The Importance of Honesty at Work

We often tell kids that honesty is the best policy. The truth of the matter is that philosophy holds true for employees, too, especially when it comes to the workplace.

The expectation of honesty at work means you have to be clear and open with everyone. When you are, it demonstrates trust and creates an environment of transparency — another vital element in all great organizations.

Openness and honesty at work make for an environment where people feel trusted, especially by company leadership. When you have an environment where information is communicated with clarity, it opens the door for greater connection and productivity.

Do your employees really know what's going on with your company?  Be honest with your employees they can handle the truth.  Remember, sharing information with employees is good for a couple of reasons: one, it's the right thing to do, and two, it's good for business. 

Here are five reasons you should embrace transparency:

1. People assume the worst when they don't hear from leaders. Silence from the executive office causes a lot of fear and resentment, which certainly doesn't contribute to a productive culture. Maybe the news is bad, but maybe it's not as bad as they are imagining. And even if it is, once they know the truth they can plan and act accordingly.

2. Transparency helps employees connect to the why. When employees are working in a vacuum, they can't see the financial "big picture," and decisions leaders make may seem ill-advised or unfair or simply inexplicable. Transparency connects them to the why—and that understanding propels them to act. You can ask people to change their work habits and established processes all day long. But if they don't know why they're being asked to change, they won't change—at least not for long.

3. Transparency allows for consistent messaging across the organization. When you commit to transparency, people don't have to get their (speculative, distorted) news through the company grapevine. They hear what's really going on, in a controlled and consistent way, from their managers. This, in turn, creates organizational consistency. When everyone is hearing the same messages from their leaders, everyone is motivated to respond in similar ways. And this consistency trickles down to the customers, who get the same basic experience regardless of who they're dealing with.

4. Transparency leads to faster, more efficient execution. When times are tough, execution is everything. And the ticket to good execution is good alignment: All sectors of an organization must understand exactly what's required so they act in a coordinated and collaborative fashion. Transparency is what facilitates that kind of alignment. It's all about a shared sense of urgency.

5. Transparency facilitates the best possible solutions. In transparent cultures, leaders encourage employees to solve problems themselves. And because those employees are the people closest to a problem, and because they must live with the outcome, they almost always design the most effective, efficient solution.  And, of course, they'll also have instant buy-in.

Honesty really is the best policy. It’s not easy and it might sting from time to time, but when you do it right, honesty will create a better work environment and position your brand to be more successful in the long-run.

The more transparent the work environment, the happier the employees are.  The happier employees are, the more productive they are.  Ultimately, honesty builds trust in the company and confidence in leadership. Voicing the truth enables all of us to identify the issue and work as a team to better it.

It all has to start with you, the leader. Model the culture you want to see. Hold yourself accountable to the same standard you hold employees to. Stay competitive, deliver a better product, and build an engaged team of skilled workers to take your business to the next level. Just do it with honesty and transparency at the forefront.

5 Ways to Build a Strong Team

When I first became a manager, I really struggled with figuring out the best way to develop my team. I was so used to doing it all myself, that I didn’t realize that I had to unlearn a few of the practices that had gotten me to management level. I soon realized that as a manager, your teams’ success equates to yours. And not only that, but your ability to inspire and develop people is critical to your own future, as the higher you climb up the leadership ladder, the more you depend on the success and strengths of others to achieve key objectives and goals.

Empowering staff is an essential part of a manager’s job and assist them to reach their potential and it is an aspiration any manager should have. It’s also important to remember how tricky management can be because it requires dealing with different types of people and they all have their own personalities, goals, behaviors and motivations. This means there’s no single encompassing solution when it comes to managing a team.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for the best way to manage a team, there are effective approaches that managers can adopt to support their staff, help them be productive and achieve their potential. Here are 5 ways that you can develop your team and earn yourself some kudos at the same time:

Build time into your schedule to devote to their growth

You’re busy, so are they, so you need to plan time for development, rather than just hoping it falls into place. It simply won’t happen if you wait for some time to crop up. See their development as something so important that it’s worth setting time aside for it.

Identify the skillsets that will make the team member more valuable to you

Do they have strengths in a specific area that would really advance your department in the eyes of customers or stakeholders? Are there skillsets they demonstrate that would add real value to your team or wider constituents? By identifying what you need and helping people develop those skills, you create an observable increase in the value of your team member.

