How to Be a More Inclusive Leader

As the recent Gallup highlights many employees struggling with isolation and loneliness on the job.

Overall, Gallup found 20% of working men and women saying they felt lonely “a lot of the day” at work the previous day. That number ticked slightly upward among workers younger than 35, with 22% of employees in that age group saying they experienced loneliness throughout much of the previous day. Job level seemed to have little connection to on-the-job loneliness, according to Gallup.

The survey found that when managers are engaged employees are more likely to be engaged. I find that what leaders say and do makes up the difference as to whether an individual reports feeling included. And this really matters because the more people feel included, the more they speak up, go the extra mile, and collaborate — all of which ultimately lifts organizational performance.

Here are some ways we can become more inclusive in the way we lead our teams:

1) Make visible commitments

We need to be visibly talking about inclusivity and diversity and go beyond the rhetoric. Challenging the status quo is an important mindset to have if we are going to make inroads against the way things have always been.

2) Have a degree of humility

We cannot know all the answers, and there is no disgrace in saying we need help. If you make a mistake or don’t know, ask others for help and really listen deeply to those who may have ideas for us.

3) Be aware of any unconscious biases that may exist

We all have blind spots, so becoming aware of them helps us and others to deal with issues without them staying in the background. If we can identify what may constitute our biases, we stand a greater chance of moving away from poor judgement and getting better results.

4) Maintain a curious nature

Being open-minded and great listeners embody a good quality inclusive leader, and it’s vital that these aspects turn into strengths for us. Show empathy on a regular basis, building quality learning attributes that allow you to show quality attributes at all times.

5) Effective collaboration

Empower others, encourage them to share their ideas, pay attention to diversity of thinking and psychological safety, and focus on team cohesion. As an inclusive leader, you need to actively encourage everyone to share their ideas and to work together. A good way to start doing this is by asking for some help on something you're working on. If you lead by example and encourage team collaboration, others begin to follow.

Building a culture of inclusion isn’t like turning on a light switch. It takes deliberate actions, starting with you demonstrating inclusive leadership behaviors. There will always be ways to increase diversity. Culture is ever-changing and inclusive leaders want to ensure that change is positive for their workers, company and themselves. Becoming a more inclusive leader is an ongoing process that doesn’t end. The journey to inclusive leadership is not one you have to take alone. In fact, the more people who acknowledge and accept your ideas, the better.

Improve Engagement With One Meaningful Conversation Weekly

Employees in the U.S. continue to feel detached from work, according to research firm Gallup's most recent employee engagement survey. Only 33 percent of employees were engaged, while 16 percent of workers reported being actively disengaged according to the survey.

Gallup presents an insightful solution.

"A manager having one meaningful conversation per week with each team member develops high-performance relationships more than any other leadership activity," writes Gallup. The research firm says such conversations can be as short as 15 minutes.

One meaningful conversation per week.

In just five words, Gallup describes the biggest key to employee engagement, an emotionally intelligent habit that you can use to help make your employees feel needed, wanted, and motivated.

What does a meaningful conversation look like? After analyzing the data,

Gallup outlined the top five characteristics of what it calls "meaningful conversations," namely:

1. Recognition or appreciation for recent work.

2. Collaboration and relationships

3. Current goals and prioritization

4. Regular and brief sessions

5. Emphasizing strengths

This aligns with my beliefs and experience with 1-on-1 meetings. These 1-on-1 meetings are crucial to the success of your company. Think about it. 1-on-1 meetings are a tool used to help your employees succeed, which directly impacts how well your company performs. Without these meetings, you’d have directionless, disengaged employees — which isn’t good for team morale or accomplishing goals.

There are 5 ways your managers can improve their engagement when it comes to 1-on-1 meetings.

1. Don’t skip the 1-on-1

Rule number one of 1-on-1s: never skip them. It doesn’t matter how busy your management team gets. A 1-on-1 that’s regularly skipped or rescheduled indicates to the employee that they’re not a priority. And that fosters feelings of indifference, which can cause disengagement. Reschedule meetings if needed. 

2. Be prepared

Want to have a useless meeting? Well, if you don’t prepare before you come to the table, it’s more or less guaranteed to be — let’s be frank — a waste of time.

