7 Ways to Encourage Innovation in the Workplace

Smart leaders know they have to maintain a competitive edge within their industries in order to sustain their slice of the marketplace pie. It remains essential, therefore, that a business continually improves what it offers and how it operates. But ideas for improvement that lead to success don’t just happen–it takes a concerted effort to encourage innovation from your staff.

There are many easy-to-implement ideas that can help creativity and passion flow within your organization, one's that can ensure your company doesn’t get left in the dark ages.

Give employees a reason to care.

The fact is, if people aren’t feeling connected to your company, there’s little incentive for them to be innovative. Make sure you keep your team in the loop on your firm’s strategies and challenges, and invite their input. Employees who are involved early on in processes and plans will be motivated to see them through to completion. Their active participation will fuel more ideas than if they learn of initiatives second-hand.

Empower your employees to make decisions and take action.

People who are trusted to take safe risks and attempt new ways of doing things just may stumble across that next great business solution. Be careful about being too critical when things go wrong, though, because employees will take note. No one wants to be the centre of negative attention, and people will hold back on making suggestions if they’re worried about potential consequences.

Don’t make staff jump through hoops.

You may think that it’s easy for employees to offer their ideas, but is it really? If managers are constantly behind closed doors and meetings tend to be one-way discussions, the message to staff is that their feedback isn’t welcome. Make sure you and other leaders keep your office doors open as much as possible, let employees know directly that their ideas are always valued and keep formal discussions on a two-way street.

Consider which internal processes might be stifling innovation. For instance, it can be demoralizing if recommendations must go through multiple layers of approvals in the organization and take a significant time before they’re implemented, if at all. Look for ways to streamline the process so people can see their good ideas in action quickly.

Reward employees for ongoing learning,

There are lots of ways you can encourage your employees to expand their horizons and broaden their skills. It's a win-win, too, since they benefit from new experiences and opportunities for advancement and you benefit from better-rounded and more confident employees.

Shake things up.

There’s no better way to get your employees thinking outside the box than to assign them new and exciting projects outside the scope of their daily activities. While some employees may initially react with a fear of failure, ultimately they will be engaged by the chance to try something new in your supportive “no idea is a bad idea” work environment.

Allow your employees time to innovate.

Innovation needs to be part of a companies’ day-to-day work. In order to do so, there needs to be both the time and budget allocated for experimentation and pushing internal products, sites and teams to the next level.

Reward success.

The reward for succeeding is higher than the cost of failure. Their team members are willing to try an idea because if the idea succeeds, the company does better. No one is labeled a failure if an idea doesn’t work or achieve different outcomes from what was expected. In fact, what is emphasized is a maximum return on learning, regardless of the outcomes. The cost of not trying is higher than the cost of learning in the long term.

There are many ways that you can start to bring innovation to your company, and major change doesn’t happen all at once. Start small, with any one of the above ideas, and slowly layer in more until your company is a pinnacle of creativity and innovation.

The future requires innovative thinking and it requires a shift away from thinking of innovation as a concept and instead as a mindset that needs to be embedded into the minds of all workers. When organizations have a dominant focus on innovation as an inherent requirement of every single worker we will see a rapid acceleration in the improvement of both customer experience and employee experience in the future of work.

Lean Quote: A Desk is a Dangerous Place From Which to View the World

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.

"A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world."   — John le Carre

All too often, attempts are made to solve problems without knowing anything about or not being familiar with a particular area or process -- resulting in a misdiagnosis or failed solution. Many managers rely on gut instinct to make these important decisions, which often leads to poor results. 

In my experience answers come from the floor, from the 'gemba,' where the condition occurs. No matter what your position is or what you are working on you can not underestimate the importance of going to the gemba. You need to go to the real place and experience the conditions for yourself before being able to take solve problems. 

You can’t solve problems at your desk. Going to the gemba is a great way to get the entire team involved in identifying and solving problems. It is grounded in fact finding using actual conditions from the actual workers who perform the work. This activity creates energy within the team solving the problem leading to experimentation, ideas, and discussion on improvements.

When managers insist on incorporating facts and evidence, gathered from direct observation at the source they make better choices and their companies benefit. 

5 Ways To Improve Employee Development At Your Company

Investing in the development of employees is the most important and rewarding thing a manager can do. For some reason, though, it’s often the last thing on a manager’s “to do” list.

