Lean Quote: Show Employees You Care

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.

"Love cures people - both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it."   —  Dr. Karl Menninger

As Valentine’s Day approaches, all everyone wants is to spend time with their significant others. But as business leaders, it’s also the time to reflect on another important relationship in your everyday lives - the relationship between employers and employees. 

Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to start showing your love for your employees, and pave the way for a whole year of appreciation! 

The best idea is to show your employees you care every day of the year. Here are some best practices to do just that: 

Solicit their feedback…on just about anything related to your workforce culture and employee benefits. Employees want to be listened to and heard, and every good relationship (in and out of the workplace) depends on give and take, back and forth, collaboration, and communication.  

Nurture their work/Life balance…by offering flexible schedules, work-from-home days, and wellbeing benefits that help them address all areas of their health and wellness—and that of their families’, too. Go back to the previous pointer and survey your employees to find out what balancing benefits they’d appreciate the most. 

Build an amazing culture…so your employees know you care about their whole selves. Create an environment that’s enjoyable to work in, comfortable and employee-friendly, where they “feel the love” from the C-Suite down to the cubicles and remote offices. 

Celebrate their achievements… everybody likes to be acknowledged. Your employees want to feel like you cherish them as people and not just employees, and that you recognize their hard work and the value they bring and contribute to your business. 

Have a happy Valentine’s Day...and enjoy sharing the corporate caring, all the year through! 

Five Problem-Solving Mindsets You Should Embrace

Whether you are trying to improve productivity, resolve a quality issue, or resolve conflict; there is one critical factor which is often overlooked – a problem solving mindset. A problem solving mindset is essential in almost every are of life. Even with the best planning and preparation, things can go wrong. When this happens, your problem solving mindset will enable you to find the best path forward. You will be able to achieve your objectives quicker, help others find solutions to their problems, and reduce conflict and stress. When you have an effective problem solving mindset, you become a valuable resource for colleagues, friends, and family. 

The following are critical mindsets to embrace for more effective problem solving. 

1. Embrace the Challenge 

Do not take it as a problem, a pain or a burden, think of it as an opportunity to prove your value and it will definitely look much easier rather quickly. Problems don’t go away by ignoring them, if your competitors are doing better than you maybe isn’t luck, maybe we can improve our performance; just take it. 

2. Be Curious 

Do not look at things, see them instead; have an active observation of all the facts and ask yourself why things are the way they are even if they have always been that way. Don’t be afraid of asking, things many times have no clear reason to be on certain manner, they simply are that way because it was the best someone imagined at some point, but it can be certainly improved. 

3. Relentless Experimentation 

Complex problems don’t give up their solutions easily. Don’t rely on historical data, but experiment, learn and fail fast when dealing with a new situation. Be a restless experimenter. Through relentless experimentation and continuous discovery, you deepen your understanding of the issues, accumulate interdisciplinary knowledge or unique insight for figuring out optimal solutions.  

4. Be Critical 

Don’t spend time obsessing over what’s gone wrong, focus on the solution. Analyze problems through multiple lenses. Look beyond the common or typical solutions to seek a broader point of view. Come up with all the possible solutions, weigh their pros and cons, and make a more informed decision. When you see a problem with a fresh perspective, you see it as an opportunity to grow and come up with a new solution. Give them a chance to solve the problem.  

5. Show, Don’t Tell 

There’s a fine line between supporting and fixing. See your problems as opportunities to grow. When you attempt to solve someone else’s problem by giving advice or offering action, remember that you don’t want to rob the other person of the opportunity to use their own skills. 

There is a place for offering advice or your opinion, but I would suggest that you try giving it when asked, rather than by default. Practice listening, offering empathy, and perhaps asking questions that support the other to look within. Encourage them to seek their own answers. Remind them that their intuition knows best, and that it’s always there to provide answers much better than those anyone else could give. 

A problem solving mindset is crucial in every walk of life. When you have a problem solving mindset you understand the differences between actually solving the problem and merely changing the nature of the problem. When you have a problem solving mindset you have a range of skills and attributes which enable you to find the most appropriate solution to implement, in order to bring about the desired change.  

10 Things I Learned from Lean Thinking

My Lean thinking has gradually evolved since my journey began in 2000. I have a real passion for learning and sharing my journey with others. I like to reflect deeply on key learnings to improve my understanding. 

