Improvement processes needed for delivering continuous improvement and transformation programs

Introduction

You may have multiple Continuous Improvement and Transformation programs running, with a 100 or a 1000+ initiatives running at different speeds, with widely varying objectives, in different areas of the business. How do you tie all this together and ensure successful completion and delivery of the promised results ?

It’s a common issue faced by all organizations hoping to deliver improvement and it often lands at the door of the Improvement team to fix…

Here’s a critical list of the processes that you need when running your improvement programs:

1. Organisation wide idea generation/ contribution & prioritization

2. Well defined and consistent stage gating process

3. Effective implementation planning

4. Detailed target setting to drive improvement at pace

5. Accurate, timely progress tracking and reporting

6. Structured progress reviews driving execution at pace

7. Sustained improvement

Let’s run through them in detail – essentially in order of program lifecycle starting with generating the initial improvement ideas all the way through to delivering sustainable results.

1. Organisation wide idea generation/contribution/prioritisation

Does your organization give everyone the capability to contribute improvement ideas ?

Without being able to contribute ideas, employees feel unable to improve their working conditions or the business – their ideas are not listened or acted on.

What you want and need is an idea contribution system available to everyone and feedback to employees is systematically provided.

Ideas should be seen as a valuable asset, shared and replicated across the organization and the database easily searched.

The Improvement team should be treasuring this stockpile of improvement ideas as a key starting point of any Improvement program.

2. Well defined and consistent stage gating process

Is your stage gating process working well ?

In the early stages of an initiative, is it clear if the initiative has actually been agreed on and who the owner is ? in the later stages of an initiative is it widely known if it’s been successfully completed or is the initiative in a zombie undead state (i.e., included on reports but no-one working on it!) 

Poor stage gating results in the organization working on ideas/initiatives that are low priority. Precious resources are being consumed on private ‘projects’ with no transparency on how many resources are being allocated and what the business benefits will be.

Ideally, stage gating is used consistently for all initiatives across the whole organisation.

Once you have an agreed stage gating process across the entire organization, then benefits quickly follow:

• The exact status of all initiatives is known at all times and progress reporting can reflect this

• The right stakeholders are consulted prior to each stage

• Resources only work on agreed priorities

You’ll finally heave a sigh of relief at managing to get some control back into your improvement system…

3. Effective implementation planning

Is your implementation planning setting up each initiative for success ?

‘Poor planning results in poor performance’ with the initiative being late on delivery and not delivering the expected impact.

If you recognise any of the following traits in your implementation planning – then you’re likely seeing poor performance as a result.

• Limited time given to implementation planning

• Implementation plan not reviewed as part of stage gating process

• Implementation plan often incomplete - current situation, expected future state, measures of success (process / impact KPI) not explicitly defined

• Work plan not fully defined or unrealistic and missing What/Who/When

• Major implementation risks and potential mitigating actions are not considered

Once you have control of the stage gating process, you can then instill the right requirements for a good implementation plan.

So, ideally, make sure you have control of your stage gating process before you try to get your implementation planning process working well.

4. Detailed target setting to drive improvement at pace

How does your organization treat improvement targets? Do you have them? Are they used? Are they realistic?

At the outset of your improvement program, you should be thinking about what target you’re trying to achieve. These targets need to align with your strategic objectives for the next 1-3 years (a result of your business planning processes) and used as a guide (a ‘North star’) to determine if the improvement program is ultimately on track.

All your reports, charts and dashboards should reflect progress against the targets enabling everyone reviewing progress to have some context on progress and to understand if progress is ‘good’ (ahead of target) or ‘bad’ (behind target).

To drive improvement pace, these targets should also be time-bound; targets should be phrased in terms of ‘target x needs to be reached by date y’.

Good target setting involves some element of ‘stretch’. In other words, the target is doable but will require significant effort – it’s not a ‘gimme’.

Lastly, targets should be both top down at the outset of the program during the diagnostic and bottom-up once the detail of the initiatives is known.

5. Accurate, timely progress tracking and reporting

Can you instantly and accurately report on your progress against targets ?

• Does your organization have a ‘single source of truth’? Some organizations have a single spreadsheet – so that would be a yes on this basis – but a big fail on the following two challenges

• Can everyone easily access this reporting in a timely manner? Is reporting transparent? Can you split out results by area?

• Is the reporting visual and simple to understand? Are progress issues easily identified? Is it obvious if the initiative or area is behind target either in terms of impact or time?

If you don’t have good stage gating, implementation planning and target setting processes working – then good progress tracking and reporting will be challenging …

6. Structured progress reviews driving execution at pace

Do you have effective progress reviews?

To drive execution at pace, you need to maintain structured progress reviews at all levels on a regular basis with strong involvement from senior management.

If you’re not reviewing progress in a structured regular manner, then you’re not providing the guidance needed with the likely outcomes of:

• Implementation issues not systematically escalated or resolved; no cross-functional support

  provided…

• …leading to change happening slowly

Progress reviews should be regular, effective and well structured:

• Progress against expected outcomes (targets, plans, impact, KPIs, risks) should be reviewed

  and deviations understood

• Escalated issues need to be resolved and help provided when requested

• Priorities/direction should be provided as needed

Naturally, good reporting and target setting processes need to be in place for the progress reviews to work.

7. Process to lock-in and sustain improvement

Are you able to secure your initial impact or does your early success fade away?

The final ‘lock-in’ gate in the initiative life cycle should lock-in the delivered improvement. Unfortunately, most organizations get this process wrong - you need to ensure that the process or behaviour sticks – otherwise, any initial success fades away as old processes or behaviours resurface.

What can you do to prevent losing the benefit (and the entire point of the improvement program)?

Two suggested key sustainability strategies:

• Ensure that your initiative lock-in process checks if sustainability steps have been completed and KPI results are consistently delivering

• Ensure that process confirmations actually happen post lock-in

Your stage gating process needs to working well to have any chance at successfully implementing these sustainability strategies.

Conclusion

In summary, once you have all these improvement processes under control, your organization should be able to manage and deliver both Continuous Improvement and Transformations like the well-oiled machine it should be – smoothly, efficiently and effectively!

If you want to find out how you could instantly have an improvement system that includes all the best features of idea generation and can also help you plan, implement and sustain improvement then read more about Lypta’s improvement app.

Author: Mark Bowman – CEO | Founder Lypta

mark.bowman@lypta.com

Mark has deep experience supporting organisations implement both Continuous Improvement and major Transformations.

Lypta is proudly partnering with Yuwan Consulting

Engaging embedded capabilities. Enabling an owner mindset through the Kumul approach in PNG

Wantok: Wok Bung Wantaim (Colleagues: Working Together)

The Objective To foster a culture of trust, proactiveness, and ownership among frontline workers and middle managers, thereby lifting overall site performance and operational efficiency by 30%.

The Challenge The mining industry in Australasia faces numerous challenges, including fluctuating global market demand, volatile commodity prices, and ageing infrastructure. Companies must focus on sustainable and resilient operational practices to remain competitive in the long term and uphold a social licence to operate.

A mining operation in the region was grappling with serious performance issues at a major gold mine, threatening immediate productivity and future growth. Chronic leadership turnover, declining productivity, and a breakdown in trust and morale among frontline workers highlighted the urgent need for transformative change.  The site's culture also showed uneasy relationships between expats and national and local staff.

Previous top-down initiatives had failed to deliver lasting improvements, mainly due to the high turnover of leadership. Productivity had fallen to a point where the site generated less than USD $20 million in free cash flow annually despite operational spending exceeding $1 billion. Targets were routinely missed, and a culture of excuses replaced accountability. This entrenched acceptance of poor performance and diminished trust demanded a fundamental cultural shift to enable meaningful and sustainable progress.

