3 Must-Haves to Achieve Trust

In today’s business climate, trust is not just a nice-to-have, complimentary personal quality; it is a fundamental economic driver. Stephen Covey described in his book “The Speed of Trust”, how elevated trust levels increase speed and reduce cost in all aspects of a business including relationships, interactions, and transactions. Trust is the lubricating oil that facilitates, strengthens and eliminates the bureaucracy and non-value added activities that we encounter every day.

As leaders there are three fundamentals of trust that we must employ in order to achieve these benefits.

1.     Do what you say you’ll do.

Keeping your word is one of the easiest ways to build stronger relationships and breaking promises is the fastest way to erode trust. Following through with the agreed action speaks louder than any statement. It also provides a visible and tangible outcome that all can witness. “Doing what you say you’ll do” displays respect. Respect for people is a core pillar in the lean philosophy, and is vitally important in building trust. Think of the last time you trusted someone who broke their promise to you. 

2.   Actively Listen and Effectively Communicate.

Listen to the thoughts, feelings and suggestions of your employees, even if you don’t agree with them. Communicate openly and honestly without judging others. Make yourself vulnerable by letting employees know you need their help because you don't have all the answers. We gain more trust through the acknowledgement our own weaknesses. Use language that everyone understands, especially when speaking to different groups of people. “Talking to” rather than “talking at” illustrates that you acknowledge and appreciate the collective intellect of the group.

3.     Always Support your Troops.

When employees know they can depend on management's integrity, their trust can become limitless. Trust is a two way street. When a manager supports his/her team, especially on controversial matters, it demonstrates a level of respect that does not go unnoticed. This concept is also a key metric with regards to employee retention. When employees don’t feel that management “has their back”, they are far less likely to be an engaged, satisfied member of the organization and will likely be looking for alternative employment.

One of the most effective mechanisms to engage people and elevate the level of organizational trust is through the use of self-directed work teams. The creation of these A3 teams provides a foundation where management can demonstrate trust. Allowing the people that do the value-added work to fix their own processes has many benefits.

·      Demonstrates respect for their knowledge,

·      Creates a higher level of ownership,

·      Provides a more sustainable solution,

·      Constructs a better solution, since you are utilizing the company’s experts and

·      Builds trust

In the book “Everybody Matters”, Bob Chapman CEO of Barry-Wehmiller describes this concept as “Responsible Freedom”. Trusting the employee base to do make their lives and the lives of every member of the organization better. This concept of reduced control breaks from historical management styles and is difficult for some managers to accept but can achieve great results when done properly. However, this model is all predicated on a high level of organizational trust.

Team vs. Talent, a Cinderella story

March is a great time of year if you are a college basketball fan. The excitement and passion of the NCAA tournament, in my opinion, is unparalleled in collegiate athletics. Even if you don’t have a rooting interest or a home team you are pulling for, watching 64 schools battle for the national championship provides excellent entertainment.

One of the great storylines of the tournament every year is the emergence of the Cinderella stories, lower ranked teams that somehow, despite their lack of independent talent find a way to work effectively as a team and defeat much more talented athletes. This year was no different. In the first round, the 15^th seated Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee State defeated the much heralded and much more individually talented number 2 ranked Spartans of Michigan State.

This was not just a one-time fluke. Several other lower ranked seeds also defeated higher ranked teams with arguably, better talent.

#13 Hawaii defeated #4 California

#11 Wichita St. defeated #6 Arizona

#12 Yale defeated #5 Baylor

#11 UNI defeated #6 Texas

#14 Stephen F. Austin defeated #3 West Virginia

#12 UALR defeated #5 Purdue

#11 Gonzaga defeated #6 Seton Hall

So how does this happen? One or two upsets might be a coincidence, a lucky bounce of the ball, improper tournament seating or a bad call by the referee, but several times a year, every year? There has to be more to it.

The simple answer, Team trumps Talent.

Often, instead of playing as a cohesive unit, teams often try to play 5 one-on-one basketball games at the same time. Even though they all had the same goal in mind (score more points than the opposing team) they each had their own strategy.  Five great athletes, each with their own strategy, were no match for five average ball players who played with one. Additionally, under the bright lights of the tournament and watchful eyes of NBA scouts, individual egos often emerge. Trying to showcase their unique talents for the next level, they break from the team construct and use the venue as an individual interview.

In basketball as in your company, talent is important. However most organizations are measured on results not aptitude. Potential is only useful if it is realized. In today’s business world, almost every operation is team based. Being the smartest (most talented) person is only helpful if you can effectively communicate and translate your knowledge, otherwise you a playing 1 on 5 basketball. The creation of highly functional teams allows for greater results. Leveraging the natural diversity and strengths of its membership provides greater creativity and insight. This in turn allows the team to achieve results much greater then the sum of their parts.