It’s obvious to an employee when their manager is unprepared for a meeting. And that reflects poorly on the entire company. It makes an employee feel like their manager doesn’t care, which has a devastating effect on their employee experience.

3. Actively listen

Listening may not come naturally to everybody. The 1-on-1 is a great opportunity to brush up on this skill. Remember, the 1-on-1 is all about the employee, so give them a chance to speak.

Start the meeting by asking how the employee is doing. This helps you understand what to focus on during the meeting. It also gives you a quick temperature check of how the employee is thinking or feeling.

4. Avoid status updates.

When a manager or team member says they don't see the value of effective 1 on 1 meetings, it's a virtual certainty they spend most of the meeting talking about projects and status updates. That's a huge waste.

For managers, it can be so tempting: they finally have a chance in an otherwise hectic week to talk to you about your work. If you're on a big team, this may be one of the few times they meet with you alone.

If they feel out of the loop, then they'll want to talk to you about projects to feel like they know what's going on.  It's also a super safe topic to fill the time, and avoid tough, sometimes uncomfortable, subjects that really matter.

5. Coaching

After going over the progress update, spend the rest of the time coaching. In order to do this correctly, it’s important for managers to understand their report’s motivations and long-term goals. That way managers can offer relevant advice and guide them in the right direction.

One important thing to keep in mind when coaching is making sure to ask open-ended questions so employees are mentally engaged. Don’t talk at them; that is not how anyone learns. Challenge them to think critically and solve the problem first before you offer a solution.

The key to good 1-on-1 meetings is doing them. Don’t worry if you don’t nail it straight away. There are many things you will learn along the way that are specific to your company and the individual humans involved. Regularly sharing your thoughts and feedback is your most powerful tool for making great 1-on-1s happen.

Employee engagement is critical to your organization’s success; give the weekly conversations and the tips above a try. Remember, you don't have to incorporate all five of these characteristics every time you meet. (Try focusing on one or two at a time.)

Lean Quote: Importance of Having Employees Who Love Their Job

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.

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."   —  Confucius

When you love your job, you will see it as a choice and something that you like to do rather than a burden on your time; there will be many aspects that you genuinely look forward and you’ll have a strong sense of satisfaction when you achieve your goals or widen your skillset.

When you love a job, your work is more consistent, and focus is easier. When you find enjoyment in your work you are in a state of flow, you become more creative, focused and often think of ideas and solutions a lot faster.

As a result of better work, you will likely receive more benefits from your company and feel a stronger sense of contribution within your team. Having a happy work-life and love for your job can encourage healthier behaviors outside of the workplace and prevent physical and mental illness in the future.

Steve Jobs said that the only way to produce great work was by loving your job as this will lead to success in the workplace.

Importance of having employees who love their job:

• Better employee retention
• More positive representation of a company
• Quality of work is improved
• More cohesion and collaboration within the workplace
• Confidence that your employees care about their impact and the company
• Higher employee attendance numbers
• More positive work environment
• A place for better communication between colleagues

Having a work environment with colleagues who have a passion for their job is extremely beneficial to a company and its growth. One way a company can ensure their employees are happy is by regularly collecting employee engagement and happiness surveys, feedback groups, or 1:1s and implementing any ideas or correcting any issues. Employees will feel valued and listened to and in turn, this will likely lead to an increase in employee retention.

Whether you’re running a business or working within one, enjoying your work-life plays a big part in having greater happiness in your life as a whole. After all, we do spend most of our week working!

Meet-up: 5 Questions from Within the Lean Community With Bruce Hamilton

In May 2024 A Lean Journey Blog turned 15 and as I look back on how I got started and who influenced my journey I wanted to revisit a previous series I started in 2012 called the Meet-up. One of the things I am so fond of in the Lean community is the general wiliness to share with each other.  I have learned so much from my very experienced colleagues since I have been an active contributor.  Every month I roundup the best Lean related posts and articles I found particularly valuable from these fellow bloggers and contributors. Each one has their own story and opinions to share.

The goal of Meet-up is provide you an opportunity to meet some influential voices in the Lean community.  I will ask these authors a series of questions to learn about them, their lessons, and get their perspective on trends in industry.

