5 Ways to Cultivate a Problem Solving Culture

Organizations cannot improve unless they consistently seek out and solve their problems. For most, that means undertaking a profound cultural change— which must begin from the top. So how can leaders unlock their organization’s problem-solving capacity? From my experience with many companies, there are 5 ways to cultivate a problem solving culture.

Teach problem solving skills in ALL areas! Problem solving skills do not necessarily develop naturally; they need to be explicitly taught in a way that can be transferred across multiple settings and contexts. This skill can be applied in everything we do. Let your employees see this and understand that problem solving is a life long skill. It is something that they will continue to use at work in their professional lives and at home their personal lives.

Model… Model… Model! Problem solving is not an easy task. It is challenging, can be time consuming, requires employees to be flexible and to persevere. {It is not for the faint of heart… LOL} In your daily classroom routines show your students that you can be patient when solving problems. Share your thinking aloud with them so that they are able to make connections between your actions and each of the 5 steps previously mentioned.

Help employees verbalize and record their problems. Make sure that their ideas are clear and concise and that they have listed some sort of goal that they have in mind. In order for employees to be able to solve problems, they first must be able to identify what the problem is. And although this sounds easy, it is actually a difficult task. You can begin by asking employees “What?” and “Why?” questions. Have them work through their own problem and come up with possible solutions. Encouraging employees to take an active role in the decision making process can be quite empowering.

Take your time! This is not something that will happen overnight! Employees are going to need ample time to think, collaborate, come up with and test solutions, correct mistakes, and reflect. Begin with whole company discussions where you model the steps of problem solving. Then you can move on to small groups, peers, and eventually independent problem solving.  Don’t give up! Start small…

Don’t do it for them. Ask questions and make suggestions, but be careful NOT TO TAKE CONTROL! Whenever an employee comes up to you with a problem don’t give them the answer. (Trust me this is going to be hard at first! Instead try “What do you think?”, “Do you have any suggestions?”, “Tell me about this…”) Try encouraging them to ask other before you. Have employees ask their peers when they have a question. This will promote collaboration and problem solving. 

Our role as leaders is to support our employees and to encourage questioning and deep thinking. We must demonstrate to them that it is okay to make mistakes and that we believe that mistakes are a natural part of the learning process.  Mistakes are useful and should not be discouraged! We should also aim to create a culture in our company in which everyone’s ideas are valued and respected. We are to foster collaboration and open discussions in which employees feel comfortable enough to share their ideas and opinions freely.

Now it’s time for you to put all of this into practice…

Lean Quote: People Aren't Your Problem...It's Your Work Systems and Processes

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.

"People aren’t your problem. Your problem is that your work systems and processes don’t allow people to shine." — Karen Martin

When results don’t meet the targets set forth by management, organizations typically concentrate on placing blame by asking what people should do better or wanting to know who didn’t do what needed to be done to achieve better results. Focusing on what people can do better and how they can enhance performance or efficiency often results in short-term improvement, but with diminishing returns. Eventually, people run out of ideas, and repeated discussion about failed targets can demoralize even the most loyal employee.

Quality experts like Drs. Joseph M. Juran and W. Edwards Deming stress that the vast majority (85 to 94 percent) of the time, the answer is that it’s management's fault. They find the processes or systems in place are not up to the task of handling all the variations that exist in today's business climate, and as a result, managers have not enabled the organization to continuously improve its processes.

If an organization really wants a continuous improvement effort focused on improving its business, it must celebrate the mistakes and errors that result from inadequate processes or systems so they can be analyzed and corrected. Enlightened organizations don't look for someone to blame; they identify the problems that inevitably arise and encourage their people to expose these issues, rather than cover them up.

Organizations need to have a culture that encourages people to elevate process issues when they arise, rather than trying to hide them to protect themselves from blame. Managers must treat variances from expected results as valuable pearls of opportunity that allow the organization to improve, instead of costly errors that "somebody" made. Managers have to ask themselves, "Do I want a culture of blame and cover-up, or one of problem identification and resolution?" Leading organizations take the latter path and constantly work to identify problems. At the same time, they encourage their organizations to use continuous-improvement tools and techniques to make their processes more robust and prevent future recurrences.

Instead of asking employees what they can do better, managers should ask how the organization can make the process better so the outcome is more predictable. The focus should be on the process, not on the people. If a process works well and makes sense in the context of people’s work, employees will function well within it.

Kids on Leadership

There are a gazillion videos about leadership on YouTube but this one that is a little dated is pretty profound.

Wisdom from the mouths of children.

Video was created by Forum Corp, 1990

It’s true children do say the darnedest things. Things like:

"Have an open mind and absorb new ideas."

"Know what he or she is doing"

"If he or she says they'll do something. They'll do it!"