Create opportunities for further growth and development

It won’t happen on its own. You have to pro-actively work towards developing those opportunities. What self-development could the person carry out? What e-learning and blended learning sessions could they immerse themselves in? Is there any mentoring sessions you could take with them? Identify what you could put in place for them, so they see the value in devoting the time to it.

Create a learning culture within the team

This means acting as the conduit to their learning, growth and development. Encourage them at every opportunity; acknowledge the efforts they are making; recognize any progress and success they are experiencing. A learning culture with drive their confidence and their will to improve.

Feedback, review and enhance learning processes

Feedback is the breakfast of champions, so ensure that you identify progress and feedback what successes they have enjoyed. Review the learnings and their applications. Create chances for them to share learnings within the team. That way, you build more reasons for your team member and others to enhance their knowledge and act upon it.

The last thing I want to emphasize is a caution. None of this will work if you don’t focus on building trust among your team. Your team needs to know they can trust you. Treat them with dignity, respect, and let them know that they are each valuable. If they know their success matters to you, they will respect your development feedback and reward you with the effort of improvement. And that’s one of your most important responsibilities as a manager – one that can be very rewarding as you help people achieve their personal best.

These 5 tips will help your team member take responsibility for their learning and choose their direction, rather than just seeing their role as a job that won’t augment their career opportunities within your department or company.

Lean Quote: Culture Is What You Practice, Promote And Permit

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.

"Culture is what you practice, promote and permit."   —  Tim Kight, Organizational Consultant 

Having a constructive culture is the key to successful organizations.  Culture is reflected in the beliefs we have, the way we behave and the quality of experience, because we were around.

So, I pay attention to Kight’s culture quote.

What you practice:  your team will be the sum total of the things you do.  Not what you say.  What you do. You can pronounce platitudes, but if you don’t do the work, the culture becomes mediocre.

What you promote: you teach the right stuff. Repeatedly.  You draw attention to the right stuff.  You reinforce it.  Focus on it.  You build your culture by constantly promoting the things and activities which achieve the culture you are striving for.

What you permit:  you affirm the people who work to reinforce the culture.  You courageously address those who fall short of the expectations we create.

I like our culture.  I believe it improves each year.  Grateful for all of you who support this improvement by your practices, promotion and reinforcement.

Lean Tips Edition #207 (#3316 - #3330)

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 #3316 – Practice Positive Thinking 

Having a positive outlook on workplace changes can greatly influence your ability to accept and adapt to them. To take on a positive outlook, consider the purpose of changes within your workplace and how they can positively influence your job role and work environment. By looking for potential benefits to changes within the workplace, you make it easier to accommodate them. 

Lean Tip #3317 – Ask Questions Frequently 

As you incorporate changes into your daily work routine, you need to ask as many questions as possible to those in charge of overseeing new procedures or activities. Asking even the simplest of questions can help you gain a better understanding of how to complete new tasks and help you learn more about why these changes are necessary.

Lean Tip #3318 – Help Your Coworkers Adapt to Changes

Once you start to understand new practices or routines, it's important that you assist your coworkers with adapting to the changes. This demonstrates teamwork, encourages positive relationships and ensures you can go to them for help when you need it as well.

Lean Tip #3319 – Celebrate the Old

All too often, old policies, programs, strategies, and work are dismissed out of hand as a new direction unfolds. For employees who worked hard on those items, this can be a major slap in the face, erode morale, and lead to more concern. During a period of change, leaders should recognize that such work happened, was important, and had meaning. Underappreciated employees will have a harder time embracing new initiatives.

Lean Tip #3320 – Find Key Influencers

Every organization has key players who have earned the respect of their coworkers, have longevity (and therefore perspective), and are influential. Getting key players on board and letting them act as a sounding board can help senior leaders better understand how change is being perceived, refer recurring issues, and become advocates for the change. Walking these influence-leaders through the change process and getting them on board can help with communication and confidence during the change period.

Lean Tip #3321 – Listen Carefully

Employees are going to have a lot of questions, ideas, feelings, and emotions. It is important for managers, from front-line supervisors to c-suite leaders, to openly and actively listen to these concerns, validate them, and address them as clearly and frankly as possible. Even if you are unable to address their concerns, it is important to express that the employee concerns have been heard and will be addressed at a later date.

Lean Tip #3322 – Articulate Challenges

All changes come with risk of the unknown, uncertainty, and other potential challenges. It is important that companies are upfront about the challenges that may be faced. Even if those challenges have not been fully identified and planned for, it is a good move to try and discuss the potential challenges, the range of those challenges, and what the company is doing or will do to address them.