One of the easiest and most successful utilization of the team concept is using Lean A3 as a business strategy. Having highly functional A3 teams quickly, and accurately diagnose and solve complicated problems, dramatically increasing the effectiveness and sustainability. A3 teams help avoid personal ego’s from getting in the way through the consensus of a team strategy. Oh and by the why, A3 teams radically elevate your organizational intelligence, which in turns increases your overall talent level.

Imagine what you could accomplish when you elevate your organizational talent within a team first framework. It would probably look a lot like the University of Connecticut Lady Huskies basketball team. They haven’t lost a game in 2 years and are on pace to win their 4th national title in a row. The Lady Huskies are a gleaming example of what you can accomplish when you develop talent with a team first mentality.  Go Huskies!

Develop Leaders not Managers

The “flattening” of the globe, advances in technology and the advent of the web and social media have created new challenges to the conventional manufacturing organization. To remain relevant, your organizational structure needs to also adapt to this changing reality. The historically hierarchical management construct still has its merits but organizations that focus on Leadership rather then Management have a dramatic advantage, especially when it comes to creative thinking and innovative problem solving.

In a 2013 Harvard Business Review, Vineet Nayer very accurately summarized three main differences between managers and leaders.

1.    Leaders Create Value where Managers Count Value. 

Managers tend to only count value and in many cases actually reduce it. Requiring overly burdensome reporting distracts the employee and creates non-value added activity. Leaders focus on value creation, leading by example or enabling people to take greater ownership in projects.

2.    Circle of Influence rather than a Circle of Power

Leaders understand how to “check’ their ego or swallow their pride. They understand that the focus should be on leading people rather than managing the work. Being able to inspire behavior is much more powerful and sustainable than dictating results.

3.     Leading people vs. Managing work.

Management consists of controlling a group or a set of entities to accomplish a goal. Leadership refers to an individual’s ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward organizational success. Influence and inspiration separate leaders from managers, not power and control.

Now, imagine if you had an entire workforce of Leaders rather than Managers? Envision what your company could you accomplish if every single person in your organization was encouraged to be creative, had the freedom to be innovative and drove value? This is the power of organizations that have adopted the Lean A3 philosophy as a business model. A3 develops Leaders! or as my friend Bill Greider calls them, “Zealots”.  Passionate, inspired individuals that are uncompromising in their pursuit of value, value that the customer is willing to pay for. A3 organizations like great leaders are not risk adverse; they embrace challenges and excel in problem solving. They are people and relationship centric with consultative and participative styles. A3 as a business model is an excellent way to foster an environment where leaders can emerge and thrive.

The world continues to rotate and with every revolution comes unavoidable change. Leaders understand and embrace this change. They have a vision and focus on the long-term goals. Organizations will also need to understand this reality and modify their historic management systems in order to remain relevant. A favorite quote of mine sums up this concept very eloquently.

"I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people." --Mahatma Gandhi

3 Tips for Successful Change Management

3 Tips for Successful Change Management

Resistance to change is one of the most common yet difficult concepts for business to overcome.  If you are like most people, there is comfort in the familiar. Being asked to adjust your approach, change your skill set or address a role modification forces us out of our comfort zone. This typically increases the level of anxiety and stress, which fortifies the human tendency to resistance change.

By following these general steps, business leaders can increase the speed of change as well as create a culture where change is embraced and celebrated.

1.     Convince your Employees that Change is Necessary

The first question most people will ask when faced with change is “Why?” If you are not able to provide a compelling reason, it will be insanely difficult to sustain any initiative. Remember, your people are smart! They have a vested interest in the company. If change is necessary for the business to grow and you explain the business case, they will understand. Proactively explaining the “Why” will also drastically reduce the level of fear. People fear change. Proactively and continuously explaining why the change is necessary will reinforce the message as well as soften the voice of the naysayers.

2.     Involve your Employees in the Decision

Study after study demonstrates that people respond much better to a pull than a push. Having change thrust upon you without any input creates fear and intensifies resistance. Sounds a lot like, “Taxation without Representation” to me. Involving your employees in the decision process demonstrates that their thoughts and opinions are truly important. After all, they are the people doing the value added work every day. It only makes sense to listen to your experts. Creating programs like proposal and problem solving A3’s are an excellent way to facilitate positive change within your organization while giving your employee base a mechanism and a forum to have their ideas heard. People are far more likely to embrace and sustain change if it was their idea in the first place.

3.   Reinforce and Celebrate the Change

Change is hard enough; however sustaining change is the real challenge.  One of the easiest ways to achieve this goal is to collect and share feedback every week or month. This level of visibility illustrates the importance of the program to the entire company and helps demonstrate a sense of urgency. It also provides a system of checks and balances. Using the feedback you can identify gaps and quickly addresses them. Celebrating all of the success, large and small, has an enormous positive influence on the organization moral. This positive encouragement keeps people involved and creative.

Death, public speaking and change are the three things that impart the greatest level of fear in most people. Since change is a necessary and vital part of any organization, lowering the anxiety level is critical. By following these three simple steps, you can avoid the major pitfalls while increasing your change management effectiveness.