In manufacturing, there’s an approach called “Kaizen.” “Kaizen” is a Japanese word that means “change for better.”
It combines the collective talents in a company to analyze and improve manufacturing processes.
Typically, the focus is on a specific area of the business to improve—such as production, maintenance, customer service, etc.
⚠️But rarely do companies focus on “kaizen-ing” LEADERSHIP itself.
Let me share a real-life, very common scenario we had with one of our clients:
An HR Leader was spending one hour per day crunching data to share a comprehensive Excel report with a group of business leaders she supports who NEVER EVEN LOOKED AT IT.
That’s 5 hrs/wk…20 hrs/mo…240 hrs/yr of WASTED EFFORT and yes—this is a REAL example.
‼️ And that’s just ONE task by ONE leader in ONE organization.
Many leaders don’t take the time to “kaizen” their leadership practices or their leadership effectiveness.
So what is the ultimate value of kaizen-ing your leadership?
🤯Another client we worked with literally SAVED 2 HOURS a day in his schedule! Imagine getting 2 hours a day back to focus on the IMPORTANT.
This is not just a nice concept to consider, it is a real strategy that can change the game for a leader and a leadership team.
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❓Here are a few QUESTIONS to help you get started:
*** What are the high payoff activities as a leader / leadership team that will produce the desired outcomes for your organization?
*** What percentage of time are you investing in the high payoff activities?
*** What percentage of time are you investing in the low payoff activities?
*** How much time do you invest with your team (one-on-ones, group meetings, planning sessions, etc.)?
*** Where do you experience friction? (Friction = frustrations, bottlenecks, unresolved people related issues, missed coaching opportunities, conflicts within the team that go unaddressed, work that gets repeated, mistakes or quality issues that routinely arise, etc.).
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🎬Once you’ve explored these questions, then take these ACTION steps:
(1) First, solidify your high payoff activities that will produce the desired outcomes; and the low payoff activities where you may be overfunctioning.
(2) Conduct your own time audit. Determine where your time is going both in the area of high and low payoff activities as well as how much time you are investing in your team.
(3) Identify the key or repeated areas of friction you’re experiencing.
(4) Determine how best to address each one (escalate, eliminate, automate, delegate, simplify, postpone, or coach and train).
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🙌🏼It’s worth taking the time to “kaizen” (=analyze, improve) your leadership practices.
If you would like additional support to help you and your team improve leadership effectiveness…I’d love to talk with you about how we can help.