Lean Quote: Don't Point Fingers, Focus on Problem Solving

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.

"Concern yourself more with accepting responsibility than with assigning blame. Let the possibilities inspire you more than the obstacles discourage you."   —  Ralph Marston

Problems are the natural offspring of change, so you'll see plenty of them in the years to come. Build a name for yourself as a problem solver, and you'll be a valuable person to have around.

Organizations need people who can take care of problems, not merely point them out. Too many employees get this confused. They seem to think complaining is a constructive act. Their keen on identifying all of the problems - often in an accusing, blaming fashion - but contribute little towards improving things. Their attitude is "Upper Management is supposed to make it all work. We'll sit back, watch them struggle and second guess their solutions."

As employees, in fact, as an entire society, we've gotten unbelievably good at the blame game. We're experts at dodging personal responsibility and using our energy to criticize and complain instead. This carries a terrific cost. So long as we search beyond ourselves for solutions, we disempower ourselves. You might say that even as we commit the crime and blame someone else. We also become the victim.

Even when we find someone else to blame for our circumstances, we win a hollow victory. It may feel good for the moment to get ourselves off the hook, but it perpetuates the problem.

Finger-pointing does not position us to do our part - that only we can do - toward workable solutions.

We've come to expect too much from our institutions, and too |e of ourselves as individuals. In the long haul, it simply doesn't work. The organization's values grow out of individual employees values. The organization's results are merely the accumulation of singular people's results.

So instead of being a finger-pointer, and rather than trying to single out somebody to blame, assume ownership of problems. Let the solutions start with you. You'll increase your odds of career success.

Lean Roundup #166 – March, 2023

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of March 2023.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.  

Author Interview with Jim Benson - Katie Anderson talks with Jim Benson regarding his latest book, The Collaboration Equation: Strong Professionals Strong Teams Strong Delivery.

 

Too Often, Power Means the Power to Do Stupid Things - Pascal Dennis talks about different types of leaders and companies need to recruit capable servant leaders.

 

Push The Cart - Bruce Hamilton discusses the irony he feels regarding the application of robots on the shop floor.

 

TWI: Is it Time to Rethink Job Relations? - Mark Rosenthal sparks conversation about whether it is time to adjust what we teach people to say when they are teaching TWI Job Relations.

 

Most Leadership Development Training is Fluff - Bob Emiliani explains why we can do better than behaviors-based leadership development training programs.

 

Quality in a Manufacturing System - Michael Baudin shares literature on quality’s interaction with other components of a manufacturing system.

 

Deming Institute Podcast Interview with Dr. Bill Bellows - Christopher Chapman shares a recent interview between Dr. Bill Bellows and Andrew Stotz of the Deming Institute Podcast about Bill’s learning journey from the teachings of the legendary Dr. Genichi Taguchi to Dr. W.E. Deming.

 

The Six Types of Working Genius: What Makes for a Great Team & Marriage! - Ron Pereira explores each of the six types of working genius and how they relate to what we continuous improvement practitioners are trying to achieve.

 

The Pearls and Turds of Continuous Improvement - Kevin Meyer explains how successful continuous improvement-oriented organizations recognize the value of failure.

 

Finding Process Improvement Opportunities - John Knotts shares four things that help people find process improvement opportunities.

 

Are You Ready for Change? - Steve Kane shares 4 reasons why change management is essential in continuous improvement.

 

Ask Art: Why Do I Need a Kaizen Promotion Office (KPO)? - Art Bryne explains why you need a kaizen promotion office if you are serious about lean management.

 

On the Benefits of Putting Your Processes Close Together - Christoph Roser explores the many benefits of putting processes closer together.

 

Beyond Discipline: You Can’t Punish Your Way to Perfection - Mark Graban explains why punishment doesn’t work and why we need a better way.

 

Five lean mistakes to avoid - Angelica Gutierrez lists five common mistakes hindering a lean transformation from her experience.

 

 

      

Lean Tips Edition #201 (#3226 - #3240)

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 #3226 – Don’t Make Perfection the Goal

One of the hardest parts of using the continuous improvement model is the desire to strive toward perfection. This is an impossible feat, and the philosophy behind kaizen is to make small changes to be better than you were the day before. Focusing on perfection can lead your team to make changes that aren’t actually necessary.

