Lean
Tip #2926 – Celebrate Failures

A
colleague of mine used to say, “problems are treasures.” That is the mentality
you need to celebrate failures and red dots. They are treasures because they
provide the opportunity to improve the standards and processes you have in
place. When you seek perfection, no defect is acceptable.

When
a problem occurs front line staff should not only be encouraged to bring it up,
but they must be given an outlet to do so. Leaders must remember to not place
blame but should foster a safe environment that encourages PDSA thinking.

Lean
Tip #2927 – Share More, Not Less.

Even
in a small company, silos emerge. A policy of more sharing will help everyone
stay in touch with what others are doing, and create a collective expectation.
Keeping everyone pointed in the same direction is hard; sharing more about
what’s going on, how you’re doing things, reasoning behind decisions, etc. will
help.

Lean
Tip #2928 – Don’t Be Afraid to Ask “Why”

So
many people are afraid of the question “why.” Does that sound like you? Stop
being afraid, there is nothing wrong with asking why. By asking why you will be
able to discover what the base of the task is that you want to accomplish will
help you understand it better.

By
understanding why something needs to be done, your chances of completing the
task from start to finish will increase. Also, you should also consider the
fact that by asking “why” and learning the reason behind it, you will be adding
to your knowledge.

Lean
Tip #2929 – Make Improvement Easy

If
you want to build a strong continuous improvement culture, then it’s vital to
make it easy for your employees. Turning actions into habits means they need to
happen seamlessly and that requires the removal of any potential barriers. Lack
of time and resources are two of the most frequent challenges so managers need
to address them early on. Create a process that’s quick to follow by keeping it
as simple as possible. Support employees with the tools they need to make
suggestions, track the progress of ideas, and even execute improvement projects
themselves. Using a software platform is an easy way to do this since it
integrates the entire improvement process into one tool (along with management
systems to track results). 

Lean
Tip #2930 – Focus on Execution

Focusing
on execution is one of the quickest ways to develop a culture of continuous
improvement. Many companies get bogged down by processes and have long reviews
which lead to bottlenecks and delays. This causes frustration for everyone
involved and means that people lose faith in the concept. Organizations with a
strong improvement culture do something different – they focus on execution.
They take a lean management approach by simplifying processes and speeding up
the workflow. Businesses like this are able to implement the vast majority of
ideas which builds confidence in the philosophy until it eventually develops
into a company-wide culture. Even bad ideas will usually highlight a good
improvement opportunity so act on suggestions quickly to build momentum.

Lean Tip #2931 – Look Outward, Not Inward.

People
are more likely to feel grateful when they put their focus on others, rather
than getting caught up in their own inner narratives about how things should
have gone. Empathy for others can trigger a sense of gratitude, and people who
have an outward focus tend to experience stronger benefits.

Lean
Tip #2932 – Savor The Good Moments.

If
you notice you’re feeling happy, stop what you’re doing and pay attention for a
few minutes. Notice exactly how you feel, including the sensations in your body
and the thoughts you’re having. Later, when you’re trying to inspire gratitude,
you can remember this moment and experience the benefits all over again. 

Lean
Tip #2933 – Celebrate The Small Wins.

It
sounds simple, but celebrating small wins at work is a great way to practice
gratitude. Celebrating small wins increases productivity by activating the
reward portion of the brain. This leads to feelings of pride, happiness and
accomplishment. It also makes us want to press on and achieve our next goal.

Celebrating
small wins and activating the reward portion of your brain can be as easy as
crossing something off your to do list. If you have a big project or assignment
to work on, try breaking it down into smaller portions. As you complete each
portion, celebrate the small win of getting one step closer to completing the
bigger project.

Lean
Tip #2934 – Notice More.

Taking
some time to reflect on how you see the world and your place in it will give
you the opportunity to see what you may not have noticed before. Unfortunately,
we often don’t appreciate our blessings or opportunities until we no longer
have them. Just taking time to notice what you have should improve your
gratitude in the moment.

Lean
Tip #2935 – Make Gratitude A Choice, Not A Reaction

Try
not to wait for good things to happen to demonstrate your gratitude. Think of
gratitude as your underlying foundation; operate from a place of being
thankful, even without an outside prompt or motive.

When
life doesn’t go quite the way we envisioned it, we can fall into a pattern of
self-pity and lament. We begin to view our circumstances as a curse or a trap,
rather than remembering the many things around us that we can be grateful for.
Shift your focus to the hidden opportunity in every situation you perceive to
be negative.

Lean
Tip #2936 – Encourage Creativity

Intellectual
stimulation is one of the leadership qualities that define transformational
leadership. Followers need to be encouraged to express their creativity.
Effective leaders should offer new challenges with ample support to achieve
these goals.

One
way to foster creativity is to offer challenges to group members, making sure
that the goals are within the grasp of their abilities. The purpose of this
type of exercise is to get people to stretch their limits but not become
discouraged by barriers to success.

Lean
Tip #2937 – Encourage People to Make Contributions

Let
the members of your team know that you welcome their ideas. Leaders who
encourage involvement from group members are often referred to as democratic or
participative leaders. While they retain the final say over all decisions, they
encourage team members to take an active role in coming up with ideas and
plans.

Lean
Tip #2938 – Keep Trying New Things

Who
says leadership is a one-way relationship? As you work toward developing some
of these leadership qualities, don’t forget to look to your followers for
feedback and inspiration. Pay attention to the things that have been effective
in the past and always be on the lookout for new ways to inspire, motivate, and
reward group members.

Lean
Tip #2939 – Have a Positive Attitude

Transformational
leaders have an upbeat, optimistic attitude that serves as a source of
inspiration for followers. If leaders seem discouraged or apathetic, members of
the group are likely to also become uninspired.

Even
when things look bleak and your followers start to feel disheartened, try to
stay positive. This does not mean viewing things through rose-colored glasses.
It simply means maintaining a sense of optimism and hope in the face of
challenges.

Lean
Tip #2940 – Serve as a Role Model

Transformational
leaders exemplify the behaviors and characteristics that they encourage in
their followers. They walk the walk and talk the talk. As a result, group
members admire these leaders and work to emulate these behaviors.

Research
suggests that leaders are able to foster a specific belief and then transmit
that inspiration to their followers.

 As a result,
followers are optimistic and have high standards for performance and
achievement.