Are You Suffering From P.M.A.?

Do you leap out of bed at 6am and yell out "FANTASTIC, it's Monday morning!"?

More often we roll out of bed wondering where our weekend went and already beginning the countdown down to Friday!


Hurrah, it's Monday..........!

But just take a minute to consider the implications of this kind of attitude.
What is your mood like at this  time in a morning? What about after your drive in to work? As you sit at your desk and open up your emails? If I came to you now with a difficult problem I needed help with, what would be your response? (I can imagine some of your answers already!). I'm sure you'd probably rather I went away and came back when you were feeling a bit happier in yourself.

'Howay Steve get a grip - do you want me to skip into work singing about the joys of Spring?'

No, although wouldn't it be great if life was so wonderful it made us feel like that!

Why should we worry about what mood we are in? So long as we do the job we're paid to do and get results that's enough isn't it?

Let's take a look at what it is that creates our results - it's the way we act and behave. Our behaviours drive our results. We've learnt over a number of years that behaving in a certain way gets us a certain result. So what drives our behaviours? You guessed, our attitude.

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference" - Winston Churchill

We've all had miserable days when we couldn't be bothered - nothing seems to go right and everything seems to take more effort and energy.
But I'm sure you've had days when you've awoken in a great mood and ended up having one of the best days where you got everything done effortlessly, problems just seemed easy to solve and you even had time to help others with their issues.

There are too many people currently extolling the virtues of a positive approach to life for us to ignore it. It's not about being "fluffy" or "cuddly", it's not about ignoring bad things (see later) but it is about influencing your results.
 

Have a positive influence on your results!

It was Henry Ford who said "If you think you can or you think you can't you are right"

How true is this statement!

Some people are beaten before they even try as a result of their negative thinking. They believe they will fail, they act and behave as if they are going to fail and hey presto the result is failure. Now I'm not suggesting that just by having a positive mindset before you start anything that you will automatically succeed at everything you attempt - if only. However I'll wager you will get more positive results and even when you fail you will take away learnings that ensure you improve for the next time.

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." -Anon

I did say that taking a more positive outlook on things wasn't just about ignoring anything bad - it s about putting things into perspective. Whenever something bad happens take a look at the bigger picture and ask yourself where this fits in the grand scheme of your life. Even being made redundant or having your car stolen isn't the end of the world; it could be the start of an exciting chapter of your life or an opportunity to rethink your motoring strategy! It's how you view the world that makes it what it is for you.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

I assure you if you think about your attitude and adopt a more positive approach you will notice:

• Problems get solved more easily
• You are more creative (no need for the red wine to get the creative juices flowing!)
• You have more time for others
• Your stress levels decrease (and couldn't we all do with that!)
• You develop and grow and learn from things that don't go right

So go on and give it a go. Just try the 'glass is half full' approach for a couple of weeks and notice the results you get, how you feel and how others respond to you.

And let me know how you get on..........

Have a Fantastic day

Steve D

Cheese & Onion Crisps!

Have you ever had a day when everything has been going really well? You’re in the zone, nothing phases you, you can’t seem to do any wrong - you're on top of the world! 

It probably doesn’t happen as often as you’d like but think about the last time you had a day like that:

• How did you feel?
• How easy was it to get results?
• How did people experience you, did you have time for them?
• When faced with a problem how did you respond? 

Were your responses something like: 

• Fantastic, full of energy, happy, full of enthusiasm
• Relatively simple, things just worked
• Approachable, helpful, interested in them. Made time for people.
• Saw it as a challenge, dealt with it

Okay but we all know that more often than not our days are the opposite of that; we feel fed-up, irritated, stressed; Trying to get anything done is a chore; People find you short, you have no time for them and every little thing seems like a problem just waiting to trip you up!

Now ask yourself which one would you rather feel! 

So why isn’t our week filled with wall to wall days “in the zone”?

I love cheese & onion crisps (random I grant you but bear with me I’m going somewhere with this!). However, I rarely have them as I’m into healthy eating. Every now and then though, I fancy a packet and thus keep a small supply in the kitchen for when the urge takes me. So I come down stairs with a yearning for my blue bag of crisps and low and behold when I get to the cupboard all I find is prawn cocktail or ready salted – neither of which I like or want! So the guilty culprit, my stepson, has eaten my supply leaving the other flavours until last.