The Approach To address these challenges, the Kumul Approach was developed and implemented. This program leveraged insights from frontline leaders, who synthesised the best practices of multiple consultants into an actionable strategy tailored and trialled in several countries for real-world challenges. The program emphasised deep engagement, inclusivity, and empowerment across all levels of the workforce.

The approach was developed, in the main, by mining professionals from the world’s largest mining contractor and some who had been through previous programs in Africa and saw the benefit of this approach.  We were all coaches there to work with our client, not consult.  The coaches came from Indonesia, Australia, South Africa, Croatia, and Portugal. They included people who had been Mining General Managers, Mining Company Directors, Senior Mine Planners, Drill & Blast Managers, Mining Operations Managers, Mining Superintendents, Training Managers, and mining consultants who all brought their areas of expertise but, even more importantly, their passion to develop other people to be successful.

Core Elements of the Kumul Approach:

Frontline Focus Groups: Focus Groups were a cornerstone of the Kumul Approach, ensuring every worker felt engaged and valued. These sessions included:

• Introduction to the Operation: Providing a clear overview of the site’s processes and systems.

• Bonus Systems: Explaining how workers could maximise bonuses through improved performance and teamwork.

• Operation Value Chain: Offering a step-by-step understanding of the value chain and how each role contributes to the site’s success.

• Key Drivers and Metrics: Educating workers on critical operational drivers and metrics influencing performance outcomes.

• Operational Observation: Facilitating opportunities for workers to identify what is running well and what can be improved.

• Ideas Register: Encouraging workers to propose improvements, which were recorded and actioned through the Ideas Register, promoting a culture of continuous improvement.

Management Operating System: A structured system was developed to align operations, starting with hourly Short Interval Control and extending to Life of Mine Planning. An emphasis on Weekly/Daily routines ensures operational alignment and productivity.

Frontline Leadership Development: A robust training framework was created to empower frontline leaders with essential tools and techniques, including:

• Planning the Day: Understanding the daily plan and targets and structuring daily activities and resources for optimal efficiency.

• Preparing for the Day: Ensuring readiness regarding resources, personnel, and systems.

• Area Inspections: Conducting proactive checks to ensure readiness and safety.

• Effective Shift Starts: Setting clear expectations and goals for the shift.

• Hourly Short Interval Control: Monitoring progress and addressing deviations in real-time.

• Observation and Improvement Identification: Regularly observing operations to identify and implement opportunities for enhancement.

Development of Systems and Processes: Frameworks and tools were implemented to maximise utilisation and productivity, ensuring alignment between operational activities and long-term business goals.

Tools To support the implementation, the following tools were integral:

• Leadership Development Training: Equipping front-line and middle managers with the tools to practice visible felt leadership, fostering trust and inclusion.

• Smart Cards (Save Kad): Each participant in the leadership development program received a set of Smart Cards (Save Kad) that provided the frameworks and the tools required for their daily routines.  They formed a practical guide containing frameworks, formats, and step-by-step instructions to enable leaders and workers to use systems effectively.

• In-Field Coaching: Combining Focus Groups, leadership Training, and ongoing coaching to reinforce core values and develop skills.

The Impact The Kumul Approach delivered measurable operational and cultural improvements:

• Ex-Pit Material Movement Performance: A 40% increase in performance.

• Resilience: Recovery time from significant rain events was reduced from 2–3 days to less than 8 hours.

• Spatial Planning Compliance: Improved from 55% to 76%.

• Reduced moving vehicle incidents.

• More consistent production profiles.

Cultural Benefits: Beyond operational metrics, the program fostered a deeper sense of trust, collaboration, and inclusivity across the workforce. Focus Groups created opportunities for operators, maintainers, cleaners, barge operators, engineers, and cooks to engage in honest conversations, build connections, and understand each other’s challenges. These relationships often extended beyond the sessions, strengthening team dynamics and fostering a supportive community.

Additionally, the initiative created a more engaged workforce with a clear understanding of how each role contributed to the mining process. Supervisors were empowered to respond proactively to challenges, and the workforce embraced a shared responsibility for success. This comprehensive, bottom-up approach enhanced immediate performance and established a resilient foundation for sustained productivity and long-term success in a highly competitive and challenging environment.

A Workplace in Need of Mindfulness: Recognising the Signs and Taking Action

Stress in the workplace does not remain hidden—it manifests in behaviours, culture, and performance metrics. Employees often feel overwhelmed, fatigued, or irritable, early indicators of burnout that disrupt their daily routines. Productivity suffers as tasks take longer, errors become more frequent, and priorities feel unmanageable. Emotional resilience diminishes, leading to frustration, impatience, and withdrawal from interactions, which damages relationships and lowers morale.

At an organisational level, these issues reveal themselves through high absenteeism and turnover rates. Employees take frequent sick leave, often for mental health concerns, or leave entirely, seeking less demanding environments. Engagement drops as employees withdraw from team activities and lose enthusiasm for contributing ideas or taking initiative. Miscommunication becomes widespread, creating friction between departments and exacerbating frustrations over unclear expectations and inadequate support. Resistance to change grows, with employees approaching new initiatives or leadership shifts with anxiety and scepticism.

Performance metrics highlight the scale of these challenges. Missed deadlines, declining output, and reduced work quality indicate stress’s impact on productivity. Rising healthcare costs tied to stress-related illnesses underscore the toll on employee well-being. At the same time, workplace surveys reveal low satisfaction levels and a reluctance among employees to recommend their organisation. Customer complaints and errors increase, reflecting internal strain. Cultural issues further compound these problems. Teams work in silos, collaboration dwindles, and meetings lack direction or purpose. A workplace culture that glorifies busyness over balance exacerbates the situation, and poor feedback systems leave employees feeling undervalued and unsupported.

These patterns signal an urgent need for workplace mindfulness. Beyond addressing symptoms of stress, mindfulness fosters focus, emotional resilience, and collaboration, creating environments where people and organisations thrive.

Mindfulness Delivers Measurable Results

The benefits of workplace mindfulness are not just theoretical; data shows the benefits. Studies show that mindful workplaces experience a 37% reduction in absenteeism and a 28% decrease in stress-related issues. Productivity rises by up to 20%, and engagement increases by as much as 46%. Financially, mindfulness programs offer significant returns, delivering a 2:1 to 3:1 return on investment, thanks to reduced healthcare costs and higher employee retention.

The Workplace Stress Risk Matrix

Stress is a natural part of work, but it can lead to burnout, disengagement, and reduced performance when left unchecked. Managing stress effectively requires understanding its probability and the organisation's or individual’s coping ability. A Workplace Stress Risk Matrix provides a helpful framework for addressing these dynamics. Traditionally, risk matrices evaluate the likelihood and severity of an event. In this context, the matrix focuses on the probability of workplace stress and the ability to cope with it. While some stress can motivate employees to perform at their best, it should stem from meaningful work, not poorly managed processes or unclear expectations. Mapping stress scenarios across these two axes allows organisations to target interventions effectively.

High-probability stress and low coping ability represent the most critical scenario, often caused by tight deadlines, multitasking, and unclear expectations. In such cases, employees lack the tools to manage frequent stressors, leading to chronic stress and burnout. When stress is frequent but coping mechanisms are strong, workplaces can embrace challenges as opportunities for growth. This is common in high-performing environments where stress management is prioritised. On the other hand, workplaces with low-stress probability but poor coping ability may struggle when crises arise, such as market downturns or leadership changes. Conversely, the ideal workplace has low-stress probability and high coping ability, supported by strong systems and a culture of well-being.