Lean Tip #3227 – Include Everyone In Continuous Improvement

Everyone means everyone. One key element of Kaizen, which was famously foundational to the ‘Toyota Way’, is to involve every employee, from the CEO all the way down. Everyone needs to be part of this communal and combined effort in order for it to succeed and for it to become commonplace in the workplace.

If your goal is to improve together as a team, making sure that you are working as a team is important. When embarking on a journey to improve your team you should focus on some team-building exercises or even conduct some kind of social activity to help your team get to know each other.

Lean Tip #3228 – Encourage Encouragement

People need to be encouraged and inspired to improve, it won’t come with fear or intimidation. If you trust your hiring process then your workplace will likely feature people who have the drive and ambition to produce strong and high-quality work. Providing them with the support and backing they need to reach their own personal goals will be crucial in ensuring continuous improvement. 

Lean Tip #3229 – Invest in Training People

Business process improvement is a skill like any other. It doesn’t have to be expensive to train your teams to have the right skills, knowledge, and mindset and the return on investment will far exceed the training cost. Having a Lean Six Sigma training provider deliver the training at your workplace can also save valuable time.

Lean Tip #3230 – Spread and Scale Up Improvement

Once the idea has transformed into an innovative improvement, explore further opportunities to apply, spread or scale up. There's no need to reinvent the wheel. If you already have it, see where else it might make a difference. The training investment is precious, since staff will apply the improvement mindset and their knowledge to other areas.

Lean Tip #3231 – Give Employees the Time to Work on Improvements

Too often, Managers or Support Staff are trained in improvements, but then they return to their full-time job and don’t have the mandate to make the required changes. They’re expected to create time to work on special projects whilst still managing all their usual work.

I always advise companies to schedule specific hours, goals and plan projects in detail to create a culture of continuous improvement.

Lean Tip #3232 – Give Employees the Autonomy to Make Changes 

So, your team has enjoyed some Lean methodology training and you’ve made the time available for them to work on improvement projects – but have you given them the opportunity to make changes?

Do they have the autonomy to make decisions? Or is there an unfortunate approval bottleneck which is creating an obstacle?

If your employees are not senior enough to check and approve their own process improvement implementation, a rapid approval/decision-making process should be put in place, so they can move their improvements forward at pace.

I’ve seen many good projects fail through a war of attrition while getting through the internal approvals process.

Lean Tip #3233 – Give Them a Budget for Improvements

If you want improvement work to happen, it will usually require budget. When it comes to making meaningful changes within an organization, it will usually cost money upfront before you see return on investment (ROI) from the process improvement.

Ensure that you clear a dedicated budget for continuous improvement and treat it as a long-term line item in your balance sheet. Many organizations want to prove an ROI before work has even started, but preliminary assessments (which can cost money) are necessary to determine what the ROI will be.

A good Lean Six Sigma project will set out what your business expectations are for the process, project or company-wide improvements, but usually, there is no real way of proving this will occur, as it’s only a well-formed hypothesis until you actually start operating a process differently.

Lean Tip #3234 – Make it Safe For Employees to Fail

Iterative work and experimental work always come with a large volume of experimentation, learning and optimization which means some degree of failure. Because failure is an inherent aspect of any change management project, where processes will be reviewed and altered, it’s important to accept failure as part of the improvement process.

Without open and well-communicated acceptance of failure, a fear of failure can stunt the appetite for change. Growth requires risk – look at any investment portfolio. The same goes for continuous improvement within businesses – growth always requires risk.

The leaders of an organization must work hard to instill an attitude where failure is accepted and learned from.

Lean Tip #3235 – Ask the 5 Whys to Improve Your Corporate Culture

Ready to get to the root cause of whatever ails your process, with your whole team on board? Start by asking why. In fact, plan to ask it a solid four more times as part of the 5 Whys, a Lean Six Sigma strategy that will move you past the symptoms to the heart of the problem. When you include coworkers and other stakeholders in offering alternative answers to the stream of whys, the collaborative effort can go a long way in fostering a corporate culture that embraces change and values input from all.

