GA 045 | Respect for People with Past Guests

You're listening to episode 45, which is going to be focused on the topic of respect. Welcome to the Gemba Academy Podcast, the show that's focused on helping individuals and companies achieve breakthrough results using the same continuous improvement principles leveraged by companies such as Toyota Del Monte and the U.S. department of Defense. And now, here's your host, Ron Pereira. Hey there. This is Ron Pereira, and I'd like to welcome you to another edition of the Gemba Academy Podcast. As always, thank you so much for taking time out of your day to listen to the podcast and for watching our Lean and Six Sigma training videos over at Gembacademy.com we definitely appreciate each and every one of you. Now then, I'm happy to announce that today's show is actually the brainchild of our good friend Jamie Parker from FedEx office, who joined the show back in episode 41. Now, about a month ago, Jamie emailed me and said we should consider creating a podcast where we consolidated some of our past guest responses to the quick fire question that we ask. Where we ask, what does respect for people mean to you? Well, we thought it was a great idea, but we were obviously torn on how to choose which guest to select, since we love them all equally. So we turned it back on Jamie and asked her to pick some of her favorites. And being the awesome Lean trooper she is, she did. So if you're interested in gaining a deeper understanding of what respect for people means, this episode is for you. Next, the show. Notes for this episode, which will include links back to the original episodes of all the guests that we hear from today, can be found over@gembapodcast.com 45 and that's 45445, so gembapodcast.com 45 now then, while she wasn't on her own list, I do want to start our respect for people montage with Jamie herself. Now, this is what Jamie Parker from FedEx office said respect for people meant to her in episode 41.

Respect for people, to me, has actually changed over time, thank goodness, because now I look back on my old thoughts of what I thought it was and kind of bang my head against the wall. But for me, respect for people is really about valuing the intrinsic characteristics and the intrinsic gifts that our people have, the people who make our organization and our profits possible. It's not just about being respectful in your communication, how you treat people. I think that's kind of a given today, but it's more about kind of valuing that innately human desire to be a part of Something bigger, and then creating an environment that allows that to happen. It's about allowing your people to take risks and try things that may fail, and even being okay if 50% of their ideas fail, but knowing that they're going to learn from those failures and they're actually going to come up with ideas that could not have even been conceived if they hadn't first failed that first, second, and third time. And then I think it's about being vulnerable and honest, sharing your fears and your mistakes and trusting that being vulnerable doesn't make you weaker, but it in fact makes you stronger as a team.

So when you say vulnerable, do you mean as a leader or as team members or both?

I think both, really. I think it starts with the leader being vulnerable because there's a certain level of fear that just is natural in most organizations today with a hierarchical structure, I have the authority to fire someone, and so there's some sort of fear that comes with it. So at some point, I have to be open and vulnerable first before others can, but then eventually being open when there is a mistake. Are you trying as a team member, trying to hide that? Are you holding up your hand, say, whoa, wait a minute, I was involved with that. Let me see what happened here. And that takes some level of trust and being vulnerable to say. This is an area that I'm struggling with. But I do think it definitely starts with leaders. Leaders have to set the tone that it's okay and that we're not going to judge and that we're going to help each other when those vulnerabilities are shared again.

That was Jamie Parker from FedEx office. Now, to hear that full episode, simply go to gammapodcast.com 41 and that's 40. So gembapodcast.com 41. Okay, up next is Eric Reiss. Now, Eric and I chatted back on episode 36 about his work with the lean startup movement, and here's what he had to say when I asked him what respect for people meant to him. I think what it means is that every person has an inherent right to have the work that they do every day matter to somebody, and not just their boss, because they told them to actually matter to the world, matter to their customer, matter really. To feel that they're making the world a better place through their work and to know it for sure, not wonder about it, not, you know, like they know it for sure.

Yeah.

And I don't see very many companies living up to that standard. Again, that was Eric Reiss. And to hear that full Episode Simply go to gembapodcast.com 36. All right, well, up next is David Meyer, who we met in episode 32. Well, here's what respect for people means to David.

Well, Ron, there's a couple things that come to mind. One is a quote, there's a video that Fujiyo Cho did some years ago. And there he said, you know, we respect people by challenging them, and it doesn't mean that we pamper or coddle them. And I think that's what people assume a lot, that respect is this stand around in the circle and sing Kumbaya and everybody's happy and loving, caring, all that sort of thing, which is part of it. But I had a trainer one time, he told me, finally, after some years, they finally started letting us know the reality. He said, sometimes we don't get along, meaning the folks in Japan. He said, but we agree to put that aside for the good of the company. So that's one. The other thing that I picked up, and I believe it came from the book, and I can't remember the exact title, how Toyota Became Number one, or something to that effect some years ago. And I use this all the time and I say it's considered to be disrespectful to take away the privilege from people to solve their own problems. And so when I read that or understood that, it finally occurred to me why the Toyota Trainers never directly answered your questions because they didn't want to take away the privilege we had of finding our own solution. Interesting. So it's really, you know, to me, respecting people is more about the things I try to do is understand them, understand their point of view. We talked about at Toyota, we talked about mutual understanding, which doesn't mean agreement. It doesn't mean I agree with your point of view. It means I understand your point of view. It means I understand what you're saying. We say go and see. I always tell people, show me, show me what you're talking about so that I can understand it and that we can kind of find some way that we can get where we're trying to get. So that's kind of my take on it in a big nutshell.