Lean Tip #3323 – Defining the Change

Change is often not fully articulated at the beginning of a change management process. Due to the iterative nature of change, it may be necessary to not just define the change at the outset, but redefine the change at various steps along the way. Updates should be provided frequently to mitigate rumors, answer questions, and provide reassurance. The faster change is happening, or if it begins to accelerate, the more frequent updates should be.

Lean Tip #3324 – Make change Compelling and Exciting

Employees can better understand the rationale behind a change when organizations prioritize purposeful, clear and consistent communication. This targeted communication strategy provides the context to understand the why, what and so what of the change. Effective communication answers the most important question people are thinking: What does this mean to me; how will it impact my work? With a deeper, clearer understanding of the change, employees are much more likely to ask, “How can I help?”

The shift from rote compliance to true engagement and belief is powerful. Strong employee support deters change resistance that could hold the organization back.

Lean Tip #3325 – Don’t Ignore Resistance

Change resistance is poisonous to an organization’s transformation. Resistance is much easier to counter when it’s identified early. Leaders should pay attention to the signs of change resistance, including inaction, procrastination, withholding information and the spread of rumors. Communication is the key to identifying resistance. Create feedback loops with employees, like surveys, feedback channels and input sessions to proactively identify signs of resistance, then take fast action.

Lean Tip #3326 – Daily Management Board Belongs to The Team

As a manager, you may have a burning desire to create our own vision of an information center or visual management board in the middle of your factory or workplace. It is important to resist the temptation. However, the goal of visual management boards is for front line teams to understand operational performance and engage in improvement.

Therefore your role as a manager is to coach your teams to understand their performance and measure it themselves. This starts with a conversation about “what does a good day look like”? Ask the team how they measure performance. They may have simple indicators such as numbers of jobs completed or boxes packed, which make sense to them. 

A simple throughput measure like this is usually the start. You may only initially track one metric and then expand this to include metrics in safety and quality. Keep the number of metrics low – ideally three or four, but no more than six or eight.

The board also should not only be a collection of graphs but instead should show problem-solving activities aimed at improving the performance and list current issues that the team is working on. It is a communication board for the team, not just a place to record data on performance.

Lean Tip #3327 – Choose Effectiveness Over Good Looks

One of the greatest frustrations with implementing visual management boards is managers’ preoccupation with aesthetics – how the board looks. I strongly advocate for handwritten graphs and problem-solving strips because this shows that it is the team itself that is updating the data. Using the “green pen = on target, red pen = off-target” approach really communicates strongly to the team how they are going. The team leader has to pick up the red pen to record off-target performance. 

This is a very conscious act and makes the Team Leader and the team very aware of the problem performance area. It then inevitably prompts a problem-solving discussion about how to turn the red line into a green one. 

Lean Tip #3328 – Make Engagement a Priority Instead of Standardization

Another obsession of some managers is “standardizing” the appearance of the boards. Again the drive behind this is aesthetics rather than employee engagement. The boards are located in different work areas and managed by teams who perform different functions and therefore the boards should look different. They should reflect on the particular priorities and issues of each team. You can have some common themes such as requiring each team to record metrics for safety, quality, performance, and morale.

Lean Tip #3329 – Boards are for Conversation Not Wallpaper

If you think just putting information on a Visual Management Board on the wall will get people to engage, then you will be disappointed. I’ve seen many big immaculate visual displays sprawling across entrance halls and walkways with literally dozens of metrics displayed. Here is the bad news: no one looks at them. In many cases, the job of printing the graphs and posting them is delegated to an administrative staff member and not even the business leaders notice or read the graphs.

I call this type of visual management board “wallpaper” because that is the only function they serve. The boards need to be the focus of structured daily conversations about how the team is going, what are the barriers to improvement and how these barriers can be overcome. Therefore visual management boards go hand in hand with daily meetings.

Lean Tip #3330 – Focus on the Critical Few

Be sure to narrow your focus. Too many measures create clutter and detract from what is most important. Hopefully, your organization has developed True North metrics and your team has specific measures to impact these targets. Items you put into your visual management should be the things you are actively working on and talking about. If this isn’t the case, then you don’t have visual management, you just have wallpaper.

Lean Roundup #170 – July, 2023

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of July 2023.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.  

 

Conducting A Manual Process Assessment – John Knotts shares seven steps to assess manual processes in your organization to help you prioritize which processes to improve or automate.

 

The Particularities of Continuously Moving Assembly Lines – Christoph Roser discusses the basic commonalities and differences between pulsed and continuously moving lines.

