The Edges of Lean — Ep 73 Continuous Improvement and Finding Meaning at Work with Kevin Herring

Kevin Herring specializes in business turnarounds – helping organizations create high-performing teams.  His interest in how humans thrive in a workplace started all the way back in college – not in a class but at a summer job. A job that he considered one of the most boring on earth turned out to be fascinating with a self-directed team. This job gave him a completely different idea about organizational culture and what a committed team really looks like.

 

Kevin Herring 

Kevin Herring is a recognized expert in team and business unit turnarounds and the creator of the 90-Day Turnaround, a unique program for building great leaders and turning any workgroup into a highly engaged, high-performing team in just 90 days.

Kevin has been featured as a national conference keynote speaker and has been published and quoted in Forbes, CFO, Talent Management, Workforce, and HR Executive, among others.

 

KEY TOPICS IN THIS PODCAST:

  • 0:04:40 The lesson learned from the most boring work
  • 0:04:47 How can culture help to achieve and improve productivity
  • 0:06:31 A good culture is better than having an MBA or greater work experiences
  • 0:08:37 How satisfaction comes from a meaningful work
  • 0:04:40 The lesson learned from the most boring work
  • 0:04:47 How can culture help achieve and improve productivity?
  • 0:06:31 A good culture is better than having an MBA or greater work experience.
  • 0:08:37 How satisfaction comes from meaningful work
  • 0:09:29 How the culture of the organization affects productivity
  • 0:12:25 What is “quiet quitting” and does it help the company to develop
  • 0:14:45 Culture is mostly controlled by the manager, and he is the one who makes it better.
  • 0:17:58 How can organizational psychology help individuals bring their best selves to the work?
  • 0:19:29 The response we give to cultures also makes a big impact on how we shape that culture.
  • 0:25:25 The importance of seeing yourself as a business person rather than a technical person in the work environment
  • 0:29:50 The importance of observation and learning 

 

  KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Culture is one of the most important factors in a successful organization.
  • Goal-oriented organizations help companies follow through to the end, no matter what.
  • Culture starts with the people.
  • Good managers create other managers rather than followers.
  • Making achievements as natural as possible will make it easier to achieve higher goals.
  • Rules should be created by the employees in the organization rather than forced on them by the managers.
  • Leaders need to respect people to be successful, and it is something most leaders struggle with.
  • When organizations want to achieve higher goals, they should first create a culture where everyone feels the urge and the fuel to achieve more.
  • The culture needs to be intentionally guided to meet the demands of the model.
  • Any change in the organization shouldn’t be implemented without enough introduction and step-by-step implementation rather than giving it all.

 

Memorable Quotes From Kevin Herring

  • “If you don’t understand the business, how can you help shape the culture to support what the business needs and the other way around?” 

 

 

CONNECT WITH Kevin Herring

 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/the90dayturnaround/

Website:  https://ascentmgt.com

Kevin Herring’s Latest Book: https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Internal-Consultants-Expertise/dp/097643010X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429408819&sr=8-1&keywords=Practical+Guide+for+Internal+Consultants