Employee development is a long-term initiative, but it also leads to short-term benefits like increased loyalty and improved performance and engagement. Here are five ways you can begin improving employee development at your company:

Lay a Foundation of Trust and Mutual Respect

Employees need to know that discussing their development isn’t just a sneaky way to get them to admit their weaknesses. To inspire them to take ownership of the process, you have to start by building trust. Help them to see that you're invested in their success and on their side.

Turn Weekly Meetings Into Learning Opportunities

Employee development isn’t something that happens only in an annual review, nor something you can just pass off to the HR department. All of your regular interactions, from reviews, to project check-ins, to weekly meetings, are chances to develop your team. Consider ways to integrate a development mindset into your regular meetings.

Ask Questions

Few people respond well to simply being told what they need to do. Instead of dictating the process, involve your employees by asking good questions. Coaching questions force employees to figure things out for themselves. Those queries can also be revisited after an assignment is completed as a way to reflect on lessons learned and cement the new knowledge or skill.

Remove Barriers

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.

Set the Example

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.

When people are given the tools to do their jobs well and training to advance in their careers, they feel supported and happy. Not only are they likely to stay longer, but they will also perform better and contribute to overall company growth. And your reputation for stellar employee development might just encourage the best and brightest candidates to join your team.

7 Tell-Tale Signs your Corporate Culture Sucks

Culture is a vital and unique part of every organization. It’s what makes people decide to join a team and is the biggest reason employees choose to stay or leave. It’s the key to gaining (and maintaining) a true competitive edge—one that makes work a place people want to be.

A healthy company culture is crucial for a business to operate efficiently. Given that employee well-being often depends on how well they interact with each other, fostering a positive company attitude helps growth within the business as well as promotes a healthy work environment.

However, it can be easy for leaders to miss when the corporate culture might actually suck. There are many tell-tale signs of a toxic work environment, including these seven big ones that send good employees running for the door:

1. Turnover is High

Let’s get the obvious red flag out of the way first. It’s rarely a good sign that people aren’t sticking around for very long.

If your workplace is a revolving door of new faces, you definitely have a turnover problem.

I’d argue further that turnover is not the only problem here. All the hush-hush about turnover signifies an unnerving company culture. No one seems to care enough to ask, “Hey, where’d John go?” Or maybe they do care, but they are afraid to ask about a disappearing coworker. That is a clear indicator of even more flaws in the culture of the company.

2. Employees Don’t Spend Time Together

I’m not saying your colleagues need to be one big happy group of best friends, but the word on the street is that it’s good for business to have friends at work.

After all, friendship = trust,  and trust = better on-the-job performance. There are some drawbacks with the biggest being that having friends at work is more likely to deplete our emotional energy more than if we didn’t give a rat’s about our coworkers. However, it’s pretty clear that emotional connections built at work foster a more productive, more culture-conducive environment.

If no one spends time together outside work, your organization could be missing out on a big chunk of employee satisfaction. The lack of emotional connection and trust might contribute to a clog in the flow of good ideas.

3. Lack of Ideas from Employees

In my experience, if you seldom hear “I have an idea!” in the workplace, you have a problem.

The problem is probably not that your colleagues don't have ideas. They’re human. With working brains. Those brains spend 40 hours per week at the office. It’s preposterous to think that they don’t have any ideas on how to improve things a little around here.

It's more likely that your colleagues aren’t sharing their innovative thoughts. Oh, they have them—trust me. Where is the engagement of employees gone?

4. De-energized and Unmotivated Workers

This usually indicates a fear-based culture lacking the practice of encouragement and respect often found in a caring environment led by strong servant leaders.

A toxic work culture does not welcome employees to offer their ideas, input, creativity or strengths to the overall company strategy because they are merely worker bees.

Managers dismiss the value of their people and employees are seen as cogs rather than worthy colleagues and business partners in producing excellence. This will suck the life, energy and motivation straight out of your employee.

5. Fear of Failure, Discourage Risk

Part of learning and growth is trial and error. Not everything can be predicted, practiced and projected. If your company culture awards short-term performance and punishes risk takers, you’ll be cultivating a norm of anti-innovation. Allowing employees to fail quickly without repercussion encourages your team to explore possibilities and be more innovative. Your team will feel more valued when it has a voice and that will benefit your business.

6. Shareholder Value is More Important than Customer Value

I believe that relentlessly driving up customer value will lead to increased shareholder value. But relentlessly driving up shareholder value might not help customers at all. The financial markets are a fickle beast at best, and today’s trophy businesses are tomorrow's turkeys. The markets seem to act like a lake full of fish (Piranhas), chuck in a good looking piece of food, and everyone wants a piece of it. The current trend is for businesses to buy up highly prized companies, and sometimes this works when the sum is greater than the parts. But if your business sucks, buying one that doesn’t won’t help you and will just spoil a perfectly good business. You can’t graft success onto a failure.

