“here, let me show you” (leading by example)

(part of the Total Quality Leadership (TQL) series)

How an organization achieves world class quality excellence depends on its leaders within the organization, at all levels of the organization.  Whether your organization has just started its quality journey with ISO certification or are ready to apply for the world renowned Deming award, the critical success factor to world class quality excellence…it’s all in the leadership!

Leadership skills that make an environment successful are the same skills that we learned when we were little.  Today, a coaching skill, leading by example.

It's not that the young ones can't do something.  They just need to be shown.  We demonstrate, step by step, how to put things together and they follow our lead.  We make it easy for them.  We relieve the stress they may have.  We show them how to do it right.  Once they learn, they go to the next level.  They experiment.  They do better than we can.  They now show us.

“You cannot create experience, you must undergo it.”  Albert Camus, French Novelist

The new CBS television show “Bosses” is one I enjoy because it represents leadership at its best.  It answers the question of how decisions made in the corporate office impacts those who have to perform the actual implementation of those decisions. 

Prior to consulting on topics I am not 100% familiar with, I spend time beforehand to familiarize myself with the workflows of the environment.  The two pictures are ones taken at the International Bridges in El Paso, Texas.  The picture on the left is a walk-over bridge for pedestrians, the one below, a drive-over for vehicles.  The time I spent following-by-example gave me a much better perspective on the associates' working environment on the bridge. 

A checklist for instructions includes the following:

1.  Find out what each employee knows (don’t make assumptions).  I found the associates to be well-versed.  They had to determine the crossing charge in both US change or dollars and Mexican Pesos.  I barely kept up as people walked or drove by and, many times, tossed in their change.

2.   Demonstrate whenever possible.  I took over for 5 minutes at a time and my head was reeling with the exchange I had to make between both country’s monies.

3.   Encourage questions.  I have always been one to drive my teachers crazy with questions.  As a (Dr.) Deming disciple, the "5 whys" comes naturally to me.  There are no stupid questions!

4.   Explain purpose of job.  Both associates were well-informed tutors.  I was able to tailor my course to the department with the knowledge they had taught me. 

5.   Follow up.  Their thirst for additional learning encouraged the manager and director to provide more team based education.  Procedures were tweaked to meet their respective needs.

6.   Recognize accomplishment.  Writing a column in the City’s online newsletter lets everyone know your Department news.  Everyone likes to see their name in print (and it’s zerO cost)!

My hands-on experience with the associates facilitated tailoring the team-based class to the needs of the department. Sometimes taking the lead means you have to follow first. 

“what a good boy/girl!” (praise phrases)

(part of the Total Quality Leadership (TQL) series)

How an organization achieves world class quality excellence depends on its leaders within the organization, at all levels of the organization.  Whether your organization has just started its quality journey with ISO certification or are ready to apply for the world renowned Deming award, the critical success factor to world class quality excellence…it’s all in the leadership!

Leadership skills that make an environment successful are the same skills that we learned when we were little.  Today, praise phrases.

My June 27th blog addressed low self-esteem and the behavior we learn based on our environment as a child.  Titled To belittle is to be little; it addresses the behavior change needed in the 21st century.  Praise is a skill we give to children when they do something well or they've tried very hard to do well.  Your approval motivates them to continue to keep on trying.  Praise makes children proud. They want to do more and to do it better.

I have yet to be bored by someone paying me a compliment.  Psychology professor, Otto Van Isch

Praise defined:  words that express approval or admiration, e.g. for somebody’s achievements.  Praise is a zerO cost motivating solution. One of the 6 critical factors for successful coaches in a team based environment is praise.  A great coach gives positive feedback to motivate his players.  A great coach:

1. looks for opportunities to commend people publicly
2. rewards Outstanding Achievement
3. finds ways to recognize achievers in a public way
4. is consistent
5. looks for opportunities to praise people for their work (ref:  praise exercise below)

 F  exercise:  Develop Your “Praise” Phrases

Praise is a skill 21^st century leaders must acquire.  Brainstorm phrases you can use on / with your associates.  If it’s difficult, start with simple two word phrases:  good job, great job, add any positive adjective for the word job; atta boy, well done. Create a list of 20.  Use one every day. 