Lean Tip #3236 – Follow-Through on People’s Ideas

As employees see leadership acting on their ideas, it can create a buzz of excitement about the change process. It also builds trust in leadership and shows a commitment to the new Kaizen culture. Make sure that the processes you have in place for acting upon ideas are clearly understood.

Moreover, make sure you follow-up after ideas are implemented. It’s easy to be caught up in the excitement of a Kaizen event, only to let the improvements achieved peter out over time. Keep a presence in the gemba so that employees can see you’re committed to supporting their ideas a part of the company culture.

Lean Tip #3237 – Communicate Consistently and Predictably

If you truly want to drive a continuous improvement culture, then you need to keep that goal front and center in messaging to employees. Consistently communicate about improvement goals, whether that’s through emails, during meetings or through training opportunities. But don’t let the communication stop there. Publicly share the results of Kaizen projects as well. Celebrate the successes and discuss lessons learned from failures. Let employees see what they’re working toward to encourage them to keep driving improvement forward.

Lean Tip #3238 – Respect That People React Differently to Change

Kaizen is all about respect. When you respect people as individuals with different learning styles and reactions to change, you will get farther in your goals. Remember the Toyota formula: “Go see, ask why, show respect.” If you’re not getting anywhere on your own, reach out to your workforce. Make their resistance to change the first problem to solve on your continuous improvement journey. 

Lean Tip #3239 – Make Changes That Bring Maximum Impact

There are hundreds of improvements you can make to the process. But everything cannot be done in one shot. Be smart at choosing which improvements to execute. The Pareto principle comes in handy.

The pareto principle states that 80% of the consequences come from 20% of the causes. It also means that if you act on 20% of the causes you bring 80% improvement. Instead of doing pointless busy work, concentrate on making improvements that bring more impact.

You need not break your head calculating the percentage of impact. Remember and apply the principle theoretically when you have multiple improvements to make.

Lean Tip #3240 – Encourage Proactive Communication

A lot of errors can be prevented by proactive communication. If an employee foresees an error or inefficiency in the process, coworkers should realize the impact and act on it quickly. Nurture a work culture that encourages team members to identify and solve problems. Announce incentives to employees for increasing the efficiency of the process.

Proactive communication does not mean restlessly seeking problems and solving them. It is acting on a problem immediately after you identify one.

Lean Quote: The Power of Checklist

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.

"The checklist is one of the most high powered productivity tool ever discovered."   —  Brian Tracy

You might not think that checklists have a role in the workplace. Often used for simple tasks like creating a grocery list or packing for a vacation, checklists aren’t often thought of as a tool for increasing productivity and efficiency at work. But the power of checklists has been proven time and time again across a variety of professions and industries.

The main purpose of the checklist is to help people stay disciplined in their business processes, follow standard operating procedures, and avoid simple mistakes.

Checklists are best suited to work that's repeated often and in a predictable order.

Repetitive processes within the workday that has many steps that are easy to forget. Knowing who is responsible for each task and a standard operating procedures are being followed.

Checklists help establish habits whether in business or life. Every time you tick off a task it's like giving yourself a gold star the more boxes you check off the more dopamine is produced.

The checklist should be precise, efficient, and easy to use. These key points can make sure checklists can be used as an effective tool for cultivating business standards, sharing knowledge, saving time and reducing errors.

Checklists can help you can achieve.

• Reducing Errors - Ensure the basics aren’t missed.
• Knowledge - Share knowledge, free up your mental resources, create and share best practices.
• Business Standards -Encourage routine, and clear standard process management of tasks.
• Time Saving - Save critical amounts of time by planning workflow and prevent duplicated tasks.
• Define Roles - Who’s job it is and when the checklist be used.
• Prioritizing - Identify what needs to be done first

Checklists can make people better at their jobs, save time and makes people understand their role in the business process or procedure ensuring the best possible outcomes.

Checklists are not set in stone and not always perfect from day one they need constant revision based on how it performing.