"Encourage with imagination"

"They should take the time to listen to the people they are leading"

"A leader should give other people a chance and not just say, do it this way or that way"

"You don't want to say - you aren't doing a good job - you want to say something kind"

"If someone is working hard you should compliment them"

"Be respectful, patient, and truthful"

Engage Like a Leader – 3 Perspectives for Better Success

Being a leader is much more than simply being the boss. As a leader, a big part of your job is keeping your employees motivated and engaged. A properly engaged employee can work to their full potential and greatly benefit their organization.

In business there are three dimensions: the impersonal task, or “It,” the interpersonal relationship; or “We,” and the self-awareness; or “I.” The impersonal dimension includes items such as effectiveness, efficiency, and efficacy. The interpersonal dimension, includes items such as cooperation, trust, and mutual respect. And the personal dimension, includes items such as health, happiness, and need for meaning. 

Instead of looking at business as a three-dimensional space, most managers focus only on the “It.” It is as though they have polarized lenses that filter out the We and the I. When you look at your business from the “It” perspective, you consider the goals of a business organization including making money today and in the future, increasing shareholder value, and gaining market share. In this dimension the concern is for economic efficiency, attaining the maximum output with the minimum consumption of resources. Stripped of the human dimensions of “We” and “I”, business appears to be an unconscious activity in which success and failure depend exclusively on the management of mindless things. However, business success essentially depends on the effort of conscious beings.

Impersonal success is essential. Without it, the survival of an organization is at risk. If it does not fulfill its reason for being, it will be unable to draw energy and resources, and it will collapse.  
            
When we look at an organization from the interpersonal We perspective, we examine its ability to create a community that works with solidarity, trust, and mutual respect. In the interpersonal realm, the goal is to build a network of collaborative relationships. A community in which people feel included, respected, and enabled to contribute their best.

Interpersonal success is also indispensable to survival. Human beings are social beings. In order to offer their full engagement to the organization, people demand to feel accepted, respected, supported, acknowledged, and challenged. Monetary compensation alone cannot accomplish this. This is why solidarity is so fundamental to long-term business success. If people do not cooperate and respect each other, the organization will fail.       
            
When we look at an organization from the personal perspective, we focus on its ability to foster well-being, meaning, and happiness in each one of its stakeholders. In the personal realm, the goal is to cultivate psychophysical health and a high quality of life. Every person wants to feel whole in body and mind, to know that her life is meaningful, to be happy. A conscious organization’s goal in the personal realm is to promote the self-actualization and self-transcendence of everyone it touches.

Finally, personal success is also critical. Without it, no organization can last. Happy people are much more productive and able to cooperate with others. They are resilient when suffering setbacks and enthusiastic when facing opportunities. They trust themselves to respond appropriately to life circumstances, to connect with others, and to deliver exceptional results. If people are not happy in their jobs, they will not remain engaged; they will not last as productive employees. They may not quit formally, but they will quit emotionally. In order to obtain energy from its employees, the organization needs to provide them with opportunities for physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. If an organization’s people do not experience this well-being, it will fail.

Over the long term, the It, We, and I aspects of this system must operate in concert. Although it is possible to achieve good financial results in the short term with unhappy people, cold relationships, or wasteful processes, the gains will not endure. Strong profits will not be sustainable without equally strong interpersonal solidarity and personal well-being.

No matter how long you’ve held a leadership role, or how many qualifications obtained, there is always more to learn.  If you’re willing to grab the opportunities that come your way with both hands, while implementing the above advice, you’ll be the kind of inspirational leader everyone admires and appreciates.  Your business will flourish as your team’s achievements rack up and failures are few and far between.

Lean Quote: Give One’s Self to Others

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 most satisfying thing in life is to have been able to give a large part of one's self to others." — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Lean organizations need leaders who know how to serve their people. A servant leader -- one who wants to serve first and lead second -- strives to create a work environment in which people can truly express these deepest of inner drives. Servant leadership entails a deep belief that people are the greatest asset any organization has, and to nurture their individual growth becomes the basis for all organizational development. That growth goes far beyond the limited dimension of financial benefit -- it dives into our core motivations as people.

Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world. The key differences between servant leaders and more autocratic styles can be summarized as follows:

Motives. A servant leader uses their power to develop followers and growing the company through the development of the full potential of the workforce, rather than using their power to control and exploit employees.

Preferences. Servant leaders prefer inspirational and transformational power, because they seek to influence and transform followers, rather than using positional, political and coercive powers to control subordinates.

Outcome. If we define power as the ability to influence followers, then servant leadership is more effective, because “the arm of control is short, while the reach of influence has no limits”.

Orientation. Servant leaders are sensitive to individual and situational needs, because they exist to serve others; therefore, they are relation-oriented and situational, rather than being only concerned about their own authority and power.

Skill level. Servant leadership requires a higher level of leadership ability and skills, because it takes more interpersonal skills and positive inner qualities to inspire and influence workers.  On the other hand, authoritarian leaders only need obedience and coercive power to enforce compliance and conformity from their subordinates.