Praise is one of the most powerful methods of letting employees know they make a difference.  Praise is the opportunity to reward as soon as possible to the action, at zerO cost.  One of Dr. Deming’s people philosophies:  Every organization has undiscovered “gems” waiting to be discovered.  Two words are worth discovering those “gems”.

"wanna see what else..." (creativity)

(part of the Total Quality Leadership (TQL) series)

How an organization achieves world class quality excellence depends on its leaders within the organization, at all levels of the organization.  Whether your organization has just started its quality journey with ISO certification or are ready to apply for the world renowned Deming award, the critical success factor to world class quality excellence…it’s all in the leadership!

Leadership skills that make an environment successful are the same skills that we learned when we were little and playing in the sandbox.  Today's sandbox skill is creativity.

Kids can make something out of nothing.  A bucket and a shovel can make beautiful castles.  You take the shovel and scoop up the sand into the bucket.  Once the bucket is full, you pack it down.  Very carefully, the child will quickly turn the bucket over and very carefully pull the bucket up, et voilà, a castle form.  From there, they add doors, windows, a moat, a bridge, and whatever else they feel makes their castle better.  Their creativity has no boundaries.

Creativity is the ability to use the imagination to develop new and original ideas or things.  Creativity is the foundation of brainstorming sessions.  The first requirement is an environment where the associates and team leaders feel free to be creative, to brainstorm.  The old dysfunctional environment, the ‘me boss - you employee’ environment, prevents creativity.  One of the comments I hear all the time is “we tried to tell them” (ref my blog dated on “this is the last time I'm gonna to tell you! “ (listening), August 19, 2012).                                

“As a team, invent as many uses as you can for this pictured item.”  The above 2011 Family Circus cartoon represents an exercise I have used in my creativity, team building classes for many years.  This is a simple exercise to get the brains of the associates and leaders “out of their box”.  It’s also a lot of fun!  Fun is not a dirty word in a team based environment.

The World Class Leadership objective is to build excellence into every aspect of the company by focusing on creating a workplace that encourages EVERYONE to contribute.  The prerequisite is everyone must feel comfortable in voicing ideas and having them actively listened to versus the old dysfunctional attitude of “we (managers) know what’s best for you and we’ll tell you what to do.  We’ll make the decision for you and then we will hold you accountable to make it work.”  It obfuscates the associates.  Fear is not a motivator!

The associates who do the work 8 hours a day know the changes to make in their jobs to make it better.   Ask each associate and leader to “name 3 things that would make your job better?”  I am always (pleasantly) surprised to note the associates make changes that cost little to no monies but save time and increase productivity.  Think 3M, an engineer, paste, a tablet and post-it-notes – who woulda thought?

Associates are like the bucket – you fill them with the right education, top it off with a firm belief in them (based on your outstanding education and coaching to them) and then let them build their castles.  Allow their creativity.  Success is built on "can" not "cannot".   I find 99.9% of the time, they really can.

“don’t forget your …” (planning)

(part of the Total Quality Leadership (TQL) series)

How an organization achieves world class quality excellence depends on its leaders within the organization, at all levels of the organization.  Whether your organization has just started its quality journey with ISO certification or are ready to apply for the world renowned Deming award, the critical success factor to world class quality excellence…it’s all in the leadership!

Leadership skills that make an environment successful are the same skills that we learned when we were little and playing in the sandbox.  The sandbox skill today, planning.

If a child has plans to play in the sandbox to build a castle, it is important to plan to bring a shovel and pail.  It is also important to plan to wear a hat and sun screen so the child doesn't get burned.  The latter is an adult's responsibility; the former is a responsibility we teach kids. 

To help them remember, we may write down “shovel and pail” on the blackboard (or paper or easel) in their bedroom.  Together, you may add other toys or things to the list.  Writing it down helps to remember and not forget.  When it is time to get ready, the child only has to look at the blackboard (or paper or easel) and erase it or draw a line through it when the item has been packed to go.  We eliminate the “regrets” and the “forgot” and the tears.  The castle gets built and you can relax and enjoy.