7 Must-Try Employee Engagement Tips for a Positive Workplace

Positive work environments bring out the best in employees. They not only help them work safely and effectively, but they also promote mental wellness. But toxic workplaces are certainly like cancer. They deplete work energy, cause division, and hinder organizational progress. Unfortunately, many modern workplaces are like that. They are filled with nepotism, and unsupportive work measures and besides that, they hamper employee development. 

A positive work environment can make a huge difference in an organization. It not only reduces employee attrition, and absenteeism, but also improves employee engagement, connectivity, and productivity. Healthy workplaces can impact business and employees and also stretch to customer relationships. Precisely, positive workplaces are characterized by a high level of employee engagement. But what is employee engagement and what are some of the must-try employee engagement tips for a positive workplace?

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement refers to the eagerness and emotional dedication that employees feel toward their jobs and the organization at large. It generally takes into account physical, emotional, and mental involvement in work. It also refers to the enthusiasm employees display when given new tasks or their willingness to go the extra mile.

Employees who are emotionally committed to an organization display higher positivity that influences other employees to perform better. However, it should be noted that employee engagement goes beyond accomplishing tasks. Many employees can deliver projects on time when they aren’t engaged. In fact, one study by Gallup found that only 20% of employees are engaged at work. 

Engaged employees don’t need to be forced to work even on a public holiday when required. They are also willing to work without demanding extra pay. So this is enough to offer you a second thought about the way you define employee engagement.

If you’re an HR professional or a team leader you must be concerned about employee engagement. That’s because employee engagement impacts everything streaming from productivity, creativity, and turnover to resource utilization. So, let’s look at some of the best employee engagement tips you can consider to improve your workplace atmosphere;

1. Check your Onboarding Process

The way new hires feel on the first day of their joining matters a lot. Of course, first impressions offer a lasting impact. Your new hires need to feel welcome, and at home. Effective onboarding practices directly impact employee engagement from the go. When new hires feel left out that directly impacts them psychologically.

However, when HR professionals ensure to include new hires in the company activities like lunches, this boosts their morale. Other tips to consider for smooth onboarding practices include offering new hires a mentor, sending out an announcement, and asking new hires for feedback at the end of the day. This can help them feel more comfortable and valued.

2. Recognize & Reward Them

Want to improve employee engagement but don’t know where to start? Consider recognizing and rewarding your employees. Employees aren’t machines that are only expected to offer an output. They have feelings and emotions and the way they feel about a job impacts their productivity.

One study by Nectar discovered that over 81% of employees stress that recognition for their contributions improves their engagement. When employees are appreciated, this motivates them to perform even better. They will look for ways to improve their skills in order to meet the set standards.

Some of the ways to recognize and reward employees include offering them gift cards, training them, and conducting physical workout sessions. When employees receive something valuable from an organization besides their salaries, this increases their engagement.

3. Host Virtual Meetings

The modern corporate world is dimensionally changing ever since the 2020 pandemic. More and more organizations are opting for hybrid work cultures as a way of fostering flexibility. However, hybrid work cultures also come with their own challenges such as disengagement.

Consider holding virtual meetings as a way of improving employee engagement for in-house and remote teams. Virtual meetings can enhance participation and collaboration. With that, managers and HR professionals can consider online meetings as a way of improving employee engagement.

4. Involve Employees in Decision-Making

At the end of the day, organizational policies and rules are made for employees. So, how about involving them in decision-making processes? Healthy workplaces are governed by transparency and respect. That also includes all-inclusive rules that safeguard all employees' beliefs, well-being, and productivity. With that, it’s essential to involve employees in a company’s decision-making process.

Considering their opinions can help managers create work guidelines that cater to positive workplace culture. It also shows that employees’ opinions are valued and that they matter. Largely, this improves employee morale and dedication.

5. Foster Belongingness & Inclusion

When employees feel like they belong, they are mentally positioned to offer their best. However, a toxic work environment only paves the way for more ethical issues. Belongingness is a feeling that one is wanted and loved despite social differences. Workplace belongingness is key to inclusion.

