Transform Your Life and Organization with 2 Second lean
https://leansmarts.com/lean-101/kaizen/
I listened to a book this summer that transformed my life both personally and professionally. The book was 2 Second Lean: How to Grow People and Build a Fun Lean Culture by Paul Akers. You can download or listen to any of his books for free (I listened to all of them in one week).
What is 2 Second Lean?
In a nutshell, 2 second lean is a commitment to daily improvement (Kaizen) of at least 2 seconds. For example, can your donation form be changed so a donor can fill it out 2 seconds quicker?
Why is 2 second lean so incredibly transformative?
Let’s face it; most improvements come in the form of large Kaizen events. We implement a new donor or association management system, agile methodologies, or some other system or process that takes a boatload of time and money. On the plus side, the organization is typically in a much better place once these large events are completed.
However, these large-scale improvements can be draining, and there are only so many of them that an organization has the capacity (financially, mentally, etc.) to pursue.
By contrast, two second lean is about minor incremental daily improvements. Having to make daily improvements can be viewed as unrealistic and draining as well. The key is that the expected gain is so minimal (literally “make something 2 seconds better”) that it can be easily achieved.
Here are some examples that I know every non-profit can make:
Can we have our dues automatically renew every year and debit the member’s credit card instead of having to send invoices? This is a double win - both the staff and the member save time.
Can we have members cancel their memberships or event registration on-line?
Can we shorten our phone tree welcome message by 2 seconds so the caller can hear the options quicker?
Can we implement a No Meetings Monday policy?
This list can be endless, and just about every non-profit professional I know could likely quickly think up dozens more.
It’s all about seeking out and eliminating waste
Waste is present everywhere in every organization. Giving your team time every day to change some small things for the better will instill a mindset that continuously looks for waste and makes things better.
In Paul Akers’ company, one person actually went as far as having a better way to organize the salt and pepper shakers in the lunchroom.
The benefits go way (way, way, way) beyond 2 seconds
2 second lean has its initial appeal in eliminating waste, but the real, long-lasting benefits come in the form of a better culture:
Better work environment. Everyone has something that bothers them. Giving your team the time and agency to fix it will remove those nagging, wasteful things that drive them nuts.
Less staff turnover. Let’s face it; good employees hate seeing waste or operating inefficiencies. Being part of an organization where every person works to make something better every day by eliminating waste leads to happier staff who are less likely to leave.
More donations? Eliminating waste can help boost your organization’s overhead and increase its charity rating. The higher the rating, the more confident your donors will be that their gift is efficiently used.
2 second lean will also make you personally better and happier
Read Paul’s other book Lean Life for examples and know that daily kaizen will permeate your day-to-day living. I journal my daily kaizen to record the small improvements.
Here is an example of a recent personal Kaizen improvement: I have a number of different trailers for camping, four-wheeling and garden equipment, and many other hitches and hitch balls for the various vehicles I use to tow them. I kept them all in a big box and it was always a pain to dig through it and find the right hitch and ball. I spent a few hours last week and built this:
Now I never have to hunt to find the hitch or ball I need. This saves me time, and it feels great to have made this process better.
What are you going to make better today?
Take time every day to make incremental improvements, and let me know (in the comments below) how it changes your organization and your life.
P.S. Quick shout out to my Kaizen hero, the great Ted Husted who first introduced me to the term and walks the Kaizen walk every day.
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