At my age, "senior moments" come often so writing things down is mandatory.  Reminders (post it notes are the best discovery) and checklists are important basic planning tools to help us remember and not forget. The process of planning is a three step process:

1.  What do I have to do?  (write it down)   

2.  What are the steps to get it done?  (be explicit)

3.  By when?

        What is the deadline?

        When did I promise?

I know, as you do, people who spend their lives telling you, “I don’t have time to write it down”.  Yet they always seem to have time to spend an hour “looking for” or “driving back” because they failed to remember.  Forgetting costs money in business and in your personal time.  An additional benefit of crossing a line through a completed action is it induces you to want to do more.  Planning (writing it down) saves time you can spend on other things, like doing absolutely nothing. 

“this is the last time I'm gonna to tell you!“ (listening)

 (part of the Total Quality Leadership (TQL) Skills series)

How an organization achieves world class quality excellence depends on its leaders within the organization, at all levels of the organization.  Whether your organization has just started its quality journey with ISO certification or are ready to apply for the world renowned Deming award, the critical success factor to world class quality excellence…it’s all in the leadership!

It is my (proven) belief that the leadership skills that make an environment successful are the same skills that we learned when we were little and playing in the sandbox.  The next sandbox skill I want to talk about is listening.

So you ever get the feeling you’d be further ahead if you were talking to a wall?  Children listen for things that impact them positively. 

“Vegetables are good for you”…tuned out!  “I have candy”...tuned in!

Adults are the same:

“Take out the garbage”…tuned out!  “The (insert any sports here) game’s on”…tuned in!

“Is dinner ready?”…tuned out!  “Let’s go out to dinner”…tuned in!

It’s human nature.  If something interests you, you’re listening skills are piqued!  If you don’t particularly care, you’re listening skills are off.

Selective listening is tuning out to anything you don’t agree with or do not want to address.  I share this story as an introduction

A mother is on the phone chatting with a friend.  Her son runs in (as children always do when you are on the phone.  They just have that instinct) and yells, “Mommy, mommy!” Mom assumes it’s the usual nothing, shushes him and asks him “can’t you see I’m on the phone?”.  He does this several more times, finally in an the exasperated tone adds, ”but Mo-o-o-o-m, there’s a fire.” She continues to talk on the phone, ignoring him.  Ten minutes later, as they are standing outside on their sidewalk and looking at the embers of what is left of the house, the child looks up at his mother and quietly says,  “I tried to tell you.”

We assume because we know someone, we know what they are going to say.  We shut them out and don’t hear them.

Leaders need active listening skills.  What do those skills “look like”?  When people are speaking to you, show your interest and enthusiasm for what they are saying.  Body language is critical.  Lean forward and share an acknowledgement (not the little bobbing-head dog - an occasional nod will suffice).  Paraphrase back to them what you heard them say.  Ask them questions that help them articulate what they are trying to tell you.  This tells the speaker you are with them in the moment.  You haven’t tuned them out and are not thinking about what your response is going to be “as soon as they take a breath”.

The open door policy is a people-oriented, team based policy that gives (or makes) Managers the time to talk with employees and ask their opinions.  This is extremely critical especially if you do not have daily or weekly meetings with your associates.  I remember the grumbling that went on when this management philosophy was first introduced.  Managers were aghast at the fact that they were actually going to have to talk to “them”.   note:  this was back in the day when we were living in the “me boss, you employee”,  pre-team management environment.  Look at this way, who does the job 8 hours a day?  Are they not (should they not be) the experts?  “They” can make us look good or they can let us walk off the cliff, shaking their heads, thinking, “We tried to tell you.”

Active listening... a critical skill to your achievement as a leader.

No Pain, No Gain, No Instant Pudding...Driving World Class Excellence into Your Organization

 Webinar Education Announcement:

The genesis of the Japanese 5S principles is (TQM guru) Dr. Deming's belief that "it's not enough to just do your work or work hard, you must know what to work on".  5S is the mantra to streamlining work flows and office cycle time, a performance measurement for rapid response systems and Über customer service. 

Learn to integrate 5S principles into the work environment (the pain) and achieve multi-fold, value-added increases in productivity levels (the gain).  Discover how 5S leads to savings for the organization and your customers and there's no instant pudding involved.

