Lean Quote: Leadership is About Effective Communication

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.

"Ninety percent of leadership is the ability to communicate something people want." — Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senator

Communication is the foundation of every single relationship you have in your personal life; it's no different in business. Without effective communication, there can be misunderstandings, problems and conflicts among your staff, your clients and everyone else you come into contact. Poor communication can make effective delegation, increased productivity and an enjoyable work environment virtually impossible.

Effective communication is all about conveying your messages to other people clearly and unambiguously. It's also about receiving information that others are sending to you, with as little distortion as possible. Doing this involves effort from both the sender of the message and the receiver.

To be an effective communicator remember The “Be List”.

• Be A Teacher
• Be Enthusiastic
• Be Positive
• Be Consistent
• Be Demanding but Considerate
• Be Courteous

Ultimately, effective communication can be one of the most important skills you use in your business. If your communication skills can use some fine-tuning, take time to analyze how you communicate, and the results of your communication. Then focus on ways you can improve it over time. You may be surprised how much that changes your relationships with staff, clients and colleagues for the better.

The ways in which your employees communicate with each other and with you is entirely dependent on the example you set and the atmosphere you deliberately create. Whether workplace communication is poor or outstanding, it can have a big impact on revenue, productivity, and employee satisfaction. So value your employees, set a good example, and above all, don’t just talk… listen.

When you communicate more effectively in the workplace, work gets done more efficiently. You foster a good environment where employees feel trusted and co-workers get along. Eliminate miscommunication and boost your business by implementing these tips now.

Lean Tips Edition #142 (#2341-2355)

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 #2341 – Empowering Staff – Eliminate Micro-Management

Staff who feel they are being watched too closely and micromanaged feel less motivated and perform at a lower level, according to a Franklin Covey Study. As well as this, the Mckinsey study cited above showed that staff empowerment and giving them the opportunities to lead projects or task forces was one of the top three non-financial motivators, being cited as an effective motivator by 62% of respondents.

So, build a culture of delegation, empowerment and broad-based job descriptions, allowing employees to fill in the gaps. Encourage employees to work to overall goals rather than daily instruction to give them the freedom and scope to be creative and work in the best way they deem possible to reach their goals. It's a much more rewarding and motivational way to work.

Lean Tip #2342 – Remove Blame Culture – Make Failure Acceptable

Innovation is one of the key ingredients in business success and if you want to create an innovative organization you'll need to motivate your staff to show initiative, think creatively and even take some risks. But, they won't do this in a blame culture environment where employees are castigated for failure and for trying something new; they will become afraid to think creatively and won't be motivated to innovate. Research cited in the Harvard Business Review shows that companies with a blame culture are disadvantaged in relation to creativity, learning, innovation and productive risk-taking. Replace a blame culture with one of learning from mistakes. Encourage workers to own up to mistakes but with a focus on what has been learned from it. Senior managers should lead the way by owning up to mistakes to show that it is OK to fail.

Lean Tip #2343 – Always Be Honest and Transparent

Employees are always going to work harder for a boss that they really respect, and a simple way to gain the respect of your workforce is to be as honest and transparent in every aspect of your business. Strive to answer their questions as best you can and never keep secrets from them they might dampen their enthusiasm for their chosen career.

Lean Tip #2344 – Provide Meaning, Purpose, and Sense of Belonging

People often ask me how to get employees excited to work on your projects, products, or business? My only answer to them is to share the mission, purpose, and goals with them. It would not only instill their belief in the company’s vision but would also give them a sense of belonging and an idea of the bigger picture.

Trust me, professionals look forward to work with companies or startups who have their values and work ethics in place. Plus, working on something that employees can relate to would give them a sense of contribution which is much higher than higher salaries or other factors.

Lean Tip #2345 – Foster Interpersonal and Organizational Trust.

Effective leaders keep their word, inspire trust, and build confidence among team members. Interpersonal and organizational trust must be earned, and both stem from an intentional effort to follow through and align one’s behavior and values with the institutional vision, mission, and shared  values. Great leaders cultivate a work culture where each employee is treated with respect and civility and trusted to fulfill the organization’s strategic goals. They promote an environment where meaningful, frequent, and open communication prevails. These factors help to create an environment where employees feel appreciated and thus become highly motivated to accomplish their work.

Lean Tip #2346 - Cultivate Employee Engagement.

Employee engagement doesn’t happen overnight—or by itself, for that matter. In order to improve company culture, you need to help cultivate employee engagement by organizing team-building activities. These activities help build a sense of community and encourage employees to form relationships with their teammates. According to Gallup, research has repeatedly shown that there is a concrete link between having a best friend at work and how much effort employees expend.

