Lean Tips Edition #126 (1891-1905)

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips.  It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey.  Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.

Click this link for A Lean Journey's Facebook Page Notes Feed.

Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:

Lean Tip #1891 – Provide Ongoing Coaching and Training

Some people in your organization will proactively seek mentors and training, while others will need it to come directly from their manager. Offer an optional weekly coaching session to discuss strategies and tactics that can help each member of the department improve in their role, and make them fun!

Lean Tip #1892 – Show Employees How their Job Advances the Company’s Vision

Your company has undoubtedly recorded its vision and goals for the year. Why not show employees exactly how their jobs advance the vision? This will boost each employee’s investment in the success of the company instead of just feeling like a cog in the wheel.

Lean Tip #1893 – Have Problem-Solving Meetings

Everyone takes a different approach to problem-solving. Schedule meetings where you reveal a big problem facing the company with complete transparency. Let employees take a crack at explaining how they would solve it. Employees will feel more engaged in company outcomes and they might just solve a few problems while they’re at it.

Lean Tip #1894 – Get Employees Involved in Long-Term Projects

Organize employees from different departments into teams to tackle long-term projects that involve responsibilities outside of their typical scope of work. Not only will they get to know people they don’t work with on a day-to-day basis, they’ll pick up skills from one another as they work on important projects.

Lean Tip #1895 – Praise Your Coworkers

It shouldn’t only be left to managers to praise good work. When you hear about someone’s achievement, go over and personally congratulate them. It’ll mean a lot to that person and they’ll likely do the same for you when your big wins come through.

Lean Tip #1896 – Understand The Fundamental Issue

The first major step of any root-cause analysis is to identify exactly what problem or issue your agency is facing. If you don’t pinpoint the fundamental problem, you aren’t able to complete a root-cause analysis. You must understand the issue, and you must have a consensus on exactly how it manifests before you’re able to move forward in your analysis.

Lean Tip #1897 – Ask Questions, Keep Digging Till Root Cause.

The five whys technique is helpful in digging for answers. Start with the problem and work backwards to sequence all of the contributing events. Ask why the issue happened. Take that answer and ask why again, drilling down until you reach a cause that can’t be broken down any further. Explore all potential causes initially, and narrow down the list to the most likely culprits. You’ll end up with a cause-and-effect diagram that will lead you to the source of the problem. When you believe you’ve reached the root cause and not another contributing factor, check your work by asking:

a) Would the event have occurred if this cause was not present?

b) Will the problem happen again if this cause is corrected or eliminated?

If the answer is no to both questions, there is a good chance you have uncovered the underlying cause. If not, keep digging. Note that there may be multiple root causes, each of which must be addressed to prevent similar issues in the future.

Lean Tip #1898 – Breakdown the Problem into Smaller Pieces.

Completing a task or solving a problem can seem overwhelming and impossible if you take it all in at once. To decrease anxiety and think more clearly try to break the problem down. Try to identify the different things and people it consists of. Then figure out one practical solution you can take for each of those pieces. Try those solutions. They may not solve the whole problem immediately. But they might solve a few pieces of it. And then you can keep trying other solutions for the rest of the pieces until there are none left.

Lean Tip #1899 – Enlist Open-minded People When Problem Solving.

When tackling a big problem many people just grab anyone available with two hands and a brain. Unfortunately, closed-minded team members can not only delay the solution, they may instigate a bigger problem than the one you are trying to solve. Great problem solvers know the best results come from groups of open-minded people. Your problem-solving team must be willing to get outside of the box and uncomfortable. Ultimately this approach will surface creative new solutions and processes.

Lean Tip #1900 – Find the Lesson or Opportunity Within the Problem.

There is almost always a good side of a problem. Perhaps it alerts us to a great way to improve our business. Or teaches us how our lives perhaps aren’t as bad as we thought. Finding this more positive part of the problem reduces its negative emotional impact and you may even start to see the situation as a great opportunity for you. When you are faced with a problem ask yourself: How can I use this? What is the good thing about this? What can I learn from this? What hidden opportunity can I find within this problem?

Lean Tip #1901 - Be Clear about Tasks So Everyone’s Knows Their Responsibility

No one can effectively complete an assignment if they are unsure what tasks they are responsible for. Make sure that the entire team knows the scope of the project and that each team member is clear about exactly what is expected of them. Getting the team together regularly to check progress, ask questions, and address any issues is another good way to keep everyone on track and assure that all team members are aware of their responsibilities in the project.

