Anyone who has tried to get things done in an organization has probably had two realizations. First: Everyone seems to have their own way of doing things, and Second: It would sure be nice if this happened the same way every time. It takes discipline to accomplish standardized and streamlined processes, but is this discipline really the most difficult part of creating streamlined processes?
Here are our key considerations from AJC’s recent Lunch and Learn describing how to communicate around the Return to Work (or delayed Return to Work) during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Have you ever worked with someone who always seems to have a reason for not completing their work? At first, you listen to their explanations, and they seem reasonable. However, when it happens multiple times every week, you start to become jaded and feel that everything they say is just an excuse. How does one tell the difference between the two?
Daily Standup meetings, also known as daily “Huddles,” are a tool for focusing a team on their work for the day. Standups, whether held in person or virtually, are designed to be short – hence the standing format. Typically, there are three questions, and they can be used for any team working for any desired result. These three questions align the team in three distinct and important ways (and yes, Daily Standups can be performed virtually – see the end of the article for tips).
The absence of an Agenda being driven by a meeting Leader can often lead to feelings of time, and money, being wasted for everyone in the meeting. Agendas help ensure that the participants provide value to the organization in the time they are spend together, which will help the participants feel like their time is being used in a valuable way.
When it comes to facilitating, many people think that you’re either good at it, or you’re not. To us at AJC, that type of thinking is not growth oriented, as we believe that human beings can improve in any area. We also think there are some basic principles that provide structure to most processes – facilitation included. Here are our Basic Facilitation Principles: 1. Encourage all to participate
We have all heard a variation on the justification to *not* undertake certain tasks that runs something like: “but we don’t have anyone who has time to do that.” Many organizations prioritize their work based on who is capable and available to do it. Using a resource-based prioritization model, however, is a dis-service to your organization. We recommend an Economic-Based Prioritization Model.
“Big Data” has become a buzz phrase today. How can companies use the volumes of data to that they have to make data-driven decisions? Here are three concrete steps we recommend to get started using data to make decisions.
It should be noted that the first step in Improvement is to admit that you have things to improve! Once you think you can improve, in order to actually improve, you have to do something. After you do something, you can assess the results and realize you can improve again! In other words, focusing on improvement is a beautiful virtuous cycle.
As companies grow, they always have some system they use, whether they are moving past true startup with spreadsheets and basic accounting (i.e. Excel and Quickbooks), have a legacy system that they have outgrown, or may not be in the cloud. Similarly, leaders in these companies often recognize that they need to upgrade their systems, but are unsure about the leading indicators for doing so, knowing when to start, and how best to go about selecting the right system for them.
