TRANSKRIPT 🔗
WEBVTT
00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:07.360
Welcome back to Thoughts on Change, the podcast where we make change make sense.
00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:18.960
Over the last several episodes, we've been talking about credibility and the characteristics that kick-ass CI practitioners embody being a change shaper.
00:00:19.519 --> 00:00:25.120
At the end of the last episode, I said something that I think deserves an entire conversation.
00:00:25.519 --> 00:00:33.679
I said, our job isn't to force success, our job is to make success easier.
00:00:34.240 --> 00:00:40.560
Now that sounds simple, but I think it completely changes how we think about continuous improvement.
00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:55.039
Because if we're honest, a lot of us were taught that our job is to solve problems or implement lean or reduce waste or deploy a new process or just make things more efficient.
00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:58.560
But that's not really what we're hired to do.
00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:09.599
Our job is to help people succeed in a new process or a new culture or in that more efficient environment.
00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:17.359
And if they aren't succeeding, our job is to remove the things making success harder.
00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:21.920
That's a very different mindset than just implementing.
00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:29.359
Think about the best teachers, coaches, mentors, or managers you've ever had.
00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:31.920
What made them great?
00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:35.519
Usually it wasn't because they had all the answers.
00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:40.719
It was because somehow they made it easier for you to succeed.
00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:44.480
They gave you enough direction without micromanaging.
00:01:44.640 --> 00:01:46.719
They helped when you got stuck.
00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:50.000
They adjusted when something wasn't working.
00:01:50.239 --> 00:01:52.560
They believed you could do it.
00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:56.400
That's exactly what we should be doing as improvement leaders.
00:01:56.640 --> 00:02:01.200
Not creating more work, creating fewer obstacles.
00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:10.159
Welcome to Thoughts on Change, the podcast about the messy, political, emotional, deeply human side of leading change.
00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:17.599
I'm Kelly, and I believe anyone can implement lead tools until they actually have to get people to use them.
00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:26.879
Around here, we talk about how to move culture, how to build credibility, and how to influence without bulldozing.
00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:30.639
Basically, how to herd humans without losing your mind.
00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:34.080
So, what actually makes success easier?
00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:37.840
I found it comes down to four things.
00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:43.759
First, people need clarity about what good looks like.
00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:48.800
This sounds obvious, but it's amazing how often we skip it.
00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:53.520
We assume everyone knows what success looks like because we know.
00:02:53.759 --> 00:03:01.360
We built the project plan, we created the process, we've looked at the data for weeks, we studied the tools and methodologies.
00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:04.639
But everyone else hasn't.
00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:09.039
Imagine asking someone to hit a target they can't actually see.
00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:19.840
Sure, maybe they'll keep shooting, but they'll probably miss, and then they'll get frustrated and doing something they can't see the result of or know if they're doing it right.
00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:23.840
And then we wonder why adoption is inconsistent.
00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:31.280
One of the simplest questions you can ask is what does good actually look like?
00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:34.479
Not for you, for them.
00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:37.280
Can they picture it?
00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:40.560
Can they recognize it when they get there?
00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:43.199
Can they explain it to someone else?
00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:47.199
If not, we probably haven't created enough clarity.
00:03:48.080 --> 00:03:53.439
And here are a couple of my favorite phrases to help get clarity on what good looks like.
00:03:54.240 --> 00:03:55.919
Play me the movie.
00:03:56.639 --> 00:04:02.560
And if I peeled back the roof and watched people in this new way, what would I see?
00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:04.719
Okay, second.
00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:07.919
People need to understand expectations.
00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:16.319
And there are actually two kinds of expectations here: the outcome and the behavior.
00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:22.240
Outcome expectations answer questions like, what are we trying to accomplish?
00:04:22.480 --> 00:04:25.199
And what results are we after?
00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:30.879
Behavior expectations answer questions like, how do we work together?
00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:33.839
What does good participation look like?
00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:36.959
What should happen when something goes wrong?
00:04:37.279 --> 00:04:39.920
And those are completely different conversations.
00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:44.240
I've seen improvement projects where everyone agreed on the goal, right?
00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:47.600
Reduce defects, increased throughput, improve safety.
00:04:47.839 --> 00:04:53.920
Everyone nodded, everyone smiled, and then six weeks later, everyone was frustrated.
00:04:54.240 --> 00:05:01.439
Not because they disagreed about the goal or the outcome, but because nobody had talked about expectations.
00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:03.040
Who owns what?
00:05:03.279 --> 00:05:04.639
When do we escalate?
00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:06.079
How do we make decisions?
00:05:06.319 --> 00:05:07.680
Is it okay to experiment?
00:05:07.839 --> 00:05:09.199
Can we disagree?
00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:13.360
The outcomes were clear, but the behaviors weren't.
00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:15.120
And both matter.