Here are some of the lessons I learned: 

1. Practice makes permanent. – Tomo Sugiyama 

Practice makes perfect. Well, not really. Practice makes you better at something, but perfection is not always attainable. It is better to focus, instead, on the permanence of practice. First, when we practice something regularly it makes a permanent habit. Permanence is about forming habits. Second, a regular practice habit permanently changes the neurological circuits in our brain. 

“Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Repeat the same mistakes over and over, and you don't get any closer to Carnegie Hall.”  Sarah Kay, No Matter the Wreckage 

2. 99% of objection is cautionary. – Shigeo Shingo 

When people express objections to an idea, they are often saying they don’t agree yet. They need more information. In other words, if we are to accept a new idea we need to be convinced.   It’s a personal thing.   Kaizen, as Shingo noted, is more about individual will to improve, and that derives from a “constructive dissatisfaction with the status quo.” 

3. Understanding does not necessarily mean taking action. – Shigeo Shingo 

People can understand a theory or concept when it is explained to them, but understanding does not in itself guarantee that people will act on it. People take action only after they are persuaded, and persuasion is achieved not by reason, but through emotions. 

4. Management must do Kaizen too. – Hajime Oba 

Kaizen involves everyone in continuous improvement to find a better way of doing things. Top management has the most important role in implementing kaizen and that is commitment. When management demonstrates a long-term commitment to continuous improvement employees personally develop a kaizen mindset. Managers and executives should be encouraged to find ways to improve their processes as well. 

5. Philosophy first, then strategy – Taiichi Ohno 

One of great mysteries of the Toyota Production System was discovering that Toyota made people first and then built cars that people wanted. Techniques, tools, and technologies help a lot to implement Lean, but they are not sufficient by themselves. If you want to be successful in the long term, within you organization, you need to have an army of people who believe and live the Lean philosophy. 

6. Always have the intention to do Kaizen – Chihiro Nakao 

Kaizen is a competitive strategy in which all employees work together to create a strong culture of constant improvement. The core philosophy behind Kaizen is simple: you can always make or do things better, even if they seem to work well in a particular moment. 

7. A bad system will beat a good person every time – W. Edwards Deming 

If we want to build great companies, we need to create an environment where the people will not be defeated by the system. Everyone has the ability to be great. We need to focus on the system so the people can thrive. It’s our job as leaders to provide the environment where greatness can happen. 

8. Kaizen eyes see 1000 things needing improvement – Chihiro Nakao 

Kaizen is learning to see. While casual observers simply sit back and watch what unfolds, kaizen observers come up with hypotheses that they can test. The next time you are in your work area, rather than simply watching, bring a bad and pencil, and sketch out what is happening. By sketching, you force your eye to see the details that you might have missed. You force yourself to actually see, and might be surprised when that is different from what you assumed was happening 

9. Who is the smartest person in the room? – Alan Watkins 

All of us. The collective intelligence of everyone easily surpasses that of any single person. We work in teams, whether that group is our family, our co-workers, or our community. If we want to accomplish anything significant, we can’t do it alone. Therefore, it is important to learn how to work well with others. 

10. All of life is education – Abraham Maslow 

A constant quest for learning provides the means to always be moving forward, to conquer new frontiers and achieve new and exciting goals. Make a point to learn something new every day. Learning new things brings more exciting experiences your way. It allows you to meet other people who can bring further knowledge or learning opportunities. 

The road to success is never easy; however, it is attainable if we follow the right approach and have the right mindset. Adopting the Lean methodology is a proven technique to help you achieve and sustain this great success! 

Lean Quote: Don’t Fix or Solve People’s Problems

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.

"Those who have the greatest need to tell others what to do have the least faith in themselves."   —  – Paul Ferrini

We are well conditioned to believe that it is our job to fix others and solve their problems for them. If we see someone struggling or uncertain, we are quick to race in and save them from their challenges. We have been trained to see this as an act of care, a gift to another. But is it really?

With this in mind, here are three other reasons to avoid fixing the problems of others:

1. People are inherently resourceful and resilient

We’re not born with the ability to solve problems and find solutions. We learn and develop this with practice. The only way to develop the ability to solve problems is to face them. Yes, it’s obviously much more comfortable for someone to do it for you. But this makes you be more insecure and dependent.

2. Serving promotes growth, fixing problems hinders it

Good intentions do not solve problems. Good intentions do not make someone a better, stronger, smarter person. Likewise, fixing problems doesn’t do any of these things either. On the other hand, discovering and implementing creative ways to be of service to someone (which is often dependent upon the need) does all of these things.

