If you work in lean manufacturing, you know how important it is to eliminate waste, improve quality, and increase efficiency. But how can you show your value and potential to your employer when you want to advance your career? In this article, we'll share some tips on how to stand out when seeking a promotion in lean manufacturing.
The first step to impress your boss and colleagues is to showcase your skills and knowledge in lean manufacturing. You can do this by applying the principles and tools of lean to your daily tasks, projects, and processes. For example, you can use the 5S method to organize your workspace, the PDCA cycle to solve problems, and the value stream map to identify waste and improvement opportunities. You can also document and share your results and achievements using metrics and visual aids.
Lean is not to be used as a way for you to climb the corporate ladder faster. A lot of people do this, come to learn lean to have a stamp in the CV so they can get promoted. Looking back history, toyota used a what they called a "T" approach when it comes to promotion, instead of traditional approach used to grow. You can learn from courses, books, by doing, but the key things is that experience has a lot more gravity than piece of paper certification. It is more valid to have a low level lean individual, let's say a yellow belt with 3 years experience than a black belt with 0 years.
- Show that you know the subject - Show that you truly believe and follow lean by example. Even how you arrange your desktop with 5S matters - Always use the systematic tools in problem solving - Establish yourself as the go to person in your department.
The second step to boost your chances of getting a promotion is to keep learning and growing your skills and competencies in lean manufacturing. You can do this by taking online courses, reading books and articles, attending webinars and workshops, and joining professional networks and communities. You can also seek feedback and mentorship from your peers, managers, and experts in the field. By doing this, you'll show your initiative, curiosity, and commitment to continuous improvement.
- The best way to learn is to have a mentor. You are Luckey if you can find one and get coached by him/her - Consistently learn from books, YouTube, LinkedIn and other sources. - you need to talk the future. Because your role is not maintaining the standards. It is improvement of the standards - learning only won’t help, but you need to show your knowledge as well. So create opportunities to teach and coach others.
The third step to stand out when seeking a promotion is to communicate effectively with your team, customers, and stakeholders. You can do this by using clear, concise, and respectful language, listening actively, and asking relevant questions. You can also use visual tools like kanban boards, gemba walks, and huddle meetings to share information, ideas, and progress. By doing this, you'll demonstrate your collaboration, leadership, and customer focus skills.
The fourth step to increase your visibility and recognition is to innovate and create value for your organization and customers. You can do this by identifying gaps, challenges, and opportunities in your current processes, products, and services. You can also propose and implement solutions that reduce waste, enhance quality, and optimize efficiency. You can also measure and communicate the impact and benefits of your innovations using data and evidence. By doing this, you'll show your creativity, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
- Lean is about value creation but showing the value created through lean can be bit tricky - You need to have a clear record of before and after evidences of the work that you have done - Clearly document and the impact you have made in terms of financial and non financial impact
The fifth step to align yourself with the goals and values of your organization is to understand and support the vision and culture of lean manufacturing. You can do this by embracing the philosophy and mindset of lean, such as customer value, respect for people, kaizen, and gemba. You can also participate and contribute to the initiatives and activities that promote and sustain lean culture, such as training, events, audits, and recognition. By doing this, you'll show your loyalty, engagement, and alignment with the organization.
The sixth and final step to prove your readiness and potential for a promotion is to seek opportunities and challenges that stretch your skills and abilities in lean manufacturing. You can do this by volunteering for new projects, roles, and responsibilities that require you to apply and learn new aspects of lean. You can also take risks and experiment with new ideas and methods that can improve your performance and results. You can also share and celebrate your successes and failures with your team and managers. By doing this, you'll show your ambition, confidence, and resilience.