As 2020 comes
to an end and we look toward 2021 I wanted to revisit some tips. The Lean Tips
published daily are meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and
some knowledgeable tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey. Here are
the top 10 Lean tips from this past year:
Lean Tip #2528
– Challenge the Way You Work
Encourage
employees to keep looking anew at the way they approach their work. Ask people
what works well and what doesn't. Allocate time for thinking about different
approaches. Appeal for original ways to solve particular problems. Keep your
door open to anyone with new ideas. Encourage people to work together and share
ideas. Individuals within the team can feed off each other – exploring, testing
and refining new approaches.
Lean Tip #2541
– Don't Forget How Processes Interact -- Think Global While Acting Local
While many
processes stand alone, the chances are good that every process is a part of a
bigger whole. As your team begins to consider the process at hand, don't lose
sight of how that process integrates with everything else. Plan for it. Make
sure that you're not making something else worse in an effort to solve a
different problem. This may mean attacking multiple processes at once in some
cases. As you plan for improvements, step back and from a high level, try to
determine what will happen once proposed changes are made.
Lean Tip #2543
– Make Sure the Right People are Involved
Make sure you
include everyone who has a stake in the process. If you don't, your efforts
will fail. Those excluded will know they've been excluded and will resist any
proposed changes. Further, your efforts won't be as complete as they otherwise
could be.
Just because
someone is involved doesn't mean that that person will cooperate. I've been
involved in process improvement efforts with people who were less than
cooperative, and it really affects the possible outcomes. In every
organization, I believe that people have a responsibility for improving the
workplace, which should be included in annual performance reviews. If someone
is truly combative just to resist the change, it should be reflected there.
That said, if people have valid points and you simply don't agree, don't punish
them! The goal here is inclusiveness, not divisiveness.
Lean Tip #2617
- Communicate to "We" vs. "They"
All too often a
message about change is delivered in a way that leaves people with a lot of
reasons why they must change or how they need to change. Remember that when
someone isn't the one choosing the change in the first place, resistance is a
natural and predictable response.
As in any new
endeavor, communication is key, so you must be mindful of your messaging.
Anything you say that will be heard as "Why you should or must
change" will only fuel the resistance.
Instead, when
leading change, focus on making the case for why change will make a difference
for us, and what it makes possible for everyone's future if we change together.
If you really want to send the message that you're serious, try sharing about
how or what you can already see YOU will need to change.
Lean Tip #2629
– Make Visual Board About Conversation Not “Wallpaper”
If you think
just putting information on a Visual Management Board on the wall will get
people to engage, then you will be disappointed. I see many big immaculate
visual displays sprawling across entrance halls and walkways with literally
dozens of metrics displayed. Here is the bad news: no one looks at them. In
many cases, the job of printing the graphs and posting them is delegated to an
administrative staff member and not even the business leaders notice or read
the graphs. We call this type of visual management board “wallpaper” because
that is the only function they serve. The boards need to be the focus of
structured daily conversations about how the team is going, what are the barriers
to improvement and how these barriers can be overcome. Therefore visual
management boards go hand in hand with daily meetings.
Lean Tip #2644
- Invest in Training Your Team
Ever wondered
what the best way to invest in the growth of your company is? It all starts
with investing in your team.
Your team is
more than just the fuel of your company. They are also the wheels, gears, and
steering wheel. Without a properly functioning team, your company is not going
anywhere.
Team building
is an easy way to invest in your team. It shows that you are willing to put
time and money into making them happier. Offering training to your employees is
one way to invest in your team that demonstrates your commitment to them and
also has a direct correlation to the way your company runs.
Consider
holding group team building activities that focus on teaching your employees a
new skill that is useful for the work they do. Another option is to provide
training opportunities as rewards to employees that go the extra mile.
However, you
choose to go about incorporating training into your company, know that this is
an important investment. It may not have an immediate ROI, but it will come
back to you in bigger and better ways.
Lean Tip #2659
– Know When Less is More
In a perfect world,
people are able to power down after work hours and stop checking their emails.
But the truth is, many of us are so connected to our jobs and our devices that
not checking seems unnatural. The line between a healthy work-life balance is
blurred even further when working from home when we don’t have that physical
separation between the office and our living room. After work hours, however,
keep the number of emails you send to employees to a minimum. While your
communication is likely important, it can also most probably wait until the
following day.
According to data collected during the
transition to remote work,
32% of employees don’t feel they have a proper balance between work life and
personal life. As a manager, it’s your role to lead by example and help them
draw clear boundaries.
Lean Tip #2671
–Outline a Clear Team Vision for Your Frontline Employees.
Your frontline
employees are your direct connection to your customers and potential customers
– they’re the ones who are in direct contact with those customers, and need to
be able to understand your organization’s ambitions and goals in order to
provide superb customer service experiences for everyone they interact with.
However, many times, frontline employees feel as though they’re disconnected
from corporate – they don’t always feel as though corporate understands them,
or that they’re really linked in with what’s happening at corporate
headquarters.
Investing in
training and helping your frontline employees to really understand what your
corporate vision is, what your brand means, and how they can assist with
achieving company goals is a great way to motivate your frontline employees.
Lean Tip #2674
– 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.
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.
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.
Lean Tip #2694
– Connect Recognition to Company Values
Another way to
ingrain recognition into company culture is to relate it directly to your
organization’s core values. This can take praise to a deeper level; rather than
simply recognizing an employee’s great work on a project, you can explain how
that work epitomizes the organization’s mission and is a key step toward its
big-picture goals. Employees will see that their work is integral to the
success of the company, which should help to inspire their work on a daily
basis.
These 10 Lean
tips can help you with your journey in 2021. What advice would you share for
the New Year?