Today, we Meet-up with Bruce Hamilton who I met many years ago when I started my lean journey professionally. His company GBMP was a partner and has been at several companies I've gone to over the last 25 years. I've been fortunate to join and share at the annual Northeast Lean Conference that GBMP organizes which is great opportunity for the lean community to learn from each other. Bruce's experience has been invaluable to me over my career so I think you'll like to hear what he has to say.

Here are his answers so you can learn more: 

1. Who are you, what organization are you with, and what are your current lean-oriented activities?

• My name is Bruce Hamilton.  I’m the President of the GBMP Consulting Group (recently rebranded from GBMP to emphasize the consulting part side of our organization.)
• I created a Blog, “oldleandude.org” in 2009 and post to it once a month about topics that I think might be interesting for managers who are trying to get traction with Lean concepts and culture. 
• I also give a monthly webinar, “Teatime with the Toast Dude,” started in 2012,  with the same objective as the blog.
• Collaboration is very important to me and GBMP.  We work with many other non-profits such as TSSC, LEI, MEP, Shingo Institute, AME to develop our Lean community.  Recently, for example, GBMP collaborated with six other non-profit organizations to develop the “Future of People at Work Symposium,” a bit of breakthrough its alignment of organization that had previously operated unilaterally. 
• On a daily basis, I still work with clients, teach an occasional Shingo Institute workshop, and provide leadership to our organization. 

2. How, when, and why did you get introduced to lean and what fueled and fuels the passion?

Here is an abbreviated history.  In 1985, I was working as the IT manager at a small manufacturer.  When the MRP implementation failed, the materials manager was fire, and I was offered the job.  I had no experience with manufacturing, so began reading.  An early book, The Goal, caused me to question many of the practices I saw, both technical and social.  This book was followed by Zero Inventories, which contained a footnote leading to Shigeo Shingo’s Toyota Production System from an Industrial Engineering Point of View.  After that there were many other books and individual who provide more learning and inspiration.  Today, I do less reading, but continued to be inspired by other students of continuous improvement.  

3. In your opinion what is the most powerful aspect of lean?

It requires and fosters human development, and provides a professional challenge for every job – the basis of GBMP’s slogan, “everybody everyday”. 

4. In your opinion what is the most misunderstood or unrecognized aspect of lean?

Lean is seen by most organizations solely as a technical challenge.  The technique (e.g., 5S, SMED, pull, mistake-proofing, etc.) is necessary, but far from sufficient.  There are two other challenges: 1) Especially for managers and engineers, understanding of the conceptual basis behind the techniques is critical to implanting.  Without that understanding, ideas like pull and one-by-one make no sense.  2) Creating a favorable environment for improvement, what Toyota calls “TPS Managerial”, known more generally as culture.

5. In your opinion what is the biggest opportunity for lean in today's world? How can that be accomplished?

Lean’s biggest opportunity then and now is at single location, privately-held small and medium-sized organizations that are less vulnerable to short-term policy and financial decisions, and where management can physically witness the problems and the improvements. While any organization may get some benefit from Lean, larger ones suffer from too much physical distance and  policy/organizational inertia, and are unable to address the adaptive changes needed to get the full benefits of Lean.  Best thing to do is find the pockets of opportunity within the bigger organization is focus on pocket of opportunity and promote at the highest lever available.  

Through their answers to these questions hopefully you will get a sense of the thinking behind those who are shaping the Lean landscape.  I continue to keep learning and thankfully with the willingness of these practitioners to share I am positive you will, too.

10 Leadership Lessons From the 2024 Paris Olympics

Every four years, the Olympic Games bring a spectacular display of sporting prowess to the world. They also showcase the power of human endeavor and the importance of teamwork, along with a host of positive role models.

Like millions of others from around the globe I have been glued to the TV watching the Olympics over the past 2 weeks. We've seen best and brightest athletes push their bodies to new limits, and remind us that our best human qualities — determination, perseverance, innovation, sacrifice, and camaraderie – know no bounds.

As much as the Olympics represent the pinnacle of the sporting world, they are also the source of a number of inspiring stories that showcase both the human spirit and what we can accomplish when we strive to be our best.

To that end, I’d like to share some important lessons for leaders on how to guide their organization to succeed and thrive, regardless of the challenges that stand before them.