Lean Tip #1902 - Be Open and Honest With Your Team Members

Possibly the single most effective way to improve interpersonal communication in the workplace is to instill a sense of trust among your team members. Transparency is key here; if team members feel like secrets are being kept from them, any trust you have built goes right out the window. Of course, sensitive information should be handled as such, but team members have a right to know when they are not privy to such information. Be open and honest with your team members, and reassure them that they can do the same with you. Mutual trust is important in any relationship, including a professional one.

Lean Tip #1903 - Take Ownership For Mistakes

The best managers are the managers that can relate to their employees. That includes owning up to the decisions (and errors) that you make and admitting when you could have done something differently. Everyone makes mistakes, so by confessing your flaws, you are showing your employees that you are just as human as they are.

Lean Tip #1904 - Have An Open-Door Policy. It Builds Trust.

An open-door policy in place sets the precedent that anyone can ask questions, voice concerns, and pitch ideas at any time. This is an important part of building trust within your team. Making management inaccessible sends the message to lower-level employees that they are not as valuable. Keeping the doors of communication open is crucial.

While you’re opening figurative doors, open literal ones as well. Removing physical obstacles between employees creates a sense of mutual trust and encourages the open exchange of ideas. Problems can be presented and resolved as they arise instead of waiting for the weekly company meeting.

Lean Tip #1905 - Build a Desire for Cohesion

It’s often easier for managers to make quick decisions based on their experiences. But being collaborative means setting the quick trigger aside from time to time and involving all team members in some of the bigger, impactful decisions during your huddles and team meetings. This keeps everyone on the same page and allows them to refocus their time and energy where needed.

Lean Quote: Nothing is Impossible; The Word Itself Says, “I’m Possible”

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.

"Nothing is impossible, the word itself says "I'm possible"!" — Audrey Hepburn

Almost every technological advancement was believed, at one point, to be impossible.

But impossibility exists only when we believe it does. There are limitations on some things. Mortality is a limitation. And, that’s why we have finite time to do the things that are unimaginable.

But, sometimes we think of things as impossible only because we’re underestimating our cognitive or physical abilities. We create our own impossibilities.

We may not be aware of the necessary steps or sacrifices required to make the changes that will lead us to success, but we feel we can accomplish anything we set our minds to.

While there may not be a limit on what you can accomplish, there’s a limit on how much you can do in a day, a week, a month or a year.

Also, your body and mind can take only so much. In other words, don’t think you can build Rome in a day.

More importantly, don’t get caught believing that anything worth accomplishing is easy or pleasant.

Change is an unpleasant experience for the most part — not so much once the change occurs, but during the process itself.

Some changes happen more seamlessly than others. But you’ll really only appreciate the ones that required significant effort.

Pursuing your dreams requires sacrifice. We have limited time and energy. We can do only so much.

Every goal requires a minimum number of steps. Some things are more easily accomplished than others. Some things require more focus than others.

Life is just a big empty canvas. You create your own art. And, then you decide how to turn it into a masterpiece.

The Six Dimension of Servant Leadership

In today’s world, leaders are being called upon to provide a new kind of leadership: servant leadership. Gone are the days when a simple “command-and-control” pattern worked. The old military style of the “kick-in-the-rear” has outlived its time. It no longer fits contemporary social values, and it is no longer very effective.

An effective leader is one who is highly effective in six major dimensions of accomplishment in working with others:

Vision and Values
To be a good visionary you have to be able to see the big picture, understand what’s happening, and decide where your team needs to go. You must have a clearly defined vision for your team’s success.  You know what they want to accomplish and each team member’s role.  You must keep up to date on current events in their field.  You’re also knowledgeable and informed, so you’re able to make timely decisions.  You need to foresee problems and plan for them.  Service leaders are role models for the values that they represent.

If you don’t know where you want to go, any road will take you there. – Anon 

Direction
Your job as a leader is to help people get things done. People work more productively when they have clearly defined goals to achieve. You make the strategic vision into a reality. A leader sets the overall direction for the team. This means choosing what’s most important for the team to accomplish, setting goals to accomplish it, setting priorities that keep everyone’s mind on the goals on a day-to-day basis, and helping everyone understand the plan.

