3 Ways to Practice Continuous Improvement – Part 1

I’m a big fan of “continuous improvement.” Often called “Kaizen” for its roots in Japan, continuous improvement is a business approach in which you constantly look for incremental ways to enhance your efforts. Lots of leaders and companies are exploring this style of leadership and I thought it would be good to talk about three ways you can give it a try.

Rather than create a story or a metaphor, I’m going to tell you three ways I used continuous improvement a few weeks ago in regards to the Chick-fil-A Leadercast event. These are three tangible, honest-to-goodness ways that I approached that exciting experience with a bent toward incorporating continuous improvement.

The reason I did is simple, we want the event to be the best it possibly can. This was our first year being so heavily involved and I wanted to make the most of the experience. With that in mind, I did three things, the first of which I will tell you about today:

1. Look at the event or activity with multiple sets of expectations.
Anyone sitting in the crowd would have perhaps found what I was doing during the event a little strange. Instead of just jotting down a few notes here and there, I was scribbling furiously. Nothing escaped my attention as speaker upon speaker walked the stage at the Georgia World Congress Center.

I’ve long been a believer in the concept that things that get written down get remembered, but this set of notes was a little different. Instead of just one long list of observations, I broke my thoughts down into two categories. The first category was written from the perspective of an attendee. I wrote down ideas from Ben Carson. I wrote down words from former Colts coach Tony Dungy. I actively participated in the event as if I were not Dan Cathy.

The second category of notes was written through the lens of an event planner. I jotted down thoughts about our transitions between speakers. Was there enough music? Was there too much music? I wrote down ideas about the amount of videos we showed and how much I liked the guys in tuxedos and bright red shoes. I made observations about the crowd’s energy level and the length of the breaks. I took in everything I possibly could.

Why did I keep two sets of notes? Because otherwise, I’d only see part of the picture. The temptation is to just keep my “Dan Cathy Chick-fil-A” glasses on and miss what an attendee is really experiencing. On the other hand, if I only think about things as a participant, I’d miss the lessons that a Chick-fil-A employee could take away from the event.

Chances are, you’ve got a project or a meeting or an event coming up where you need to take notes. More than likely, you’ve got something in your company or home that could benefit from a little “continuous improvement.” In addition to checking out the countless resources about this subject that exist online, I encourage you to look at the opportunity from more than just one angle. I promise, you’ll be surprised by what you can see.

Coming Soon Part 2: Understand that immediate is immediately important.

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