Addressing Stress with Mindfulness

The probability of stress often depends on workplace structures and systems. Team leaders play a vital role in fostering a culture, tools, and processes that reduce unnecessary stressors. Mindful teams communicate with clarity and empathy, reducing misunderstandings and resolving conflicts. Structured workflows and regular check-ins help teams prioritise effectively and work with focus and purpose. In such an environment, resilience becomes a collective strength.

Individuals most acutely feel the impact of stress. Mindfulness equips employees with tools to manage pressures effectively, helping them approach tasks clearly and confidently. Practices such as focused breathing, emotional regulation, and reflective journaling build resilience and empower employees to respond thoughtfully to challenges. The ripple effects of mindfulness extend beyond work, improving physical health, sleep quality, and overall well-being.

Creating a Culture of Calm and Focus

Reducing workplace stress requires consistent, intentional actions. Organisations can adopt mindfulness practices, such as structured weekly schedules, visible task priorities, and meetings with clear outcomes. Team mindfulness protocols should enable individual mindfulness strategies, allowing employees to navigate their roles with purpose and ease. Encouraging regular breaks, offering quiet spaces for reflection, and fostering open communication can transform workplace culture.

Mindfulness is not just a tool for managing stress but a philosophy for creating thriving workplaces. By addressing the root causes of stress and fostering a culture of connection, calm, and purpose, organisations unlock the full potential of their teams and individuals. This approach alleviates challenges and lays the foundation for long-term success and flourishing.

Workplace Mindfulness

Workplace Mindfulness: Building Individual and Team-Based Standards for Success

In today’s high-pressure work environments, mindfulness has proven to be a powerful tool for enhancing focus, reducing stress, and creating a more collaborative, supportive workplace culture. Mindfulness is not just about personal wellness—it can be embedded into the very fabric of a team’s daily operations. When organisations adopt both individual and team-based mindfulness standards, they create a resilient, productive, and engaged workforce. Here’s how these standards can be implemented and the benefits they bring.

Individual Mindful Work Standards

Individual mindfulness practices empower employees to approach their work with focus, intention, and balance. The key elements to individual mindfulness are: being present in the now, not judging, and focus.  Here are a few practical standards employees can integrate into their day:

• Mindful Minute: Taking a one-minute pause every hour or before important presentations and events can reset the mind, reduce stress, and increase overall productivity. This practice encourages employees to step back, breathe, and return to their tasks with clarity and renewed energy.

• Mindful Schedule: By structuring the workday mindfully, employees can prioritise tasks based on peak focus times. Setting aside dedicated blocks for deep work and limiting multitasking can improve productivity and reduce mental fatigue.

• Mindful Emails: Approaching emails with mindfulness reduces impulsive responses and promotes clear, concise communication. Setting times to respond to emails and taking a moment before responding allows employees to read and process information thoughtfully, which enhances collaboration and reduces misunderstandings.

• Mindful Sleep: Prioritising quality sleep is foundational to cognitive performance and emotional resilience. Encouraging mindful sleep routines—such as disconnecting from devices before bedtime—can enhance employees’ energy, focus, and overall well-being.

• Mindful Travel: For those who travel for work, being mindful during commutes or business trips can reduce stress. Practices like deep breathing, listening to calming music, or practicing gratitude can make travel less taxing and promote mental balance.

• Mindful Work Environment: Creating a workspace that is organised and free from distractions supports focused, efficient work. Mindful work environments can also include tools like noise-cancelling headphones or natural light adjustments to enhance focus and reduce stress.

Team Mindful Work Standards

In addition to individual practices, team-based mindfulness standards foster cohesion and create a respectful, supportive work culture. Teams that implement these standards enjoy better collaboration and improved productivity:

• Setting and Agreeing Mindful Work Standards: Establishing shared mindfulness practices across the team sets clear expectations and creates a foundation of respect. These standards might include mutual agreements to limit interruptions or setting “quiet hours” for focused work.  These agreements may include a commitment to not interrupt others when they are displaying their “I am focussing” signs such as headphones or “do not disturb” signs.

• Mindful Meetings: Meetings often consume a significant portion of work hours, so bringing mindfulness into this space is essential. Mindful meetings involve setting clear agendas through such tools as 5Ps, practicing active listening, and encouraging full presence from each team member. Short, focused meetings improve engagement and reduce mental fatigue.

• Mindful Team Schedules: Coordinating schedules mindfully ensures that everyone has sufficient time for deep work without unnecessary disruptions. Team members can agree on blocks of time for collaborative work and blocks for individual focus, optimising productivity for the whole group and enables the Team to set their own schedules.  Setting aside blocks of time for thinking time enhances productivity and creativity of members.  Also, setting aside time for breaks encourages the reset required after periods of focus.  Having a Team schedule also allows all team members to know when they can engage with other Team members without disturbing their focus.

• Mindful Priorities and Sequence: Prioritising tasks as a team and agreeing on the sequence of work allows everyone to stay aligned and focused. By understanding what’s most important, teams can avoid the pitfalls of reactive, last-minute work, which often leads to stress and diminished quality.

Building a Mindful Workplace Culture

Embedding mindfulness into individual and team practices doesn’t require a radical shift—just a commitment to small, sustainable changes. Encouraging mindful minutes, organising clear schedules, and supporting mindful meetings can have a transformative impact on workplace culture.

Workplace mindfulness helps employees approach their responsibilities with intention, reduces stress, and fosters greater collaboration. Adopting these standards, both individually and as a team, unlocks greater potential for success, well-being, and resilience. By embracing a mindful approach, organisations can empower their teams to thrive, not just in work, in all areas of life.

Marty McKowen is a lifelong meditator and certified yoga teacher who has run company Mindfulness programs and implemented Mindfulness based tools in the workplace.

Note: the picture is the logo of Yuwan Consulting and represents the bush yam with roots that grows beneath the surface that represents the systems and culture that is beneath surface of all organisations.

Who empowers in the workforce?

Empowering Leaders and Workers:

A Google search of “Workforce Empowerment” will give you thousands of articles, definitions, and keys to success.  It is a buzzword that, like other buzzwords, is overused and misunderstood.  One article states that empowerment is management granting workers the right to make decisions.  It is much more than this.

Empowering leaders and workers is essential in today’s dynamic business environment. True empowerment is not just about giving individuals autonomy; it’s about ensuring they have the systems and processes to identify and drive improvements. For empowerment to be sustainable, leaders must create an environment where individuals feel encouraged to contribute and have the tools to foster continuous growth.

Empowerment Requires Feeling Empowered

True empowerment goes beyond formal delegation of responsibility. Leaders must ensure that workers feel empowered—confident in their ability to make decisions and enact change. Without this, no amount of autonomy will lead to meaningful contributions. It’s essential that leaders build trust, recognise contributions, and provide ongoing support. When employees believe their actions matter, they are more likely to engage in opportunities for improvement.

The Expectation to Act

For empowerment to be successful in the workplace, it can't be just something that workers are allowed to do or are granted; it needs to be an expectation.   Leaders and workers are expected to identify opportunities for improvement and act on them continuously. This proactive responsibility is crucial for fostering a culture of innovation. Empowered employees look beyond their immediate tasks to find efficiencies and enhance processes. Leadership must clearly communicate that empowerment means more than performing well—actively seeking ways to improve.  This then requires leaders to be more facilitative in their leadership styles.  Asking questions of the front line about what can be improved and how is a crucial task of an effective, empowering leader.  The role of the leader continues to be making decisions; however, they don’t need to have all the answers.