A leader’s job is to turn great thoughts into crude deeds. – Peter Drucker

Persuasion
It’s not enough to have a clear vision and a sense of direction, although those are critical elements of effective leadership. You must also be able to get others to see, understand, and believe in the vision. When the whole team believes in the leader’s vision, they are more likely to commit to achieving that vision.  Leaders convey self-confidence in themselves and in their abilities.  They are able to communicate effectively with their team to ensure that each member is clear on the team’s direction and priorities.  They frequently remind the team of the goals and mission in order to keep them on target.  Leaders are good listeners.  They allow others to communicate their ideas and create an atmosphere where they are comfortable doing so.  Leaders follow through on their decisions and see them through to completion.

Being an effective leader means knowing how to “enroll” others in your vision. – Warren Bennis

Support
You are there to help when people need you. You help them keep their minds focused on the real priorities, and maintain a positive frame of mind about their work. Leaders ensure that everyone functions well as a team and provides the team with the tools and resources required to achieve the desired outcome.  You need to have the skills to think logically and analytically. You need a good command of essential facts and figures. And you must be able to approach problems systematically. They encourage creativity and provide guidance to resolve issues quickly and efficiently.

Great ideas need landing gear as well as wings. – Anon.

Development
You must help people develop their capabilities and express their potential, both individually and collectively. People don’t thrive as individuals when they’re stuck in dead-end jobs, doing the same old things over and over. Everyone needs to be challenged at times, to take on new things, and to learn new skills. An effective leader is one who sees to it that people have a chance to grow.

Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions. – Oliver Wendell Holmes

Appreciation
One of the deepest human needs is the need for appreciation.  Servant leaders give respect and recognition where it is due.  They show team members that they care by showing respect and appreciation for their efforts.  A good leader can inspire people and help them feel good about what they’re doing. It could be as simple as communicating their gratitude.  In return, these leaders receive loyalty, dedication and higher productivity.  Leaders encourage team members to contribute ideas and they value these ideas.

The deepest craving in all human beings is the need to be appreciated. – William James

Leaders at all levels of the organization need to be comfortable with all six of these dimensions. Of course, each of the six will come into play in a particular form, depending on the level involved. At the senior manager level, Vision and Values tend to be critically important. So are Direction and Persuasion. The other dimensions are also important, of course, but in different ways. At middle levels, interpreting the Vision and Values and the Direction become important. At the frontline level, tactical leaders usually have to focus much more closely on getting the actual work done. The dimensions of Support, Development, and Appreciation become critically important. The six dimensions of servant leadership apply equally well in situations where the leader or would-be leader has no formal managerial authority. 

These six dimensions represent the traits or skills necessary to become an effective Servant Leader.  By evaluating your current skills and comparing them against the items listed above, you will be able to get an idea of the skills you need to develop.

Five Guidelines on Effective 5 Why Analysis

Asking why 5 times: “the 5 Whys”, is a simple but powerful tool to use with any problem solving activity. It’s a technique to help you get past the symptoms of a problem, and to find its root causes. Simply ask the question “why” up to five times. 

Sakichi Toyoda, one of the fathers of the Japanese industrial revolution, developed the technique in the 1930s. He was an industrialist, inventor and founder of Toyota Industries. His method became popular in the 1970s, and Toyota still uses it to solve problems today.

Taiichi Ohno gave this example about a machine that stopped working (Ohno 1988, p. 17):

1. Why did the machine stop?
There was an overload and the fuse blew.

2. Why was there an overload?
The bearing was not sufficiently lubricated.

3. Why was it not lubricated?
The lubrication pump vs not pumping sufficiently.

4. Why was it not pumping sufficiently?
The shaft of the pump was worn and rattling.

5. Why was the shaft worn out?
There was no strainer attached and metal scarps got in.

Without repeatedly asking why, we would likely replace the fuse or pump and the failure would recur. Keep asking why until the root cause is reached and eliminated.

Here are some guidelines to doing a 5 Why analysis correctly:

Five is not a set in stone number. It’s not the guaranteed magic number.  It does usually force you to push deeper than most feel comfortable, in most cases.   Think about it like this.  It might be something that takes asking why seven or eight times or maybe three is adequate.  The key point is to not just accept the first answer to the question: Why did XX happen, because it’s probably a symptom of a deeper cause, so you have to keep asking why until you get out of the symptom level and into the root cause level.

Take time to do it right. Don’t think you need to gather everyone to have one meeting and finish it by the end of the meeting.  All possibilities in the brainstorming activity should be investigated and validated as true or not.  This quite possibly will require team members to seek out more information and report back.  There’s nothing wrong with this.  I’d advise to not let this turn into an excessive break in the problem solving process, especially in more urgent matters.