Lesson 1: Olympians know no goal is impossible with the right mindset. If you want to succeed, don’t lose sight of your goals. Stay unwaveringly motivated. Your focus determines your results. Focus on the right things.

Lesson 2: Olympians keep score. Olympic athletes know how they are doing all the time. They have ways to measure both actual results and measurable progress throughout the process. They can correlate their progress and success because they keep score in precise and strategic ways. If you want greater performance, you must follow their lead. 

Lesson 3: When Olympians suffer an inevitable setback, they don’t let themselves succumb to doubts. You can’t compete at the highest levels without inner-confidence. And when you do get a taste of success, don’t rest on your laurels. You have to pivot, hone in on the strengths that have carried you so far, and overcome adversity with perseverance.

Lesson 4: There’s no substitute for surrounding yourself with the best possible team. With the right players, there’s no limit to what you can accomplish. Don’t compromise on talent, and hold yourself to the lofty expectations people will place on you.

Lesson 5: Olympians break through excuses. Many businesses will face immense challenges on the road to success. They will also be presented with opportunities to overcome these challenges. Don’t squander your potential with self-imposed limitations. Don’t make excuses for why you cannot engage more fully. Capitalizing on your chances is a matter of being dedicated and sacrificing for the greater good of the business.

Lesson 6: Olympians never stop learning from mistakes. In business you need to measure everything so you can analyze how to be more effective, more productive, and more profitable in the future. What gets measured gets improved. You never settle for good. You always strive to be great. It’s an attitude of constant improvement.

Lesson 7: Olympians understand the value of continuous improvement. Top athletes know that no matter how great they may already be, there is always room for improvement. While they celebrate their success, they are also constantly working to get even better. It’s that drive for continuous improvement that got them there, and they know that drive is what will most likely keep them there.

Lesson 8: Olympians give 100% commitment to their goals. You have to give 100% commitment to what it is you want to achieve. Without a doubt those that are competing have committed themselves 100%. They don’t expect it to be easy and are ready and willing to do what it takes.

Lesson 9: The bar is always being raised ever higher. Olympians know that the excellence in their sport is always being pushed to higher levels. In order to be at the top of their sport, they have to be trying new things and pushing the envelope. If they don’t constantly improve, they will be passed up.

Lesson 10: It’s not just about winning. No doubt that every athlete that ever has or ever will compete in the Olympics has dreamed about winning the gold. Yet only a very small handful actually do. Those that don’t will still feel a huge sense of achievement in reaching the level of excellence required to even get into the games.

It’s not just about the winning, it’s also about the discipline, the belief in oneself, overcoming hardship, camaraderie, and the feeling of being surrounded by excellence.

To achieve success businesses and leaders within them need to take a long term view. The reality is there is no shortcut to success. These lessons above show how we should approach our leadership and guiding the people we lead towards achieving our shared goals.

Lean Quote: The Art of Communication is the Language of 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.

"The art of communication is the language of leadership."   —  James Humes

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.

Communication is the glue that binds an organization together but do not assume that several announcements and a note on the notice board is sufficient to get the story out. Some say to communicate seven times and seven ways but that does not mean seven months apart. Develop and implement a robust communication plan and check to see if the total target audience has received the unfiltered message. If you want to know if your message is getting out clearly why not ask the most obscure person on the night shift if he or she heard the message? The day shift is easy but how about the rest of the folks?

Open communication is at the center of Lean and Respect for People. Employees need to know what is expected of them and how they’re performing. Visual displays such as scoreboards, scheduling charts, team communication boards, and recognition displays all help to keep information flowing between employees, departments and upper management.

Communication is a key ingredient for empowerment. Give every employee equal and direct access to information. Many companies have developed a trickle-down style of communication that alienates those employees who may not be "in the loop." The more informed employees are and the more communication is open, honest, direct and complete, the more likely employees are to feel empowered and connected to the daily operations and overall goals of their company.

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.

Meet-up: 5 Questions from Within the Lean Community With Jamie Flinchbaugh

In May 2024 A Lean Journey Blog turned 15 and as I look back on how I got started and who influenced my journey I wanted to revisit a previous series I started in 2012 called the Meet-up. One of the things I am so fond of in the Lean community is the general wiliness to share with each other.  I have learned so much from my very experienced colleagues since I have been an active contributor.  Every month I roundup the best Lean related posts and articles I found particularly valuable from these fellow bloggers and contributors. Each one has their own story and opinions to share.

