Tired of the Same Old Routine? Unleash Creative Thinking

It’s extremely easy to get sucked into routines. Are you stuck in the “same old, same old” routine?

1. Do you feel that it’s easier to go along with the way things have always been done, rather than spending time, effort, and energy on an idea that may not even work out?
2. Are you open to implementing new ideas … just not sure how to actually sit down and come up with them?
3. Have you spoken up before in meetings only to have your ideas passed over, shot down, or pushed aside?
4. Are you looking for specific action steps that will help you and your team members spark creative thinking, generate new ideas, and solve pressing problems more quickly?
5. When faced with making a critical work-related decision, do you constantly second-guess yourself and make it almost impossible to stick with your final choice?
6. Do you feel that you and your team members spend an inordinate amount of time spinning your wheels, going in circles, and rehashing the same problems without ever reaching satisfactory solutions?

If you answered YES to any of the above questions, you need creative problem solving and strategic thinking.

Creative thinking is one of today’s most under-utilized business skills … yet it is one of the most powerful. This is often referred to as “thinking outside the box.” It is a way of looking at problems or situations from a fresh perspective that suggests unorthodox solutions (which may look unsettling at first). When you approach problems in a way no one else has, work out imaginative solutions, and think from a strategic perspective, you’ll quickly find yourself way ahead of the game.

Creativity in the workplace is critical to both individual and organizational success. Don’t waste another minute on the “same old” routine and the “same old” results — unleash the creative thinker in you and stand back!

Leading with Lollipops

There is a great video by Drew Dudley called Leading with Lollipops that quickly and expertly explains how you can make a difference in other people’s lives without even knowing it.

Drew Dudley investigates everyday leadership in this compelling talk. So many times, people celebrate leadership for things that nobody else has done — groundbreaking, life-changing actions.  Unfortunately, this tends to devalue everyday instances of leadership. Dudley encourages listeners to redefine leadership to when they change somebody's understanding of how powerful and important they are. 




I hope you enjoyed Drew’s video as much as I did. Drew and I think alike about leadership and making a difference – and he explains it well.

How did you answer the questions Drew asked in this video?

• Are you completely comfortable with calling yourself a leader?
• Do you have to change the world to be called a leader?
• What is it that you must do, be, or have to be called a leader?

Who is a Leader?

Everyone!

Why do I say everyone is a leader? Because each of us influence/lead people every day. Our actions impact/lead other people whether we think so or not. Our actions affect the people around us for better or worse. Just by being you, you are leading someone by example.

Lean Quote: Lean Is About Constant Ticking, Not Occasional Kicking

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.

"Lean is about constant ticking, not occasional kicking." — Alex Miller, Professor of Management at The University of Tennessee

Continuous improvement is taking an established production process and looking for ways to incrementally improve the production process. Although individual changes may not seem to have a major impact, the aggregate means significant change and improvement to the manufacturing process. By taking small measured steps, as a course of every day action, it also allows for improvement while eliminating risk of making one massive leap to try to achieve the same effect.

Employees tend to focus on small changes that can be accomplished without a lot of expense. In fact, many ideas from employees involve eliminating processes, rather than adding them, which is an excellent way to be sure that every activity adds some value to the customer and reduces wasted effort.

Lean is the continuous improvement of processes and the constant questioning of the status quo. It’s always striving for an ideal. Do not expect your Lean efforts to be perfect from the start, but do not ignore the obvious requirements you need to meet and plan for. Go for simple solutions, without over-engineering the principles of the program.

By focusing on just the dollars and cents vs. the bigger picture, organizations can miss the bigger vision of their manufacturing environment. Incorporating a focus on company culture by adopting the continuous improvement philosophy allows organizations to incorporate both costs and people in their vision. Continuous improvement stimulates employees to achieve for the greater good of the organization.

 

How to Inspire Action

Simon Sinek's talk on How great leaders inspire action is one shown in classrooms and workplaces all over the world. His simple, yet brilliant concept of the "Golden Circle" can be used for anything — from large organizations to individuals. He argues that people do not buy into what others do or say, but why they do it. If a message starts with values and meaning, the "how" and "what" will naturally fall into place. He references models such as Apple and the Wright Brothers who adopted this successful strategy. 