00:05:15.439 --> 00:05:24.240
I was actually in a Kaizen event this past week where I learned right before the event started that a
Load full transcript
key behavior could potentially derail everything.
00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:34.240
The goal of the event was to smooth out the area's output so they would meet it consistently every day instead of these spikes and hockey sticks.
00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:41.920
In addition, we were aiming to free up about half of the labor in this area to go to another area that desperately needed help.
00:05:42.560 --> 00:06:02.959
For these outcomes to work, we needed to make sure that the labor was appropriately balanced and that if there were problems with supply or issues on the line, that people were able to flex to other parts of the area to help clear the issue and get back to smooth and consistent output.
00:06:03.279 --> 00:06:18.399
Now, three days before the event would start, I heard the site leader say that the team would look at their output for the day and say, oh yeah, we missed, but we did this other activity, look at this other thing we did.
00:06:18.639 --> 00:06:22.959
And in essence, they were celebrating that they kept themselves busy.
00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:28.079
This was a huge red flag to me about the success of this event.
00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:43.600
If we didn't set that behavior expectation of flexing people to help where it was needed and not just stay busy, we could make all of the improvements we want, but in the end, we would not meet our outcome goal.
00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:47.920
That behavior expectation there was key.
00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:50.000
All right.
00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:57.600
Third, success gets easier when people can openly talk about barriers.
00:06:58.079 --> 00:07:05.040
One of the fastest ways to kill improvement is making people feel like they have to pretend everything is fine.
00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:17.839
Because if people can't safely say, this won't work, or I don't understand, or we don't have enough time, or this creates another problem, those problems don't disappear.
00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:19.759
They just go underground.
00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:23.759
And eventually they become real resistance and friction.
00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:30.160
Sometimes we treat barriers like they're complaints, but barriers are just information.
00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:35.199
They're clues, they're the system telling us where success is difficult.
00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:44.000
And this one can be really hard for us CI folks because it can feel like we're being attacked when people share obstacles to an improvement.
00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:45.279
But we aren't.
00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:50.000
When someone points out an obstacle, they are really helping us.
00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:57.279
And instead of defending the idea, we should try to get curious, ask questions, and thank them.
00:07:57.759 --> 00:08:02.079
Because they're actually helping us improve the improvement.
00:08:03.040 --> 00:08:08.879
All right, finally, we need to make experimentation the norm.
00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:14.480
One of the biggest mistakes we make is assuming there is one perfect solution.
00:08:14.720 --> 00:08:16.480
And there almost never is.
00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:23.759
Every team is different, every culture is different, every shift is different, every problem is different.
00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:29.360
What works beautifully in one area might completely fall apart somewhere else.
00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:39.360
So instead of saying this is the new process, what if we said this is our current best idea and this is where we'd like to start from?
00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:42.240
That's a very different conversation.
00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:46.960
Now we're learning together instead of enforcing together.
00:08:47.279 --> 00:08:49.679
Experimentation gives people ownership.
00:08:49.840 --> 00:08:53.919
It gives them permission to improve the improvement.
00:08:54.159 --> 00:09:05.840
And here's the really funny thing: people are usually far more committed to something they helped build than something they were handed, even if they built it through trial and error.
00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:09.679
So let's put these four pieces together.
00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:29.759
Success gets easier when people have clarity about what good looks like, clear expectations for both outcomes and behaviors, open conversations about barriers, and permission to experiment until the process fits the people doing the work.
00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:39.200
Now, notice that nowhere on this list did I say push harder, convince better, get executive sponsorship, build a prettier PowerPoint.
00:09:39.919 --> 00:09:45.279
Those things might help, but they aren't what actually makes success easier.
00:09:46.480 --> 00:10:00.720
Now, you may be listening to this thinking, Kelly, I've done all of those things, I've explained the vision, I've set expectations, I've asked for feedback, I've experimented, and people still resist.
00:10:02.320 --> 00:10:03.279
Exactly.
00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:10.399
Because making success easier is incredibly important, but it's only half of the story.
00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:15.600
Sometimes, even when success is easy, people still don't move.
00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:16.879
Why?
00:10:17.840 --> 00:10:19.519
That's where we're headed next.
00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:26.000
Because resistance isn't always about the process, it's often about something much deeper.
00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:33.360
And once we understand that, the entire conversation around buy-in starts to change.
00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:37.519
We'll dive into that in the next episode.
00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:42.080
And until then, go make success easier for someone this week.
00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:48.000
Not by doing the work for them, but by removing one obstacle standing in their way.
00:10:48.799 --> 00:10:51.120
Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.
00:10:51.360 --> 00:10:54.559
That's a wrap for this episode of Thoughts on Change.
00:10:54.879 --> 00:11:06.000
If you're also out there trying to move culture instead of just installing tools, hit subscribe and share this with a fellow CI warrior.
00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:14.240
And remember, progress beats perfection, curiosity beats control, and culture beats everything.
00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:15.600
See you next time.