Lean Tip #2347 - Communicate Clearly and Consistently.

Poor communication is one of the main factors contributing to employee disengagement. Too often, organizations lack transparency and fail to communicate with employees on a regular basis. You can improve this considerably by holding regular company meetings to update employees on performance, answer questions, and reiterate the company’s vision and goals. Leadership should also encourage managers to hold department meetings and frequent one-on-one meetings with each direct report. This helps keep the communication lines open and gives employees the opportunity to ask questions.

Lean Tip #2348 - Make Employees Feel Confident with Learning and Development.

As part of the onboarding process, employees need to be given the tools to be successful. Some of that comes in the form of policies and procedures. Employees need to know how the company gets things done. But employees also need to get training and development opportunities, so they can feel confident in their current role, as well as future ones. Even the best, most talented employees should update and refine their skills.

Lean Tip #2349 - Remove Barriers For Learning

Many organizations are rigid in their organizational structure and processes, which can make it challenging to implement some cross-functional development and facilitate dynamic growth and high-performance training. It’s up to leadership to bridge silos, knock down walls, and design a system that encourages a fluid approach to learning and working. Today’s generation of workers are used to change and enjoy open work environments that let them explore. Take the barriers away and watch people flourish.

Lean Tip #2350 - Set the Example When It Comes to Learning

An employee will see the value of the development process when they see their current leadership continue to develop personally and professionally. By modeling this behavior, leaders build credibility and the trust necessary to encourage employees to participate in development-building activities. It shows employees that development is part of the organization’s culture. It sends the message that it’s important for, and expected from, everyone in the organization to be part of a continual improvement process that nurtures from within.

Lean Tip #2351 – Communicate the Need for Change

One of the most common yet most avoidable obstacles to change is a lack of understanding within the organization for the need to change. Leverage your senior leadership and management teams to deliver a targeted communications plan that outlines the current landscape and why your organization needs to make the move to modern learning. Leadership involvement will not only help you to answer pending questions but also build confidence and develop buy-in among employees.

Lean Tip #2352 – Address Employee Fears

With the business world changing at an increasingly rapid pace, employees are expecting employers to be more open and honest than ever.  One of the most common reasons for employee resistance to change during a period of transition is fear of the unknown.  As the culture of the organization changes, both new and seasoned employees can feel pressure to understand where they fit into the larger vision. It’s important for leadership to be transparent and openly address their teams’ fears, even in situations where the answer is “we don’t know yet.” That kind of honesty will make the leader more relatable and help them to build trust within their team.

Lean Tip #2353 – Connect the Dots for Change

Human beings are extremely curious individuals, especially when certain decisions and action plans affect them directly.  Leaving your employees to their own devices when it comes to understanding how an organizational change will impact them and what will be expected of them in the future will leave your entire workforce in chaos. Help them to connect the dots by frequently addressing how making the move to a modern learning culture will impact their particular roles.

Lean Tip #2354 – Engage the Entire Team

Everyone has something to contribute during times of change.  However, when making a significant shift that will impact how an organization operates going forward, employees who are close to the end of their careers can slip through the cracks.  Although Millennials will make up three-quarters of the workforce by 2025,  the remaining 25% has something to offer as well.  Engage those employees by allowing them to share their expertise and institutional knowledge to help facilitate your organization’s move to modern learning. This will not only make them feel valuable as your learning culture modernizes, but it will also increase collaboration and creativity among the entire organization, and ensure that you’re capturing critical organizational knowledge.

Lean Tip #2355 – Learn From Your People

Discovering what is not working and why allows you to address challenges in a more timely fashion. The challenge is often to fail quicker so that you can discover what needs to be fixed or improved. Your people know what is not working and it frustrates them. Learn to recognize their frustrations, talk to them about why they are upset, and work together to resolve their concerns.

5 Ways to Cultivate a Problem Solving Culture

Organizations cannot improve unless they consistently seek out and solve their problems. For most, that means undertaking a profound cultural change— which must begin from the top. So how can leaders unlock their organization’s problem-solving capacity? From my experience with many companies, there are 5 ways to cultivate a problem solving culture.

Teach problem solving skills in ALL areas! Problem solving skills do not necessarily develop naturally; they need to be explicitly taught in a way that can be transferred across multiple settings and contexts. This skill can be applied in everything we do. Let your employees see this and understand that problem solving is a life long skill. It is something that they will continue to use at work in their professional lives and at home their personal lives.