7. Everyone is Stressed and Under Pressure

The surest sign your organization is sick is when it makes its employees sick. Too much pressure or stress on people doesn’t work or isn’t sustainable. Good employees will put more pressure on themselves than any manager could. They are self-motivated, and know what needs to be done. An organization needs to nurture and nourish talent then focus it. It is that simple.

Different people react differently to stress. Some thrive, others give up and some even subvert the pressure into negative feelings and behavior. But does your company offer praise as well as pressure? Or does it beat you with a stick when you don’t perform, and then beat you with a carrot when you do?

Most companies want great company culture, but only a few do what it takes to actually have it. It certainly doesn’t come easy but pinpointing your weaknesses and shifting your work environment will put you on the right path.

Building great company culture is about being inclusive of all employees, creating a shared philosophy to guide your decisions and protecting that foundation by bringing on and empowering the right people.

When you have great company culture, you’ll feel it, and so will everyone in and around your company. It is not easy to achieve but, once done right, it can't be ignored.

Lean Quote: Great Leaders are Always Learning

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 distance between number one and number two is always a constant. If you want to improve the organization, you have to improve yourself and the organization gets pulled up with you."   — Indra Nooyi, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo

True leaders are never satisfied with what they know about their leadership and are always in pursuit of new learning. That means constantly seeking feedback, taking time for relevant learning and guidance, and looking for positive changes in the organization.

Great leaders make self-improvement a daily practice. Here are some of the ways they go about it—see what makes sense for you and try incorporating it into your daily routine. Your leadership and your life will benefit.

They assess themselves honestly. In order to improve, you need to know what needs improvement. Notice how you behave in different situations. Look at your behavior and attitudes objectively and you’ll know what to keep and what to leave behind. You can’t be a better person if you don’t know what you need.

They educate themselves continually. Unsurprisingly, many leaders are avid readers. There is so much to learn and so much to understand, and reading a book is like having the best teachers and the smartest mentors from throughout history on demand.

They welcome feedback approvingly. The best leaders understand that feedback is a gift, and they seek critique from trusted people who are able to get straight to the point. Direct feedback is the quickest way to learn how to improve.

They embrace change repeatedly. Great leaders always want to improve themselves, so they remain open to change. They know it’s hard to move forward if you aren’t willing to change. Cultivate your own willingness to change with thought, effort and intentionality.

They work toward their goals daily. The best leaders understand the power of consistently working toward a goal. If you can commit to one daily practice, make it this: do one small thing every day that will get you a little bit closer to where you want to go. Every time you accomplish a goal, you’ll learn more about yourself and figure out more ways of self-improvement.

They ask for support frequently. Top leaders know the benefits of having good counsel and smart advocates, and even the best leaders may have a coach. I know one of the things my clients value most in my coaching is simply having an impartial sounding board, giving them a chance to sort things out before they present their ideas.

They express appreciation regularly. Great leaders understand that gratitude is the basis of self-improvement. They know that if you can be thankful and appreciate what you have instead of obsessing over what you wish you had, you can focus on making yourself better and expressing your thanks to the people around you.

Organizations with strong leaders experience better overall organizational performance, including high levels of customer satisfaction, organizational productivity, financial gains, and product quality. Effective leadership also has a positive impact on employee retention, performance, engagement, and morale.

Lean Tips Edition #162 (#2641 -2655)

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 #2641 - Everyone Should Be A Leader.

I’m a great believer in decentralization of responsibilities. I used to think that hierarchy was a vital part of creating an organization, but I was wrong. Hierarchy, especially in small organizations, can suppress your team’s creativity and freedom to think and act.

Think of the great Chicago Bulls: they had Michael Jordan, but what would have happened if the only guy who could make a decision on the court was Jordan himself? The Bulls and Jordan were the best because every team member had the freedom to bring his thoughts and skills to the table, allowing the team to win and succeed. Make sure that you hire only those who would be interested in taking on responsibilities, and be ready to let them lead.

Lean Tip #2642 - Brainstorm Often.

Brainstorming is a great way to set goals, road maps and have a discussion on just about anything. Use brainstorming as a platform to hear new ideas and allow your team members to find creative solutions to everyday challenges you may encounter along the way.

Brainstorming will allow your team members to express their thoughts and flourish. This will help them to be better at what they do, but also to take on more responsibilities.

