?” “Any ideas you’d like to discuss?” And
then, for God’s sake, listen.
—Gary Vaynerchuk, founder and CEO of
VaynerMedia (700+ employees with over $100 million in annual revenue),
NYT-bestselling author, and mentor on Planet of the Apps
Lean Tip #2713 – Help Every Employee Reach Their
Goals
You need to hold people accountable to their
goals. One of the big steps in that process is having someone identify their
true motivation, or why.
Create an environment that encourages and
fosters this type of growth. Schedule team and individual meetings where you
create the opportunity for employees to define their why. Encourage them to set
ambitious goals at work and in their personal lives.
Finally, act as a coach and accountability
partner as they implement their goals. When you take a genuine interest in your
employees and impact their lives beyond the office, you build lasting
relationships and a more loyal tribe.
—Tom Ferry, CEO of Tom Ferry International,
ranked the #1 Swanepoel Power 200 real estate coach, and NYT-bestselling author
of ″Life! By Design”
Lean Tip #2714 – Give Employees Room to Try New
Things and Fail
Encourage your employees to take responsibility
and embrace accountability, and you’ll build trust and connections like nothing
else — if you deal with their learning curves and failures appropriately.
One of my department heads once cost our
company $30,000. We arranged a meeting early the next morning. I kicked it off
by getting his valued input on upcoming strategic plans. He stopped me a minute
into the conversation and said: “You know I cost the company $30,000. I thought
you asked me here to fire me.”
“Fire you?” I said. “Why would I fire someone
just after investing $30,000 into their education?”
—John Hanna, author of ”Way of the Wealthy″ and
CEO of Fairchild Group
Lean Tip #2715 – Invest In Your Most Important Asset
When your team is happy, energetic, and excited,
they’re better equipped to deal with paying customers and their positive energy
is infectious.
I create this by investing money, but most
importantly, my personal time. I get to know my employees by asking meaningful
questions (family, spouse, children), and do my best to remember the answers.
A true leader is in the trenches with their
team, fighting for the same goals together. That’s how you build relationships.
Keep the best talent by keeping them happy. After all, people are more
important than the dollars they generate.
—Mark Bloom, president at NetWorth Realty,
ranked by Glassdoor among the “Best Places to Work” for two consecutive years
