Episode Overview
“We have to be very good at persuading people so we focus a lot on the why.”
Allison Greco is a continuous improvement guru, having worked for the railroad and various government roles in oil and gas. She founded Continuous Improvement International, a continuous improvement organization. In this episode of Zen and the Art of Manufacturing Podcast, Bryan Sapot and Allison sit down to talk about continuous improvement, the importance of soft skills and how that helps build a competitive advantage.
“The companies where I’ve seen tremendous success is when there’s a leader who is willing to advocate for continuous improvement. It’s typically a leader who has previous experience where they’ve seen it done well or someone who just has that mindset. That leader can be the ambassador to the other senior level C-suite leaders.”
Key Takeaways
Originally broadcast on May 25, 2021
Where to Start the Journey
Allison is typically brought in when a company wants to make a change. She typically starts with the company’s objectives. “The company typically has some objectives of being a great place to work and reducing employee turnover. So that might be an area where I can talk to them about, let’s work on your processes and make them easier for your employees. Let’s get your employees involved in making improvements so that we can reduce your turnover.” Goals and action items are set-up based on the end result and not necessary the dollar amount. “We’re going to set the goals in terms of maybe increasing output or reducing defects instead of setting the goal as the dollar but we can equate the reduction in defects to a dollar amount in the end. We don’t want the goal to be the dollar. We want the goal to be the defect reduction.”
Find the Leaders
Where are the leaders in your organization? Look within your company for a leader who may naturally be inclined to improvement or to quality or to Six Sigma. Look for that person in your organization who might be a thought leader or progressive thinker and work with that person to partner on an improvement. “If you don’t have a leader who’s being the advocate, then you’re looking at an individual contributor or a manager level who’s trying to push something up.” It’s human nature to feel pressure to prioritize the to-do list instead of taking time to plan. Continuous improvement flip-flops this mindset where 80% of your time is planning versus 20% action.
Empowering individuals within a company to drive their own improvements involves transitioning from a project leader to a coach role. By identifying impactful projects that involve a team of people, coaching them through problem definition, stakeholder analysis, and project execution, individuals gain confidence and motivation to continue making improvements. “You show them how to define a problem. You show them how to do a stakeholder analysis and you put yourself in the position of coach. Then once they get some confidence, typically only takes one project for someone to do another one because they tend to get really excited when they see that they can make an impact. So they just keep going.” Shifting from a directive leadership style to a coaching approach helps foster a culture of continuous improvement within the organization.
Implementing Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement takes time and effort to implement, especially in changing habits and behaviors. “No matter where you are location, no matter what company you work for, we all experience a lot of the same challenges.” People generally prefer what is easy or what they are used to, rather than what is difficult or uncomfortable. However, companies that embrace continuous improvement gain a competitive advantage by iterating and changing faster than their competitors. Despite the benefits, not all companies adopt continuous improvement practices due to various reasons, including lack of leadership advocacy and the challenge of breaking out of comfort zones.
To justify implementing continuous improvement in a company, it is essential to align with the company’s objectives and goals. “Just the process of how do you get someone embedded into your company from getting them access to software that they need to getting them training that they need, to getting them embedded into just company culture in the way of doing business. That’s a whole process improvement in itself.” By focusing on areas like reducing employee turnover, increasing engagement, or improving output, continuous improvement initiatives can be tied to measurable outcomes that benefit the organization. Setting goals in terms of increasing output or reducing defects, rather than focusing solely on financial gains, can help demonstrate the value of continuous improvement efforts.
Importance of Soft Skills
Soft skills are crucial in continuous improvement initiatives as they enable individuals to effectively communicate, influence, and lead change within an organization. While tools and methodologies are important, the ability to engage with people, build relationships, and drive behavioral change is essential for successful implementation of continuous improvement practices. Coaching individuals on soft skills like influencing without authority, conducting effective meetings, and fostering engagement can enhance their ability to drive improvement initiatives.
Soft skills play a crucial role in the successful implementation of continuous improvement initiatives, as they enable individuals to effectively communicate, influence, and lead change within an organization. While tools and methodologies are important, the ability to engage with people, build relationships, and drive behavioral change is essential for successful implementation of continuous improvement practices. Coaching individuals on soft skills like influencing without authority, conducting effective meetings, and fostering engagement can enhance their ability to drive improvement initiatives.
Continuous Improvement International
Continuous Improvement International is different because it is a member-driven organization that focuses more on soft skills than on hard skills. “The organization offers networking opportunities and small group settings for development. “We focus a lot more on soft skills than on hard skills. A lot of the offerings that we have are things that revolve more around networking and developing together in a small group setting.” One of the programs they offer is called “Meeting of the Minds,” a four-week session where participants discuss topics like influence without authority or creating engagement in a distracted world. The focus is on learning together, sharing best practices, and building a community.
Continuous Improvement International offers a membership that focuses on development, accountability, and mentorship to equip individuals with the tools and skills to become valuable assets within their companies. The organization provides an online database of tools and resources, as well as opportunities for networking, learning, and sharing best practices. By emphasizing soft skills development and community building, Continuous Improvement International aims to create an environment where members can thrive and drive positive change within their organizations.
Learning from others and seeking diverse perspectives is essential for personal and professional growth. Continuous Improvement International provides opportunities for members to engage with a community of like-minded individuals, share experiences, and learn from each other’s successes and challenges. By participating in programs like “Meeting of the Minds” and accessing online resources, members can expand their knowledge, develop new skills, and stay informed about the latest trends in continuous improvement practices. “I learned a lot from our members in our continuous improvement cafes and meeting of the minds because they they will talk about their experiences. It gives me a different perspective because they’re working in in different environments than I’ve worked before.”
Developing Continuous Improvement Skills
Continuous Improvement International offers a membership that focuses on development, accountability, and mentorship to equip individuals with the tools and skills to become valuable assets within their companies. The organization provides an online database of tools and resources, as well as opportunities for networking, learning, and sharing best practices. “We want to equip you with the tools and the skills to where you can be an incredible resource for your company who’s doing wonderful things to make them more efficient and more effective.” By emphasizing soft skills development and community building, Continuous Improvement International aims to create an environment where members can thrive and drive positive change within their organizations.
Soft skills are probably the most important thing that you needed for continuous improvement. “Soft skills are probably the most important thing that you need to learn if you’re going to do types of Continuous Improvement things because if you can’t get people to change their behavior, it’s not going to work.” You can spend a few days learning the tools, understanding how to go through them on a kind of a step-by-step basis, but where you need more practice and more coaching is on the soft skills so you can be really powerful in implementing those tools.
Connect with Allison Greco on LinkedIn.
