I recently read a book that said that Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote that there are three kinds of people. There are a small few, 5%, who make things happen. Second, there is a larger group, 10% to 15%, who watch what is happening. The third group is the vast majority, 80%, who have no idea what is happening.
As business owners, managers, change agents, Blackbelts, lean practitioners, leaders, etc., it is our job to make things happen. We use the skills we possess to understand the current situation, implement the necessary improvements, make the tough decisions, and communicate to the organization what it is that needs to be done to make our organizations better.
I’m currently working with a small local company that struggled to make it happen. Productivity was down, housekeeping was deplorable, quality suffered, absenteeism was high, and weekly revenue was half of what it should be. After 3 months, there has been quite an improvement and weekly revenue has increased by 60%. It all stems from the fact that now the leadership team is starting to believe in themselves and what they are able to accomplish if they work together as a team. Everything is not perfect by a long shot, but weekly there are small improvements being made that make a big difference.
And by the way, always remember, there is no “I” in team! You succeed together as a team or you fail together. So, take a look at your organization. Are you working together as a team? Are you making things happen?