Systems and Processes for Continuous Improvement

While autonomy is essential, it must be supported by systems that facilitate improvement. Feedback loops, continuous learning programs, and structured methodologies like lean management provide workers with the tools to evaluate their performance and make necessary adjustments. These systems ensure that workers are free to act and capable of making informed decisions that benefit the organisation.

Continuous improvement frameworks, such as Six Sigma or Agile methodologies, enable employees to systematically engage in problem-solving and efficiency efforts. By embedding these frameworks into daily operations, organisations promote a culture of ongoing development and problem resolution.

Culture of Collaboration and Learning

Empowerment also thrives on collaboration. Workers need platforms to share insights, collaborate across departments, and generate solutions collectively. This open communication fosters an environment where innovation flourishes and ideas can be refined and implemented effectively.

Training and professional development are equally important. Organisations should offer learning opportunities that encourage critical thinking and innovation. An empowered workforce feels capable of meeting their current responsibilities and continuously evolving their role.

Conclusion: The Path to Sustainable Empowerment

Empowering leaders and workers is a continuous process that requires a careful balance of autonomy, responsibility, and structured systems. Employees must feel empowered and be expected to contribute to the organisation’s improvement. Organisations can ensure that empowerment drives long-term success by fostering an environment of trust, collaboration, and continuous learning. To answer the question at the title, people are empowered by the systems and processes that support the value chain in which they operate. Everyone is already empowered however traditional hierarchical organisations limit that empowerment. With the right processes, empowerment becomes the foundation for a resilient and adaptable organisation.

Leaders Mindset Model - Selective Ignorance Mindset

What is a Leader’s Selective Ignorance Mindset?

A leader’s Selective Ignorance mindset refers to a leadership approach where the leader intentionally or unintentionally overlooks or disregards important information, feedback, or challenges that could impact their team or the organisation. This can involve a lack of awareness or a deliberate decision to avoid certain details, trends, or issues. While Selective Ignorance can sometimes be strategic—allowing leaders to focus on key priorities and delegate minor tasks—unchecked Selective Ignorance can result in poor decision-making, mismanagement, and a disconnect from reality.

A leader with a dominant Selective Ignorance Mindset can be visualised as an Afghan Hound:

Why?: The Afghan Hound is known for its independent, sometimes aloof nature. Like leaders with a selective ignorance mindset, Afghan Hounds choose what to pay attention to and are often selective in what they respond to. This breed embodies the ability to focus on what’s important to them and let go of distractions or unnecessary tasks, demonstrating a unique blend of focus and detachment.

Traits: Independent, selectively attentive, aloof but capable of focus when needed, self-reliant.

Key Characteristics of a Leader’s Selective Ignorance Mindset:

1. Lack of Awareness

Leaders with a Selective Ignorance mindset often fail to stay informed about key developments within their team, the organisation, or the external environment. This lack of awareness may be due to disengagement, a lack of curiosity, or an unwillingness to seek out critical information.

2. Disregard for Feedback

A leader with a Selective Ignorance mindset may ignore or dismiss feedback from employees, peers, or stakeholders. They may not actively seek input or downplay the importance of feedback, believing they already know the best course of action. This can lead to a disconnection from their team's needs and concerns.

3. Avoidance of Complexity

Leaders with this mindset might avoid dealing with complex issues or challenges, preferring to focus on simpler tasks or leaving difficult decisions unaddressed. By choosing not to engage in complicated situations, they may fail to confront important problems that require attention.

4. Resistance to Change

A Selective Ignorance mindset can lead to a leader ignoring shifts in market trends, technological advancements, or evolving organisational needs. Leaders who are resistant to change or are unaware of the need for it may prevent the organisation from adapting to new challenges or opportunities, ultimately leading to stagnation or decline.

5. Failure to Address Problems

Leaders with a Selective Ignorance mindset may allow problems to persist because they either don’t recognise them or choose to ignore them. This can include performance issues, workplace conflicts, or operational inefficiencies. Ignoring these issues allows them to grow and become more difficult to resolve over time.

6. Inconsistent Decision-Making

Selective Ignorance can lead to poor or inconsistent decision-making because the leader does not have all the necessary information. Decisions may be based on incomplete data or assumptions rather than a full understanding of the situation. This can negatively affect the team’s performance and the organisation’s long-term strategy.

7. Over-Delegation Without Oversight

While delegation is an important leadership skill, leaders with a Selective Ignorance mindset may delegate tasks or responsibilities to others without providing proper oversight. This can result in mismanagement of key projects or initiatives, as the leader remains disconnected from important details.

8. Failure to Adapt to Employee Needs

Leaders with a Selective Ignorance mindset may be unaware of their team members' needs, struggles, or aspirations. This lack of understanding can result in decreased employee morale, engagement, and retention, as employees may feel neglected or unsupported by their leader.

Potential Benefits of a Selective Ignorance Mindset:

In certain cases, Selective Ignorance—the deliberate choice to ignore non-essential information—can have positive effects for a leader:

• Focus on Priorities: By ignoring distractions or minor details, leaders can focus on high-priority tasks and strategic goals, enhancing productivity.

• Delegation and Empowerment: Selectively choosing not to get involved in every detail allows leaders to delegate effectively, empowering employees to take ownership of their tasks.

• Avoiding Micromanagement: Selective Ignorance can prevent leaders from micromanaging, fostering autonomy and independence in the team.

However, these benefits come only when Selective Ignorance is deliberate and carefully managed, ensuring that critical issues are not overlooked.

Risks and Negative Aspects of a Leader’s Selective Ignorance Mindset:

Missed Opportunities for Growth

A leader with a Selective Ignorance mindset may miss out on important opportunities for organisational growth or innovation. By ignoring market trends, technological advancements, or internal feedback, they limit their ability to seize opportunities that could benefit the organisation.

Low Employee Morale

When leaders ignore the concerns or feedback of their employees, it can lead to a disconnect between leadership and the team. Employees may feel that their opinions don’t matter or that their challenges are not being addressed, leading to disengagement and reduced morale.

Lack of Accountability

A Selective Ignorance mindset can erode accountability within the organisation. When leaders ignore performance issues or fail to address team conflicts, it sends a message that there are no consequences for underperformance or disruptive behaviour, which can weaken the overall performance of the team.

Poor Crisis Management

Leaders with a Selective Ignorance mindset may struggle to handle crises effectively, as they may not fully understand the scope of the problem or how to respond. Without being informed, they are likely to make ill-informed decisions that can exacerbate the situation.

Vulnerability to Manipulation

Leaders who remain ignorant about key issues may become vulnerable to manipulation by others within the organisation. Team members or colleagues may exploit the leader’s lack of knowledge to advance their own interests or make decisions that are not in the best interest of the organisation.

Inability to Adapt

In a rapidly changing environment, leaders need to stay informed and adaptable. A Selective Ignorance mindset prevents leaders from recognising the need for change or adapting to new circumstances. This can result in missed opportunities, decreased competitiveness, and organisational stagnation.

Undermined Organisational Culture

When a leader ignores problems or fails to address issues within the team, it can contribute to a negative organisational culture. Employees may feel unsupported, and the overall atmosphere may become one of disengagement, distrust, or complacency.

Summary

A leader’s Selective Ignorance mindset, whether deliberate or unintentional, can have serious negative consequences for both the leader and the organisation. While Selective Ignorance can sometimes be strategic, ignoring critical information, feedback, or challenges leads to poor decision-making, missed opportunities, and a disconnection from the team. To be effective, leaders must balance their focus on key priorities with staying informed about important developments, employee needs, and organisational challenges.

