Lean
Tip #1891 – Provide Ongoing Coaching and Training
Some
people in your organization will proactively seek mentors and training, while
others will need it to come directly from their manager. Offer an optional
weekly coaching session to discuss strategies and tactics that can help each
member of the department improve in their role, and make them fun!
Lean
Tip #1892 – Show Employees How their Job Advances the Company’s Vision
Your
company has undoubtedly recorded its vision and goals for the year. Why not show
employees exactly how their jobs advance the vision? This will boost each
employee’s investment in the success of the company instead of just feeling
like a cog in the wheel.
Lean
Tip #1893 – Have Problem-Solving Meetings
Everyone
takes a different approach to problem-solving. Schedule meetings where you
reveal a big problem facing the company with complete transparency. Let
employees take a crack at explaining how they would solve it. Employees will
feel more engaged in company outcomes and they might just solve a few problems
while they’re at it.
Lean
Tip #1894 – Get Employees Involved in Long-Term Projects
Organize
employees from different departments into teams to tackle long-term projects
that involve responsibilities outside of their typical scope of work. Not only
will they get to know people they don’t work with on a day-to-day basis,
they’ll pick up skills from one another as they work on important projects.
Lean
Tip #1895 – Praise Your Coworkers
It
shouldn’t only be left to managers to praise good work. When you hear about
someone’s achievement, go over and personally congratulate them. It’ll mean a
lot to that person and they’ll likely do the same for you when your big wins
come through.
Lean
Tip #1896 – Understand The Fundamental Issue
The
first major step of any root-cause analysis is to identify exactly what problem
or issue your agency is facing. If you don’t pinpoint the fundamental problem,
you aren’t able to complete a root-cause analysis. You must understand the
issue, and you must have a consensus on exactly how it manifests before you’re
able to move forward in your analysis.
Lean
Tip #1897 – Ask Questions, Keep Digging Till Root Cause.
The
five whys technique is helpful in digging for answers. Start with the problem
and work backwards to sequence all of the contributing events. Ask why the issue
happened. Take that answer and ask why again, drilling down until you reach a
cause that can’t be broken down any further. Explore all potential causes
initially, and narrow down the list to the most likely culprits. You’ll end up
with a cause-and-effect diagram that will lead you to the source of the
problem. When you believe you’ve reached the root cause and not another
contributing factor, check your work by asking:
a)
Would the event have occurred if this cause was not present?
b)
Will the problem happen again if this cause is corrected or eliminated?
If
the answer is no to both questions, there is a good chance you have uncovered
the underlying cause. If not, keep digging. Note that there may be multiple
root causes, each of which must be addressed to prevent similar issues in the
future.
Lean
Tip #1898 – Breakdown the Problem into Smaller Pieces.
Completing
a task or solving a problem can seem overwhelming and impossible if you take it
all in at once. To decrease anxiety and think more clearly try to break the
problem down. Try to identify the different things and people it consists of.
Then figure out one practical solution you can take for each of those pieces.
Try those solutions. They may not solve the whole problem immediately. But they
might solve a few pieces of it. And then you can keep trying other solutions
for the rest of the pieces until there are none left.
Lean
Tip #1899 – Enlist Open-minded People When Problem Solving.
When
tackling a big problem many people just grab anyone available with two hands
and a brain. Unfortunately, closed-minded team members can not only delay the
solution, they may instigate a bigger problem than the one you are trying to
solve. Great problem solvers know the best results come from groups of
open-minded people. Your problem-solving team must be willing to get outside of
the box and uncomfortable. Ultimately this approach will surface creative new
solutions and processes.
Lean
Tip #1900 – Find the Lesson or Opportunity Within the Problem.
There
is almost always a good side of a problem. Perhaps it alerts us to a great way
to improve our business. Or teaches us how our lives perhaps aren’t as bad as
we thought. Finding this more positive part of the problem reduces its negative
emotional impact and you may even start to see the situation as a great
opportunity for you. When you are faced with a problem ask yourself: How can I
use this? What is the good thing about this? What can I learn from this? What
hidden opportunity can I find within this problem?
Lean
Tip #1901 - Be Clear about Tasks So Everyone’s Knows Their Responsibility
No
one can effectively complete an assignment if they are unsure what tasks they
are responsible for. Make sure that the entire team knows the scope of the
project and that each team member is clear about exactly what is expected of
them. Getting the team together regularly to check progress, ask questions, and
address any issues is another good way to keep everyone on track and assure
that all team members are aware of their responsibilities in the project.
Lean
Tip #1902 - Be Open and Honest With Your Team Members
Possibly
the single most effective way to improve interpersonal communication in the
workplace is to instill a sense of trust among your team members. Transparency
is key here; if team members feel like secrets are being kept from them, any
trust you have built goes right out the window. Of course, sensitive
information should be handled as such, but team members have a right to know
when they are not privy to such information. Be open and honest with your team
members, and reassure them that they can do the same with you. Mutual trust is
important in any relationship, including a professional one.
Lean
Tip #1903 - Take Ownership For Mistakes
The
best managers are the managers that can relate to their employees. That
includes owning up to the decisions (and errors) that you make and admitting
when you could have done something differently. Everyone makes mistakes, so by
confessing your flaws, you are showing your employees that you are just as
human as they are.
Lean
Tip #1904 - Have An Open-Door Policy. It Builds Trust.
An
open-door policy in place sets the precedent that anyone can ask questions,
voice concerns, and pitch ideas at any time. This is an important part of
building trust within your team. Making management inaccessible sends the
message to lower-level employees that they are not as valuable. Keeping the
doors of communication open is crucial.
While
you’re opening figurative doors, open literal ones as well. Removing physical
obstacles between employees creates a sense of mutual trust and encourages the
open exchange of ideas. Problems can be presented and resolved as they arise
instead of waiting for the weekly company meeting.
Lean
Tip #1905 - Build a Desire for Cohesion
It’s
often easier for managers to make quick decisions based on their experiences.
But being collaborative means setting the quick trigger aside from time to time
and involving all team members in some of the bigger, impactful decisions
during your huddles and team meetings. This keeps everyone on the same page and
allows them to refocus their time and energy where needed.
