A Lean Journey 
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 #2566 – Connect Every Day Tasks And Efforts
To Long Term Goals
To Long Term Goals
Every aspect of your daily business should
connect back to your long term mission statement and over all goals. This
allows managers and employees to see how their every day work helps the success
of the company – and improves their long term career prospects.
connect back to your long term mission statement and over all goals. This
allows managers and employees to see how their every day work helps the success
of the company – and improves their long term career prospects.
Lean Tip #2567 – Encourage All Employees To Commit
To Your Strategies
To Your Strategies
The more that your employees engage and
interact with your goals, the more likely it is that they will stay committed
to them in the long run. During meetings and performance reviews, remember to
encourage commitment and remind everyone of goals and their own roles in
achieving them.
interact with your goals, the more likely it is that they will stay committed
to them in the long run. During meetings and performance reviews, remember to
encourage commitment and remind everyone of goals and their own roles in
achieving them.
Lean Tip #2568 – Transparency is Key for
Alignment
Alignment
Maintaining a sense of transparency throughout
your entire organization will allow your employees to see the productivity of
their managers and vice versa. Overall transparency can translate to a
healthier and more productive work environment for everyone, improving overall
engagement.
your entire organization will allow your employees to see the productivity of
their managers and vice versa. Overall transparency can translate to a
healthier and more productive work environment for everyone, improving overall
engagement.
Lean Tip #2569 – Promote Individual and Team
Efforts for Alignment
Efforts for Alignment
Raising self-awareness and allowing teams and
individuals to have more autonomy can help drive organizational strategic
alignment and have employees centered on the company’s goals. In order to
promote team and individual efforts, a company must offer transparency and
provide sufficient information for employees to complete tasks, as well as
include other company stakeholders. By promoting efforts to individuals and
teams, a company helps build trust, which can increase loyalty to its organizational
strategic alignment goals.
individuals to have more autonomy can help drive organizational strategic
alignment and have employees centered on the company’s goals. In order to
promote team and individual efforts, a company must offer transparency and
provide sufficient information for employees to complete tasks, as well as
include other company stakeholders. By promoting efforts to individuals and
teams, a company helps build trust, which can increase loyalty to its organizational
strategic alignment goals.
Lean Tip #2570 – Decentralized Decision Making.
Unexpected events may require shifts to the
execution plan, but these pivots may need to be sparked by managers lower in
the organization’s hierarchy — those with the frontline knowledge to ensure the
pivots will work. If improperly handled, pivots may be under-resourced,
untimely and doomed to fail.
execution plan, but these pivots may need to be sparked by managers lower in
the organization’s hierarchy — those with the frontline knowledge to ensure the
pivots will work. If improperly handled, pivots may be under-resourced,
untimely and doomed to fail.
Lean Tip #2571 – Leaders Should Take a Key Role
in Communicating Company Strategy
in Communicating Company Strategy
Have you ever played the children’s game “Telephone”?
By the time the message gets to the end of a long line of people, its content
has likely been drastically altered beyond recognition. Miscommunication costs
businesses more than $37 billion USD each year – you don’t want to add to that
total. Be direct, make sure everyone understands your plans, and ensure that
you communicate your vision and goals to all staff members.
By the time the message gets to the end of a long line of people, its content
has likely been drastically altered beyond recognition. Miscommunication costs
businesses more than $37 billion USD each year – you don’t want to add to that
total. Be direct, make sure everyone understands your plans, and ensure that
you communicate your vision and goals to all staff members.
Lean Tip #2572 – Connect Every Day Tasks and
Efforts to Long Term Goals
Efforts to Long Term Goals
Every aspect of your daily business should
connect back to your long term mission statement and over all goals. This
allows managers and employees to see how their every day work helps the success
of the company – and improves their long term career prospects.
connect back to your long term mission statement and over all goals. This
allows managers and employees to see how their every day work helps the success
of the company – and improves their long term career prospects.
Lean Tip #2573 – Encourage All Employees to
Commit to Your Strategies
Commit to Your Strategies
The more that your employees engage and
interact with your goals, the more likely it is that they will stay committed
to them in the long run. During meetings and performance reviews, remember to
encourage commitment and remind everyone of goals and their own roles in
achieving them.
interact with your goals, the more likely it is that they will stay committed
to them in the long run. During meetings and performance reviews, remember to
encourage commitment and remind everyone of goals and their own roles in
achieving them.
Lean Tip #2574 – Encourage Transparency From
The Top
The Top
Maintaining a sense of transparency throughout
your entire organization will allow your employees to see the productivity of
their managers and vice versa. Overall transparency can translate to a
healthier and more productive work environment for everyone, improving overall
engagement.
your entire organization will allow your employees to see the productivity of
their managers and vice versa. Overall transparency can translate to a
healthier and more productive work environment for everyone, improving overall
engagement.