Leaders Understanding Mindset - The Golden Retriever of Mindsets

Leaders Understanding Mindset

What is a Leaders Understanding Mindset

A leader's Understanding Mindset is an approach in which the leader seeks to empathise with, listen to, and deeply comprehend their team members' perspectives, needs, challenges, motivations, and the broader context in which the organisation operates. This mindset emphasises active listening, empathy, open communication, and consideration of diverse viewpoints. Leaders with an Understanding Mindset create a workplace culture that values mutual respect, collaboration, and emotional intelligence.

Key Characteristics of a Leader’s Understanding Mindset:

1. Active Listening

Leaders with an Understanding Mindset prioritise listening to their team members without jumping to conclusions or offering solutions too quickly. They allow others to express their thoughts and concerns, ensuring employees feel heard and valued. This allows the leader to gather insights and make informed decisions based on a deeper comprehension of the team’s dynamics and needs.

2. Empathy and Compassion

A core element of an Understanding Mindset is empathy. Leaders with this mindset strive to understand their team members' emotions, motivations, and personal circumstances. They acknowledge that people have different experiences and offer compassion and support when necessary. This emotional awareness strengthens trust and connection between the leader and their team.

3. Open Communication

Understanding leaders fosters open and transparent communication, encouraging team members to express their opinions, concerns, and ideas freely. They create an environment where feedback flows in both directions—leaders actively seek input from their team and offer constructive feedback. This openness helps the leader stay connected to what is happening within the team and the organisation.

4. Patience and Non-Judgmental Attitude

Leaders with an Understanding Mindset exercise patience and avoid making quick judgments about people or situations. They take the time to fully assess a situation or hear all sides before making decisions. This non-judgmental approach makes employees feel safe to express their opinions and admit mistakes without fear of immediate criticism.

5. Personalized Leadership Approach

An Understanding Mindset allows leaders to recognise that each team member has unique strengths, weaknesses, and communication styles. Leaders with this mindset adjust their leadership approach to suit the individual needs of their employees, offering personalised support and guidance. This enhances each person’s ability to thrive and succeed within the team.

6. Conflict Resolution Skills

Leaders with an Understanding Mindset are skilled at resolving conflicts because they are focused on truly understanding the root causes of issues. By listening to all parties involved and empathising with their perspectives, they can mediate disagreements reasonably and rationally. This promotes harmony within the team and ensures that conflicts are addressed constructively.

7. Inclusive Leadership

A leader with an Understanding Mindset will more likely value diversity of thought, experience, and background. They seek to understand and appreciate different perspectives, creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued. This can lead to greater innovation as employees feel more comfortable sharing their unique ideas and viewpoints.

8. Encouraging Employee Growth

Leaders support their team members' personal and professional growth by understanding their goals, ambitions, and challenges. They tailor learning, development, and mentoring opportunities based on individual needs, helping employees reach their full potential. This not only benefits the employees but also strengthens the overall team.

9. Contextual Awareness

An Understanding Mindset includes being aware of the broader context in which the team operates. Leaders with this mindset seek to understand the organisational culture, market conditions, and external pressures that influence their team’s performance. By having this holistic understanding, they can make more informed decisions and provide better guidance to their team.

10. Fostering Psychological Safety

Leaders with an Understanding Mindset create a psychologically safe environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their concerns, challenges, and ideas without fear of judgment or retaliation. This sense of safety fosters greater openness and creativity within the team, leading to more effective collaboration and innovation.

Benefits of a Leader’s Understanding Mindset:

• Improved Employee Morale: Employees feel heard, respected, and valued, which leads to higher job satisfaction and engagement.

• Better Conflict Resolution: Leaders who seek to understand all sides of an issue can resolve conflicts more effectively, reducing workplace tension and improving team dynamics.

• Increased Trust and Loyalty: Employees are likelier to trust and remain loyal to a leader who genuinely understands their needs and challenges.

• Enhanced Collaboration: An Understanding Mindset promotes open communication and mutual respect, which enhances teamwork and collaboration.

• Greater Adaptability: Leaders who understand their team and the larger organisational context are more adaptable to change, as they can anticipate challenges and adjust their strategies accordingly.

Risks of a Leader’s Understanding Mindset:

• Over-Accommodation: Leaders may become overly accommodating, making it difficult to hold employees accountable for poor performance or set firm boundaries.

• Indecisiveness: By taking too much time to understand every perspective, leaders may delay important decisions, impacting the team’s efficiency.

• Emotional Exhaustion: Leaders who focus too heavily on understanding and supporting others may experience emotional burnout if they do not set boundaries or manage their well-being.

• Avoiding Tough Conversations: To maintain harmony and understanding, leaders may avoid necessary tough conversations about performance or behaviour, which can harm team productivity over time.

Summary

A leader with an Understanding Mindset fosters a supportive, empathetic, and inclusive workplace. By prioritising active listening, empathy, and open communication, these leaders build strong relationships with their team members, improving collaboration, trust, and morale. However, this mindset must be balanced with accountability, transparent decision-making, and the ability to set boundaries to ensure that empathy and understanding do not come at the expense of performance and results. When applied effectively, an Understanding Mindset creates a positive work environment where individuals and the team can thrive.

The Leaders Acceptance Mindset

What is a Leaders Acceptance Mindset?

A leader's Acceptance Mindset refers to an approach in which the leader acknowledges and embraces the reality of situations, individual differences, challenges, and the inherent imperfections in people and processes. Leaders with this mindset focus on understanding and working with what is rather than resisting or trying to control every aspect of the workplace. They balance this acceptance with the drive to inspire growth and improvement, but they start by recognising their team members' current circumstances and unique traits.

A leader with a dominant Acceptance Mindset can be visualised as a Bulldog:

·Why?: The Bulldog is known for its laid-back, tolerant nature and ability to stay calm in almost any situation. Like a leader with an acceptance mindset, Bulldogs are easy-going and patient, often accepting situations as they are without being overly critical. They are adaptable and exhibit strength through their calm, reliable presence.

Traits: Calm, adaptable, patient, accepting of differences, resilient.

Key Characteristics of a Leader's Acceptance Mindset:

1. Embracing Reality and Challenges

Leaders with an Acceptance Mindset recognise and accept situations as they are, whether that involves challenges, setbacks, or imperfections within the team or organisation. They do not ignore problems but approach them with a realistic, nonjudgmental attitude, accepting what cannot be immediately changed and working with what is available.

2. Understanding Individual Differences

An Acceptance Mindset involves appreciating each team member's unique strengths, weaknesses, and needs. Leaders with this mindset understand that not everyone has the same capabilities or working styles and are flexible in adjusting their leadership approach to fit different personalities and talents. They accept people for who they are, fostering a more inclusive and empathetic work environment.

3. Fostering Psychological Safety

Leaders with an Acceptance Mindset create an atmosphere where team members feel safe expressing their ideas, concerns, and failures without fear of harsh judgment or punishment. By accepting mistakes as part of the learning process, these leaders encourage open communication and experimentation, which can lead to more significant innovation and creativity.

4. Focus on Long-Term Growth

While accepting the current situation, leaders with this mindset focus on long-term growth and improvement. They don’t settle for mediocrity, but they recognise that growth is a process that requires patience, and they support their team members in evolving over time. Acceptance is not complacency—it is a starting point for fostering development.

5. Emotional Intelligence and Empathy

Leaders with an Acceptance Mindset demonstrate high emotional intelligence, which enables them to understand and accept the emotions of others. They approach situations with empathy, recognising that people experience stress, frustration, or challenges, and they create a supportive environment that helps team members navigate these emotions.

6. Resilience and Flexibility

Acceptance-minded leaders are often more resilient and flexible because they don’t waste energy fighting against things beyond their control. They adapt quickly to changing circumstances, accepting that uncertainty is part of leadership. This adaptability helps them navigate complex situations more effectively and guide their teams through change.

