Yesterday we started our new series talking about how important it is to give your people Access to the information, tools and people that they need to complete their task or project.

Today, we’re going to talk about Better

In the manufacturing world there is a concept known as Continuous Improvement. It is often tied to a Japanese word that means the same called kaizen.

I like the concept because it is easy to apply.

Should you have goals? Yes.

Should you set the bar high? Sure.

Will unforseen events come along that will try to highjack your progress? You bet.

And that’s where a lot of projects come to a halt or just end prematurely. Because it’s clear that the goal can’t be achieved and we should cut our losses or there’s a manpower issue or something else has taken priority.

But today isn’t about perfect. Today is about Better.

How can you make that process better today? How can you improve that workspace today?

How can you level-up your customer experience today?

How can you value your people a little more today?

Better looks at incremental change that can build over time. Kind of like interest.

Goals are still good and should be set.

But when everything goes downhill, better is still there and reachable.

And if you can build a culture that knows the value of better, you and your team will begin to look at things differently.

You’ll see opportunities to improve that you didn’t think would make a difference before. Because you’re not looking for perfect. You’re looking for better.

If you have kids, you understand that they change slowly over time. You see them a lot and you may not notice those changes. But when their aunt Helen comes by and hasn’t seen them for months, she just can’t believe how much they’ve grown.

And it’ll be the same when aunt Helen visits your business if you begin to make those incremental changes along the way.

Make aunt Helen proud and begin to establish a culture that values better and continuous improvement. You’ll be glad you did… and hopefully aunt Helen won’t pinch your cheeks this time.

If you’ve been enjoying the podcast and haven’t left an Apple Podcasts or iTunes review, I’d love it you’d take a minute to do that. You can head to shawnwashburn.com/apple to take you right there. Thanks for spending some time today to help you and your business thrive.