Scenario 1: I begin the rant, lots of swearing and threats concerning stepson and sharp objects. Commit to keeping my stash hidden or locked away.




 

Scenario 2: I view this as a sign from a greater being that crisps are bad and I should stick to my healthy eating. One more small step to achieving that Adonis-like body!

What’s the difference between the above two options? 

Well one option leaves me feeling bad and one leaves me feeling good – simples! So what?
Well we’ve already established that if I’m feeling good I get better results, easier and am able to tackle problems more positively. If I’m not feeling good then there is the potential for my day to spiral downwards. So surely it makes sense to look on the bright side, to choose a more positive attitude towards the situation.

The fantastic thing about this is that we have control over our Attitude, we have the Choice over how we respond to things which means that ultimately the type of day we have is within OUR control.

You can Choose to bring a moody Attitude to work and have a depressing day.
You can Choose to bring a grouchy Attitude to work and irritate your work colleagues.
You can Choose to bring a happy, cheerful, playful Attitude to work and have a GREAT day.

Ultimately it is your Choice.

There is a great book that I'm sure many of you have read but if not give it a try. It's called FISH and is a short, easy read with some simple yet powerful messages on making your working environment a happier, healthier place to work. after all we spend so much of our time at work, wouldn't it be nice if we enjoyed ourselves more!

Finally a great littel clip to help you set yourself up for the day ahead:

In Place AND In Use - The Key to Successful & Sustainable Change

Following on from our April Newsletter we thought we'd focus a bit more on this idea of In Place & In Use.

So what do we mean when we say something is In Place & In Use? Imagine you have a written procedure that clearly details how to perform a task. It has been approved and authorised and trained out to people so everyone knows it exists and is there to be followed. The procedure is In Place.

Now if you were to audit people against the procedure and you found they were following it to the letter and it had become a natural part of their normal working routine then the procedure is In Use.

However, what we often find is that people find work-arounds or don't follow the procedure to the letter, instead finding subtle ways to do things differently. Often this is for a good reason; the procedure may not truly reflect what they do; they may have found a better way to do something.  But equally it may just be because they prefer the old ways, drifting back to their comfort zones as no-one checks up on them or police's the new ways of working.

Imagine 2 security personnel at the entrance to a metro station. One is there to ensure you put your rucksack or luggage onto the conveyor belt through the x-ray machine, the second watches the monitor to ensure the luggage does not contain anything illegal. Here we have a process In Place.

You then notice that the majority of people completely ignore this process and walk past without having their luggage x-rayed. Neither security person acts to prevent this. Our process is clearly NOT In Use. (This might sound a ridiculous example but I actually observed this on my travels!)

So if we have procedures, rules & regulations  but fail to follow them or comply with them (for whatever reason) then we have In Place but NOT In Use.

So why is this important?
If no-one is following rules or processes then why have them. It requires time and resource to create them, approve them, train them etc and to what gain!
If people are doing things their own way we immediately introduce variation and non-robust processes. Errors are far more likely to occur. Standard Work is a key foundation for efficient, high performing Organisations.
By allowing people to ignore processes and rules you are sending out a message that these are not important things. Thus people may start by ignoring the 'little' things but can eventually end up deviating from the important things. (Think back to our April newsletter on the Shadow of the Leader!)

Many issues we encounter with Organisations can often include this In Place & In Use model. It often links directly to the culture of an Organisation and is at the root of a myriad of other issues they face.

 

So the $64m question - how do we get things In Place & In Use?

There are a number of things you can do to help including:

• Involve the right people in defining processes and ways of working. Get those involved who actually use it, they often know best.
• Don't be afraid to update / amend things once you've got them In Place. Review what you've done to check it is working. If people aren't following procedures ask why; is there a better way, have you made things more difficult; is it a training issue.
• As a Leader get out and check people are doing what you think they should be, do it often, be visible and take action when you see deviations. What you do & say send out very powerful messages.
• Be pragmatic - you don't need rules for everything! Focus on the critical aspects and get them standardised and agreed

So when you are out and about take note of things around you, you'll be surprised by how many things you spot that are clearly In Place but so obviously being ignored and therefore NOT In Use.