Brainstorm with a group. Unless you’re a one person business, take advantage of the different points of views of the team.  Always include the person that is the closest to the problem, this is usually an employee from the floor.  I don’t know how many times I’ve seen a group of managers or engineers argue about a theoretical cause while ignoring the fact that the person that was physically present during the problem probably knows exactly what happened.

Don’t punish employees for telling the truth. Many times they will have information, but with-hold it in fear of getting in trouble for not doing or saying something earlier.  This is why Lean can only truly exist if a “blame free environment” is created.

Look at things from different perspectives. Examine every detail.  Don’t assume that something is happening correctly, verify that it is.  Think about the cause of the problem form outside of the proverbial box.   After all, the solution is unknown at this point, so the cause could be absolutely anywhere, even in the most likely of places.

Bonus Tip:
Get out of the office. The Japanese term Genchi Genbutsu means to go to the place where the work is done.  Ask questions.  Observe the work for a while.  Look at data that is relevant to tracking down clues.  You may have to ask for some additional data to temporarily be collected if needed.  
5-Why analysis is more than just an iterative process or a simple question asking activity. The purpose behind a 5-why analysis is to get the right people in the room discussing all of the possible root causes of a given defect in a process.

Many times teams will stop once a reason for a defect has been identified. These conclusions often do not get to the root cause. A disciplined 5-why approach will push teams to think outside the box and reach a root cause where the team can actually make a postive difference in the problem, instead of treating symptoms.

Lean Quote: Importance of Inspirational Leadership

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.

"Leadership is not just about giving energy ... it's unleashing other people's energy." — Paul Polman

There are a host of reasons why inspiration is so important in the leadership process. An inspiring leaders can:

Enhance self-esteem. People perform at their best when they feel confident. Inspiring behavior from a leader directly enhances people’s feelings of self-worth and self-efficacy.

Give new meaning to work. The inspiring leader is able to inject a higher meaning to work. There is a classic story about a bystander who asks two workers, “What are you doing?” One worker replies, “I’m cutting stones”; the second worker says, “I’m building a cathedral.” Then the bystander watches the care and the quality of work done by each of them and quickly artisanship and the first did not.

Increase cooperation. Inspiring leaders create a culture of cooperation rather than of competition and rivalry.

Encourage higher goals. Inspirational leadership encourages people to set their sights at a much higher level.

Heighten creativity. Inspirational leadership can foster a greater willingness in people to attempt new behaviors and to seek ingenious new ways to accomplish tasks.

Increase risk taking and exploration. Inspirational leadership frees people to take greater risks, to explore different ways of accomplishing a task.

Create higher productivity.  An inspiring leader elevates the standard of productivity, how hard people work, the hours they put in, and their willingness to overcome any obstacles.

Provide stronger identification with the organization. The leader’s emotional connection with the team members creates a stronger bond between the organization and its people.

Inspirational leadership behavior provides a powerful “glue” between the leader and the group. The culture of the organization is fundamentally transformed and people are motivated to work longer, harder, and with greater focus than before.

8 Ways to Keep Your Employees Motivated and Engaged

As a manager, a big part of your job is keeping your employees motivated and engaged. A properly engaged employee can work to their full potential and greatly benefit their organization. Monetary compensation is only part of what motivates and engages an employee, being valued and having positive relationships with their managers are big factors in how engaged, and successful, an employee is. Here are eight ways to keep your employees motivated and engaged.

Find Out What Your Employees Need

Check in with your employees to see if they need anything; don’t just assume everything is okay. Before you try and figure what your employee needs, think about some possible goals they may have in mind. These goals may include lowering anxiety, getting a clear objective, and minimizing uncertainty. Ensure all your employees have the tools and training they need to be effective.

Make Work Fun

A touch of humor goes a long way to transforming a workplace into a place where employees can have fun while they work. Energized and happy employees are better able to engage and contribute to their organization. “You can make a big difference with something as simple as the occasional smile, showing your human side can be endearing and disarming”, - says Nicole Meehan, an HR consultant at Uktopwriters.

Effective and Positive Communication

Proper communication is the driving force behind employee motivation. A good manager must strike a balance between the dreaded micromanaging and failing to keep their finger on the pulse of their team. Keeping interactions positive with employees is a good way to keep them engaged. Communication can be written, as well as spoken, and business writing skills are important for leaders. Check out resources at StateofWriting to improve your business writing skills.

