What to do with Suggestions
When an employee comes to you with a problem, hold back on giving a quick answer or taking ownership of the problem. Instead, ask them for a possible solution. Allow them to do as much of the groundwork as they can for a solution. Warning – let them know up front that you are only considering it; not that you will do it. If the problem is really no problem, in your opinion, let them know why. Give them a chance to collect data on the issue so that they can quantify it. Always give feedback that you appreciate their initiative.
Why not ask your own questions as you walk around? Show that your employee’s opinions matter. Some possible questions are:
- What are the hassles associated with this job?
- What took too long? How can it be improved?
- Where can we eliminate waste?
- What job involved too many people or too many steps?
- What would the customer be unhappy about?
- What was misunderstood today?
- What was just plain silly on our part?
Follow up these questions with some probing questions. One method is to use a root cause analysis tool – ask “why” or “how” 5 times (they say why something is happening and you ask “why is that?” they give you an answer and you again ask “why is that?” x5). If you think it has some merit, delegate a project with a clear scope of time and parameters. Allow them to gather data and possible solutions.
Asking questions is a powerful tool. They can get your employees to think about and understand the business. Have a contest and give out small prizes. Think of 4 or 5 questions about some costs in your department or some important measure. i.e., what is the average cost to reroute a box shipped to the wrong location?
See the previous post on making suggestions at work