Brilliant on the Basics

Don’t think that because you got so sophisticated and advanced in what you are paying attention to that the basics are not important anymore.

The other day I was in the dumpster – literally.

I can tell a lot about what they are thinking and doing by looking at what they are throwing away.  Good or new parts and materials?  Miscuts?  Crushable trash that should be in the compactor and not the dumpster?  And more.

I walked the shop facilities with the warehouse team talking about cleanliness, efficiency, materials, etc.  

When Rudy Guliani took over as mayor of New York City, crime was out of control.  They cracked down on petty crime and repainted over graffiti on Subway cars every night.  It sent a message.  You can’t just do whatever you want.  Murders and violent crime went down dramatically.

When you let the basics slip, it sends a message.  Nobody cares.  The group starts behaving that way and the problems get bigger and bigger – in the shop, in the field, and everywhere.  When you tell the team that a piece of paper on the bathroom floor is unacceptable, they understand something much bigger.  

If you deliver your message with the right touch, you are not making them feel bad or embarrassing anyone – you are setting a high standard, and people start to feel good about where they work and who they and everyone else around them are being.  Who we are as a team starts to mean something.  Pride and respect rise up and show up internally with each other and externally with customers.  

All kinds of things improve – productivity, performance, employee turnover, quality, etc.  

As a leader, do you talk about the basics?  Do you walk the talk?