Model… Model… Model! Problem solving is not an easy task. It is challenging, can be time consuming, requires employees to be flexible and to persevere. {It is not for the faint of heart… LOL} In your daily classroom routines show your students that you can be patient when solving problems. Share your thinking aloud with them so that they are able to make connections between your actions and each of the 5 steps previously mentioned.

Help employees verbalize and record their problems. Make sure that their ideas are clear and concise and that they have listed some sort of goal that they have in mind. In order for employees to be able to solve problems, they first must be able to identify what the problem is. And although this sounds easy, it is actually a difficult task. You can begin by asking employees “What?” and “Why?” questions. Have them work through their own problem and come up with possible solutions. Encouraging employees to take an active role in the decision making process can be quite empowering.

Take your time! This is not something that will happen overnight! Employees are going to need ample time to think, collaborate, come up with and test solutions, correct mistakes, and reflect. Begin with whole company discussions where you model the steps of problem solving. Then you can move on to small groups, peers, and eventually independent problem solving.  Don’t give up! Start small…

Don’t do it for them. Ask questions and make suggestions, but be careful NOT TO TAKE CONTROL! Whenever an employee comes up to you with a problem don’t give them the answer. (Trust me this is going to be hard at first! Instead try “What do you think?”, “Do you have any suggestions?”, “Tell me about this…”) Try encouraging them to ask other before you. Have employees ask their peers when they have a question. This will promote collaboration and problem solving. 

Our role as leaders is to support our employees and to encourage questioning and deep thinking. We must demonstrate to them that it is okay to make mistakes and that we believe that mistakes are a natural part of the learning process.  Mistakes are useful and should not be discouraged! We should also aim to create a culture in our company in which everyone’s ideas are valued and respected. We are to foster collaboration and open discussions in which employees feel comfortable enough to share their ideas and opinions freely.

Now it’s time for you to put all of this into practice…

Lean Quote: People Aren't Your Problem...It's Your Work Systems and Processes

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.

"People aren’t your problem. Your problem is that your work systems and processes don’t allow people to shine." — Karen Martin

When results don’t meet the targets set forth by management, organizations typically concentrate on placing blame by asking what people should do better or wanting to know who didn’t do what needed to be done to achieve better results. Focusing on what people can do better and how they can enhance performance or efficiency often results in short-term improvement, but with diminishing returns. Eventually, people run out of ideas, and repeated discussion about failed targets can demoralize even the most loyal employee.

Quality experts like Drs. Joseph M. Juran and W. Edwards Deming stress that the vast majority (85 to 94 percent) of the time, the answer is that it’s management's fault. They find the processes or systems in place are not up to the task of handling all the variations that exist in today's business climate, and as a result, managers have not enabled the organization to continuously improve its processes.

If an organization really wants a continuous improvement effort focused on improving its business, it must celebrate the mistakes and errors that result from inadequate processes or systems so they can be analyzed and corrected. Enlightened organizations don't look for someone to blame; they identify the problems that inevitably arise and encourage their people to expose these issues, rather than cover them up.

Organizations need to have a culture that encourages people to elevate process issues when they arise, rather than trying to hide them to protect themselves from blame. Managers must treat variances from expected results as valuable pearls of opportunity that allow the organization to improve, instead of costly errors that "somebody" made. Managers have to ask themselves, "Do I want a culture of blame and cover-up, or one of problem identification and resolution?" Leading organizations take the latter path and constantly work to identify problems. At the same time, they encourage their organizations to use continuous-improvement tools and techniques to make their processes more robust and prevent future recurrences.

Instead of asking employees what they can do better, managers should ask how the organization can make the process better so the outcome is more predictable. The focus should be on the process, not on the people. If a process works well and makes sense in the context of people’s work, employees will function well within it.

Kids on Leadership

There are a gazillion videos about leadership on YouTube but this one that is a little dated is pretty profound.

Wisdom from the mouths of children.

Video was created by Forum Corp, 1990

It’s true children do say the darnedest things. Things like:

"Have an open mind and absorb new ideas."

"Know what he or she is doing"

"If he or she says they'll do something. They'll do it!"

"Encourage with imagination"

"They should take the time to listen to the people they are leading"

"A leader should give other people a chance and not just say, do it this way or that way"

"You don't want to say - you aren't doing a good job - you want to say something kind"

"If someone is working hard you should compliment them"

"Be respectful, patient, and truthful"

Engage Like a Leader – 3 Perspectives for Better Success

Being a leader is much more than simply being the boss. As a leader, 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.

In business there are three dimensions: the impersonal task, or “It,” the interpersonal relationship; or “We,” and the self-awareness; or “I.” The impersonal dimension includes items such as effectiveness, efficiency, and efficacy. The interpersonal dimension, includes items such as cooperation, trust, and mutual respect. And the personal dimension, includes items such as health, happiness, and need for meaning. 

