As a consultant and facilitator, I see firsthand that senior teams and boards are making massive commitments to business improvement.
Investing in Lean Six Sigma training is a significant move. It shows a genuine desire to empower people and drive change.
However, there is one critical step that can determine whether that investment merely ticks a box or truly transforms the organisation. Strategic Alignment.
Often, senior leaders are so focused on the logistics of the rollout that they assume project selection will happen organically. But when individuals are left to choose their own projects in a vacuum, we run a few risks:
Small-scale impact: Projects that are safe but don’t significantly improve the bottom line.
Over-ambitious scope: Projects that are so vast they become impossible to complete.
Misalignment: A lack of connection to the year’s actual business objectives.
I saw the Gold Standard of alignment this week in Exeter. What impressed me most wasn’t just the calibre of the Green Belts, but the involvement of a Board Director and the organiser. They were in the room, setting expectations and explaining why these specific individuals were chosen.
More importantly, they had already mapped out a list of projects aligned with their annual trajectory and critical metrics.
The result? The dialogue was great. Because the “Why” was clear, the team embraced my challenges on project definitions and scoping with open arms.
They weren’t just doing a course, they were solving the company’s most pressing problems.
You don’t need to be an expert in Hoshin Kanri to get this right. While I value using these strategic tools with my clients, we don’t need to lead with complex terminology that might put people off.
Strategy creation shouldn’t be a hurdle, it’s simply about defining the high-level direction and the specific annual activities that help us reach those goals.
If you’ve invested in your team’s growth, make sure you’ve given them the roadmap to succeed.
🚀 Are you planning your next wave of improvement? Let’s chat about how to align your projects from Day 1 so your team, and your investment, delivers the biggest possible impact.