3. You limit their confidence and ingenuity

Solving other people’s problems is not a good idea because they will end up not trusting their own abilities. If you want to help, offer your support but allow them to make their own decisions and create their own destiny. Everyone must take their own path.

There is a place for offering advice or your opinion, but I would suggest that you try giving it when asked, rather than by default. Practice listening, offering empathy, and perhaps asking questions that support the other to look within. Encourage them to seek their own answers. Remind them that their intuition knows best, and that it’s always there to provide answers much better than those anyone else could give.

Creating a Culture of Community Leadership in Your Company

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Organizational culture has undergone a transformation in the past five years. Industry leaders like Microsoft have experimented with shorter work weeks and Google has allowed employees to take control over their remote working schedules. These big businesses have made serious investments into the people that make their workplaces exceptional, and are seeing the reward in reduced turnover and higher efficiency.

This human-interest approach to organizational culture has been a breath of fresh air for many, but it’s also exposed poor leadership in business and has exacerbated the unrealistic expectations that managers and decision-makers have about how their business should operate.

Nonetheless, big and small businesses know that investing in your people is the way to go, and there’s no better way to start that investment than creating a culture of community leadership within your company.

Defining “Culture”

The importance of having a strong organizational culture has grown in the past few years. Organizational culture is loosely defined as the “shared values and beliefs that inform how people within a company behave.” These values and beliefs shape the way that companies work, and are felt in every department from HR to finance.

While organizational culture doesn’t have a singular origin point, it is up to leaders to ensure that the culture of a business is instilled in all external and internal operations.

While this sounds simple, organizations should be particularly picky about the people they choose to lead their business and should seek out the true leaders in their companies — people who ensure that other employees feel safe and valued.

The Value of Leadership

Effective leadership makes a world of difference to a company. It ensures that organizational culture stays on track, and helps improve your bottom line by reducing turnover rates, improving customer service, and creating an engaged workforce that works hard to deliver innovation and higher profits.

However, those in leadership positions aren’t always best suited to leading a team at your workplace. They simply may not have the interpersonal skills to inspire those around them, or might not truly understand the demands and pressures their followers face. This is where community leadership comes in.

Community Leadership

Community leadership is a democratic approach to leadership, in which the decision-makers crowdsource ideas and use contributions from their external and internal community to guide business decisions. This is particularly useful if you don’t have experts on a particular challenge within your organization, but still want to respond to a current trend or social issue.

If you utilize external leaders, you must ensure that you treat them with the same respect and professionalism that you would treat any other guest speaker or industry leader. Community leaders have been working diligently for decades and can help your organization understand its role in combating social problems like racism and climate change.

If you’re more interested in internal community leadership, you can utilize new leadership strategies that have been developed during the pandemic. These strategies intentionally offer new opportunities for traditionally underrepresented groups and use digital technology to work efficiently in an age where more of us are working asynchronously than ever before.

Engagement Opportunities

If you’re relying on community leadership for the first time, you might run into one major barrier: lack of engagement. Because employees haven’t been engaged in decision-making before, they may not fully appreciate the opportunity that community leadership presents them, or may see community leadership programs as a waste of time.

To overcome a lack of engagement, consider utilizing the following community leadership strategies:

●       Employee Development Initiatives: Setting aside time for employee development will signal that your company genuinely values its employees. This will help improve your company culture and will ensure that folks are more likely to engage with leadership initiatives.

●       Use Feedback: Managers around the world claim to have an “open door” policy for feedback, but few implement the feedback they receive. To increase engagement in community leadership models you must actively use and publicly credit any employee feedback which has improved your business.

●       Allow for Anonymity: Sometimes workplace politics can be complex and can stop folks from bringing forward useful ideas. While we all hope that everyone feels comfortable at work, you should also give people the chance to share their ideas anonymously.

●       Set Aside Time: Your employees are probably working harder than you appreciate. So, adding something extra to their plate is unlikely to fill them with joy. Instead, tell them that you are setting aside time to work on community leadership, and adjust any deliverables accordingly.

It’s also worth noting that your employees will be far more likely to engage in opportunities that make a meaningful difference in their local community. This kind of external community engagement is deeply rewarding as employees will see the difference that your organization makes in the real world, and can feel proud to represent a company that supports local businesses, sponsors local events, or helps to beautify the local area.