Lean Tip #2575 – Recognize and Reward Your
Employees’ Strengths
Employees’ Strengths
A recent Gallup study shows that encouraging
strengths (rather than focusing on negatives) has a very positive effect on
productivity. In fact, positive employee feedback was shown to increase
productivity by at least 12.5%! Focus on their strengths, compliment them
rather than criticize, and find ways to align them with your company’s goals.
strengths (rather than focusing on negatives) has a very positive effect on
productivity. In fact, positive employee feedback was shown to increase
productivity by at least 12.5%! Focus on their strengths, compliment them
rather than criticize, and find ways to align them with your company’s goals.
Lean Tip #2576 – Coach Employees By Asking
Guiding Questions
Guiding Questions
Open-ended, guiding questions lead to more
detailed and thoughtful answers, which lead to more productive coaching
conversations. As a manager or leader, it is critical that you develop strong
relationships with your employees. This will help you determine if your
employees are curious, have the capacity to perform and improve, and what kind
of attitude they have towards their work.
detailed and thoughtful answers, which lead to more productive coaching
conversations. As a manager or leader, it is critical that you develop strong
relationships with your employees. This will help you determine if your
employees are curious, have the capacity to perform and improve, and what kind
of attitude they have towards their work.
This is where communication skills and
emotional intelligence really come into play. Managers must guide conversations
both by asking questions and listening, not by giving directives. Employees
learn and grow the most when they uncover the answers themselves.
emotional intelligence really come into play. Managers must guide conversations
both by asking questions and listening, not by giving directives. Employees
learn and grow the most when they uncover the answers themselves.
Lean Tip #2577 – Listen and Empower
Coaching requires both encouragement and
empowerment. As a manager and a leader, your job is to build one-on-one
relationships with employees that result in improved performance.
empowerment. As a manager and a leader, your job is to build one-on-one
relationships with employees that result in improved performance.
Your employees are likely to have a lot of
input, questions, and feedback. It’s important for them to know you care enough
to listen to what they have to say, so encourage them to share their opinions.
input, questions, and feedback. It’s important for them to know you care enough
to listen to what they have to say, so encourage them to share their opinions.
Some employees will have no problem speaking
their mind, while others will need a LOT of encouragement before they share an
opinion with you openly. Once they do open up, be sure to respect those
opinions by discussing them, rather than dismissing them.
their mind, while others will need a LOT of encouragement before they share an
opinion with you openly. Once they do open up, be sure to respect those
opinions by discussing them, rather than dismissing them.
Lean Tip #2578 – Understand Their Perspective
When you’re coaching employees to improve
performance and engagement, approaching things from their perspective, rather
than your own, will help enormously with seeing the changes and results you
want.
performance and engagement, approaching things from their perspective, rather
than your own, will help enormously with seeing the changes and results you
want.
Everyone has different motivations,
preferences, and personalities, so if you ask questions to help you understand where
their “why” comes from and what their preferred “how” looks like, then you can
tailor your coaching conversations to align the way they work best with the
improvements you’re both aiming for.
preferences, and personalities, so if you ask questions to help you understand where
their “why” comes from and what their preferred “how” looks like, then you can
tailor your coaching conversations to align the way they work best with the
improvements you’re both aiming for.
Lean Tip #2579 – Coach in the Moment
If an employee comes to you with a question
about a process or protocol, use this opportunity to teach them something new.
If you’re not able to stop what you’re doing right away, schedule time with
them as soon as possible to go over it.
about a process or protocol, use this opportunity to teach them something new.
If you’re not able to stop what you’re doing right away, schedule time with
them as soon as possible to go over it.
Better yet, keep a weekly one-on-one meeting
scheduled with each employee so you can go over questions and issues regularly,
while maintaining productivity. Coaching employees with a goal of improving
performance means making them a priority each week!
scheduled with each employee so you can go over questions and issues regularly,
while maintaining productivity. Coaching employees with a goal of improving
performance means making them a priority each week!
Lean Tip #2580 – Commit to Continuous Learning
Yourself
Yourself
Make a commitment to improve your own skills
and competencies. If you’re not continuously learning, why should your
employees? Lead by example and your team will follow.
and competencies. If you’re not continuously learning, why should your
employees? Lead by example and your team will follow.
Show that you are interested in their success
(why wouldn’t you be?). Ask questions about where they see their career going,
or how they see their role evolving in the company. Even if they don’t have a
plan laid out yet, these questions will make them think about their career and
what they want to accomplish within the organization.
(why wouldn’t you be?). Ask questions about where they see their career going,
or how they see their role evolving in the company. Even if they don’t have a
plan laid out yet, these questions will make them think about their career and
what they want to accomplish within the organization.
Show your employees that you don’t just want
them to do better so you look better, but that you’re actively interested in
their career, accomplishments, and professional success.
them to do better so you look better, but that you’re actively interested in
their career, accomplishments, and professional success.
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