The goal of Meet-up is provide you an opportunity to meet some influential voices in the Lean community.  I will ask these authors a series of questions to learn about them, their lessons, and get their perspective on trends in industry.

Today, we Meet-up with Jamie Flinchbaugh who I met through online blogging community when I started 15 years ago. I read Jamie’s fist book “The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean: Lessons from the Road” which gave great insights into my journey. We’ve met a number of times over the years at various conferences and have kept is touch on various thought projects over the years as he is always trying to learn and engage others. I think you’ll find his insight valuable.

Here are his answers so you can learn more: 

1. Who are you, what organization are you with, and what are your current lean-oriented activities?

I am Jamie Flinchbaugh. I act as an advisor to executives across a wide-range of roles and industries through my company JFlinch. My engagements are called ACT with Purpose, where ACT is an integration of Advising, Coaching, and Thought-Partner. The majority of time lean is not the topic, but the how, where I help people think through the biggest decisions and problems leveraging lean thinking. A significant portion of my clients are change agents, often responsible for driving lean across the organization, in which case lean is very much the topic. For many years I’ve produced practical video courses specifically for the needs of my clients, ranging from problem solving to culture change to management systems, and I’ve recently made those available to any company via the Learning Lab product. And along that journey I also wrote a book and started a podcast, both called People Solve Problems.

2. How, when, and why did you get introduced to lean and what fueled and fuels the passion?

The seed that got me going was a project I did where I (a) saw tremendous waste that I was essentially solving for and (b) experienced how many unchecked assumptions still exist in work. I described that experience in this video, but it helped make me more curious very early on about how we can improve. As far as a true introduction to lean, that happened not much later at Harley-Davidson where I helped install and improve one of the first large-scale pull systems in the US. I learned a lot about how much behaviors matter when designing and executing a system, and that shaped my thinking for the rest of my lean journey. I described that experience in a chapter I contributed to the book Practicing Lean. 

My passion is all about people, but perhaps in two different but specific ways. First, giving leaders who truly want to build a powerful and resilient organization a direction and a means to get there. Second, in building those organizations, unleashing the power of every person, every day being to make improvements and solve problems. There is so much untapped knowledge, creativity, and just plain energy out there. 

3. In your opinion what is the most powerful aspect of lean?

First, I think it’s the very idea of not being a victim. You don’t just wait for the tide to turn, you solve the problem in front of you, no matter how hard or how new. Tsunami wipes out your supply chain? Go solve that problem. Economy tanks? Go solve that problem. 

Second, I think that it’s not just asking people to be more engaged but creating space to do that. By that I mean that 80% of lean methods and tools are meant to simplify decision making, reduce drama, reduce friction, etc. Why that has it’s own benefits, one of the primary reasons is that now we have more capacity of energy and mindshare to use the rest of lean thinking to go do hard stuff. 

4. In your opinion what is the most misunderstood or unrecognized aspect of lean?

Perhaps the most misunderstood aspect is that there is one and only one way to do it. You must instead walk the tightrope by maintaining the true intent and first principles of lean, with experimenting and adopting new approaches and thinking. Just adding new tools is wrong, if they aren’t consistent with the central ideas of lean. But maintaining those ideas but not letting anything touch them or never considering new approaches is also wrong. There’s a balance, and we’re meant to stay uncomfortable as we explore that tension. That’s where the learning and growth is found. 

5. In your opinion what is the biggest opportunity for lean in today's world? How can that be accomplished?

It’s the same opportunity that existed when I started over 30 years ago: how do we make it more accessible for people to get engaged and start their journey, without oversimplying it and throwing out the messy nuance and complexity where some of the magic is found. I remember a conversation with someone who believe, way back when, that the book The Machine That Changed the World was just Japanese propaganda designed to help American companies destroy themselves. Today, while there are fewer people that resist engagement, some of the barriers to engagement are just as baffling and massive. 

Through their answers to these questions hopefully you will get a sense of the thinking behind those who are shaping the Lean landscape.  I continue to keep learning and thankfully with the willingness of these practitioners to share I am positive you will, too.