Lean Quote: Persistence Makes all the Difference

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.

"Never quit. It is the easiest cop-out in the world. Set a goal and don't quit until you attain it. When you do attain it, set another goal, and don't quit until you reach it. Never quit."   —  Bear Bryant 

When you’re pursuing a worthwhile goal it’s almost inevitable that at some point you’ll think one or more of the following: 

“This is harder than I thought it would be.” 

“Why is this taking so long?” 

“I’m getting nowhere with this.” 

“I keep failing at this goal.” 

“I can’t do this. What was I thinking?” 

And when you do have one—or more—of these thoughts, it’s very likely that you’ll want to give up. 

Not giving up is a mindset. And it’s a mindset that you can adopt. What you do need is to constantly tell yourself the following: 

I persist when things get tough. 

I will either find a way or make one. 

Every problem has a solution, and I have the perfect ability to find it. 

Every day I gain more knowledge and insight about what works and what doesn’t, which means I’m getting stronger and wiser. 

Setbacks are temporary. 

I will find a way through this. 

Think! What’s the best thing to do now? 

Having an “I won’t quit” mindset will make it much easier for you to persist—and refuse to give up—until you achieve your goal. 

When you feel like quitting, look at all your reasons why your goal is so important to you. If need be, add even more reasons why. The greater the quantity of reasons—and the stronger the reasons—that you have to keep going, the more likely it is that you won’t quit. 

Refusing to give up doesn’t mean that you should simply keep doing the same thing over and over again. If the approach that you’re currently using isn’t working, try a different approach. Continue in this way until you find a method, technique, or strategy that does work. 

When you want to quit, push yourself to keep taking consistent action toward the achievement of your goal. Even if you haven’t seen results yet, you never know what may be happening underneath the surface. 

Just because you can’t see anything yet, although you’ve been working on your goal for awhile, this doesn’t mean that nothing is happening. You may be closer to achieving your dream than you think. Don’t give up, when you could be just moments away from succeeding. Keep chipping away. 

Achieving large, hairy goals isn’t easy. Somewhere along the way it’s very likely that you’ll want to quit. But when you feel like quitting, don’t give up. Live your best life by refusing to quit. 

 

Got to the Gemba with a Plan and Purpose

You can’t make the right decisions from the meeting room. You have to go, watch, and learn. In Lean, we talk about “going to the Gemba” or Gemba Walks. The Gemba means the “place where value is created”. The idea is simple; if you want to improve your business, you need to learn more about your processes, your people, your customers, you need to go and see for yourself. 

Managers and business leaders today are often so separated from the actual work by corporate structures. They have not seen the process. They have not spoken to any customers. And they don’t even talk to the people who do the work daily. 

When you make decisions at arm’s length – there is no real understanding of what is happening. Often this causes customers and employees more pain. If you want to make a difference, go and see for yourself and learn what your employees need you to do to make customers happier. 

The Gemba is also the place you go just not to learn but also to lead others. It is where you train your people, invest in colleagues learnings and spend time engaging directly with your customers. 

Planning for the Gemba can make a difference in earning the right of being respected as a leader. Going with purpose accomplishes small but daily wins, it is how momentum is built. Conversations with value stream workers will be constructive and target conditioned based. 

How to plan for your next Gemba walk: 

1. Identify the Purpose for the Gemba Walk 

Before you go on any Gemba Walk, you must identify what is the purpose of the Gemba Walk and what is the theme. You might be looking for ways to improve productivity, reduce costs, reduce errors, improve flow or help facilitate improvement ideas. But you need to be clear on the purpose otherwise you will get lost and tied up in whatever is happening on the floor without clear improvements and outcomes. 

2. Ensure you understand the process you are about to observe 

If you do not know the high-level process that you are about to observe, the chances are that you will not be able to fully grasp the opportunities that exist. So before you begin any Gemba Walk, make sure you understand what you are about to observe so that you can provide the necessary support, guidance and insights. 