 

The Lean Spectrum – Bob Emiliani shares his Lean Spectrum which he created  to identify areas of strength and weakness and to produce a more balanced practice of Lean management to continuously achieve better overall results quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year.

 

11 Examples of Continuous Improvement Companies - Danielle Yoon highlights a few examples of outstanding continuous improvement culture within some of the world's most well-known companies.

 

Continuous Improvement Processes: Choosing the Right One for Your Business – Matt Bana discusses different continuous improvement methodologies that you can implement to achieve more efficient and cost-effective operations.

 

Top Process Improvement Tools to Enhance Performance - Noah Paratore shares process improvement techniques can be used alone or in combination with other process improvement tools.

 

PDSA, or Doing it Well, Starts With Psychological Safety – Mark Graban discusses using the PDSA approach and why it requires a high degree of “psychological safety.”

 

On Vacation till July 31st

I’ll be on vacation for the next several weeks taking a much needed break.

Americans leave too many vacation days on the table —

Consider these statistics:  

• Although Americans have fewer vacation days than people in any other country, they have been taking less and less vacation over the last 15 years. 
• Fifty-five percent of Americans did not use all their vacation days in 2015.
• Even when they actually do take vacation, 41 percent are checking into work while away (i.e., they are not fully unplugging).
• 84 percent of U.S. executives have cancelled vacations in order to work.

Ironically, while Americans may pride themselves on their hard work and dedication, research suggests that we will actually work harder, perform better, and have greater health, stamina, and enthusiasm for our work if we take time off.

Three ways vacation is good for you:

1. Vacation is relaxing. When you are in the thick of your day-to-day life, it can be difficult to take a step back and look at things objectively. This can make it hard to see either how good you have it or if you need to make some adjustments. By removing yourself from the daily grind, your to-do list, and normal responsibilities, you can make a true evaluation of your situation. And it’s often the case that people love coming back to their routines and restoring a sense of normalcy to their lives after a vacation.

Vacations improve your relationships with those around you. Whether it’s your spouse, children, parents, friends, or coworkers, your relationships are bound to improve after leaving your daily responsibilities behind for a few days. Since vacations tend to reduce stress, you will also be able to deal with difficult or frustrating situations with those closest to you in a more effective and satisfactory manner — and with a clear mind.

2. Breaks make you more productive. Another personal and professional advantage of taking vacations is the ability to detach from work.

Taking time off helps remind you that you are, in fact, a person. And probably a person who has interests and hobbies. So take the time to remember what they are, and make sure you schedule them into your weekly routine.

You know the refreshed feeling you get when you take a few minutes away from your desk? Well imagine what a whole day, or week, could do for your productivity. In fact, it works like such a charm that more companies are starting to realize the importance of time off — especially time off to pursue your own creative pursuits.

3. A change of pace boosts creativity. Another professional advantage from taking time off is a boost in creativity.

Nothing can lead to an anxiety attack faster than working a million days all in a row. So taking even one day off can help reset yourself mentally, and make it easier to have a clear head once back at work. According to Minda Zetlin on INC.com, "A growing body of scientific evidence explains what many of us have learned from unpleasant experience: Push yourself through too many hours or days of work and your brain starts to push back. Ideas that once flowed easily dry up, and tasks that you should be able to perform quickly become excruciatingly difficult ... you need to give your brain, and yourself, some rest." Amen to that.

Vacations provide opportunities for adventure and exploring new places, a chance to relax and unwind, learn new skills, gain insight, expand one’s perspective, strengthen connections with family and friends, create cherished memories, and more.

Lean Quote: 3 Rules for Better Work-Life Balance

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.

"At the end of the day, how we spend our days on average, is how we live our lives."   —  Dr. Ashley Whillans, Assistant Professor at Harvard Business School 

Have you answered a work email during an important family event? Or taken a call from your boss while on vacation? According to behavioral scientist and Harvard Business School professor Ashley Whillans, "always-on" work culture is not only ruining our personal well-being — but our work, as well. She shares three practical steps for setting boundaries that stick.

Let’s recap the 3 rules below.

Reframe rest: Find ways to be present during time off instead of seeing it as an unproductive barrier. Treat the upcoming weekend like a vacation and create clear boundaries with work.

Set team goals for personal time: Do it publicly, collect data, and hold each other accountable.

Negotiate for more time: Savor your weekends and allotted time off by requesting an extension on adjustable deadlines.

I hope that this TedTalk has provided insight into how to reclaim rest and achieve a better work-life balance.