Lean Tip #2881 – Place Focus On Leadership And
Management
It’s hard for innovation to be cultivated
within a vacuum. A lot of workplace innovation and creativity comes from the
top. Employees look to leaders of the company to set the tone for what is
permitted in the workplace. Senior leaders should make efforts daily to
encourage employees to take responsibility for new ideas instead of minimizing
them.
Lean Tip #2882 – Help Employees Find Meaning And
Purpose
Innovation and motivation are heavily personal
for individual employees. In one-on-one meetings with employees, try
identifying their personal goals for growth. Then, figure out ways to align
that growth with the wider team and company goals. This helps foster a more
personal connection and create room for greater creativity.
Lean Tip #2883 – Pick Small Projects
We often think that ideas must always be big,
transformative, and game-changing. But often, it’s lots of small, novel things
that add up to make a huge difference. The benefits to small-scale innovation
are huge. Not only do they happen quickly and (most often) without a lot of
fuss, they also garner the interest and attention of both your team and
organization; thus paving the way for bigger, meatier innovation projects to
follow. Try changing lots of small things, like how you sign off your emails,
how you reward yourself for good work, or how you kick off meetings.
Lean Tip #2884 – Create Innovation Awareness.
Leaders need to establish the awareness that
innovation is actually a combination of real-time creative ideas along with
breakthrough ideas. Often, workers are so focused on getting daily work done
that they do not think or even consider thinking and to look at creative
solutions as they approach their tasks.
Lean Tip #2885 – Encourage Your People To Think
About Innovation On a Daily Basis
Innovation shouldn’t be something people think
about only during retreats and workshops. If thinking about new ways of doing
things is seen only as an occasional exercise, you’ll never be able to access
the full potential of your employees’ creativity and imagination. Instead, make
room for your staff to consider innovation as part of their daily tasks.
Lean Tip #2886 – Make Productivity Central to Your
Culture to Get the Most From Your Team
Asking employees at random to simply work
harder will produce shoddy results at best. If you want lasting effects, weave
your expectations of work ethic and professionalism into the fabric of your
company’s culture. A mantra can be a powerful tool of transformation, so create
an inspiring mission statement that employees can rally around. By bringing
individuals together around a central theme and common understanding, you
instill a pervasive element of pride and accountability.
Lean Tip #2887 – Reward Innovations and
Efficiency
It’s assumed that you hire individuals who have
the talent and drive to get the job done to your satisfaction. Let employees
know they have your trust and support by giving them the latitude to introduce
new methods and seek solutions to boost efficiency, rewarding those who
demonstrate true innovation. By encouraging and compensating workers who show
independent initiative, you cultivate an environment where workers see a
correlation between their own success and that of the company.
Lean Tip #2888 – Assign Tasks People Enjoy
It’s no surprise that individuals are more
productive working on tasks that they actually enjoy. By taking the time to get
to know your employees interests, skill sets, and personal preferences, you can
better tailor their workload to maximize production. Don’t be a slave to
strictly defined job definitions. If John likes being on the computer, while
Jane enjoys customer service, re-balance responsibilities to suit individual
strengths.
Lean Tip #2889 – Don’t Forget Employee Morale
Keep your finger on the pulse of your staff in
order to identify periods when employees need perking up. Whether you are
combating mental fatigue during the busy season or battling the Monday blues, a
strategically scheduled breakfast or lunch can provide a mental boost to make
even the toughest days more anticipated. Offer your team some rest and
relaxation on occasion to recharge the batteries, and renew camaraderie by
planning a favorite group activity. Or, just knock off early on a Friday with
the expectation that individuals come back on Monday with a full head of steam.
Lean Tip #2890 – Spotlight Excellence
As much as you strive to sets high expectations
of productivity, you also need to let individuals know when they have done a
great job. Take time at monthly meetings or annual events to spotlight and
reward staff members who have demonstrated excellence, going beyond individual
awards to recognized entire groups when they have met and exceeded goals. Never
underestimate the power of positive reinforcement, where a simple pat on the
back or thank you for all the hard work can go a long way toward building
relationships and developing loyal, dedicated employees.
Lean Tip #2891 – With Every Change, Explain the
“Why” — Value Transparency
Both transparency and authenticity are vital
when helping employees embrace change. When senior management is clear and
honest about the change process, employees are inevitably more comfortable,
stable and secure navigating change.
Throughout the change initiative, take the time
to schedule in meetings with employees to openly discuss the change process.
Allow employees the time to ask all the questions they need. You should also
take this opportunity to be clear on exactly what is happening and —
importantly — why.
There is no reason not to keep employees in the
loop — whether the change is major or minor. Discuss what the change is about,
why it’s essential and what the outcomes will be. You should also keep the
dialogue positive. If the rhetoric surrounding the change initiative is
exciting, employees are more likely to be excited themselves.
Lean Tip #2892 – Use Employee Feedback as a
Springboard for Change
Employees will feel more excited about change
if they have a say in it and it stems from what they want and what they have
requested. To prevent employees from seeing an initiative as “change for the
sake of change”, take the time to highlight where the change originated. If it
is the result of employee feedback, employees will feel involved —and more
inclined to share their input in future.
Effective organizational change can result from
employee feedback — your employees are a goldmine of information. Don’t just
ask for feedback once a year. Make sure the exchange of information is frequent
and let your employees know their opinions are always welcome. Your reassurance
will create a positive cycle of feedback, review, change, implementation and
further feedback. Remember, feedback throughout the change is important — you
need to know how your employees are adjusting and how you can help them embrace
change.
Lean Tip #2893 – Mold Your Company Culture by
Rewarding Acceptance
Some employees will be slow to adapt to change,
while others will be more proactive and accepting. To develop a company culture
that embraces change, start by rewarding acceptance. Publicly reward employees
who show they embrace change, have a good attitude and who are trying to make
the transition easier for other employees. This move will help to limit
resistance — to not only this change but the changes to come — while
reinforcing the idea that change can represent positive opportunities.
Lean Tip #2894 – Define the End Goal
Change is good, but to what end? People need to
know what the benefits will be at the end of the process otherwise the team are
discouraged before they’ve even had a chance to be excited. Make sure you are
clear about the results you expect from changing a whole system or upgrading to
new technology. If people can see light at the end of the tunnel, they’ll walk towards
it even through the hard, tedious stages of change. Be clear from the start so
confusion doesn’t work its way in before the change strategy has left the
meeting room.
Lean Tip #2895 – Communicate Clearly and
Follow-up
Stay connected to ensure that everyone is clear
about the mission that they are working toward. Keep an open-door policy as
much as possible. If that's not feasible, consider making yourself available
via email or during certain hours of the day. It's important that employees let
you know when challenges arise. That's not to say you should listen to every
gripe and complaint, but you can let everyone know you are empathetic to their
concerns and are willing to work with them to find solutions. Further,
encourage employees to bring a solution with them when making you aware of a
problem.