Attitude to vulnerability. Servant leaders are willing to risk making themselves vulnerable by trusting and empowering others, rather than being afraid of vulnerability.

Attitude to humility. Servant leaders view themselves as servants and stewards, and voluntarily humble themselves in order to serve others, rather than blaming others for failure and claiming credit for success.

A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid,” servant leadership is different. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first, and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.

5 Ways to Enhance Employee Development

There are a seemingly infinite number of initiatives that can lead to success at your company. You can pull levers on product development, QA, sales, marketing, customer success…etc… but prioritizing what will have the greatest impact is tough. It’s no wonder that employee development often ends up at the bottom of a very long list.

Employee development is a long-term initiative, but it also leads to short-term benefits like increased loyalty and improved performance and engagement. Let’s look at 5 ways to improve development at your company:

1. Ignite managers’ passion to coach their employees. Historically, managers passed on knowledge, skills, and insights through coaching and mentoring. But in our more global, complex, and competitive world, the role of the manager has eroded. Managers are now overburdened with responsibilities. They can barely handle what they’re directly measured on, let alone offer coaching and mentoring. Organizations need to support and incentivize managers to perform this work.

2. Deal with the short-shelf life of learning and development needs. It used to be that what you learned was valuable for years, but now, knowledge and skills can become obsolete within months. This makes the need to learn rapidly and regularly more important than ever. This requires organizations to rethink how learning and development happens from a once-in-a-while activity, to a more continuous, ongoing campaign. 

3. Teach employees to own their career development. Highly-structured, one-size-fits-all learning programs don’t work anymore. Individuals must own, self-direct, and control their learning futures. Yet they can’t do it alone, nor do you want them to. The development and growth of your talent is vital to your ongoing success, ability to innovate, and overall productivity.

4. Provide flexible learning options. Telling employees they need to engage in more learning and development activities with their already heavy workload often leaves them feeling overwhelmed and consumed by the question, “When and how will I find the time?” Companies must respond by adopting on-demand and mobile solutions that make learning opportunities more readily accessible for your people.

5. Build trust in organizational leadership. People crave transparency, openness, and honesty from their leaders. Unfortunately, business leaders continue to face issues of trust. According to a survey by the American Psychological Association, one in four workers say they don’t trust their employer, and only about half believe their employer is open and upfront with them. If leaders disengage or refuse to share their own ongoing learning journeys, how can they expect their people to enthusiastically pursue theirs? It’s the old adage of “lead by example.” If managers want employees to engage in learning and development, then they need to show that they are actively pursuing their own personal learning journeys as well.

As leaders, we know the value our learning and development programs bring to our organizations. But we also want to ensure we’re receiving a high return on investment. By clearly understanding the trends emerging in our learning and development programs, we’ll better position our companies to select the right targeted solutions to drive results, increase employee engagement, and increase innovation and productivity.

Notable Update: Employee efficiency is an important objective for companies and not easily achieved. When your team members are efficient, you will likely have a great work environment, increased employee engagement, optimized resource management, and ultimately, increased profits. Here is some practical advice on how to improve employee efficiency that you'll find helpful.

Lean Quote: Life is a Long Lesson in Humility

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.

"Life is a long lesson in humility." — James M. Barrie

Humility is a hall mark of great men. The greater the position one climbs, humbler one generally becomes. Really great men rarely need the crutches of instant recognition and adulation. 

Leaders sometimes get too caught up in their success to a point where they are showboating their accomplishments or trying to convince people of their greatness. The fact is, no one is inspired by showboats. Bragging about your accomplishments and greatness will result in dissociation and disconnect with your team. Instead, leaders with exceptional character earn a lot more respect and admiration. Humble leaders will use their skills, experience and knowledge to attract and inspire followers, bring people together and contribute to their community. Such leaders inspire people and align them to their vision. And humility is the core ingredient that every leader should possess and strive for.

Being humble means being aware of, and admitting, what you don’t know. It means being ok making mistakes and asking for help. When you are humble you open yourself up to continuous growth and learning, and you prime yourself to handle the inevitable lows of business with grace and dignity.

Humility is genuine concern for others. Humility means being a better listener, being more patient with others, being helpful to utter strangers when help is sought for and letting others have their glory. Humility is in doing great and small acts of kindness without letting others know. Humility is in making peace with other’s imperfections and being more tolerant.

Being humble as a leader makes you more relatable and approachable. In turn, it creates a more humanistic work environment where your employees will feel more comfortable being open, taking risks and showing vulnerability.

Humility also enriches our lives and the lives of those around us, making us mindful of our own limitations. It’s an indispensable ingredient to living an abundant life and an essential virtue that forces one to live counter to acceptable norms, requiring a daily decision to let go of one’s ego.

Humility is like underwear, essential, but indecent if it shows.