You see a repetitive problem.

Balancing relationships and the requirements of your job can feel like you are walking a tightrope. One of the most challenging balancing acts comes when you have a coworker who is constantly passing on the same problem to you over and over. You don’t want to feel like you are going to get the person in trouble, but you also want to make sure the problem goes away.

Problem

You see a repetitive problem.

How this affects you

You see the same problem coming up over and over and over again, and your frustration grows because you have to repeatedly deal with the same error.

Action to Take

As Lean takes hold, you will probably begin to have morning stand-up meetings to address the issues of the upcoming day. If you make the effort to record problems in your area, these meetings provide a great opportunity to highlight these issues so your leader can deal with the problems.

Numbers don’t lie. The root cause of a problem becomes apparent when data is collected. What’s the point? Well, people are reluctant to “rat out” their coworkers. They are also resistant to working harder because someone else is not pulling his own weight.

The good news is that you don’t have to be the one separating the two issues—that’s your boss’s job. All you have to do is log when there is a problem that affects your production. You never have to say, “Joe gave me a bad part.” You just note that a part had a burr on it that kept it from fitting properly.

Why this works

The Why this Works section is only available in print copies of Whaddaya Mean I Gotta Be Lean?