How do we ensure a constant focus and momentum in our Lean transformation after these years and what are the pitfalls we must avoid ?

Hello everyone!

This post comes to you from theleanedge.org again.  TheLeanEdge.org is an online gathering place for lean authors, practitioners, and business leaders come together to discuss best practices.

 I'm active in many blogs and websites regarding Lean and the concepts around it so I want to ensure I share the great information being share from those sites.

This week's question is from Klaus Peterson:

We have been on the Lean journey for 5 years where we have been focusing on training people in visualizing, analyzing and solving problems. We have spend a lot of efforts in training managers to support the journey which they have done. How do we ensure a constant focus and momentum in our Lean transformation after these years and what are the pitfalls we must avoid ?

I'm sure many of you have had a similar thought if you are on the journey.   Continue to visit the site as people chime in with their thoughts.

 http://theleanedge.org/

My reply is here -    http://theleanedge.org/?p=3777

Enjoy!
Until next time
Tracey Richardson
@tracey_san                          

Why do we have to call it something?

Hello everyone,
This weeks blog I will take you to the Lean Enterprise Institute's A3 Dojo at http://www.lean.org/a3dojo

The column is about "Don't Call it Anything".  I believe that using labels to describe what I consider to be actions can be hindering for the drive for improvement.    I'm not saying Lean is a bad word, its just often misused or misunderstood by many and it's becomes an add-on to someone's job versus their actual job and daily responsibilities.

Check out the column and visit me at the Dojo where I am a sensei.   Would love for you or others to share their thoughts about A3 thinking, coaching, problem solving or anything around those subjects you would like to learn more about.

Go here!
http://www.lean.org/a3dojo/ColumnArchive.cfm?y=2012#Col2104

Until next time
Tracey Richardson
@tracey_san

How do you change "silo based thinking" shared from theleadedge.org

Hello everyone, sorry for the delay in posting again, I have been on the road training at various gembas and conferences across the U.S.   It's often difficult to post regularly so I apologize.  I will try to do better.   Hopefully there is plenty of good information on my blog to use as a reference for years to come :).
This post is sharing some of the good information be discussed on another site called The Lean Edge.  It's a website where many of us consultants, authors and business leaders get together and share thoughts based on questions that are asked by people trying to change the way they do business and the challenges that come with that.

I now have the honor to contribute to theleanedge.org discussions so this post is about sharing my post this week and giving you the opportunity to learn from other Lean leaders. 

The question posted on theleanedge.org is - "What are the five major things we need to do to help us successfully transform a silo based organization into one focused on business processes, and what are the biggest risks we need to look out for?"

Go here http://www.theleanedge.org to see the different answers to this question.  Enjoy!  I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far~!

Until next time,
@tracey_san
Tracey Richardson

Are you having problems with Problem Solving?

I would like to take you to the A3 Dojo at lean.org/a3dojo once again.  I am writing columns for the site so some of my material with be shared there.  I may link my readers there from time to time since I am a sensei on the dojo.

Please check out my latest column there - Are you having problems with Problem Solving?
http://www.lean.org/a3dojo/ColumnArchive.cfm?y=2012#Col2044

If you are working on a A3 or have questions about any related to that or Lean please feel free to post a question or comment.  http://www.lean.org/a3dojo

Until Next time,
@tracey_san
Tracey Richardson

Are your assumptions framing the way you do Business?

I would like to share a column that I wrote for the Lean Enterprise Institute's (LEI) A3 Dojo at lean.org/a3dojo.  If you haven't heard about the dojo please come and visit.  I am a sensei on the site, along with Eric Ethington and David Verble.   We add weekly columns you might want to start checking out!  Come see!!   You can follow me on Twitter - @thetoyotagal!

Are your assumptions framing the way you do Business?

Click here:  http://www.lean.org/a3dojo/ColumnArchive.cfm?y=2012#Col2038

Tracey Richardson
@tracey_san

What is your line of sight to the company business indicators?

In a company sense, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this question?  Often times within certain organizations it can be a “gap creator”.   What I mean by that is, having a “line of sight” often means I’m looking towards a specific direction with a goal in mind.  In the case of a business or an organization we frequently call that – True North.  I find throughout my travels that not every place I visit has a clearly defined one.  What could be the repercussions if we don’t have one?

With my roots being from Toyota I often reflect on the true north statement that was always there as our company’s guiding beacon; no matter what an individual did or what level they reached in the organization you could tie your daily work into that statement.   For example, a true north statement could look similar to this:

We will always put the Customer first, while making the highest quality product, at the lowest cost, in the shortest lead time, in the safest manner, all while respecting our people.

As you look at this statement you can visualize the key performance indicators such as quality, cost, productivity, safety, and human resources.    These indicators are what drive the company to improve their processes which in turn assist those results we all tend to focus on heavily.  This type of true north is evolutionary, meaning if you reach the lowest cost then raise the bar on yourself and continue to improve it (continuous improvement).   I’ve seen true north statements say something like – “To be #1 in the market.”  Although I feel that is misleading at times, but the more important part of that is the customer- is that the first thing on their minds?  We often have to be careful with such a result oriented direction.  It’s more so about the processes / thinking that get us there.