I invite your participation to this webinar.  I promise you it will be an hour well- spent!

Please check your system’s ability to participate.\\ http://www.anymeeting.com/webconference/systemtest/AnyMeetingSystemTest.aspx

Registration Form URL:

http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=E053DB87824C

New Book Release - CREATING YOUR USPs...

Poet Maya Angelou's grandmother once said to her, 

"Those who give...get.

Those who learn...teach."

It is with this quote in mind, I authored the book.

Find a quiet space.  Yes, you're going to have to think.  And, quelle horreur, you’ve going to have to write.  Two required life-learning skills.

BUT, once you finish, you'll know what your USPs are and will be ready to go out and market...yourself!

You might be surprised what you remember!  I was.


Just click the link:    La Petite Femme's Bookstore

In God We Trust, All Others Bring Data

ABCM:  “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

In the movie Superman III, "Gus" Gorman’s (actor Richard Pryor) first job was in the computer department located in the basement of a corporation.  He was responsible for the company’s 500+ employee’s salary checks.  As he settled into the job, he discovered that when calculating salaries, the computer actually went out four decimal points, and then rounded to the two-digit cents amount.  Not wanting to be too greedy, Pryor programmed the computer to forward the fourth decimal digit amount into his personal savings account.  The first week, his savings account increased $85,789.25 (the computer always rounds to two-digit).  ABCM is the programming of that fourth digit.  It may not seem like a lot, but if you add those pennies up…

ABCM measures costs at each step of the process, enabling managers to quantify the tax levied by inefficiencies and delays.  ABCM focuses on specific details such as scrap or absenteeism that must be tied to a specific product or process.  Once defined, actual problems can be resolved and eliminated.

Many organizations still run on emotions and gut feelings that have never been tried or tested.  Eliminating the emotion and getting down to the root cause of the matter will take us more quickly to the problem resolution phase and on to the next area of opportunity.

In order to get this point across in our European plants, I had t-shirts made with the saying “In God We Trust, All Others Bring Data” emblazoned across the front.  The associates questioned the meaning on the t-shirts.  I explained to them the t-shirt was multi-purpose:

§         “In God We Trust” from the face of the US dollar

o    signified the monies we were recovering through our continuous cost savings efforts.

§         “All Others Bring Data”

o    focused on reducing the time between defining the root cause of the problem to implementing the resolution. (the old “if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem” reiteration)

ABCM and performance measurements make it possible for us to immediately address the competitive endurance of the company versus focusing on the petty emotions that keep us from moving towards solution.  The shirts served as a daily ABC example that negative emotions (“it wasn’t me”) only wasted time, effort, and productivity.  The t-shirt was a constant visual (mindset change) reminder of the plant culture towards excellence (and, hence, individual contribution and team performance), not the non-value action of finger-pointing.

 

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Would You Marry Someone If You Only Knew Them Thirty Minutes?

SUPPLY CHAINS BEGIN WITH EDUCATED RESOURCES

As we move into the techno-millennium, what is the portfolio of skills required from multi-functional human resources in both life and leadership skills that the industry (the customer) will be searching for?  How do we feed back into academia (the supplier) the types of curriculum that are needed today to insure the continued growth of any organisation, large or small, with well-educated future employees?  What are the (trans)portable skills that our own associates will need to continue a career path that keeps them focused on continuous improvement in the workplace for the benefit of global competition?

Would You Marry Someone If You Only Knew Them Thirty Minutes?

Most of us would say “no” and yet that is exactly what we do with the most critical part of our success.  When asked the average interview time for associates, the response, “an average of 30 minutes.”  When asked if the team that the person would be working with had the opportunity to interview the potential candidate, the response was “No.  Supervisors interview and hire the candidate and the rest of us have to live with their (the candidate) incompetence for the rest of our working lives.”  World class dictates stopping errors at the beginning of the chain to prevent waste through the balance of the process chain.  Hiring multi-functional human resources means defining the people skills required insuring that quality employees are hired at the outset.  Preparation of the job definition is the critical key to success in hiring multi-tasked resources ready to compete in the global marketplace.

