subject: Change Takes Commitment [print this page] Who is in charge of making your organization run as efficient as possible? Is there anybody that is looking into making it run faster and smoother and more efficient? Maybe there is not anybody looking at those things. It has become a buzz word recently, but it is not anything new. Of course with the downturn and the slow recovery in just about every sector and quadrant of business and service and manufacturing over the past few years, men and women have started paying closer attention to these buzz words.
Companies and organizations that were already using these types of practices generally had an easier time getting through these downturns in the market and were more prepared to deal with the ups and downs that it brought. They were running without a bloated staff and so when things got slower, they werent burdened with all of the extra labor and payroll that was weighing down other companies.
For men and women that are still moving forward, that have survived these rough times, its not too late to look at these lean practices as a way of moving forward and positioning yourself and your business for the future. It takes some work, its not a simple fix that happens overnight and you cant just turn on a switch to make it happen. It takes hard work, good planning and a heck of a lot of dedication. But more than that, it takes a heck of a lot of discipline.
Discipline to get the changes written out, discipline to implement the changes, but most of all, discipline to keep those changes engaged and working when they are tough to do. It is a lot like breaking a habit on your own, learning to do things differently is not easy and to keep at it after some hardship is even harder. But is everybody knows the plan works the plan and understands why the plan was turned into the plan, and then everybody can keep their eye on the prize and see an end of the struggle.
But it takes good planning and great communication in order to share and convince everybody what is going on and why it's beneficial to the business but also beneficial to them. Once this is accomplished, half the battle is won and the real changes can begin. These need to be planned out and not just thrown together haphazardly. This is the hard part.