With the above as our true north, it allowed us to look at our own work as the business goals cascaded downward from the 50,000 foot level of the organization to the 1000 foot level.  It’s essential that everyone articulates what they are doing to contribute and measure.  If they fall short of that then we could ask the question- “How value-added are we”?  Let’s take a look at how a sequence of questions can align us to that true north and ensure we are adding value.

During my sessions I embed the time to ask specific questions in regard to the line of sight.   It normally is a real eye-opener to some as they realize what they are doing (sometimes reacting-i.e. firefighting) isn’t always contributing towards the company goals in the best way they could be.

The first question I ask them is – What is your role in the organization? This makes them think about their role or scope of work.  This may seem like a simple task to many, but it’s “deceptively” simple as we continue to ask more questions.  Believe it or not, some struggle with articulating their specific role.  It’s often not always defined by our leaders from day one.

The second question is – What is my work responsibility?  This allows you to think about what you are truly responsible for in your daily work in regard to your role.  What is all involved with my responsibilities?  Sometimes I ask “why did the company hire you?”  What is your true responsibility in regard to the business goals?

The third question I ask is – What is your job’s purpose?   This particular question begins the thinking process, most come back and say – “what do you mean what is my purpose, my purpose is to do what I’m told?”  I chuckle inside as they continue the exercise, because it continues to challenge them further and gaps begin to surface.  It’s hard to take sometimes but we all should drive our purpose towards specific standards which contribute to the business need.  Otherwise are we spinning our wheels?  Just as we all have seen the “Got Milk” ads in the past – I ask, “Got Purpose?”

The fourth question I ask is – What are the goals that guide your job’s purpose?  Am I making this more difficult or what?   I normally start see people staring to the left to the right depending upon what side of the brain they are pulling information from.  It’s an interesting process to witness because some have never thought of it in the context I’m making them think of before.  Some say, “What do you mean the goals that guide me? - I meet the results!”  This is where I give them a hint towards their key performance indicators.  Everyone’s job has to be aligned with those key performance indicators we discussed before.  If not how do you really know if you are creating value?  How are you measuring your own work back to the company’s goals?  This is why true north and cascading goals are essential in a culture focused on people, purpose, process and problem solving!  See a previous column on  called the 4P’s. http://thetoyotagal.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-do-4ps-have-to-do-with-lean.html 

The last question I ask is –What are the company goals?  This empowers them to align themselves with true north and how they contribute.   As I stated before, how do you go from the 50,000 goal to the 1000 foot level.    It’s an upward cascade regarding your work that parallels with the downward cascade of the strategy deployment of the business plan.   Once I finish the series of questions I tell them to write “My own Ideal Situation”, to the side.   What I have created in essence is that very thing.   If we know our role, purpose, the goals that guide us, and the company goals then we should be able to articulate with our daily actions where we are against that standard at any time.  When you lower the river to see the rocks it’s your own personal development towards the company’s goal which in turn proves your contribution to long term sustainability and growth due to your actions aligning.  When they don’t align you can always ask why and understand what is keeping you from those goals.   (Almost like a background A3 running in regard to your own performance- imagine that)

Let me show you a very simple example that I often use in my sessions that I did for my own line of sight as a problem solving instructor.  Yes I practice what I teach.

My role – Problem Solving Instructor

My work responsibility – is to learn, understand and practice the problem solving process /thinking (PDCA) and also how the company values/principles are intertwined with that thinking to deliver training sessions to various organizations.

My job’s purpose – to effectively deliver the problem solving process to any level /role within the organization that ignites a culture of ongoing thinkers who are able to see gaps against a standard.  (*Note I underlined effectively in the sentence above, I measure my effectiveness as an instructor during and after a class to see if I’m meeting their expectations).

What are the goals that guide my job’s purpose – for my participants to learn, understand, practice, and develop their people in problem solving in order to fulfill the company’s values and true north vision.  (*Note I underlined develop in the sentence above, it is part of the goals that guide me that I teach at a rigorous level so participants can not only learn themselves but also eventually develop others)

What are my company goals – to fulfill the customers’ expectations by providing, high quality training, which enables them to do business differently by changing how their people think and do business.

So this is my personal line of sight, which I consider my ideal situation.  It’s evolutionary and constantly makes me improve how I teach based on the customers’ response.  In essence it’s a gap creator for me that I always look at as my standard and where I am at against it.

In closing, I hope this column gives some insights toward your personal line of sight within your company and your role, but further more do you understand the importance of everyone having one that leads upward to the company true north.  This makes it much easier to cascade your business plan down through the organization.  If people don’t understand it, they tend to be reactive; reactive isn’t something you want to develop has a habit.   Now let’s get to aligning ourselves!

