Lean Quote: The Realities of People Working Together Every Day

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March 20, 2020
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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 does not change because we desire to change it. Culture changes when the organization is transformed; the culture reflects the realities of people working together every day.” — Frances Hesselbein

An insightful
quote comes from Frances Hesselbein, president and CEO of the Frances
Hesselbein Leadership Institute and former CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA.

The last part
is the most important: “…the realities of people working together every day.”

Effective
leaders recognize and see the realities as they are, and work on changing
problem realities (such as poor communication or lack of enthusiasm) while
preserving positive realities (such as good planning or strong creativity).

Of course,
there is no magic bullet to transforming the current realities. However,
clarifying Mission, Vision, and Values is an important start.

Clarifying Mission (or
Purpose) provides direction. It helps everyone be clear on what
business they are in.”
Clarifying Vision shows
where the organization is going. It helps everyone be clear on what
the future looks like if things are running as planned.
Clarifying Values provides
the rumble strips to keep the organization on track.
They help everyone be clear on what matters most and their
priority.

Once these
items have been established, leaders can then focus on various ways to
positively impact the problem realities – and thereby transform an
organization’s culture.

7 Ways To
Change Culture

The following
are a few of the ways I’ve discovered effective leaders impact the realities of
how people work together.

Start from here. No matter how bad it may look
(right now), there is always hope. While it might not be the desired
reality (yet), where there are willing people there is hope. Effective
leaders continually foster this hope and build on it to move the
organization forward
Focus on opportunities. Issues and problems will
always exist. But if the leaders always see opportunities in every
challenge, so will team members.
Ask for help. When leaders ask for help, it
shows both openness to new ideas and a willingness to listen. This in turn
will encourage team members to ask for help too. Healthy cultures are team
based, not hero-based.
Share stories. Facts may tell. But stories
sell. People are more open to change when they can visualize why they
should change and can see the outcome.
Over communicate. In his book Turn the Ship Around!
, author L. David Marquet
encouraged his crew to practice more “informal communication”, something
he refers to as “thinking out loud.” When team members are
encouraged to share what they’re thinking or planning, even if it’s not
fully fleshed out yet, it eventually leads to greater trust and
collaboration.
Push personal limits. Just as a good teacher challenges
their students to stretch, a healthy culture encourages everyone to
stretch their best. While it can be uncomfortable at times, it leads to
better outcomes, and better people.
Promote shared learning. People like to share what they
know and have experienced. This can occur formally in team meetings where
one (or more) share something they have learned. Or this can be done
informally, where individuals are encouraged share what they know with
others on a one-on-one basis. Important: reward desired behavior!

With a clearly
defined Mission, Vision, and Values, and when leaders proactively address
problem realities, it is absolutely possible to positively change an
organization’s culture.