A story that ran in Forbes magazine brilliantly illustrates the huge impact that a systematic approach to continuous improvement can have on a company’s performance.

After experiencing 192% growth in three years, the marketing agency SmartBug Media, with about 80 employees, struggled to streamline processes as it scaled.

CEO Ryan Malone figured the best people to help with the challenge were those actually using the processes. So he started a routine habit of calling five or six members of his team each week and asking: “If you were me, what would you do to make this business healthier, better and more efficient?”

Here’s what he said about how people responded. “That one simple question, which is asked to people at all levels of our company every week, has generated hundreds of ideas that we are implementing to improve the company culture and client services. It has also allowed me to build trust and forge deeper relationships with each of my employees. We've seen an immensely positive impact on the health of our company–happier people and happier customers–in just a few months.”

Think about the kind of impact that small improvements coming in every week from your team can have on YOUR business. Here’s the key, though. If you just send out a one-time announcement saying, “Come to me if you have an idea for improvement,” you won’t get a sustained response, and the benefit will be minimal. Cadence and consistency are the keys to big-time impact!

Click on the link below to learn about routine processes for systematic continuous improvement that can spark your team to deliver loads of improvements that can propel the performance and results of your business.

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If you have a story that illustrates the power and potential of employees engaged in continuous improvement, we’d love to hear it – and share it with our readers.

Begin your improvement journey today!

“Great is the enemy of better”