Lean Tip #2643 - Ensure Management Support

Supervisors and managers play a key role in “keeping the learning alive”. Ensure that supervisors, managers and owners are following up with staff regarding what their needs are, and how team building efforts can be enhanced. Managers also play a key role in ensuring that the learning from team building initiatives is brought back to the office.

Lean Tip #2644 - Invest in Training Your Team

Ever wondered what the best way to invest in the growth of your company is? It all starts with investing in your team.

Your team is more than just the fuel of your company. They are also the wheels, gears, and steering wheel. Without a properly functioning team, your company is not going anywhere.

Team building is an easy way to invest in your team. It shows that you are willing to put time and money into making them happier. Offering training to your employees is one way to invest in your team that demonstrates your commitment to them and also has a direct correlation to the way your company runs.

Consider holding group team building activities that focus on teaching your employees a new skill that is useful for the work they do. Another option is to provide training opportunities as rewards to employees that go the extra mile.

However, you choose to go about incorporating training into your company, know that this is an important investment. It may not have an immediate ROI, but it will come back to you in bigger and better ways.

Lean Tip #2645 - Put People First

You might measure your results with data, but there is a person behind every statistic.

When considering employee engagement you should start with your people. “What does my team need?” “Will my team members enjoy this?” “How will this benefit my team?”

Do not hesitate to ask! This whole guide has been about communicating with and trusting your team members, so why not trust them to help you pick engagement activities? Ask them what kind of skills they would like to learn or what you can do to make their work day more enjoyable. Creating an environment of trust is vital to any team, and it starts by listening to your employees.

By putting your people first, you are also showing them that you prioritize their needs and that you are willing to listen to their suggestions.

Lean Tip #2646 – Give Constructive Feedback.

Feedback does not mean criticizing, chiding, or disapproving. Instead, it should be constructive in nature and include specific recommendations for further improvement and development. Feedback should also be delivered regularly and tied to data or examples such as the performance metrics or the individual development plan. Only using feedback for employee reviews can result in missed opportunities to guide an employee through the professional development process. Employees want to know how they are doing. If feedback is used as a tool for growth and recognition, and not a tool to knock the employee down, it will make a measurable difference.

Lean Tip #2647 – Consider the Skills and Training Needed by Each Worker

It’s increasingly clear that employees want companies to offer personal and professional development, as learning and development have become crucial aspects in engaging and retaining your workforce.

Training your staff enables your company to hold them to company values, and when these values align with theirs; your workforce will be motivated to stay as they’ll envision a future with your business.

Amidst fears that managers have, mainly that training and development allow staff to find employment elsewhere, consider this aspect – well-trained workers are efficient, to the point where training and development may pay for itself, as a more efficient workforce will become more profitable. Another benefit is that well-run businesses tend to also attract and retain talented employees.

Lean Tip #2648 – Help Your Managers Become Better Coaches

Part of becoming an effective coach is learning about your direct report; their unique strengths, what drains them, and what motivates them so you can help guide them on their path to success. One way to accomplish this is by asking the right questions at the right cadence. Here are 5 questions you can start asking your people every week during check ins and 1-on-1s:

• What’s going well in your role? Any wins this week?

• What challenges are you facing?

• How are you feeling? What’s the morale around you?

• On a scale of 1-10, how fulfilled are you? Why?

• How can I become a better leader?

Having intentional conversations on a regular basis will help you form deeper connections with your people. These discussions will also contribute to building a more psychologically safe environment for employees to be open and honest.

Lean Tip #2649 – Enhance Cross-Departmental Collaboration

A truly cohesive workforce that excels at cross-departmental training can help bridge the gap between cultures, give employees the opportunity to learn more about other parts of the business, and encourage more empathy across the board. But the truth is, most teams aren’t natural collaborators.

Without the right structures in place to help your people to connect, some initiatives could run the risk of falling flat. For example, your marketing department is aiming to enhance the company’s brand with new content but doesn’t consult with the sales or customer service teams. If the marketing team isn’t fully aware of the unique pain points of their customers, the message most likely won’t resonate. Although this is just one instance, a collaboration problem could lead to more detrimental results.

Lean Tip #2650 – Emphasize Soft Skills

Unfortunately, these vital competencies are often de-emphasized in corporate environments. Even the name “soft skills” makes them seem relatively unnecessary, “These skills are not ‘soft’ – they’re highly complex, take years to learn, and are always changing in their scope.”

Businesses are a collection of human beings working together, so building core relationship skills, like the ability to collaborate and communicate, is one of the most important things that a company can encourage.

