I was working with a client recently that were like so many other businesses that I support.
They were:
- Stuck with their on time delivery improvement progress.
- Knew the outcome they wanted.
- Were unsure of the method to move forward.
I reviewed their ideas and made some suggestions but was quickly met with a concern they had.
Tricky characters
Some of their staff members were ‘tricky characters’. They resisted change and attempted to throw obstacles in front of any changes they had previously made.
This, for obvious reasons, was putting off the senior managers from starting the new improvements.
They were sick of their customers complaining about late deliveries, but the hassle they were expecting from their internal team members meant that they were procrastinating.
A small phrase
We added one small phrase to the end of the document that outlined the several changes that were planned:
“This, or something better.”
We added an invitation to the end of the on time delivery improvement notes. If the prickly members of the team didn’t like what was being proposed, then they have the immediate invitation to help us do something better. If they knew it.
Now we all know that management instruction should be enough, but reality tells us something different.
And we all know that we should push on if we know that what we are doing is right. But, when more difficult members of the team chip in with their comments, remarks and observations, it can knock you off course.
This one small phrase can change the position of the conversation nicely.
A fork in the road
The staff that the senior management team were expecting to be difficult didn’t say much after the delivery improvements ‘game plan’ document was shared. The wind had been taken out of their sails by this one addition.
I’m pleased to report that instead of sailing into more customer complaints, the team I was working with made some notable improvements to their on time delivery performance. They’re still on their journey but they are making good progress.
Is this just for on time delivery?
No. This small addition works for pretty much any kind of continuous improvement challenge with staff that are not always onboard with change.
If you are finding yourself stuck with your colleagues, because they attempt to derail your plans, try adding the same phrase to your presentations, discussions and documents.
This, or something better!
