Change has taken hold in the form of responsibility and recognizing roles that are necessary for forward progression, ultimately lean principles. I came into my organization as we all do, the new guy or gal. The outside person that doesn’t know how things are done here. But if you are the new person with lean vision it is a blessing in disguise for those opposed to your unproven acceptance. This was a little more than I anticipated, bringing emotions and attitudes to a boil perhaps at the necessary time, but also should it have been necessary at all?
My last post was about the covert operations taking place and the isolated silos of effort that were leading us to nowhere, definitely not success. I personally started to withdraw from rejection and ignorance and just a lack of persistence in the face of oblivion. But one senior leader faced me and challenged me to draw on these perceptions and emotions and provide candid feedback. This opportunity proved to be more rewarding than I could have imagined. The one drawing me in to this match showed immense maturity and foresight in building solid teams. We discussed the problems that were both real and one-sided and came out a much better team, one with mutual understanding and acceptance.
During this tumultuous event I reached out to my friend and mentor, Nick. He always has great advice and insight and had me read a short story about toxic culture and reality by Russ White. The theme in this article is about recognizing what you can truly influence, in spite of the influence you think you command. Mr. White also talks about looking at small incremental influences, if you can talk to even one person and make positive change then it is a success. Basically some things will always be out of your control and others you can chip away at if you have the persistence to continue in the advancement of lean and positive change.
What both of these events did for me was help me realize that I need to be forthright and candid with those around, and also accept what I can and cannot change. Exactly what the Serenity Prayer outlines.
I feel like I’m on the right path and have the right level of support in my challenge and endeavor to learn lean and practice in my organization. There will surely be more challenges that appear to derail any lean principle but also revelation that there are those willing to listen and also lean right next to you.
Reference:
White, R. (2017). Toxic Cultures and Reality. Retrieved October 22, 2018 from: https://rule11.tech/toxic-cultures-reality/
The Lean Army 