Consistent Improvement: Four Ways to Take Your Team from Good to Great

Published: Thu, 06/26/14

"No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking."—Voltaire, French Enlightenment writer and philosopher.

While perfection may not be possible, there's no reason not to strive for it—as long as you don't focus so tightly on that goal you can't actually accomplish anything. Instead, by continually improving your systems, processes, and productivity over time, you'll go from mediocre to superior.

I realize some readers might look askance at this idea, since just about every CEO in America has read Jim Collins' 2001 book Good to Great. If upgrading from good to great were easy, then why do everyday companies still outnumber the great by a factor of hundreds to one? Surely, if the process worked, we'd have seen a flood of great companies by now—and clearly, we haven't.

But the problem lies with the implementation. Often, leadership fails because they can't see their greatest flaws. It's not just a matter of not seeing the forest for the trees; often, they can't see their flaws because they aren't humble enough to accept them. So let's look at four ways you can get over yourself and apply the power of consistent improvement to your team.

1. Set your ego and personal needs aside. "Le etat c'est moi!" ("I am the state!") might have worked for King Louis XIV of France, but you are not your company, your division, or your team. You lead and often represent them, and you have an obligation to provide vision and guidance in all things. So when you make a decision, don't assume that because it works for you, it works for the whole team. A bonus structure awarding you $100,000 if your team reaches certain goals may seem great to you, but it means nothing unless the rest of the team enjoys bonuses as well. Urging them to work harder so you can get your bonus will just irritate them, which won't contribute to the productivity increase you want.

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(C) 2014 Laura Stack. Laura Stack is America's premier expert in personal productivity. For over 20 years, her speeches and seminars have helped professionals, leaders, teams, and organizations improve output, execute efficiently, and save time at work. She's the author or coauthor of 10 books, most recently, Execution IS the Strategy. To invite Laura to speak at your next meet or register for her free weekly newsletter, visit www.TheProductivityPro.com.