One of the biggest mistakes we can make when working on a process improvement plan is to not involve those impacted by the process.  The truth is, sometimes as leaders our egos get in our way, and we think we know best, right? I mean, it is frustrating working with employees that are, let’s say, difficult.  What if they are difficult because they are frustrated with a poor process, and they actually have a solution, but they lack the authority? There is so much value in getting their input and by considering all of their input, the improvement will be so much more robust and they are way more likely to buy into the improvement because they were involved.  But wait, there’s more… you are also, creating a cultural shift.  By interacting and involving stakeholders, we are building relationships and trust. When we build trust and understanding we become more empathetic and the culture of the business starts to shift to a “yes we can if..” team.  When our teams have gone through a few projects and understand Lean philosophies, they become empowered to make small improvements on the fly and your company becomes a process improvement powerhouse. So instead of telling people what to do, involve them in determining what and how they do it.Expanding Excellence - Personal Paradise Builders Blueprint, Productivity Training (expanding-excellence.com)