Empowering Your People: Building a Culture of Operational Excellence
When I talk with business leaders about streamlining operations, the conversation often jumps straight to technology, new software, or charting out complex processes. Certainly, those elements are absolutely critical. But here's what I've learned, time and again, across different industries: the most powerful engine for operational excellence isn't some shiny new tool. It's your people. Their insights, their engagement, and their motivation are the real foundation for consistent quality, genuine efficiency, and truly continuous improvement.
Too often, organizations get caught up in the machine, overlooking the unique perspectives and immense potential that their teams hold for improvement. At 11th Street Consulting, my approach consistently shows that true efficiency happens when processes are designed with the human element front and center. It's about cultivating an environment where every single team member feels empowered to make the organization better.
Your Staff Are Your Best Eyes and Ears
Think about it: who genuinely understands the daily headaches, the subtle bottlenecks, and those frustrating little inefficiencies better than the folks doing the work every single day? Trust me, your people know what’s wrong with your organization – it’s what they complain about amongst themselves when you’re not in earshot. Yet, so many organizations inadvertently make their teams feel like pointing out flaws will get them into hot water, or that their suggestions will just disappear into a suggestions-box black hole.
I consistently advocate for creating a culture where speaking up isn't just permitted, it's celebrated. You need clear, easy channels for feedback – whether that’s a physical suggestion box, a simple online form, or regular, dedicated team discussions. There’s also tremendous value in holding quarterly "Kaizen events" where teams specifically set aside time to collaboratively hunt for issues and brainstorm fixes. Find ways to highlight and reward when an employee suggests a fix that saves the organization time or money. Even if it can save your team or the entire org just one penny or one second per process cycle, it’s worth exploring. That’s how you reinforce that their insights truly matter and directly contribute to the bottom line.
Recognize and Reward: Cultivating a Culture of Appreciation
Beyond just listening, consistent recognition and reward are absolutely vital for nurturing that operational engagement. Let's be real: your people aren't robots. They thrive on appreciation. Publicly acknowledging good work isn't just a nice-to-have; it boosts morale, strengthens team bonds, and intrinsically motivates everyone to do their best work.
Implementing straightforward recognition systems can create a powerful ripple effect. This might look like:
A dedicated internal chat channel where teammates can give public shoutouts to each other.
Highlighting outstanding contributions and achievements in a monthly "kudos" email.
A peer-to-peer nomination system for internal awards that celebrate process improvements or exceptional teamwork.
And, obviously, tangible rewards like monetary bonuses.
As I've observed throughout my career, the positive impact of feeling valued extends far beyond individual performance. It weaves a positive, supportive environment where teams are more cohesive, collaborative, and genuinely committed to collective success. It’s important to remember, though, that no everyone responds to the same rewards- a shy employee who doesn’t want public recognition may love either a bonus or (if that’s not feasible) an encouraging one-on-one with their team lead.
Set Them Up For Success
In the constant drive for optimization and improvement, it’s easy to lose sight of the most important element: the actual people behind the work. Operations aren't just about processes and systems; they're about people and how they work. I someone’s work isn’t perfect, it’s often because of issues in the process itself—they simply aren’t set up to succeed. This idea aligns deeply with the wisdom of quality pioneer W. Edwards Deming, who famously argued that most problems in an organization (around 94%) are due to the system, not the individual worker. Deming taught that leadership's role is to improve the system so that people can do their best work.
When 11th Street Consulting helps design or improve workflows, I always consider the human factor first. This means asking critical questions like:
How does this process affect employee motivation and engagement? If we’re all spending half our waking hours at the organization, it should be someplace that actually lifts us up.
Are we designing workstations and processes to prioritize comfort and safety, reducing fatigue and preventing injuries?
Are we fostering open communication and true collaboration?
AI As an Assistant- Not a Threat
And when it comes to automation, particularly with AI, I always emphasize that its greatest utility is in freeing up a team member's time for more strategic, value-add work. Even if automating a small, repetitive task takes you three hours to set up, but saves an hour per week, that's 49 net hours you've saved yourself in a year—more than a full work week! When processes are designed with human needs and strengths in mind, and when teams are supported through technological shifts, productivity naturally increases, and your workplace becomes a much better place to be. A happier and supported team is going to work better and harder, and crucially, they’re going to stick around longer.
Those organizations that don’t embrace AI are going to be toast ten years from now. However, the ones that do the absolute best will be those who saw AI assistance as a way to redirect the work of their team towards scaling other portions of the business and not just the shortsighted ability to free up some cash temporarily and let folks go.
Leadership, Go to Gemba: Connecting with the Front Lines
Leaders who truly want to understand their operations need to "Go to Gemba"! Gemba is a Japanese term meaning "the real place" – where the actual work is being done. Gemba Walks mean leaders stepping out of their offices and onto the front lines to observe processes firsthand, engage directly with their teams, and spot opportunities for improvement. So many leaders are out of touch with what it’s like for their frontline team to actually do the work that the leaders are committing them to, and it causes not only breakdowns in organizational performance but also resentment.
By regularly doing Gemba Walks, you’ll:
Gain a truly firsthand understanding of how processes actually work, not just how they're documented on paper.
Identify waste, redundancies, and inefficiencies that are often invisible from behind a desk.
Show your team that their work is valued and that their input truly matters.
Gather critical insights to make truly informed decisions about operational improvements.
When I guide clients on effective Gemba Walks, I always stress the importance of approaching them with humility. Go with a mindset to learn, not to instruct or reprimand. It's a powerful act of servant leadership, demonstrating your commitment to supporting your team and improving their daily work lives. However, it’s important to be very clear with your team about what you’re doing: don’t create an atmosphere where they’ll just show you the way it’s supposed to be done; you want to see how they actually do it.
Gemba Walks are most common in a manufacturing setting, but they can just as easily be done in a computer-based environment. Either physically be with someone as they do their work or ask them to screenshare. Make it clear you’re there to make sure the process is set up correctly and you’re looking for ways to improve it for them not in spite of them.
Cultivating Excellence Through People
At 11th Street Consulting, when I talk about "Streamlined Operations. Approachable Process.," it's never just about flowcharts and software. It's deeply rooted in how an organization values and empowers its people. By intentionally building a culture that truly listens to employee feedback, prioritizes recognition, designs human-centric processes, and encourages leadership to engage directly at all levels, you won't just see incremental improvements. You'll build a resilient, innovative, and profoundly productive organization where operational excellence becomes a natural outcome of a genuinely empowered workforce.
Ready to transform your operations by empowering your greatest asset—your people? Contact 11th Street Consulting today to explore how my expertise in Lean Six Sigma, PMP principles, and practical AI integration can help you foster a truly excellent and engaged workforce.