If you want to find out more about this or Culture Change in general then please feel free to contact us. We'd love to help your Organisation stand out from the rest.

 

Spring Clean Your Organisations' Efficiency!

You may or may not have heard of 5S but our short Blog on this topic will hopefully enlighten you and remind you of the benefits of a clean and tidy work environment.............

What is 5S? It comes from Japan and is 5 Japanese words used to describe a process of improving the working environment. The English translation of these 5 words are: Sort - Store - Shine - Standardise - Sustain. 
So what are the benefits of 5S? Many people mistakenly believe that 5S is just housekeeping but it is far more than that by a long way. If you could improve the efficiency of your Organisation by 10% would you do it? Would you believe that simple reorganisation of your workplace could achieve this or much more. Well 5S can help you achieve efficiency improvements, is a very inexpensive tool to implement and provides a solid foundation upon which to build future improvements within your Organisation.
 

1S Sort

Get rid of what is definitely not needed.

• Take photos (before/after) and then, clear the workplace and remove all un-needed items such as racks, tools, containers, equipment, excess materials
• If in doubt …………….. Throw it out!!!!!!!!
• Check points for your workplace:

1.  Can you find any unnecessary things cluttering up your workplace? 
2.  Are there any unnecessary cables or pipes just left as they are? 
3.  Are there any tools or materials left on the floor? 
4.   Are all unnecessary items sorted out, classified, stored and labelled?  
5.  Are all equipment and tools properly classified and stored?

2s Store

Organise what’s left!  Arrange and identify for ease of use.

• Everything has a place:  Everything in it’s place
• Designate locations in a variety of ways:
•  Lines on the floor
• Signs hung from the ceiling
• Shadow boards for tools 
• Use photographs of how it should look:
• Take a photo of how a meeting room should be left
• Place a photo on he inside of a cupboard door to show how it should look

3s  Shine

Clean up what’s left and then clean daily.

• Paint, refurbish, etc…. Get the remaining items into the same condition as when they were new
• Cleaning is also careful checking
• Check points for your workplace:

1. Look carefully at the floor, aisles and around machines & equipment.  How much oil, dirt, dust and rubbish can you find?
2. Are any parts of the machine dirty? (Possible early warning signs of wear and tear!)
3. Are any air, electrical supply lines or gas and water pipes oily, dirty or in need of repair?
4. Are light bulbs, reflectors or shades dirty?

This is as far as many organisations get. The next two S’s are harder and often get forgotten about. This is why 5S often fails when Organisations try to implement it.

4s  Standardise

Standardise cleanup methods - Orderliness is the core of this step. Ensure everyone is clear on what the standards are and create a consistent approach for carrying out tasks and procedures. Recognise and reward the right behaviours; coach and correct deviations from the standards.

• Make Sort, Storage and Shine a daily habit
• Assign responsibilities to apply these procedures - ownership is key
• Integrate Sort, Storage and Shine into regular work activities, e.g. tidy desk policy / work area at the end of the day
• Check on the maintenance of Sort, Storage and Shine
• Check point for your workplace:

1. Do you have standards, procedures and assigned responsibilities for Sort, Storage and Shine?

5s  Sustain

Set discipline and make it a way of working. Regularly audit against the agreed standards and involve / empower the workforce.

• Follow the rules that you set!
• Involve everyone in the production of Standard Documents and Check Sheets
• Develop habits you won’t forget!
• Offer incentives / prizes for the highest scoring areas
• Check points for your workplace:

1. Do you have a daily inspection routine and is it followed?
2. Do you have a regularly maintained 5S radar chart?

If you follow ALL five of these steps then you will be pleasantly surprised at the benefits you can realise:

• Improve Safety
• Decrease 'down time'
• Raise employee morale
• Identify problems more quickly
• Develop control through visibility
• Establish convenient work practices
• Increase product and process quality
• Strengthen employees' pride in their work
• Promote stronger communication among staff
• Empower employees to sustain their work area

So take a look at your office, meeting room, production or work area and ask yourself if it is an environment you are proud to work in. If the answer is "no" then maybe it's time to think about implementing 5S.