3. Recognize how the process performs in its current state 

During the Gemba Walk, the goal is always to be focused on the process and what stops the process from achieving its goals of maximizing customer value. So as you observe the process, consider the inputs into the process and are they fit for purpose. And how does the process, the inputs and the teams interact. 

Before jumping to solutions or opportunities, make sure you spend time observing and carefully understand how the current start is performing. Is the process performing as expected or is there delays, rework, confusion, movement etc? 

4. Visualize the gap between the ideal state and what actually happens 

Now that you have understood the current status, what is the best ideal state and where are the gaps. The ideal state does not have to be a perfect future state but an achievable ideal state (given a number of restrictions). What you want to identify here is what is the gap that can potentially then be closed. 

5. Look for opportunities for improvements to close the gap 

With a clear gap between the current and the ideal, what activities could be done by the team, managers, team leaders to help close this gap. Engage with the team, discuss options and build a document action plan for driving improvements. 

Gemba walks are a valuable way to improve business performance by identifying what is really happening on the shop floor. By taking steps to plan your Gemba walk, you’ll begin to overcome the mistakes of having to ad-lib, positioning yourself to be a more respected, effective, and successful leader. 

Management by Wandering Around is Not a Thing

Recently I was reviewing a management book by AMA that described many management practices to improve your ability. There was one that struck me as a bit outdated, Management by Wandering Around, also management by walking around (MBWA). 

In the early 1980’s, management gurus Tom Peters and Robert Waterman used the term ‘management by walking around’ (MBWA) to describe a style of business management which involves managers wandering around, in an unstructured manner, through the workplace(s), at random, to check with employees, equipment, or on the status of ongoing work. The emphasis is on the word wandering as an unplanned movement within a workplace, rather than a plan where employees expect a visit from managers at more systematic, pre-approved or scheduled times. 

The expected benefit is that a manager, by random sampling of events or employee discussions, is more likely to facilitate improvements to the morale, sense of organizational purpose, productivity and total quality management of the organization, as compared to remaining in a specific office area and waiting for employees, or the delivery of status reports, to arrive there, as events warrant in the workplace. 

Managers who did this received more information for problem-solving and got better results than those who stayed in their offices. In a way, MBWA is a variation on the system used in many organizations, where new managers rotate through each department to learn how things operate across the firm. Similarly, managers get a first-hand view of what is happening by walking around the organization. Doing so, they don’t have to wait for problems and challenges to be brought to them, nor do they have to depend on another’s perception of an issue. 

Don’t get me wrong managers should get out of their office and participate in the work affairs of employees. But MBWA has often devolved into walking around, saying hello, and slapping people on the back. That's not very helpful. 

Too many manager only come in long enough to make an appearance, but don’t spend time making any real connection. Such drive-byes feel like you’re checking off a to-do. Equally destructive is showing up, and heading to a nearby office to close the door and take calls.  

With the wrong tone and an imbalanced lens, all those “helpful pointers” feel more like “gotchas.” It’s great to point out what can be done better, along with stories and sharing of best practices, but be sure you’re also looking for the good news. I’ve seen many execs come through sweating all the small stuff that was “wrong” and completely overlooking the huge accomplishments of the team.  

Visiting the shopfloor (Gemba) is about listening and learning. Sure, it’s great to reinforce priorities, but be sure you’re really taking the time to listen to ideas and concerns and to ask what you can do to be most helpful. Listen well, take great notes, follow-up with the person who shared their idea. 

As you visit an area, ask earnest questions about how each team member’s work is going, improvements they’d like to see, and areas of concern. Get to know each of them on a personal level, too—nothing too intimate but enough to show you care about their well-being and appreciate them. 

While visiting the Gemba there are many people observing your moves, interpreting your words, and generally trying to understand your motives. It is here where you can build much needed trust, slowly removing the “us and them” culture. The Gemba is your audience so be prepared, each and every visit. Do not be naive to think you can get way with ad-libbing. 

In the next post I’ll talk about how you can go to the Gemba with a plan and purpose. 

Lean Quote: Setting Goals is the First Step to Accomplishing Anything Meaningful

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.

