Welcome to the end of my series on Deming's 14 points. It has been a fun couple weeks writing these up, some I have certainly done better than others. I guess not every day is a winner. I'm pleased with the visit count, considering i haven't been at this blog for even six weeks. I did some podcasting lat year and enjoyed writing and recording those...and I don't mind not doing it anymore. Thanks for the reads, I howp this last installment is useful to you.
Top Management Commitment & Action
What is important to the boss happens, everything else fails. I have lived and died with this statement. As a leader I have watched my projects die because "people don't care about this, why don't people care about this?". Before I realized my attention and energy was necessary for my team to be interested and focused. As soon as I understood the necessity of leadership, my projects went much better.
Leadership won't get anywhere showing commitment without good communication. Presence, reinforcement, and engagement have to be my favorite methods of tackling this challenge. Now, as this is the final point, everything we have gone over up to now is on the table. I'm going to assume it is done or in process for the purpose of my writing.
- Presence: Be seen, lead meetings, help people with their tasks, especially with improvement functions.
- Reinforcement: speak the mission/vision/quality policy, in meetings ensure questions are asked about how the work supports the mission (when applicable of course), support improvement ideas.
- Engagement: When you're being present, ask some why's. Ask people how they are . Ask what sucks. Ask what doesn't.
Those three, very roughly summarized are inexhaustible mechanisms for management commitment. Every leader at every level of the organization should be doing this.
At the center of all 14 points is the willingness to commit to delighting the customer. This means old ideas, if they will interfere, must go. Leadership has to help transitioning when needed. They must be able to deal with problems and support solutions, even when they mean process change is necessary.
Point 14 & Start. Somewhere.
Start. Somewhere. will fail without leadership commitment and action. Period. The structures included are reliant on 100% commitment from leadership. The templates and guides are simple enough. This is where I mention how it is critical we have a consensus during a consultation. We have to be the right fit, or I'm not going to waste your time. A huge component of this fit is leadership commitment. The willingness to make it work and make it better for your people and you.
If you'd like to learn more about my programs follow the Start button up top, or schedule a free consultation via the link on the bottom. I love to meet new people and learn about their problems. What are you waiting for?