Instead of looking at business as a three-dimensional space, most managers focus only on the “It.” It is as though they have polarized lenses that filter out the We and the I. When you look at your business from the “It” perspective, you consider the goals of a business organization including making money today and in the future, increasing shareholder value, and gaining market share. In this dimension the concern is for economic efficiency, attaining the maximum output with the minimum consumption of resources. Stripped of the human dimensions of “We” and “I”, business appears to be an unconscious activity in which success and failure depend exclusively on the management of mindless things. However, business success essentially depends on the effort of conscious beings.

Impersonal success is essential. Without it, the survival of an organization is at risk. If it does not fulfill its reason for being, it will be unable to draw energy and resources, and it will collapse.  
            
When we look at an organization from the interpersonal We perspective, we examine its ability to create a community that works with solidarity, trust, and mutual respect. In the interpersonal realm, the goal is to build a network of collaborative relationships. A community in which people feel included, respected, and enabled to contribute their best.

Interpersonal success is also indispensable to survival. Human beings are social beings. In order to offer their full engagement to the organization, people demand to feel accepted, respected, supported, acknowledged, and challenged. Monetary compensation alone cannot accomplish this. This is why solidarity is so fundamental to long-term business success. If people do not cooperate and respect each other, the organization will fail.       
            
When we look at an organization from the personal perspective, we focus on its ability to foster well-being, meaning, and happiness in each one of its stakeholders. In the personal realm, the goal is to cultivate psychophysical health and a high quality of life. Every person wants to feel whole in body and mind, to know that her life is meaningful, to be happy. A conscious organization’s goal in the personal realm is to promote the self-actualization and self-transcendence of everyone it touches.

Finally, personal success is also critical. Without it, no organization can last. Happy people are much more productive and able to cooperate with others. They are resilient when suffering setbacks and enthusiastic when facing opportunities. They trust themselves to respond appropriately to life circumstances, to connect with others, and to deliver exceptional results. If people are not happy in their jobs, they will not remain engaged; they will not last as productive employees. They may not quit formally, but they will quit emotionally. In order to obtain energy from its employees, the organization needs to provide them with opportunities for physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. If an organization’s people do not experience this well-being, it will fail.

Over the long term, the It, We, and I aspects of this system must operate in concert. Although it is possible to achieve good financial results in the short term with unhappy people, cold relationships, or wasteful processes, the gains will not endure. Strong profits will not be sustainable without equally strong interpersonal solidarity and personal well-being.

No matter how long you’ve held a leadership role, or how many qualifications obtained, there is always more to learn.  If you’re willing to grab the opportunities that come your way with both hands, while implementing the above advice, you’ll be the kind of inspirational leader everyone admires and appreciates.  Your business will flourish as your team’s achievements rack up and failures are few and far between.

Lean Quote: Give One’s Self to Others

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 most satisfying thing in life is to have been able to give a large part of one's self to others." — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Lean organizations need leaders who know how to serve their people. A servant leader -- one who wants to serve first and lead second -- strives to create a work environment in which people can truly express these deepest of inner drives. Servant leadership entails a deep belief that people are the greatest asset any organization has, and to nurture their individual growth becomes the basis for all organizational development. That growth goes far beyond the limited dimension of financial benefit -- it dives into our core motivations as people.

Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world. The key differences between servant leaders and more autocratic styles can be summarized as follows:

Motives. A servant leader uses their power to develop followers and growing the company through the development of the full potential of the workforce, rather than using their power to control and exploit employees.

Preferences. Servant leaders prefer inspirational and transformational power, because they seek to influence and transform followers, rather than using positional, political and coercive powers to control subordinates.

Outcome. If we define power as the ability to influence followers, then servant leadership is more effective, because “the arm of control is short, while the reach of influence has no limits”.

Orientation. Servant leaders are sensitive to individual and situational needs, because they exist to serve others; therefore, they are relation-oriented and situational, rather than being only concerned about their own authority and power.

Skill level. Servant leadership requires a higher level of leadership ability and skills, because it takes more interpersonal skills and positive inner qualities to inspire and influence workers.  On the other hand, authoritarian leaders only need obedience and coercive power to enforce compliance and conformity from their subordinates.

Attitude to vulnerability. Servant leaders are willing to risk making themselves vulnerable by trusting and empowering others, rather than being afraid of vulnerability.

Attitude to humility. Servant leaders view themselves as servants and stewards, and voluntarily humble themselves in order to serve others, rather than blaming others for failure and claiming credit for success.

A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid,” servant leadership is different. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first, and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.