7. Letting Go of Perfectionism

Leaders with an Acceptance Mindset understand that perfection is not always achievable. They avoid pressuring themselves or their teams to meet unrealistic standards. Instead, they focus on doing their best and encourage their team members to do the same. This approach reduces stress and fosters a healthier, more sustainable work environment.

8. Building Stronger Relationships

An Acceptance Mindset enables leaders to build stronger, more trusting relationships with their team members. By accepting people for who they are—flaws and all—leaders create deeper connections and build loyalty within their teams. This trust leads to improved communication, collaboration, and overall team cohesion.

9. Encouraging a Positive Work Environment

A leader who practices acceptance can create a more positive, balanced, and tolerant workplace. Team members feel understood and respected, and the focus shifts from placing blame for mistakes to finding solutions and growing together. This positive environment fosters collaboration, creativity, and overall job satisfaction.

Benefits of a Leader's Acceptance Mindset:

• Psychological Safety: Employees feel safe sharing ideas, admitting mistakes, and taking risks, knowing they will be supported rather than judged.

• Empathy and Compassion: Leaders who practice acceptance build a culture of empathy, understanding their team members' personal and professional challenges.

• Adaptability: Acceptance allows leaders to remain flexible and adjust their strategies as circumstances change, enhancing their ability to lead in uncertain or dynamic environments.

• Reduced Stress: By letting go of unrealistic expectations and perfectionism, leaders and employees experience less stress and burnout.

Risks of a Leader's Acceptance Mindset:

• Complacency: Over-emphasis on acceptance without encouraging improvement can lead to complacency, where problems are tolerated without effort to resolve them.

• Lowering Standards: Focusing on accepting shortcomings might cause leaders to overlook performance issues, decreasing quality and accountability within the team.

• Avoiding Tough Conversations: Leaders with an overly accepting mindset may struggle to address complex issues, such as poor performance or disruptive behaviour, out of fear of hurting feelings.

Summary

A leader with an Acceptance Mindset values empathy, flexibility, and the acknowledgment of reality as it is. This mindset fosters a supportive work environment, strengthens relationships, and encourages team resilience. However, it must be balanced with a drive for improvement and accountability to ensure acceptance does not lead to complacency. By blending acceptance with growth-oriented leadership, leaders can create a healthy, high-performing workplace where individuals feel valued and motivated.

The Leaders Expectation Mindset - the Doberman of Mindsets

A leader's Expectation Mindset refers to their approach to setting, communicating, and maintaining standards, goals, and performance benchmarks for them and their team. This mindset is characterized by the belief that individuals and teams can achieve high performance levels, and the leader uses these expectations to motivate and guide behaviour. Leaders with an Expectation Mindset focus on creating a clear vision of what is expected in terms of results, behaviour, and work quality, and they hold themselves and their team accountable for meeting those expectations.

Key Characteristics of a Leader's Expectation Mindset:

1. Clear Communication of Standards

Leaders with an Expectation Mindset ensure their expectations are clearly communicated to their team. These expectations cover performance goals, deadlines, quality of work, collaboration, and behaviour. The leader articulates what success looks like, empowering everyone to understand what is required to achieve it.

2. Setting High but Realistic Goals

Leaders with an Expectation Mindset often set high standards and goals that challenge individuals and teams to stretch their capabilities. However, it's crucial that these goals are realistic and achievable. Effective leaders understand this balance, creating a sense of aspiration without causing burnout or frustration.

3. Accountability and Responsibility

Leaders with an Expectation Mindset hold themselves and their team members accountable for meeting expectations. They regularly track progress, provide feedback, and ensure team members are responsible for their contributions. This fosters a culture of accountability and ownership within the organisation.

4. Encouraging Growth and Development

In this mindset, leaders see expectations as a tool to encourage continuous growth and development. They expect team members to improve, take initiative, and expand their skill sets. Leaders with an Expectation Mindset support personal and professional growth by pushing individuals to meet higher standards.

5. Recognition of Effort and Achievement

Leaders with this mindset recognise and reward employees who meet or exceed expectations. Positive reinforcement, such as praise, promotions, or rewards, encourages further effort and maintains high morale. This recognition shows employees that their hard work is valued and appreciated.

6. Balancing Support and Challenge

While setting high expectations, leaders with this mindset also provide the necessary support to help employees succeed. This may include coaching, mentoring, providing resources, or removing obstacles. The balance between challenge and support ensures employees have what they need to rise to the occasion.

7. Emphasis on Results and Outcomes

Leaders with an Expectation Mindset are typically results-oriented. They focus not only on the effort put into tasks but also on the outcomes achieved. They expect their team to meet deadlines, hit performance targets, and contribute to overall success.

8. Fostering a Culture of Excellence

Leaders with this mindset foster a culture of excellence by consistently setting and maintaining high expectations. Team members are motivated to perform at their best, striving to meet or exceed their standards. This culture of excellence can lead to improved performance, innovation, and organisational success.

Benefits of a Leader's Expectation Mindset:

• Motivation: High expectations can motivate team members to push themselves and take pride in their work.

• Accountability: Clear expectations help create a sense of responsibility and accountability.

• Clarity and Focus: Expectations provide direction, ensuring everyone understands what is required to succeed.

• Growth and Development: Challenging goals encourage employees to learn, grow, and develop new skills.

• Enhanced Performance: Performance often improves when expectations are communicated and aligned with goals.

Risks of a Leader's Expectation Mindset:

• Demotivating workforce: An Expectation Mindset can also be called a Critical Mindset. If a leader constantly criticises, they risk seeming overcritical, which demotivates the workforce and can result in workers not giving their best as they assume that whatever they do is not good enough.

• Unrealistic Expectations: If expectations are too high or unrealistic, they can lead to stress, frustration, and burnout.

• Pressure and Anxiety: Constantly pushing for high performance without adequate support may create a pressure-filled environment, negatively affecting morale and well-being.

• Inflexibility: Rigid adherence to expectations may prevent leaders from adapting to changing circumstances or individual needs.

Conclusion:

A leader with an Expectation Mindset sets high, clear, and achievable goals while holding their team accountable for performance. When managed effectively, this mindset can inspire motivation, drive growth, and create a culture of excellence. However, to be effective, it must be balanced with support, flexibility, and realistic goal setting to avoid burnout and ensure that employees feel supported in meeting expectations.

Introduction to the Leader Mindset Model

The Leaders Mindset Model was developed over twenty years of consulting to global companies at all levels of the organisation.  During this time, I identified that leaders would have a preferred leadership style.  This style was often an unconscious choice and reflected their personality, strengths and insecurities.  The preferred leadership styles can be classified into four main styles or mindsets.  These were the Expectation Mindset, Acceptance Mindset, Understanding Mindset, or the Selective Ignorance Mindset.  The mindsets were often characterised by:

• Expectation Mindset: The leader always looks for improvements, often to the detriment of the organisation's morale, while maintaining compliance with plans. Frequently, the organisation feels disempowered and dependent on the leader.

• Acceptance Mindset: the leader who goes along to get along.  The organisation may like these leaders; however, those who were fixated on this mindset often were not respected.

• Understanding Mindset:  the leader who comes into every discussion to understand the team's point of view.  Often liked and respected, however, some leaders who are excessively understanding can be seen as handing leadership responsibility over to the team and making themselves redundant.

• Selective Ignorance Mindset: the leader who doesn’t try to understand, who either wants to keep others at arm’s length due to insecurity or imposter syndrome, lack of respect, or feels uncomfortable being a leader.

