Three People. One Question

Every once in a while, I come across something that I simply want more people to see.

Last week, I saw a LinkedIn post by Adam Lawrence that really caught my attention. I was taken with the simplicity of the idea — and with how that simplicity could lead to some profound insights.

I liked it enough that I asked Adam if I could share it with you, and he graciously said yes.

So there’s not much of me in this one. I’m going to let Adam speak for himself.

The following post was originally published by Adam Lawrence on LinkedIn and is shared here with his permission. [You can read Adam’s original post here.]

Ask three people one question.

Go to an area where you’ve recently made an improvement. Find three people who work there and ask each of them separately:

“Why did we make this change?”

Then listen. Don’t explain. Don’t correct them. Just listen.

If all three people give you roughly the same answer and can explain why the change makes the work safer, easier, better, or more valuable to the customer you’ve learned something important.

But what if you hear:

“I’m not really sure.”
“Management wanted us to do it.”
“That’s just the new way we’re supposed to do it.”

You’ve learned something important then, too.

After more than 400 Kaizen events, I’ve become convinced of something:

People want to do the right thing.

But it’s much easier to protect an improvement when people understand why it matters and have been part of creating it.

That’s one of the five things I look for when trying to understand whether an improvement is likely to last.

So here’s my challenge:

Ask three people one question. Then come back and tell me what you learned.

— Adam Lawrence

Thanks again to Adam for allowing me to share his post.

If you like what Adam has to say, I encourage you to read the original post on LinkedIn and follow him there. It looks to me like he’s doing some very interesting work.