In this growing age of diversity, fostering belongingness can help employees feel that they matter. This helps employees concentrate on their work to offer the best. With that, check for diversity in your workplace and find means of ensuring positivity. The presence of bias can negatively impact workplace social relationships. It also prevents employee adherence to workplace guidelines and policies. 

6. Push for Collaboration

Apart from improving output quality and quantity, collaboration enhances workplace relationships. If anyone wants to be a better leader, he or she must possess good communication and collaboration skills. Collaboration in a workplace builds connections that can improve work skills. Also, it helps employees share ideas, work tips and solve problems better. This all improves employee engagement in the long run.

7. Offer Feedback Positively   

Constructive feedback helps employees grow. Not all employees are discouraged by negative feedback and in fact, 75% of employees value feedback. Many employees desire to grow and providing feedback whether negative or positive can help them work better. However, it’s crucial for a manager to assess feedback delivery mediums.

Negative feedback that is meant to intimidate and disrespect can discourage employees even if they are at fault. On the other hand, negative feedback which is delivered politely helps employees change and seek self-improvement tips. There are many ways of delivering feedback without hurting an employee’s emotions or professionalism.

This can include speaking politely and offering constructive tips to better themselves. Other considerations include offering them a mentor and recommending training programs. These can improve employee engagement in the workplace.

Conclusion

Employee engagement is very important when it comes to ensuring higher productivity, employee retention, and proper resource utilization. Many managers today understand the importance of employee engagement and the fact that it can impact recruitment costs. Also, employee engagement is no longer fostered by providing good salary perks. Modern employees consider their own well-being a priority and that includes physical, emotional, and psychological health. Therefore, consider these must-try employee engagement tips to create and promote a positive workplace. 

About the Author: Jessica Robinson loves to write interesting and knowledgeable blogs regarding business management, education and life to satiate the curiosity of her lovely readers. Currently, she is serving as a content manager at the ‘Speaking Polymath’. Every piece of content that she writes demonstrates her immense love and passion for her profession.

3 Ways Leaders Can Prevent Stress and Burnout

Image Source: Unsplash

Burnout is an unfortunate reality for many business leaders and their teams. We’re living in a time of high stress in the workplace, with nearly 3 in 5 employees saying they have experienced negative impacts of workplace stress in the last month.

If you’re a leader at your company, burnout can wreak havoc on your team. You might be used to powering through projects to meet deadlines and reach your goals, but you could be doing more harm than good to yourself and those who work for you. As a leader, pushing yourself too hard can make you more indecisive and less confident. You might also start to resent your position and your job, rather than feel passionate about it.

If you’re struggling and starting to burn out, your team is likely to notice and struggle. So, what can you do to prevent stress and burnout in the workplace? How can you maintain creativity, and positivity, and foster a work environment that promotes mental health? Let’s cover a few helpful solutions.

1. Understand the Symptoms

One of the best ways to stop leadership burnout in its tracks is to understand what it looks like. You might be so used to pushing through your stress and ignoring your exhaustion that you’ve lost sight of what your body is telling you. Some of the most common signs of burnout include:

●       Exhaustion;

●       Feeling distanced from your job;

●       Negative emotions associated with your job;

●       Fatigue;

●       Headaches;

●       Lack of motivation.

As a leader, it’s normal to feel like there’s a heavy weight on your shoulders. You’re responsible for your team, and your focus is on supporting everyone else while helping them reach their goals.

But, that doesn’t mean ignoring your own well-being.

If you’ve started to notice some of the signs above, consider making structural, operational, and even philosophical changes to the way you run things. That might include taking a step back from your responsibilities, taking more frequent breaks, or lightening your workload. Not only will you benefit from those changes, but your team is more likely to feel less stressed, too.

2. Have a Plan With a Purpose

It’s easy to get overly stressed when you feel like you don’t have a plan in place. Maybe your team is working on a project-by-project basis and every assignment that comes in requires something different. That can be difficult to manage and keep track of when you’re working on multiple things at a time. It can be even harder when you’re trying to avoid remote work burnout.