"The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score."   —  Bill Copeland

This is the time of year when people are trying to turn over a new leaf. The beginning of the year marks a point where people make New Year’s Resolutions. Unfortunately, many fail to keep those resolutions. In fact, 81 percent of resolution's fail within two years. The top New Year's resolutions rarely change year to year. The most popular typically revolve around losing weight, managing stress, getting out of debt, quitting smoking, and learning a new skill.

Personally I recommend forgetting the whole concept of resolutions and concentrating on setting goals instead. Resolutions and goal setting may seem similar, but resolutions typically take a let's start something and see what happens approach, while goal setting is about planning a specific path to success.

Goal setting is a process whereby you decide what you want to achieve and set up a plan to do it.  The very first step of goal setting is to, first, determine what you want at the end of the journey. That is your ultimate destination.  Some people say that goal setting is just a matter of sitting down and deciding what to do.  If you fully intend to achieve your goals, you should perceive goal setting as an extremely powerful process of personal planning.

These practical tips on goal setting can help make it easier to set and reach goals:

Specific, realistic goals work best. When it comes to making a change, the people who succeed are those who set realistic, specific goals. And that makes it easier to stick with.

It takes time for a change to become an established habit. It will probably take a couple of months before any changes — like getting up half an hour early to exercise — become a routine part of your life. That's because your brain needs time to get used to the idea that this new thing you're doing is part of your regular routine.

Repeating a goal makes it stick. Say your goal out loud each morning to remind yourself of what you want and what you're working for. (Writing it down works too.) Every time you remind yourself of your goal, you're training your brain to make it happen.

Involve others. It is always good to involve others in the process of setting and achieving goals. Take advice when necessary. And don’t be rigid. There are people out there who are better at this. Their suggestions are always valuable.

Make an action plan. So you have set goals, written them down and now you are all set to start working towards achieving them. First step – make an action plan. There could be more than one method to achieve a goal. Which one suits you? Decide on it.

Track progress. Extremely important. If you don’t track progress, you don’t get an idea if you are going the right way and if you would ever achieve it in the time frame you had set in your mind. So track your progress everyday. There are various methods and tools to track progress and I’ll discuss them in detail in my next article.

Roadblocks don't mean failure. Slip-ups are actually part of the learning process as you retrain your brain into a new way of thinking. It may take a few tries to reach a goal. But that's OK — it's normal to mess up or give up a few times when trying to make a change. So remember that everyone slips up and don't beat yourself up about it. Just remind yourself to get back on track.

Persist. Don’t give up. As I mentioned, there could be many paths leading to the same destination. Try out different methods. Learn and improve. Be patient. Be persistent.

No strategy is set in stone, which makes the goal setting process a dynamic endeavor. Consider yourself a coach on the sidelines, continuously referring to playbooks and constantly re-evaluating strategies and players or making adjustments at halftime. Set goals, and execute on them—but be sure to evaluate those goals year-round, not solely during performance reviews. The more you monitor individual objectives, the greater the likelihood that they will be on target and fulfilled.

Management’s Responsibility for Leadership

In my previous post I introduced John Adair’s Action-Centered Leadership model. His Action Centered Leadership theory clearly differentiates between leadership and management.

Adair’s model has 3 main elements that we will look at now in more detail. These are Task, Team, and Individual. In its visual depiction, these three circles are interconnected. This means that all of the three elements are interdependent on each other for success. So, all of the elements need to get the right amount of attention to achieve success. We have different focus areas and responsibilities within each element for it all to come together. 

The model becomes simple to use once you realize that Adair provided a list of the things managers and leaders must do for each of the three core management elements.

Achieve the Task 

As leaders, we need to focus on a number of responsibilities to achieve the TASK. Here we will explain some of them. 

Clear Vision

We need to have a clear vision to give proper direction. This allows us to show the path we are planning to take. It will show the route the team needs to take as well as milestones along the way. We need to be able to have a clear road map to create buy-in and clarity at the start of the task. This allows members of the team to understand the expected end result.