What I learned from this TEDTalk was how critical it is to start an organization’s message with its purpose, its mission, its humanity, and its values. I knew about how important those are, but maybe had not quite been converted to the necessity of painting those in neon at the front of every media communication and social conversation.

Happy Labor Day! - Fun Facts and More

Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, and is celebrated with parties, parades and athletic events.

Here are 11 interesting facts that you might not know about regarding Labor Day:

1. The first celebrated US Labor Day was on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York City, planned by the Central Labor Union.
2. 10,000 workers marched from City Hall all the way to 42nd Street and then met with their families in Wendel’s Elm Park for a picnic, concert, and speeches.
3. Canada is said to have originated the idea of hosting a day honoring the labor movement. In 1872, they held a “Nine-Hour Movement” to show support for striking workers.
4. There is disagreement about who actually proposed Labor Day as a holiday. Some say it was Peter J. McGuire, who was the cofounder of the American Federation of Labor. Others believe that it was Matthew Maguire, a machinist.
5. Oregon was the first state to celebrate Labor Day as a legal holiday in 1887.
6. The decision to make Labor Day the first Monday of September was approved on June 28, 1894.
7. Labor Day started as a part of the labor union movement, to recognize the contributions of men and women in the US workforce, but modernly is seen as a chance to celebrate the last weekend of summer.
8. Americans worked 12-hour days seven days a week during the 19th century!
9. The Adamson Act was passed on September 3, 1916 to establish an eight-hour work day.
10. Historians say the expression “no white after Labor Day” comes from when the upper class would return from their summer vacations and stow away their lightweight, white summer clothes as they returned back to school and work.
11. There is still a Labor Day parade in New York City, which takes place throughout the 20 blocks north of the 1882 labor march.

So there you have it. Perhaps a few things you already knew about Labor Day, but hopefully a few that you didn’t.

We celebrate Labor Day because we are all in this world of work together. Let’s enjoy the fruits of our labor and the solidarity of workers, the work we do, and the nation and economy we and our parents and their parents have built. Happy Labor Day!

Lean Quote: Everything Can Be Improved

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.

"Everything can be improved." — Clarence W. Barron

I believe this quote is true. I also believe it is the basis for Lean thinking. It is easy to get discouraged by all the problems we face. We can founder on our problems or we can accept the fact that problems can be solved and things can be improved. The choice is ours. Lean thinking is the belief that everything can be improved.

Clarence W. Barron was the president of the Dow Jones & Company. He managed the Wall Street Journal. He was born on July 2, 1855 in Boston, Massachusetts and died October 2, 1928.

Barron was a formidable man. He was known as a powerhouse. He had great energy and sought to improve many things. He understood the power of this phrase, this idea. He believed it just as I do. In addition to buying the Dow Jones Company he founded various journals including Barron’s Financial Weekly. He is credited with founding the modern concept of investigative financial journalism.

Certainly it was Barron’s philosophy that everything could be improved and he sought to do just that in his field of financial journalism.

Just as Barron strove to improve his industry we can all continuously strive to improve the work we do whatever it may be. I invite you to join me in adopting and implementing this credo: everything can be improved and there is nothing that serves mankind better than the continuous improvement of all human endeavor.

 

Speaking at the Northeast Lean Conference

Successful Lean transformation requires a deep understanding of the technical side of Lean supported by a culture that favors human development and broad employee engagement.


But which comes first: culture or tools...?

Come to the conference and you'll learn more.

I will be presenting at The Northeast Lean Conference in September in Worcester, MA on a topic I've covered here a few times.

SIPOC – The First Picture of Your Process
Wed Sep 20, 2017
10:00 AM - 10:50 AM

Description

Whenever you are planning to start some process improvement activity, it’s important to capture an easily communicated picture of the current process first. A SIPOC (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers) diagram identifies at a high level the potential gaps (deficiencies) between suppliers and process inputs and between output specifications and customers’ expectations, thus defining the scope for process improvement activities. In this interactive session, you’ll learn to understand the fundamentals of creating an SIPOC diagram, demonstrating how you can dissect a process and create a workable improvement plan that can be applied in your everyday workplace. Armed with a detailed and shared visual understanding of how work actually occurs, the organization can more easily identify project ideas for improvement.

Hope you can join me at this exceptional industry event for Lean practitioners in a few short weeks.