BUSINESS
Changing your focus
Zooming in on a solutions-based approach by Erin Saunders, Leica Geosystems
Photo by Stefan Cosma on Unsplash
I have a bit of a sarcastic side, and because of this the anti-motivational posters at Despair.com have always had a bit of an appeal to me. I have a favorite I can rattle off at the top of my head. It reads, “Tradition: Just because you’ve always done it that way doesn’t mean it’s not incredibly stupid.” Now that’s a little harsh. But I do think there is immense value in the message that lies underneath that asks, “Is there a better way to do this?”
Many organizations have cyclical workloads. The times that are less intense can be great times to examine your existing processes and look for ways to improve them. There are several things you can do to help get the best outcomes for your organization, and to help your employees support any potential changes.
In the last issue I talked about the importance of a growth mindset for individuals within an organization, and how that growth mindset can lead to professional growth and success. The focus moves from proving your results, to constantly improving your learning, process, and results. The same importance holds true for organizations. Many companies have legacy processes or systems that are inefficient, cause duplication of work, or that haven’t been evaluated for many years.
First, lean into your team’s knowledge and use them to help identify problems and solutions. Start by helping them understand what you are trying to achieve, what their role can be in assisting and by letting them know that while you’re definitely interested in identifying and improving pain points, it will be much better to brainstorm potential solutions than to dwell on the specifics of past pain points. This will help keep the conversation futurefocused rather than dragged into the details of past challenges.
By applying the growth mindset to processes, leaders within companies can improve productivity, morale, and their customer’s experience.
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Next, keeping the solutions-focused approach in mind, sit down with your team and ask them to identify pain points within their jobs. These could be areas where there is duplication of work, where they spend a frustrating amount of time,