§       Plan for the interview by reviewing applications thoroughly, review job specifications and descriptions and make notes of those areas to be discussed or write specific questions to be answered

§       Create a good climate for the interview.  Space should be comfortable and private.  Try to establish a good rapport with the interviewee unless there are specific reasons to do otherwise

§       Allow sufficient time.  Arrange not to be disturbed by telephone calls or visits.  Set aside an adequate block of time

§       Conduct an objective oriented interview.  Look for the information needed to assist in the employment decision

§       Seek answers to all questions and check for inconsistencies

§       Create position profiles that detail the skills and qualities needed on the job.  This gets down on paper the specific, most important characteristics of the person you should hire.  If you advertise the position, use some of those words from your profile in the ad

§       List six to nine “make or break” talents needed for the job.  Use an interview guide form for each job so candidates are compared on the same factor.  Have one person interview candidates and a second take notes

§       Determining that the candidate has the skills needed to perform the job, but failing to explore whether the person is motivated to do the job is one mistake often made when hiring employees.  Hiring personnel must ask probing questions, which will shed insight into the person’s attitude toward work as well as their level of initiative

§       Gain information about the applicant’s ability to interact with others and how they handle conflict.  Without the desire to be a contributor to the goals of the organisation, technical skills will not be much use.  Be sure to spend time asking situational questions in order to determine how that person will react in real situations

§       Do skills testing.  If the position calls for written communication skills, give the candidate a scenario to respond to in writing.  To test management abilities, give work and people situations to respond to: How would you pass on this information to your employees?  Your vendor didn’t meet a commitment and you’re late providing the end product.  How would you deal with it?  Use the scores of successful employees as a benchmark

§       Develop a skills inventory.  As each interview takes place, check mark the candidates’ strength and weaknesses so that you don’t forget later.  Businesses are looking for the following characteristics in their new hires:

Drive                                Quick learners  

Independent thinkers       Work well as part of a group

Enthusiastic                     Multiculturally aware

Open minded                   Have strong organisational skills

Innovative                        Respectful of other cultures

Know their way around a computer 

§       Structure interview questions to discover characteristics that cannot be bought or taught, such as certain set of ethics and values, or a level of energy and commitment.  

This management-by-prevention process will net well-educated, multi-functional human resources focused on the continuous improvement skills needed in your workplace for the benefit of global competition.


This is an excerpt from You Will Never Get To World Class Without ‘Edjeecated’ Folks I gave at a South African Conference.

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“To Belittle Is To Be Little”

Too often, children grow up in home environments that perpetuate screaming, hollering, yelling, and are demeaning.  The low self-esteem of the parents is transferred to the child who then grows up thinking that demeaning others gives them power. 

Back in the day, business thinking was the more one would yell, holler, and scream, the more terrified the employee.  The more terrified the employee, the more work they would do.  It was a time of “if you don’t like it, don’t let the door hit you in the behind.”

Thanks to the introduction of Japanese ABCM (Activity Based Cost Management), we know that type of dysfunctional behavior costs companies millions of dollars in high employee turnover and low productivity.  Simply put, being nasty comes with a heavy price tag to the corporation.   

Employees at all levels of the organization need to develop the skill of giving praise and encouragement.  This does not mean lying to people, this means being able to select some positive comment to the person.

The Power of Praise

þ  Build the skill of giving praise and encouragement.

§         If you did not grow up it, it will take time to understand that “demeaning only” is not “tough love”.  It’s dysfunctional.

þ  Look at the entire situation and emphasize the positive first.

§         It’s part of current “coaching” management style.

þ  Give positive direction not just negative criticism.

§         Anyone can belittle others.  Go to a playground and see.

þ  Distinguish and praise incremental steps taken towards achievement.

§         It takes time for people to change their ways.  Give credit where due.  It will encourage continued good behavior towards success.

To both parents and leaders, sit down at the kitchen table at home or the conference table at work.  Have everyone at the table list one “praise” phrase.  It doesn’t have to be more than 2 words – good job, great job.   As a start, just add an adjective to the word “job”.  Expand the phrases as you get more comfortable (high five, WOW, etc).  Use at least one phrase every day.  Eventually, it will come naturally. 

Let’s be honest:  Who does not want to work in an environment that appreciates and therefore, motivates you?