All these mindsets have their place as leaders, and issues arise when one of these mindsets is the default.  In today's complex and dynamic workplace environments, effective leadership goes beyond just making decisions and managing tasks—it requires the ability to navigate human emotions, diverse perspectives, and constantly evolving business landscapes. Leaders are tasked with balancing the need for high performance, empathy, accountability, and strategic decision-making. To address these challenges, the Leadership Mindset Model introduces four distinct but interconnected mindsets that leaders must cultivate:

• Leader Expectation Mindset

• Leader Acceptance Mindset

• Leader Understanding Mindset

• Leader Selective Ignorance Mindset

This model emphasises how leaders can achieve a balanced approach that incorporates setting high standards, providing empathy and support, and knowing when to focus or step back. By effectively understanding and applying these mindsets, leaders can enhance team dynamics, drive organisational success, and foster a healthy workplace culture.

Explanation of the Four Mindsets:

1. Leader Expectation Mindset: This mindset focuses on setting high but realistic goals, driving performance, and holding employees accountable. Leaders with an Expectation Mindset articulate clear objectives and challenge their team to meet or exceed these standards. This mindset fosters ambition, motivation, and a results-oriented culture.

   • Why it's essential: Clear expectations provide direction, accountability, and motivation. Employees know what is expected of them, which can lead to improved performance and efficiency, fostering a sense of motivation and goal orientation.

   • Application in the workplace: Leaders can use this mindset to establish benchmarks for success, track progress, and provide performance feedback, ensuring that goals are met while encouraging continuous growth. This practical application equips leaders with the tools to drive their teams towards success.

2. Leader Acceptance Mindset: This mindset emphasises embracing the current reality, including people’s limitations, diverse working styles, and the inherent imperfections in processes. Leaders with an Acceptance Mindset practice patience, compassion, and non-judgmental acknowledgment of where their team and organisation are now.

   • Why it's essential: Acceptance creates psychological safety, fosters inclusion, and helps build trust between leaders and employees. It allows room for people to grow and learn without fear of immediate criticism or judgment.

   • Application in the workplace: Leaders use this mindset to create a supportive and tolerant environment where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities and diverse approaches and styles are appreciated.

3. Leader Understanding Mindset: This mindset involves deeply understanding team members’ emotions, perspectives, motivations, and challenges. Leaders with an Understanding Mindset practice active listening and empathy, which helps them connect with their team and make decisions informed by diverse viewpoints.

   • Why it's essential: Understanding improves relationships, builds trust, and ensures that decisions are made with a full appreciation of employee needs and organisational challenges. It enhances team cohesion and employee satisfaction.

   • Application in the workplace: Leaders can use this mindset to foster open communication, resolve conflicts, provide personalised support, and better align team dynamics with organisational goals. It also encourages greater collaboration and teamwork.

4. Leader Selective Ignorance Mindset: When applied intentionally, this mindset involves selectively choosing to ignore certain information, tasks, or distractions that do not require the leader's immediate attention. It allows leaders to focus on the most critical issues while empowering their teams to handle more minor details.

   • Why it's essential: Leaders cannot address every problem or detail, and focusing on too many issues can lead to overwhelm and inefficiency. Selective Ignorance allows leaders to prioritise high-impact decisions while trusting their team to handle operational details.

   • Application in the workplace: Leaders use this mindset to delegate effectively, avoid micromanagement, and focus on strategic priorities. It also encourages team members to take ownership of their work, boosting autonomy and accountability.

Why This Model Is Important:

The Leadership Mindset Model offers a framework for addressing the complexity of modern leadership. Leaders are often pulled in multiple directions, needing to manage performance while supporting their team's well-being. By understanding and adopting these four mindsets, leaders can:

• Balance high expectations with empathy and support: This model allows leaders to challenge their teams to grow and improve while being mindful of individual differences, personal struggles, and organisational realities.

• Create a more adaptable and resilient team: By combining Expectation, Acceptance, and Understanding Mindsets, leaders can help their teams handle success and setbacks, driving performance while building psychological safety.

• Enhance decision-making: Selective Ignorance helps leaders avoid information overload, focus on strategic priorities, and empower their teams to take more responsibility for routine tasks.

How the Model Can Be Used in the Workplace:

Setting and Achieving Goals: Leaders can apply the Expectation Mindset to set ambitious, achievable team goals. By combining this with the Understanding Mindset, they can ensure team members have the resources, support, and empathy to achieve those goals.

1. Fostering a Culture of Psychological Safety: The Acceptance Mindset helps leaders create a non-judgmental environment where team members feel safe to express their ideas, admit mistakes, and take calculated risks. This, combined with the Understanding Mindset, builds trust and fosters open communication.

2. Delegation and Focus: The Selective Ignorance Mindset can be strategically applied to delegate tasks and avoid micromanagement. Leaders can focus on high-priority decisions and leave operational details to their team, empowering them to take ownership of their responsibilities. This is particularly useful in managing time effectively and avoiding burnout.

3. Conflict Resolution and Employee Well-Being: Leaders can use the Understanding and Acceptance Mindsets to empathise with conflicts or employee challenges. By understanding individual needs and accepting that challenges are part of the process, leaders can help resolve issues constructively and improve employee well-being.

4. Adapting to Change: Leaders can lean on the Acceptance Mindset to embrace the present reality in times of change or uncertainty. At the same time, the Expectation Mindset helps guide the team toward future success. The Understanding Mindset ensures that employee concerns during transitions are heard, and the Selective Ignorance Mindset allows leaders to prioritise critical decisions.

Conclusion:

The Leader Mindset Model provides a holistic framework by incorporating four complementary mindsets: Expectation, Acceptance, Understanding, and Selective Ignorance. Together, these mindsets help leaders balance performance with empathy, maintain focus on strategic priorities, and build solid and resilient teams. Leaders can use this model to create a more adaptable, productive, and inclusive workplace where employees feel challenged and supported.

Pondering Common Mistakes

9 Common Mistakes companies make when embarking on business improvement programs

One of the benefits of recovering from COVID is that you have time to think. After evading COVID for two years but succumbing and being confined for a week, I started to ponder improvement programs that had not been successful and the common mistakes made.

I have been consulting since I left the military after 13 years of service and responded to an advertisement for an unknown management consultant role in 1996. During this time, I have worked for and with various companies, including more than four years with McKinsey & Company.  Being in consulting for this length of time has several advantages. The main ones are the experience in recognising issues and their related root causes, also known as pattern recognition. Another advantage is the ability to identify environments and situations that are causes of the failure of improvement programs.

From this introspection, I identified nine common mistakes that result in program failure. Can you recognise any of these in your own company?:

1. Improvement is conducted in isolation from the rest of the company/system/value chain

2. Stakeholders are not involved in the improvement process

3. Improvement is treated as an event rather than as a process

4. Senior Management is isolated from the improvement process

5. Improvement is based on the flavour of the month (what the boss is reading)

6. Improvement doesn’t start with the end in mind

7. Improvement teams are filled with people that leaders think they can release without losing production

8. Management believes that digital will solve everything

9. Solving the wrong problem

1.  Improvement is conducted in isolation from the rest of the company/system/value chain

Case: A mining company was having issues with achieving production targets.  Production and maintenance were separate departments run by different managers.   The production manager established an improvement team.   The problem to be solved for production was related to increasing utilisation and productivity.  The project was successful, with productivity increasing by around twenty per cent.  An issue arose with the increased tempo of operations in that it highlighted maintenance deficiencies with equipment frequently breaking down due to the quality of maintenance services. As a result of poor availability, the company failed to reach production targets.  The production improvement initiative was successful; however, the company wasn’t successful.

Considerations: When embarking on an improvement project, it is essential to consider the bigger picture of the value chain. In the case above, an analysis of Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and a Value Stream Map for the equipment’s function rather than just the department’s role would have identified issues with availability that resulted in limited improvement.