Identify the Right Skill Sets

Leaders also need to be able to identify the right skill set needed to achieve the task. Once we know what we want to achieve, we need to be able to understand the mix of experience, skills, and knowledge we will need. This is important to ensure the task can be achieved. We will need to have the right combination within the team of individual strengths and capabilities.

Secure Resources

Also, leaders need to be able to secure the right resources for the team to complete the task. This can include finances, software, equipment, and machinery. We cannot expect the proper results without being able to supply the necessary tools and equipment to get the task done.

Areas of Responsibilities

Another responsibility we have is to ensure we have clarity about areas of responsibility. The team members need to understand their roles as well as their level of accountability. Here, we can set out a detailed plan of what everyone will be doing throughout the entire task. Also, we should be clear about any possible consequences for not achieving their part of the task as stated.

Set Standards

We also need to set the expected standards to achieve the task. We cannot have different people in the team doing the same task in different ways. These can be quality standards that everyone should follow. We can also set standards by creating visual or situational examples of these expectations. For example, we want the store set up in a particular way. We can provide visual aids that clearly define the expected layout that is required.

Report Progress

Additionally, we need to have progress reporting systems in place. This can be done through regular team meetings to review the task progression. Or we can introduce written reports that show progression against set targets.

While this element may have other components, these are some of the main ones to consider.

Build and Maintain the Team

The next element of action centered leadership looks at the team. We all understand the importance of a properly functioning team. So, we might consider the following.

Set the Tone

First, you need to set the tone for the team. You need to be able to guide them in terms of expectations and outcomes. We all want our personality and individuality to shine, however, that might hinder rather than help a team dynamic. It’s important for us to create an inclusive culture for everyone in the team to feel comfortable. We need to develop a sense of belonging within the team.

Define Roles and Responsibilities

Next, we need to define the roles and responsibilities of each member of the team. If there are sub-groups within the team, we need to be clear on the reporting structure. Also, we need to be able to give them a level of empowerment within these defined roles. That way, they will feel more committed to the task at hand.

Clear Communication

We need to be able to communicate with the team during the whole process. This is where we as leaders need to include the team in group discussions, decision-making, problem-solving, and creative thinking. We will see greater productivity from the team when their input and opinions are considered and their feedback is taken on board.

Overcome Difficulties

We need to be able to manage any difficulties that arise within the team. This can be anything from petty disagreements to open conflict. As leaders, we need to be able to keep the team harmonized and working as a unit. Conflict will happen. We need to be ready to deal with it. And of course, prevention is always better than cure, so look out for any tell-tale signs that something is not right within the team dynamic.

Be Ready to Make Adjustments

We need to be able to adjust the team set-up and roles where required. If we see something isn’t working towards the achievement of the task then changes will need to be made. We need to be ready to make those decisions and action those changes. Nobody will benefit from maintaining a status quo that is not producing results.

Develop the Individual

So, we understand the components of the task and the team. We now need to understand the element of the individual in the action centered leadership model.

Understand the Team Members

First, we need to understand the team members as individuals. We should know their strengths, limits, areas of improvement, and their unique personalities. This can help if you need to group people up for jobs within the main task. It can also help you identify where people can really shine in terms of their skills and capabilities.

Set Individual Roles Within the Team

Next, we should focus on the individual roles and responsibilities within the team. We need to create clarity and direction so each member of the team understands their position and contribution. You don’t want people doubling up on the same task unnecessarily. This is only a waste of time and can cause frustration.

Recognition to Motivate

We, as leaders, should acknowledge the contribution of the individuals within the team. This will boost morale and affect the level of motivation. It will also encourage others to perform to high standards to gain recognition for their contributions.

Finally, we need to provide feedback, support, encouragement, and correction, where necessary to the individuals in the team.

Managers and leaders have many demands on their time. You can think of Action Centered Leadership as being a compass to help you determine where and how to spend your time so you can build a high-performance team, which delivers the right things in with the right behaviors. The Action Centered Leadership model can be applied at all levels, from CEO through program managers and project managers, and on to team leaders.