Incentives Pay Off

Encourage excellence and engagement by implementing some monetary incentives. Getting rewarded for their achievements is a huge motivator for employees. Ensure that your team is compensated well overall. People are often uncomfortable divulging dissatisfaction with their compensation, so consider doing some surveys to gauge employee satisfaction. It’s important to express your gratitude immediately when a employee excels, rather than waiting for a quarterly review. Doing this will increase morale and encourage engagement.

Focus On Attainable Goals

It’s important to set reasonable, attainable goals for your employees. You don’t want to overburden your employees with unrealistic goals, that is a recipe for their disengagement and dissatisfaction. Short term goals are good because these goals can be accomplished quickly and this success provides the employee with confidence to move on to other achievements. It’s okay for employees to fail once in a while, as long as it happens in an environment of positivity and confidence.

Define Your Long Term Vision

Help your employees understand where their work fits into the organization’s larger, long term strategy and goals. When they understand their core mission and how their work contributes to it, they become engaged in a purpose. The more people understand the big picture, the more collaboration is possible and motivation increases across the board. Communicating long term goals begins with management, they set the tone that will be taken by all employees, who now see themselves and their work as part of the greater design.

Transparency is Key

Creating an environment of transparency is paramount to effective leadership. Your employees should feel free to be honest with you and feel they can trust you. Trust is important, and transparency is a big part of creating trust between leaders and their employees. It’s important that managers are forthright, and follow through when they say something. “Actions speak louder than words, and words begin to mean not much at all if they are not followed by action. If managers set the tone with this kind of integrity, employees will respond with respect and loyalty that is earned. If employees view a manager as accessible and open, they will listen and engage when managers give instructions, to remarkable results”, - explains David Hoover, a Recruiting manager at Assignment help, and Studydemic writer.

Pay Attention to High Potential Employees

Keep your high potential employees happy. To keep them engaged, put more resources into career development. You can also try assigning them to new projects that will benefit the company, as well as keep them motivated and happy.

Conclusion

An organization can benefit greatly from ensuring its employees are motivated and engaged. Effective and positive communication, knowing what your employees need, making work fun, providing incentives, focusing on attainable goals, clearly defining your long term vision, being transparent, and paying attention to high potential employees are all ways a manager can keep their employees motivated and engaged. Employees are motivated by more than just financial incentives. Feeling they are part of a team and a larger mission, and forming positive relationships with their managers are also important ways to get the best out of your employees.

About the Author:

Freddie Tubbs is a internal communications manager at Ukwritings. Besides, he is writing Academadvisor blog for freelance writers, and is a regular blog contributor at Boomessays.

Lean Tips Edition #125 (1876 - 1890)

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips.  It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey.  Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.

Click this link for A Lean Journey's Facebook Page Notes Feed.

Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:

Lean Tip #1876 - Set Goals That Align with Company Objectives

Each employee’s goals should be tied to the company’s overall growth strategy in order to be effective. When employees understand how their individual role and responsibilities contribute to organizational growth, they’re often more focused and motivated to achieve goals that result in success for both the business and themselves. Consistently communicating strategic business goals (and regularly emphasizing the company mission) can help to keep employees engaged in the work they do.

Lean Tip #1877 - Connect Every Day Tasks and Efforts to Long Term Goals

Every aspect of your daily business should connect back to your long term mission statement and over all goals. This allows managers and employees to see how their every day work helps the success of the company – and improves their long term career prospects.

Lean Tip #1878 - Transparency is Key To Alignment

Maintaining a sense of transparency throughout your entire organization will allow your employees to see the productivity of their managers and vice versa. Overall transparency can translate to a healthier and more productive work environment for everyone, improving overall engagement.

Lean Tip #1879 - Reward Employees Who Achieve Their Goals

It’s critically important to recognize employees who set goals and then achieve (or exceed) them. Not only does such a reward (a bonus, certificate, public acknowledgment at a staff meeting, etc.) honor that employee’s efforts, it demonstrates clearly to his or her co-workers that the company values this type of commitment and hard work — thus providing further initiative from the rest of the workforce. When such hard work goes unnoticed, employees can justifiably feel there’s no point in working so hard and may begin looking for a new job elsewhere.