Lean Tip #2651 – Streamline Communications by Creating a “Talk To” List

One of the key tenets of how to be a better communicator involves getting organized. Instead of shooting your co-worker an email every time you need an answer, try to save all of your questions for one communication—whether that’s in a conversation or an email.

To help organize and consolidate your thoughts, create a ‘talk to’ list for that person. As you think of things you need to communicate, create tasks that start with his or her name, along with whatever you need to say.

Lean Tip #2652 – Ask Open-Ended Questions

Good communication isn’t just about expressing yourself; it’s also about asking the right kind of questions so you’re able to receive information as successfully as you deliver it.

One of the simplest ways to improve your communication skills is to ask open-ended questions. These are questions that begin with who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Let’s face it—questions that only require yes/no answers aren’t going to tell you much. But asking questions that begin with the five “w”s gives the person you’re talking to the chance to share his or her knowledge with you.

The trick is to be prepared to listen to the answers and ask the next questions based on those answers until both parties are clear on the next steps or actions to take.

That’s when you’re really engaging in effective office communication.

Lean Tip #2653 – Only Promise To Do Things If You Can Actually Do Them

In some ways, being a “yes man” can serve you well in your career, but it’s easy to slip into the “I need to please everyone” mode and get overwhelmed. Bite off only as much as you can chew at one time.

Remember that age-old adage: Actions speak louder than words. Be consistent in doing what you say and saying what you do.

If you say you’re going to finish a PowerPoint presentation by Friday, do it. If you can’t do it, don’t commit. It’s better to say no to something upfront than fail to complete the assignment.

This is critical in business because you gain credibility, trust and respect on the job.

Lean Tip #2654 – Give Positive Feedback

Don't ever underestimate the power of positive feedback. We are quick to point out to someone when they make a mistake. Sometimes we forget to acknowledge them when they do something right. Giving positive feedback can be a powerful tool for employee motivation.

Lean Tip #2655 – Disagree Without Being Disagreeable

Many managers and companies fail because they rely too heavily on the people like them and screen out those who disagree with them. That's why many people surround themselves with people who agree with them, think like them, and support them. When your company culture allows people to challenge ideas, suggestions, and plans, you create an organization of thinking, committed people. If your company culture does not allow dissent you produce an environment of fear. Not allowing appropriate dissent will kill your company.

Lean Quote: 5 Ways to Seriously Value Your Employees

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 more we retain our people, the less time we need to commit to recruiting new people."   — Christine Thatcher, VP of Human Resources at TW Metals

We often hear the phrase “Our Employees Are Our Greatest Asset,” but what does that really mean? Is it just a recruiting slogan, or is it a viable approach to building a stronger business? And how can you tell when a company is serious about valuing employees and when it’s just window dressing?

People are one resource we don’t think about enough in manufacturing. But, if we’re good to our people, it actually saves us time in the end. Working to retain employees is exponentially more sustainable than overworking them and having to replace them. Want to save time? Be good to your employees.

Research shows that companies that view employees as valuable assets, and not cost centers, outperform companies that don’t. When you know what to look for, there are clear signals that prove that a company is serious about investing in its people.

When it comes to valuing people, actions are more important than what the company says. If you want to seriously value your employees, do these five things:

1. Show employees how their work affects business outcomes.

When employees understand how their work contributes to results, they’re more likely to be engaged on the job.

With a broader understanding of the company’s inner workings, they’re better equipped to identify areas where they could work more efficiently or to solve problems they may not have known existed.

2. Model trustworthiness.

Communicate clearly with your team and show your support.

3. Invest in employees.

Guide your team members toward training, development and mentorship programs in your company and in the community. Enable your employees to develop skills that are personally fulfilling and help them do their jobs better and more efficiently.

If an employee has everything they need with your company, they’ll be less likely to look for a new job. Engaged and content employees are also more likely to provide the discretionary effort that drives innovation and productivity.

5. Build a strong community.

Successful leaders have a clear mission for their team, create a supportive culture, seek employee feedback and value good communication. Their employees feel free to raise issues that interfere with the mission and to share ideas to help the team achieve its goals.

Without a strong community and clear mission, employees are more likely to look out for themselves instead of the whole company.

6. Encourage team members to try new things and innovate.

When employees are engaged, well-trained and supported, they need freedom to keep growing and innovating. Good leaders make that possible by guiding staff to be productive and creative without micromanaging them.

Investing time, attention and other resources in your team members can help build a culture that values people. When business leaders respect the time and effort of their staff to the point where it’s engrained in the identity of the business, employees are more inclined to be thoughtful about the business.