Start Your New Year Off Right

With the hustle of the holidays over we turn to the New Year.  This is the time of year when people are trying to turn over a new leaf. The New Year is the perfect time to make a change. This is when people make New Year’s Resolutions. But good intentions tend to fade out after a month or two, so let’s approach the New Year properly, with a manageable plan that’s focused, realistic and achievable. To start off the New Year on the right foot let’s review three ways to do it properly.

1) Do a Yearly Review

Take stock of where you’ve been and appreciate all of the accomplishments you’ve made in the last year.  In a typical yearly review, you should answer these types of questions:

What went well for me last year?

What accomplishments did I have?

How did I improve my life?

How did I improve my relationships?

What did I remove from my life that is now making me happier?

What do I wish I had taken more time for?

Ask these types of questions about all the important areas of your life, such as family, relationships, financial, career, home, etc. These questions will help you appreciate all you’ve accomplished in the previous year, and you can use this information to start the new year off right, and set better goals for the next year.

2) Finish What You Started

Which projects, errands, and general list of to-do items do you have left over from the previous year that you can complete in 2 hours or less? Do them now to clear your mind of the old items.

Keeping projects around like pets doesn’t do us any good—they just weigh on our minds, and people will spend hours thinking about something that will only take 10 minutes to take care of. Cross those things off your list and give yourself a fresh start.

3) Focus on What You Really Want

Dreaming is fabulous and highly recommended, but if you want to accomplish some improvements in your life, you need to be realistic. As much as you may want something, it’s very likely you don’t really believe you can have it. (If you did you would already have achieved it.) We have to turn a dream into something we can picture accomplishing before it can become a reality.

Take your dream and start breaking it down into milestones. Break those steps down further so you can create a game-plan and start working towards accomplishing that dream.

While it’s true the New Year is an opportunity for change, what is more important is to recognize you don’t need a special occasion to change things. In every single second the ability for positive growth is open and available.

A new year inspires renewed energy and excitement for what could happen. It’s a fresh start and the perfect time to reflect on the past and plan for the future–to set goals and figure out how to meet them.

Lean Roundup #163 – December 2022

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of December 2022.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.  

 

10 Top Books on Culture, Organizational Change, and Strategy – Katie Anderson shares her top 10 list of books on how to build an intentional lean culture, lead transformational organizational change, and develop (and deploy) strategy.

 

Annual Performance Evaluations are a Poor Management Practice – John Hunter says the contributions any individual brings to an organization is largely dependent on the system in place therefore impacting performance evaluations.

 

Viva Iceland – Pascal Dennis shares reflections on Lean thinking in Iceland highlighting some important lessons for all of us.

 

Effective Visualizations – Michael Baudin talks about how to make effective factory visualizations and why it’s important.

 

Central Principles of the Continuous Improvement Model – Maggie Millard shares 3 principles that guide the continuous improvement model.

 

Lean Banking: Transformation in Financial Services – Jeff Roussel discusses how the lean methodology has been applied in the financial services sector.

 

What is the best way to become more effective at work? – Greg Jacobson recommends making standard work part of your process to become more efficient at work.

 

The collaboration equation – Jim Benson discusses the importance of building collaboration in your teams and explains why this is the only way to consistently deliver value.

 

Lean Thinking is personal development - Michael Ballé explains how lean provided everyone, everywhere with a framework to work their intuition muscle and develop insights.

 

Ask Art: What is the Best Lean Leadership Development Program? – Art Byrne breaks down leadership development challenge into four broad areas.

 

Putting Customers First - Michael Ballé and Nicolas Chartier,the cofounders of a successful startup share how lean thinking and practices helped ensure they kept their focus on the customer from startup to scaleup.

 

Process Behavior Charts: The Christmas Tale / Le Conte de Noël [eBook] – Mark Graban shares an eBook about Process Behavior Charts and Christmas written by Charles Desneuf.

 

Quick Way To Time A Process – John Knotts shares a simple, quick, and easy method of process timing, you can gain a very good estimate of how long a process should take on average.