Pillars of Excellence: Achieving Peak Performance Through Process Blueprints
"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." - James Clear, Atomic Habits.
This is a quote I actually pull into my lean leadership trainings with my clients’ teams. If you've never read the book, I highly recommend you get it (or ask ChatGPT to give you the highlights). In business, our processes are our habits. Whether or not you have SOPs documented, the way your team works is the process they have and the habits they follow. If these habits don’t have the right structure, then we will never rise to the level of our amazing and ambitious goals. We can only achieve what we have the structure and habits to achieve.
Think of your processes as the blueprint for your business. Just like a well-drawn blueprint guides the construction of a building, efficient processes guide your business operations to success. When you have a solid blueprint, you can achieve amazing things. This structure—our process efficiency—is what creates productivity, cuts back on waste, maximizes our resources, and helps us fund new opportunities. In fact, lean, efficient processes can, on average, help you uncover an immediate 20-30% of revenue potential.
Uncovering the Flaws: Finding the Cracks in Your Blueprint
Even the best blueprints can have a few flaws that need fixing. In business, we create processes to avoid chaos, but inefficiencies can sneak in like uninvited guests at a party. Here are some common culprits that can mess up your well-laid plans:
Bottlenecks causing delays
Redundant steps wasting time
Lack of clear communication
Outdated technology slowing things down
Insufficient training leading to errors
Figuring out what your inefficiencies are and why they are happening - the root cause - goes a long way to making things better. Or else, whatever “solution” you come up with will just be a band-aid fix and the issue will keep happening. We want to attack that root cause to make sure that there’s a slim to none chance that we will run into the issue again. This means going beyond the “I’m frustrated and this really sucks” feeling and getting into the nitty gritty of what’s frustrating us about our team.
A client I worked with recently was experiencing this feeling with a maintenance team. On the surface, the frustration seemed to stem from certain employees being lackadaisical about their workload. When we dug deeper, it was actually because their team lead wasn’t informing everyone about daily and weekly priorities or deadlines so the employees were just moving forward with what they thought was important at the pace they felt was decent. We needed to rework how the team lead collaborated with the rest of the team so that everyone was on the same page about where their efforts needed to go.
Tools like SIPOC diagrams and the 5 Whys analysis can help you move past the frustration and into actionable insights. Curious on how to use those tools with your team? Book a call with us!
Crafting a Master Blueprint: What Efficiency Feels Like
Imagine your blueprint is finally coming together, every line and detail exactly where it should be. Whenever someone looks at it - whether they are the architect, engineer, project manager, etc. - they understand exactly what needs to happen. That's what efficiency feels like—smooth, precise, and ready to support your ambitious projects. Here’s what a well-crafted blueprint (aka your efficient processes) looks like:
Simplicity: Too often we overcomplicate stuff. Keeping things as straightforward and easy whenever we can, can cut back on confusion, unnecessary extra work, etc.
Resource Optimization: We want the right people doing the right things and the right tools for every step in a process. Using our resources wisely means we’re getting our money’s worth for the things we’re spending money on, we’re avoiding waste and maximizing our outputs.
Less F*ck Ups: Lean processes naturally reduce potential errors, but they also create opportunities for better checks and balances to catch issues before they become big problems. - **Clear Documentation**: Ensuring everyone knows the plan keeps the team aligned and on track.
Crystal Clear Instructions: clarity in our documentation makes sure everyone knows the plan and everyone can follow it - which means they are more likely to meet your expectations the first time AND less likely to bug you with a million questions to get there.
These baseline standards form the foundation of a successful, efficient process. Think of them as the essential elements of your operational blueprint. These standards allow you to not just run a decent business, but lead a wildly successful one. Everything flows smoothly, everyone knows their role, and you’re able to focus on what really matters—growing and thriving.
Laying the Foundation: Getting Started with Improvements
So, you've spotted the cracks in your blueprint and have a clear vision of what an efficient process looks like. Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and make it happen. Improving your processes isn’t a one-size-fits-all deal; it’s about finding what works best for your team and your goals. Here’s practical ways to get started:
Tools to Build Your Blueprint:
Process Mapping: Visuals are your best friend here. Use flowcharts to map out your current processes and see where you can make improvements. Think of it as sketching out your initial plans.
Automate Where Possible: Why do it manually when a system can handle it for you? Especially in the age of AI, so many trivial tasks can be done. Platforms like monday.com can automate repetitive tasks, freeing up time and reducing errors.
Engage Your Team: Get your employees involved from the start. They are your on-the-ground intelligence! First off, they likely know more about what’s annoying, tedious to deal with, or just inconvenient than you do since they are the ones doing that day to day work. Secondly, when they help identify inefficiencies, they’re more likely to buy into the changes. Plus, they often have the best insights into what’s not working.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Create clear, easy-to-follow instructions for each process. HINT: They don’t have to be super formal, corporate-sounding documents. Remember how we said to keep things simple? SOPs are just your game plan, ensuring everyone knows what to do and when to do it.
Regular Check-ins: Make it a habit to review and tweak your processes. Continuous improvement is key to maintaining efficiency.
Improving your processes is like laying a solid foundation for a building. You need to ensure every element is in place and aligned correctly. By using these tools and strategies, you can create a robust blueprint that supports your business's growth and success.
Now, with these steps in place, you’ve got a solid start on transforming your business processes. Let's make sure your blueprint is strong, clear, and ready to support your ambitious goals.
From Blueprint to Reality: Implement What You've Learned
Knowledge is great but it doesn’t do much for you unless you use what you’ve learned. So, let's recap the action plan :
Identify your common inefficiencies and get to the bottom of those root causes
Understand what efficient processes look like for your team and map out your ideal workflows
Figure out the best tools and approach to implement the changes to make your ideal workflows a reality.
Think your processes are top-notch? Ready to see if you're operating at superhero level? Take our Business Superhero quiz! It's a fun and insightful way to discover if you're a high-performing hero or if there are areas that need a bit of fine-tuning. Challenge yourself and get some actionable feedback!
Stay Tuned: Amazing processes are our fourth Pillar of Excellence. Next up, we’ll dive into effective delegation. It’s time to ensure your team is empowered and your leadership is optimized. Don't miss out on the next post—subscribe below to stay in the loop, keep the momentum going on your journey to operational excellence, and get exclusive content.