Planning for Disruption

Opening up your organization to democratic thinking through community leadership will almost certainly lead to disagreements and arguments between employees. However, this disagreement and argument is a good thing — so long as you have a strong framework that guides the discussion and helps you overcome stalemates.

As a decision-maker within your business, you should plan for discontent and disagreement by establishing clear rules for discussions and should have a system in place that supports employees who may be having a hard time adjusting to community leadership. This will look different depending on your business, but it will save you serious headaches in the future.

Creating a culture of community leadership is a difficult but deeply rewarding process. When done correctly, employees will see that their opinions and ideas matter, and will feel great loyalty to your organization. Ultimately, this helps boost your bottom line, and will help improve productivity and spark innovation. 

About the Author: Luke Smith is a writer and researcher turned blogger. Since finishing college he is trying his hand at being a freelance writer. He enjoys writing on a variety of topics but technology and business topics are his favorite. When he isn't writing you can find him traveling, hiking, or gaming.

Lean Roundup #152 – January 2022

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of January 2022.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.

Lean Lessonsfrom COVID – Bruce Hamilton shares is thoughts on the lessons learned from the past couple of years dealing with COVID.

Lean and the Martial Arts – Pascal Dennis explains the single most important quality in Lean (and the martial arts) is tenacity, which great senseis, and great organizations have in spades.

Encourage Management Collaboration to Integrate Leading and Serving Others – Johanna Rothman says when you focus on management collaboration, you integrate leadership and serving and you can reduce management decision time.

“Do” or “Responsible”? – Joe Ely change your view of your job by answering not what you do but what you are responsible for.

Crafting Your Continuous Improvement Strategy – John Knotts shares a general framework he recommends you follow to build a culture of continuous improvement.

Building A Culture Of Continuous Improvement Part Two – Steve Kane says without the proper organizational structure, you will constantly be fighting an uphill battle to build this type of culture.

Continuously Lubricating Processes – Kevin Meyer explains there are processes that need to be maintained daily to be most effective.

Howto Let Small Things Bother You – Jon Miller says you can raise awareness of near-misses from hiyari hatto, seeing or feeling something unsafe almost happened.

Telling People to Be Courageous vs. Making it Safe to Speak Up – Mark Graban shares that instead of focusing on those who are speaking up (such as labeling them as “uncourageous”), leaders need to think about their role in shaping a culture of psychological safety.

Ask Art: Why Are the Four Lean Fundamentals So Important for Making a Conversion to Lean? - Art Byrne reviews the core lean elements reveals how — and why — lean management leads to higher enterprise performance.

Lean Quote: True Mastery Comes Full Commitment

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.

"Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person."   —  Albert Einstein

Without commitment, success is just but a far away dream. It is the force originating from within you that seeks to bring out the potential in you and drive you to your destiny. It is the desire of many to achieve success but a determined person is never satisfied until he gets what he is after. Commitment is what motivates one to strive and work hard towards success; therefore without it one tends to walk blindly and without purpose.

Commitment is demonstrated by a combination of two actions. The first action is called supporting. The second action underlying commitment is called improving. It is the combination of both supporting and improving behaviors that makes up the practice of commitment. Company leaders demonstrate their commitment to change and improvement by making these behaviors visible to everyone. Leading by example is the ultimate demonstration of your commitment.

When you make a commitment to do something, you are saying that they can trust you and rely on you. Commitments are involved in trust, and trust is the foundation of continuous improvement. Commitments are things that you say you will do and people trust you to do. When you fulfill those commitments, people trust you and will trust you in the future. Managers that do not follow through on commitments are not deemed as trustworthy, and trust is vital for transforming a business culture.

The best way to build commitment is by involving people. This way they will have a sense of ownership. By involving your frontline teams in selecting the project that they believe will make a difference, you’ll build ownership, engagement, and have their commitment.

Lean doesn’t work unless everyone is involved and has input. We must involve employees in the continuous improvement process because the people actually carrying out the job know how to do that job better. The best companies in the world tap the creativity and talent of the whole organization and not just a select few.

The lack of ongoing employee involvement at the shop-floor level has been identified as a major reason for the non-sustainability of Lean in the organization. When there is a lack of staff involvement, and management fails to seek employee input on critical decisions, employees may feel dejected and detached from the organization.

Employee involvement cultivates an atmosphere of collaboration, increases retention of talented staff, and intensifies dedication and commitment. Employees develop a sense of ownership over proposed changes when they are involved.  Employee engagement can not only make a real difference, it can set the great organizations apart from the merely good ones.