2.  Stakeholders are not involved in the improvement process

Case: A manufacturer of electronic components embarked on an improvement project due to customer feedback on quality issues. The improvement team determined that the quality at the despatch loading dock was fine; however, the problem occurred during transit from the factory to the customer. The improvement team decided that if the components were individually wrapped, they would arrive at the customer in the same condition they were despatched. Upon implementing the improvement, the client contacted them to advise that they were considering cancelling their orders as the factory wasn’t providing service compatible with the customer’s requirements. The factory conducted a site visit and observation (Gemba) at the customer’s factory. They found that the customer had to engage extra staff to remove the components from the packaging so that they could be put into stock for feed into the production line. Not including the customer in the improvement process almost lost a critical and profitable customer.

Considerations: Ensuring that the composition of the improvement team and the related governance routines include the ‘right’ participants is essential to solving the right problem and that the solution is correct and sustainable. In this case, the correct answer is to minimise unintended consequences by ensuring that the improvement team contains diverse members. Members should include, at a minimum,  the Process Sponsor, Process Owner, Process Operators (front line workers), and the suppliers and customers of the process. The improvement routines should ensure that each stakeholder has the opportunity and expectation to provide input.

3.  Improvement is treated as an event rather than as a process

Case: This cause of failure is the most common that I have encountered. Often, a client has a performance issue, and management has decided what needs to be fixed. Previously this has included requests such as “we need to fix communication” and “production is unable to keep up with processing” (or vice versa). As a result, they bring in external consultants to fix the problem. The problem identified to be solved often falls into areas of Mistakes 1, 2, 6, 8, and 9 and fails as there are no internal systems or processes to identify opportunities for improvement as part of the way of doing business. An absence of internal improvement processes is good for consulting companies but not for the client.

Considerations: The main concern is ensuring that the workforce is empowered with skills and expectations to identify issues, offer suggestions for improvement, and have an internal process to prioritise and implement improvements. The internal processes require an integrated Management System and bottom-up improvement routines and procedures. An effective improvement process also shifts the expectation for solving problems from the leaders to the Process Operators.

4.  Senior Management is isolated from the improvement process

Case 1: A major mining company implemented a company-wide lean-based improvement strategy that integrated Management Systems and Lean Practices. During the implementation, the CEO asked, “what is all this about?”. When told, he commented, “so we are still trying to implement that”. The result was that there was top-down degradation of the implementation.

Case 2: A large mine site had undergone an improvement process resulting in the design and implementation of an integrated Management System that reflected the culture in place and solved some functional and responsibility silos. A new General Manager was appointed who directed one of the integration meetings between planning and production to be cancelled. The consequence was that production fell by around thirty percent due to the General Manager not understanding the purpose of the meeting.

Considerations: Establishing Improvement Processes requires the active and visible sponsorship of the highest appropriate level of leadership. For a company, this would be the CEO. For a Department/Function, the head of that Department/Function. Visible sponsorship requires developing and implementing Change Management plans and elements, including cascaded Change Stories. Senior Management needs to be included in Role Confirmations at the frontline to demonstrate support for improving processes and offering guidance. Integrating visible sponsorship into daily and weekly routines is imperative to make it a process, not an event, as per Mistake 3.

5.  Improvement is based on the flavour of the month (what the boss is reading)

Case: A finance company was doing well; however, the CEO had the habit of directing his senior leadership team to adopt particular approaches to managing their departments. During one meeting, he directed all areas to implement performance boards (Lean). This direction was accompanied by a template and a visit by the CEO to assist with the implementation. A few months later, he directed each department to adopt the DMAIC (Six Sigma) process to manage their internal projects. A few months later, he started talking about Herbie (Theory of Constraints. Around this time, the marketing manager realised that the CEO kept a library of business books in his office, and it was usual for the CEO to have a book on his desk that reflected his direction for that month.

Considerations: Consultants, advisors, and suppliers often come with pre-packaged solutions. Be sure that you engage with people who don’t have a vested interest in any one approach.  As Maslow said in 1966, “If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail”.  A Lean consultant with little or no experience outside of Lean will have a limited ability to offer solutions other than Lean along with the Japanese terms. The truth is that Lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints, Agile, and Management Systems (or Management Operating Systems) all have a role to play in the practical design and implementation of business processes. The primary consideration is that these are used to develop an integrated system supporting the organisation’s culture, structure and strategy, not just patch holes.

6.  Improvement doesn’t start with the end in mind

Case: A manufacturing company conducted an internal review of operations and identified several initiatives to be implemented to increase production. An external consulting company was engaged to integrate with the internal Business Improvement team to assist with the implementation. The team successfully ticked off the initiatives until it reached the stage where the consulting company effectively identified their own work with no specified end to the program.  In the end, the Program Manager advised the client’s General Manager that they had reached the end of the program. This also occurred with several other companies where the CEO started using external consultants as their own Business Improvement function with the related low probability of sustainability and high costs.

Considerations: This Mistake can include scope creep, where the original project or program keeps absorbing other problems to be solved with limited governance. It can also include implementing improvements without a corresponding business case. Typically, an improvement initiative will either be a sustaining or an aspirational initiative. The sustain initiative ensures that performance meets the budget, while an aspirational initiative aims to increase capacity and performance above the budget.

7. Improvement teams are filled with people that leaders think they can release without losing production

Case: A manufacturing company started a program of improvement. The program was to be led by an external consulting company with internal resources seconded to the team. When the team was formed and met on day one of the program, it was clear that the internal resources that had been released from their regular jobs were not motivated, nor were they particularly interested in the program or “making more money for the bosses”.  When the department heads were asked what the development objective was for each of their secondees, the common theme was that this was not a concern and they were the only people they could release without impacting production.

Considerations: Effective improvement teams are populated by the best people within the company. Those that have been identified for advancement. Having them introduced to improvement programs run by experienced improvement professionals enables them to be trained in a broad range of improvement tools and methodologies that they can then pass on to others as they form the seed of an effective improvement team.  The improvement program typically enables each team member to lift their view of the business out of their own section to see and understand the complete value chain.  The improvement program should be part of their development with set and agreed objectives.

8.  Management believes that digital will solve everything

Case: A large gold mining company was implementing an ERP. At the start of the blueprinting process, some outside Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) were brought in to observe and provide their views. The SMEs had expertise in ERP, Management Systems, and Business Process Reengineering.  After two weeks of observation, it was clear that digitising current disparate and inefficient processes would only result in embedding the same inefficient processes. Management stopped the project and initiated a business process improvement project to ensure efficient processes were in place. The ERP would be designed to support improved business processes rather than having to develop processes based on the requirements and limitations of ERP.

Considerations: Digital solutions are essential to modern companies and should support effective processes rather than being bolted onto a process. The sequence should be to identify the value chain, design processes, determine which elements of the process can be automated/digitally supported, and implement the processes.

9.  Solving the wrong problem

Case: A plastics company conducted a takeover of its main competitor. An integration team was established to unite the two companies and leadership teams. One of the areas of focus was integrating the customer database and scheduling systems into a master operational planning and scheduling system to be integrated with an integrated marketing function. During this process, the team discovered that the customers of the two entities were discrete and that the two companies were, and never had been, direct competitors.

Considerations: Determining the root cause of the problem is essential to implementing improvements effectively. It is part of what I call being creatively lazy or doing things correctly the first time. Using company-standard approaches, the ability to conduct Problem-Solving sessions, whether large and formal or intimate and informal, should be an essential skill of all company leaders, from frontline managers to CEOs.

This has been an introduction to common mistakes made when setting up improvement programs.