Lean Tip #1880 - Take a Key Role in Communicating Company Strategy

Have you ever played the children’s game “Telephone”? By the time the message gets to the end of a long line of people, its content has likely been drastically altered beyond recognition. Miscommunication costs businesses substantial loses. Be direct, make sure everyone understands your plans, and ensure that you communicate your vision and goals to all staff members.

Lean Tip #1881 - Develop Leaders Early.

Leadership development should take place as soon as possible within your organization by assessing and analyzing the strengths of potential future leaders. While data can be used, you can also discover which employees have what it takes for certain jobs by letting them identify themselves as potential leaders in leadership positions.

Lean Tip #1882 - Challenge Employees.

Give employees a chance to challenge themselves by assigning them unfamiliar tasks. It’s an effective way to push and test their skill levels. It’s all right if they fail since it offers valuable lessons that can add new skills, improve confidence, and solidify employee commitment. Watch to see if the employee just determines the task is above their skill level or if your employee determines that they will do what it takes to learn the new skill.

Lean Tip #1883 - Rotate Employee Positions.

For many innovative companies, employee rotation has become a great way to engage, motivate and work with different team members. Furthermore, by not locking employees into a single position, it’s developing additional skills in each employee that could be used if they have to fill-in for another team member.

Lean Tip #1884 - Inspire Employees to be Passionate.

Some of the best leaders that I've ever met inspire others to become leaders by their passion. Employees will take a little bit of that passion and it will grow within them. Develop passion in your employees and they will become the biggest factors in the success of your business.

By letting employees be creative, encouraging them to work on side projects and sending out employee surveys, you will have found a couple of ways to discover which employees are authentic and have bought into your company’s culture. Keep in mind, you don't have time for everything.

Lean Tip #1885 - Give Employees a Little Power.

It’s important to give employees the right tools and resources to succeed. While you want to challenge employees and encourage them to get out of their comfort zones, you also need to make sure that you give them the proper support whenever assigning new tasks. But, you don’t always have to hold their hand. This can be done by encouraging them yourself, directing them to someone who can help, providing them with the right support and frequently evaluating their work. Furthermore, you may have to give up a little control by giving them the power to make certain decisions.

Lean Tip #1886 - Show Employees You Trust Them

The first sure way to motivate and inspire your employees is to demonstrate that you have faith in their abilities to get the job done. You can do this by assigning them more responsibilities and giving them the chance to rise to the challenge. Doing so shows that you trust them, which has a way of motivating people to keep doing their best.

Micromanaging your employees and hovering over their shoulders at every step is counterproductive because it makes them nervous. If your employees are too afraid to try new things, they won’t be giving you their best. Give them greater autonomy and responsibility and they will rise to the occasion.

Lean Tip #1887 - Invest In Your Employees

Another way to inspire and motivate your employees is by investing in them. Offering things like tuition reimbursement, a mentoring program, one-on-one coaching, and job shadowing with people in higher positions sends a clear message: you care about their career and their future. Some companies, in fact, have periodic meetings with their employees to discuss their career paths and make sure they stay on track.

Aside from improving skills and increasing staff knowledge, this kind of investment in employee career pathing gives them a reason to stay with the company for the long haul rather than be on the lookout for a better offer.

Invest in your employees, and you’ll give them a reason to stick around. When your employees grow and improve, so does the company.

Lean Tip #1888 - Leaders Set the Example.

As a leader within your organization, people are going to look to you to set an example for the rest of the group. You're going to be setting a tone, a work ethic, and a set of values for the company whether you mean to directly or not, and setting the right example can have a meaningful effect on the mentality of your group. For example, if you work hard and stay optimistic about everything, even in the face of enormous challenges, your employees will be likely to do the same. If you set an example of positivity and understanding, your workers will mirror you, and the entire culture of the work environment will become more motivating.

Lean Tip #1889 - Share Your Mission Statement with Every Employee

Articulate and share the mission, purpose, and goals of your business with the people who work for you. This will give them a sense of belonging and a connection to the big picture. It is much more exciting to be sharing in a mission as opposed to just accomplishing an unrelated work task. A sense of contribution to the purpose and success of a business makes any job feel more important.

Lean Tip #1890 - Encourage Employees’ Opinions and Ideas

Seek out the opinions and ideas of your workers with the goal of implementation; employees will feel truly valued as an integral part of shaping the success and future of your organization. Suggestion boxes, meetings and group discussions are a few ways in which employees can contribute their ideas, but they should be made to feel that their feedback is welcome at any time.