Okay, again, that was David Meyer. And to hear that full episode, Simply go to gembapodcast.com 32 that's 3, 2. So gembapodcast.com 32 okay, well, while I agreed with Jamie's picks, most of the time, I did struggle with why she chose as next guest since, well, she chose me. You see, back in episode 27. My colleague Steve Cain reversed the tables on me and actually interviewed me. And here's what I had to say when Steve asked what respect for people meant to me. Yeah, it's funny, you know, I was preparing for this. Like, I don't normally prepare for these. Right. I know anyone asks, but it's. These are tough questions, you know, and, you know, this first one is something that obviously I'm passionate about. And for me, respecting people, it really just comes down to one thing, and that's just really caring about people and giving a damn about people. And my wife will yell at me now for saying that if my kids are listening to this. So kids don't say that. But that's really what it's all about, Steve. It's about caring about people. And if you do that. And again, it doesn't mean that you're always nice or whatever. I mean, we've heard all those answers before, but it just means genuinely investing in people and caring for people and treating them like their brain is so important to you. And I don't mean brain science things. I mean their ideas and the things that they can bring to the table. And so these companies that just look at people as a cost or an expense on the P and L, they don't get it and they probably never will. So I don't know. That's what respect for people means for me, caring about people. Again, that was me being interviewed by Steve Cain. And if you'd like to hear the full episode, simply go to gembapodcast.com 27 and that's 2, 7, so gembapodcast.com 27 okay, up next is my good friend and business partner, Kevin Meyer. Now, Kevin and I chatted about the evils of complexity back in episode 25. And here's what Kevin had to say when I asked what respect for people meant to him.

Respect for people. I think it's one of the two key pillars of Lean, along with continuous improvement, I think it's the one that is usually forgotten or at least misunderstood. In the Lean transformations I've been part of and that I've witnessed, probably the primary reason for failure is not understanding respect for people. Respect for people means leveraging the brains of people. And people doesn't just include the ones within your organization. It's the ones that. It's the entire value stream. It's your suppliers all the way through to your customer and even the end customer. You know, how. How do you leverage that knowledge? I see way too many companies, and this is this is driven by our traditional cost accounting type of mindset or standards that think of people as. As the cost of a pair of hands. And, and so you manage your organization based on the. The cost of the pair of hands, and you completely forget about the brain that is attached to that pair of hands.

Yeah.

And that's where you. Because the brain that is not really reflected on a traditional P and L or balance sheet. You know, there's. I've seen some interesting things along those lines, but in most organizations it's not. And that leads to, you know, crazy decisions of laying off, you know, 5,000 highly experienced people to shift manufacturing overseas to save a buck. What have you lost? You've gained a buck, but what have you lost in value, even if it's not on a traditional balance sheet? But I want to go one step further on this, and it's something that has really impacted me. Respect for people also means respecting yourself. And I think that's critical for a leader, that you have to understand yourself. Caregivers learn to effectively care for others. You must first care for yourself. And I think that goes for leaders and leadership as well.

Again, that was Kevin Meyer. And if you'd like to hear that full episode, simply go to gambapodcast.com 25 and that's 2, 5. So gimbapodcast.com 25 all right, up next, we have Gimb Academy's own Steve Cain. Now, back in episode 20, Steve and I chatted about how to go about developing people through autonomy. And here's what Steve had to say when I asked what respect for people meant to him.

Wow, that's an incredibly deep subject. Respect for people. It goes so far beyond being professional and polite and kind to people. It's about making sure people are sufficiently challenged that they have a rewarding experience at work, which I believe really comes from being challenged. That they have the resources they need to learn and to grow, that they are brought into the organization so not just to perform the task that's at their fingertips, but that they're really, truly treated as an important part of the company and that they are involved in the company's success and information is shared with them and that they're, you know, they're not an asset. You know, I kind of have trouble with the idea that, you know, people are, you know, are our best asset. Well, you know, that kind of implies ownership. And something about respect for people tells me, you know, it just makes me think that, you know, you know, there isn't any ownership there. You know, we have to remember people are not obligated to work for us and that we need to. We need to create an environment where they want to be here, they want to succeed, and they want our customers succeed. I think Richard Branson, you know, said something along the lines of train your people well enough that they can leave and treat them well enough that they don't want to.

Nice. I like that. Again, that was Steve Cain. And to hear that full episode, Simply go to GembaPodcast.com 20. Okay, up next, we hear from Jamie Flinchbaugh. Now, Jamie and I talked about the topic of lean leadership back in episode 16. And here's what Jamie had to say when I asked what respect for people meant to him.