Until next time
@tracey_san
Tracey Richardson

"Leading and Learning"

I can vividly remember the moment I was promoted into Management (Salary) at Toyota (TMMK- Toyota Motor Manufacturing KY), when my Japanese trainer came up to me and shook my hand and asked - “Tracey san, do you realize the expectation as a leader?”  I had quickly considered this may be a trick question but with my experience on the production floor observing other leaders I answered, “Yes!”  He gazed back at me and said, “Please understand that now as a leader you must spent 50% of your time developing your people!”  I will have to admit I was a little perplexed as to how I was going to allot half my time to develop others; if this was the expectation then it was going to be a challenging task.  My mind began to race with thoughts like:

·        How would I make time for staff meetings?

·        How would I answer calls?

·        Take care of issues regarding Human Resources?

·        How would I keep up with evaluations or performance expectations?

·        Maintain my key performance indicators for my group?

·        Maintain budgets?

·        Keep up with my visual management system.   So on and so on!

Had I taken on more than I could handle?  These were my thoughts as I tried to imbibe everything as a new member of management with high expectations.  I think many leaders in various organizations have many similar responsibilities and often find themselves in that reactive (fire hose) mode of doing business.   Unfortunately, some companies promote based on how many fires are put out the quickest.  This management process is short-term gains at best and slowly eats at your culture/morale like a virus.  It also tends to tell the ones you are managing the wrong message and terrible habits are formed that we often label as “tribal knowledge”, or assumptions.   How do you remedy this?  This is a reality for many!  

I can remember when I took on the responsibility I felt the urgent need to always have the answers; if I didn’t, wouldn’t I come across as an inadequate leader? Isn’t the leader supposed to know everything? What would my people think if I didn’t?  How do you gain knowledge or experience and train others to do the same simultaneously? 

I remember my trainer calming me by saying, “it’s ok not to have all the answers or even have failures along the way”.  His biggest concern was that mistakes were learned from and they weren’t repeated.   He told me regardless of my level or role I was in for the organization, there was one thing that never stopped; that was “leading and learning”. No matter how much time a person invests in a role or gains experience there will always be a level of “leading and learning” that simultaneously happens  with any individual in a leadership role.  The key point he told me which I believe is the essence of how they do business- that is as a leader, “you must always study harder than your subordinates”!   As a current instructor in corporate America, I still find myself practicing this type of thinking.  As consultant do I always have the right answers?  As a consultant will I make a mistake?  Of course, but my goal is to study harder, learn, listen and engage others.  By doing this I’m practicing continuous improvement for myself so I can then share that new wisdom immediately!  For me this could happen week to week.  I could learn something from client A and share with client B the very next week.   I may develop a new “cheat-sheet” or handout that helps explain a theory by bringing it to life.  This is my constant challenge of “studying harder”.  As a leader we must constantly find ways to teach/lead by our actions.  Actions should be lead with a PDCA-mindset that supports our Business plan/True North.  With that as our guiding beacon and our willingness to engage it’s a recipe for a culture where people are your most important asset.  Hence the 50% rule! 

I think in the beginning start up phases at TMMK we were ALL leading and learning at the same time whether we realized it or not.   The Japanese were trying to teach us a new way to think in a different language, set up systems, lines and standards while newly promoted leaders were learning their role, yet at the same time teaching others, if you didn’t study harder then you may be passed by.   There was no room for complacency when the discipline is “everyday-everybody-engage people in problem solving”

When it was explained in this way, it took a little pressure off of me because I realized quickly that being present on the floor (at the gemba), involving, engaging, challenging my people pushed me to be better at asking the right questions and developing their thinking.  It was really a continuous improvement cycle as a person, and believe it or not the people start to mimic your actions as you mimic the actions of your leader.  This is how you “grow” your own leaders! 

I often tell folks that are trying to embed a Lean Culture in their organization that as a leader if you are “comfortable” in your role then you probably aren’t challenging yourself or others.  In all my different roles at Toyota they always challenged me, personally, to be better and I had to challenge others, my goal was to just be one step ahead at all times.   My leader was doing the same thing with me; this was cascaded downward throughout the organization from the President down as I’ve stated.  One thing to remember it was an expectation of our job not a choice.  This is where I feel there is such a disconnection with companies trying to embed lean; it comes across as this “add-on choice” not an expectation/discipline, or a way to do business.  When we try to label it and something special I truly believe it loses its importance.  In the late 80’s we didn’t call it anything we just lead by actions which supported the business.  Does that really need a label other than our job? Think about that! 

So my message to you if you are a leader out there and “work for” your people , you must do this at the gemba real time, asking questions and understanding current situation.  This mentality must be passed down to your leaders and the people below them.   My goal as a consultant/trainer is to always be uncomfortable in my role- that is to say challenge yourself to be better each day through self-development by engaging others in what they do.  This is the key to success not only for you as the leader and your people, but the organization as a whole which creates long-term sustainability and continuous improvement.  “Lead and Learn” give it a try!

Until next time,

@tracey_san

Tracey Richardson