Don't Stop Breathing!

Make sure to celebrate your
successes along your journey!

Don't Stop Breathing: that is what I think every time I hear a company leader say, "I think we are going to have to take a few weeks off from training during our busy season!" I am amazed because it could be the same leader who a month or a year before had made this statement, "It is exciting to see the team communicating and working together to solve problems, drive out waste, create a plan, or a multitude of other benefits from the weekly discipline of meeting  to focus on Working Smarter. Stopping for a few weeks can be similar to eating late night ice cream again after a successful weight loss program, or only smoking a cigarette with the boys after quitting the habit for several months. It is getting back into a comfort zone.

It has been my observation through the years that it is not that people are actually too busy to train. Just ask anyone in the company; of course there is an hour we can commit to training. It is going back to a place where we are comfortable when the stress of being busy hits. Much like lighting up or eating happens when stress hits. It is at this point where the right decision can actually create the new comfort zone. If you don't start back on the ice cream when the urge hits or bum a cigarette when you are out with the boys, then you have created a new, more positive mental picture for yourself and you will stay on track with whatever improvement you were making. The same is true in the discipline to train: if you do not allow the stress of being busy to push you back into the behavior that you are more comfortable with, in this case . . . running and trying to get work done, without the tools of communication and training, then you have broken through a barrier and created a new picture for yourself and your team.

DON'T STOP TRAINING . . . Keep communicating. Use the meetings to address the issues that may be causing you to fall behind in a schedule or completing a task or shipment on time.  Just like life itself depends on taking that next breath, the success of any organization depends on communicating and continuing to WORK SMARTER.

GO GET EM,

JIM

Originally published by Jim Paluch in Better Practices Newsletter dated May 5, 2008

Ideas for Improvement

One of the purposes of the Working Smarter Training Challenge is to help companies create a culture of continuous wins. To have a win, we have to be able to recognize what a win is for an individual or for the company. One of the first steps is to ask employees for areas where they can see a need for improvement. What happens if they respond in vague terms or are not sure what can be improved?

If you are having trouble generating ideas for improvement, it may be because everyone needs to build some awareness. We had a great idea come in from a new company starting the Working Smarter Training Challenge. The training coordinator gave employees a small spiral notebook to carry around with them and encouraged them to write down their observations from daily activities to see where improvements are needed. Not only will this help them to create a great list when they meet together again, but this idea will encourage employees to become more AWARE and teach them to always be looking for ways to become more efficient.

Speaking in Front of Others Isn't Always Easy

I had someone tell me this morning that she was nervous about leading the first Working Smarter Training Challenge lesson. Boy, could I relate. I remember those first days when I had to get up in front of my co-workers, some of whom I'd known my whole life, and still felt so nervous I thought my legs wouldn't support me. Here's some advice I gave this person getting ready to lead her first Working Smarter Training Challenge meeting:

It's okay to be nervous. I had to lead several sessions before I quit having the heart pounding and shaking voice going on. Standing up in front of other people seems to be easy for some and a real challenge for others. That is one reason I'm a firm believer that giving everyone in the company this opportunity will help develop personal growth in employees. Here are a couple of things I would suggest:

1. Be very familiar with the lesson plan. Knowing your material will automatically help you to have more confidence.

2. Have something to eat if possible, like coffee and donuts. That just helps loosen everyone up.

3. Involve everyone else. Let them know this is something you're starting together and you don't pretend to be an expert. You'll be learning right along with them and welcome their comments, input and questions. And if you can't answer one of their questions, tell them you will find out from JP Horizons and get back to them. Feel free to give anyone my email address or phone number if they'd like to talk to me about anything.

4. Remember the fun aspect. Music and warm-ups really help with this. Even when brainstorming and creating lists, it's great to allow humor into the discussions. When we are talking about serious subjects like improving a process, it's okay to laugh at ourselves if it becomes obvious we're doing something that really doesn't make any sense. You know the old, "I don't know why we do that. We just always have done it that way."

One thing I can say for sure is this. It really does get easier after you've done it a few times!

Linda Coors
linda@jphorizons.com

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