Well, let me start by saying what I think it isn't. I think it isn't about being nice. Doesn't mean you have to be mean. It's just that's not the heart of it. Even though I think I often see people thinking that's the heart of it. To me, the heart of it is that is really around developing people in the fact that I want the people around me to be better off, to be more capable, to have more ownership, whatever that might be, than they did when I before I found them. So I want people to grow. That, to me, is respect for people. And sometimes it involves coaching, sometimes about giving them opportunities, sometimes it's about giving them degrees of freedom. But whatever it is that helps those people develop and take more ownership over their lives and develop more capability, that's to me, the ultimate respect for people. And sometimes doing those things mean you won't be their friend. They may not like everything you've done, but they're still better off for it.

Again, that was Jamie Flinchpaw. And to hear that full episode, Simply go to gembapodcast.com 16 and that's 1 6. So gimbapodcast.com 16. Okay, next we hear from Adam Zak. Now, Adam and I chatted back in episode 14, and here's what he had to say when I asked what respect for people meant to him. Well, I have a very personal definition, which I will typically share with clients because they have that same kind of question. Everybody reads about this, but what is this really mean?

And I think it.

It has to be internalized. So for me, it means recognizing individuals as they are and not as we would wish them to be, and then helping them attain as much of their potential professionally as well as personally. So it's not one of those soft things that business people refer to at all. And of course, you know, in the broader context, broader definition, we could start talking about all the pieces that go into that that make that up. So the transparency, the trust, responsibility, accountability. But really it's those values that connect back to that golden rule. Lots of things. But the core really is quite simple. Again, that was Adam Zach. And to hear that full episode, please visit GembaPodcast.com 14. Okay, well, the final person that we'll hear from is Mike Grogan. Now, we've actually talked to Mike two different times, but back in episode 15, Mike and I talked about the work he's been doing in Tanzania, Africa. And here's what he had to say when I asked him what respect for people meant to him.

Oh, I could spend the next hour. This is my favorite principle of lean thinking. Respect for people. Because without us, nothing is sustainable.

Yeah.

And actually, my good friend and a fellow interviewee that you interviewed, Joe Gross. Yes, I actually on his. The Kaizo. On his fantastic webpage.

Yes.

I was a guest blogger writer on that and I wrote a more detailed answer. So maybe I'll link to that.

But I'm gonna put you on the spot now. You gotta give us an elevator speech for respect for people.

Okay. So here's the 62nd elevator. Well, I prefer the phrase respect for humanity.

Yes.

John Miller actually explained that's a better. As you heard on an episode.

Yeah, yeah.

Better translation.

Fantastic Lean thinker. John. I think if we're to. And it really goes back to. You really got to care about your people and that you really must have the belief that the greatest resource in your organization is human potential and that you really must be conscious. And I look at this from the manager perspective, how your actions and behaviors have an impact, a direct impact on the quality of life of your employee. And I think if people don't appreciate that, then that's the first problem to solve. If they don't make that link. And I'd even push people as far as. If you don't feel that you care about your people, you don't think that people are your greatest resource, then maybe you're in the wrong job. Really need to deeply reflect because it is, you know, we have assets with machines, whoever it may be, but it's. It is people that leave the legacy, not the buildings or the equipment. And one of my favorite writers or thinkers on human development, human motives, is Tony Robbins.

Yes.

Well, I'm addicted to his stuff. But he talks about the six human needs. Certainty, variation, significance, connection, love, growth, and contribution. I think that there's a beautiful link there to respect for humanity in terms of for the manager and the coach to be aware of those human needs and to do actions that add value to those needs and not detract them.

Again, that was Mike Grogan and to hear that full episode, Simply go to GembaPodcast.com 15 now then, we've covered a lot in this short episode and we've also shared a lot of show note URL's and your head may be swimming a bit, so to make it really easy on you, the only one you need to remember is GembaPodcast.com 45 and that's 45 for 45 so GembaPodcast.com 45 if you go to this page, links to all the episodes that we talked about in this show will be shared there. Now then, the last thing that I'd like to do is offer a shameless plug for Gemba Academy's Culture of Kaizen course, since we did our very best to explore the human aspect of Lean throughout that course. So if you're interested in checking that out and aren't already a subscriber to Gemba Academy, Simply go to gembacademy.com and request a full access 3 day trial to everything we have to offer. Finally, a quick shout out. And thanks to Jamie Parker from FedEx office for coming up with the idea for this episode. I think it turned out great and I'm so happy that we have friends like Jamie who push us and help us to innovate again. Show notes for this episode can be found@gemmapodcast.com 45 well, thanks for listening and we'll be back next week with a new episode. Until then, be well and don't stop improving. Thanks for listening to the Gemba Academy podcast. Now it's time to take a free no strings attached to fully functional test drive of Gemba Academy's School of Lean and Six Sigma. Over at GembaCademy.com gain immediate access to more than 500 Lean and Six Sigma training videos free of charge at GembaAcademy.com.