by Shawn | Jul 5, 2021 | Podcast
We’ll rejoin our ABC’s of Engineering Your Business Tomorrow, but I wanted to just take a few minutes as we finish out our 4th of July weekend here in the U.S. to say how much I appreciate the freedoms we have here and those that have sacrificed to give them to us.
It was a beautiful weekend here in Cleveland and everywhere the last few days you could see red, white and blue, parades, cookouts, fireworks, gatherings and people enjoying themselves.
It just reminded me that freedom is such a funny thing. The longer it’s been since you weren’t free (or if you never known a time that you weren’t free), it’s hard to really grasp and appreciate the feeling of being free.
For an inmate who finally smells the air outside of a prison he has spent the last ten years in, he feels it.
For those who have been freed of a debt that was owed, they feel it.
For those who have to come America to escape oppression in their own country, they feel it.
I realize too that there are still those for whom freedom still feels out of reach in one way or another.
We need to collectively work to not only fight for the freedoms we personally enjoy but also for those that still are fighting for their own freedoms.
I hope you were able to enjoy some of what makes the 4th of July special here in the States and that we can collectively honor all who have gone before us who have paved the way to buy those freedoms by continuing to recognize and fight for them today.
Join back in tomorrow as we dig into the topic of Decisions and how decision fatigue can be such a drain on your team and their efficiency. Catch you tomorrow.
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.
by Shawn | Jul 2, 2021 | Podcast
We’re taking a break from our ABCs of EYB series today to do another Ode to the Office.
If you’ve ever been involved with automating anything, especially anything physical like a machine or process, then this one is for you. I tried to shed some light on both the dream of automating and the reality of automating.
For those who haven’t walked this road, the dream of automation is a machine or self-contained process that will magically drop in, do everything 10x faster with 10x better quality and save the day.
The reality is that, yes, that can be true at times, but it will also bring with it it’s own set of issues to deal with as everything is worked out. It just happens. As long as everyone knows that, then it can be a wonderful thing.
Now, I give you Ode to Automation
Ode to Automation
Robots, conveyors, sensors and more
Are all there assembled right there on your floor
You’ve waited for months for this day to arrive
And now all that you’ve dreamed of is coming to life
You plug in the cord and you push the start button
And then, hmmm, scratch your head as the thing just does nothin’
Puzzled, your team tries to find out the problem
Your hopes that were high quickly sink to the bottom
Then all of a sudden it begins to start moving
Your team’s whole morale is now quickly improving
The grippers and slides are now doing their thing
As the servos and cameras are all in full swing
You smile as you look at this sweet automation
Tomorrow you plan to take your long vacation
But just as your mind is almost to the beach
You hear a loud whoomp and a thunk and a screech
“That didn’t sound good”, you hear somebody mutter
“It was running so well, like a knife through some butter”
But welcome to life now with your new machine…
Either scratching your head or then living the dream
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.
![075: C is for Curiosity [ABC’s of EYB]](https://shawnwashburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/075-c-is-for-curiosity-abc-s-of-eyb_thumbnail.png)
by Shawn | Jul 1, 2021 | Podcast
So far, we’ve covered the importance of providing your people Access to what they need and the value of aiming for Better in your organization in incremental ways and how that can often succeed when other things fail.
For all of my fellow fans of the TV show The Office, it took everything I had to not want to title this “C is for suspension”. If you aren’t familiar with the show, just ignore that. But if you are, I’m sure you can see Kevin saying that. Anyway…
Today, with the letter C we’re going to talk about one of my favorite topics: Curiosity.
I’ve always loved the power of Curiosity and the impact it can make on the world around those who are curious.
As skill sets go, being naturally curious is up there because it flows out into so many aspects of business.
And it doesn’t cost anything to learn to be more curious. Just learn to ask more and better questions, to dig deeper, to wonder more about the world and how it works, etc.
When your team members are curious, they will give the extra effort to try to solve problems on their own. They will lift up the rocks in your organization and look underneath them, pull back the curtains and see the inner workings.
Curious people see things that others don’t… simply because they are looking. They are ALWAYS looking.
Their eyes catch the details. They notice why the website is buggy, why the parts aren’t coming out right, why the customer isn’t responding to that email.
They aren’t OK with answers like “that’s how we’ve always done it”, “that’s just what the procedure says” and “that’s not an option”.
They ask the question that we grew up asking: Why.
And they ask it early and often. Why is their constant companion. They need to know the background, collect all the data, talk to all the people.
Curious people may step on toes, ruffle feathers and stir the pot. But it’s usually because they are growth-minded and want to make things better.
Want to help your organization thrive?
Hire naturally curious people. Encourage and empower the people you have to be curious. And learn to be more curious yourself. When people are around others who are more curious, it will often rub off on them. Sometimes they just need someone to model what curious thinking and questions look like.
Well, I could talk about curiosity for hours… but I won’t.
Tomorrow we jump into another great topic in our ABC’s of Engineering Your Business.
Curious? Stop back tomorrow to find out more.
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.
![074: B is for Better [ABC’s of EYB]](https://shawnwashburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/074-b-is-for-better-abc-s-of-eyb_thumbnail.png)
by Shawn | Jun 30, 2021 | Podcast
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.
![073: A is for Access [ABC’s of EYB]](https://shawnwashburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/073-a-is-for-access-abc-s-of-eyb_thumbnail.png)
by Shawn | Jun 29, 2021 | Podcast
Today, we’re kicking off our ABCs of Engineering Your Business with A is for Access.
There are few things as frustrating as not having access to the tools, people, resources or knowledge needed to accomplish a task.
And yet, often, we put barriers in place to this access without even knowing it.
They may not be permanent barriers, but they can be barriers that will cost time and momentum for sure.
The most common barrier is more one of omission. It’s not making the actual connection to the resource.
It’s telling Susan to see Tom for more info about the project but making her try to figure out who Tom is or the best way to contact him or what his background is, etc.
As well, when we’re talking about access to people, when we can make the personal introduction ourselves, in person or electronically to connect our team member with the resource, we’ve not only saved them time but we’ve jump started their own connection and conversation. Our people don’t have to be intimated or feel like they are imposing on someone who is already really busy.
We have the power to cut that off at the start and give them the confidence and authority to reach out for the info or help they need.
I’ve seen this done poorly, where the person with the task is left just kind of lost out there on their own. And I’ve also seen it done well, where the one making the connection walks the other all the way to the resource, introduces them, tells each about each other and really makes a huge impact there.
Another way we block access is by not showing our people exactly how to get to the file or the software that they need. “You can find it on the network drive” is not a great help and can lead to them either searching all over, or worse, finding an outdated file to use by accident. Give them links or walk them through on a Zoom call.
So, there’s access to people and access to files and information.
One final crucial access that we need to give our people is access to us. With the understanding that we expect them to do all that they can do on their own first. But if they have questions and have already done their research, they can know that we are there to help guide them if need be.
Having that confidence will help them a ton if they get stuck or feel that there was something missing. If they can know that they don’t have to feel bad running something by you and that you’re receptive, you will only help them accomplish their task or finish their project more efficiently.
Give them the access they need.
Check back in tomorrow as we turn our eyes to “B is for
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.
