That is my go-to question during coffee chats. I’m not a psychologist, but I think that the most important thing in life is to know yourself. When the question is inevitably returned to me, I realized that I would naturally talk about one of these principles. Occasionally they find good use in the workplace.
Be hard on the problem, not on the person
Organizations bring people together to solve problems. It is natural to spark conflict as they bring their unique perspectives to the table. This diversity of thought is what ultimately leads to the strongest solutions. People show up to with the shared goal to tackle problems to the best of their abilities. Direct the focus onto the issue at hand. This keeps the conversation productive and fosters an environment where people feel comfortable finding solutions.
Align on outcomes and everything will fall in place
Outcomes ensure that every decision and action is aligned to deliver value. When teams focus on outcomes, they foster a culture of innovation and flexibility, where solutions can evolve and adapt as needed. Outcomes help avoid the irrational desire to own the solution instead of the problem. When teams find themselves without a path forward, bring it back to the outcomes.
If you’re doing it everyday, you might as well get good at it
Strive to getting 1 percent better every day. Easier said than done. People live by their systems and it is hard to break out of routine. The trick is to look the things that have to do again and again. Sometimes a gentle nudge and an obvious statement is helpful to create motivation. If you cook everyday, you can experiment for better taste or faster preparation.
Processes exist even when you say they don’t
Being agile and lean does not imply that rules do not exist. Quite the contrary. Each team are accountable to set of tasks that results in the delivery of value. Performant teams understand why, what, and how, they deliver, and its importance to the greater organization as whole. Creating great products is team sport.
Bedsheets can only go in wrong once
There are situations where it is faster to iterate towards a fix. Overthinking leads to waste. The best work cultures embrace agility by having a high tolerance for failure. Recognize those situations to take immediate action where possible. Bedsheets are longer than they are wide; or vice versa. More time will be spent searching for the correct orientation than putting them in.