The most important business tool isn't lean manufacturing, six sigma, or lean six sigma. It is trust. People cannot be manipulated with gimmicks, false promises, and half truths.
It takes a long time to build trust in people and an organization. It often takes a few minutes to lose it. People will trust someone that cares about them as a person, one that cares what they are doing and how they feel about it.
Before implementing any business initiative, if you are the specialist with the responsibility for the improvement, build trust first. Build it from your heart sincerely, or don't even attempt it.
A few questions should be asked of yourself before you begin a lean six sigma initiative, or any other business improvement process:
Do you believe most people want to do a good job?
Is the hourly worker as good a person as the executive?
Do you talk to the hourly worker like a person of equal status?
Do you ask the hourly worker for his or her thoughts?
Do you involve the hourly work force in your initiatives?
If you answered no to any of these questions, you should consider a different profession. People will work hard for someone they like and trust. They do not have to like every decision, but if you are not liked as a person, a position of influence is the wrong one.
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2 comments:
Hey great article! I have heard that Lean Six Sigma is a very useful tool to have and utilize. But I have in my searching have also found another type of tool that has helped me a lot. It has to do with sales training and leadership skills! I think that this company www.spisales.com could work well with the Lean Six Sigma concepts.
Thanks for the info!
Tiff
I was very surprised to run across this post, and to see it just after my first experience with Lean Six Sigma tools and concepts. I was almost laid off from a good job last fall. The company I was working was in trouble but of course they didn't want to admit it to the employees or the customers. They started laying people off and I’m pretty sure that my crew was next in line. I really didn't believe that laying people off was the solution but I was not the boss so the choice was not mine to make. It was at a mandatory meeting when our group manager explained to us that there were going to be some changes. That's when I first heard about Lean Six Sigma and these companies www.orielinc.com and www.statamatrix.com that’s why I was happy to see the tools they use and teach here in this article. I guess the concepts works because I did not get laid off. I just hope and pray that more employers out there utilize these resources.
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