It’s hard enough to keep everyone on the same page. When you add in remote work, you add the possibility of different time zones, mediated communication channels, and the illusion of less control. If your team isn’t physically in front of you, it may be hard to feel like you have an eye on their productivity — much less their mental health. However, it’s entirely possible to effectively lead a remote team. Keep tabs on how they’re feeling and:

●       Foster a welcoming remote work environment where they can come to you with their struggles;

●       Pay attention to when they clock in and clock out, and establish clear working hours and boundaries to help keep them from overworking when stressed;

●       Provide remote employees with the tools they need to create a productive home office;

●       Encourage cameras on for video calls, and take note of preferences and shifts in demeanor;

●       Streamline their remote work plan so that they work smarter, not harder.

One of the best ways to stay on track, establish healthy routines, and create a streamlined process for your team, in-office or out, is to have an overall strategy in place. A dedicated blueprint for everyone to follow will make your work more organized and effective. You’ll have an easier time reaching your goals, and your work will be more influential. Your strategy should:

●       Establish your goals;

●       Define team member roles;

●       Decide the best communication channels to use;

●       Delineate task completion steps;

●       Establish a priority system for tasks and communication;

●       Identify and acquire tools to complete repetitive, mundane tasks;

●       Audit and analyze your current efforts.

While the details of your strategy can change with each project, when everyone follows the basic outline of an overarching plan, things will be far more cohesive and less stressful. You’ll also be more confident in your work as you act with a specific purpose and do work that has an impact.

3. Practice Self-care

Leadership and self-care don’t always go hand-in-hand, but they should.

Self-care isn’t selfish, and it doesn’t mean you’re not taking responsibility for your leadership role. Good leaders encourage their employees to prioritize their mental and physical health. You might check in with them frequently, encourage them to take breaks or extra time off, and offer flexible hours so they can have a healthy work-life balance.

If you’re not doing the same things for yourself, you’ll risk burning out quickly.

While self-care looks different for everyone, there are plenty of easy ways to incorporate it into your daily routine, including:

●       Cooking healthy meals;

●       Journaling;

●       Exercising;

●       Organizing your home;

●       Practicing mindfulness;

●       Prioritizing sleep.

You can also practice self-care in the workplace by delegating more of your responsibilities and tasks. Leadership is about recognizing the best people for certain jobs and putting your trust in them to get the work done. You don’t have to handle everything on your own. As the old saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup. By delegating certain things, you’ll have more time to focus on the most important tasks on your “to-do” list, and you’ll boost your team’s confidence by showing that you trust and believe in them.

Leaders should be productive and inspiring. The last thing you want is to lose your spark and your passion for your career because of burnout. Keep these tips in mind to keep stress at bay, boost your well-being, and remain a positive influential presence on your team.

About the Author: Luke Smith is a writer and researcher turned blogger. Since finishing college he is trying his hand at being a freelance writer. He enjoys writing on a variety of topics but technology and business topics are his favorite. When he isn't writing you can find him traveling, hiking, or gaming.

Lean Quote: Luck Is When Preparation Meets Opportunity

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.

"I say luck is when an opportunity comes along and you're prepared for it."   —  Denzel Washington

It’s often said that some people get lucky in life or just by sheer good luck they land at the right place at the right time. However, just being lucky won’t help you succeed in life. Luck is nothing but being prepared when opportunities knock at your door.

The difference between lucky and unlucky people, we've seen before, is all in our perspective. Lucky people generate their own good fortune via four basic principles.

1. They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities – Having long term goals will help you to identify good opportunities when they arise! There are multiple steps to achieving goals, the right opportunity can help propel you down that path!

2. They make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition – If it seems to good to be true, it usually is. Most “get rich quick” schemes are just that…schemes. With great reward, comes great effort.

3. They create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations – Be realistic about opportunities. Don’t expect one opportunity to change your life. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.

4. They adopt a resilient attitude that transforms “bad” luck into good – Having a positive outlook and perspective can be the one thing that changes your life the most! Try to find the silver lining in all situations, even when they don’t go your way. Always remember, if it’s meant to be, it will!

So next time you hear — luck is when preparation meets opportunity — just remind yourself, it is not all that simple. And smile.