The Not So Hidden Costs of Mistakes

Eliminate mistakes

Eliminate the cost of double work.

There is very little more frustrating than spending time correcting mistakes. Re-dos basically doubles the amount of time it takes to complete a task. But more importantly, double work brings your organization’s ability to move forward to a stand still.

But, are mistakes really that big a problem?

Probably bigger than you think. According to experts who study this sort of thing, human error rates are typically around 20-30 mistakes per 100 opportunites. When quality assurance systems are put into place, really good performers get to under 10 errors per 100. Simple math tells us this adds up to lots of mistakes over weeks and months.

Sure mistakes happen but is it that big a deal? The short answer is yes. it is a huge deal. Some estimates put the cost of mistakes in the US alone at 37 billion dollars per year. Of those $17 billion are in the healthcare sector alone. Obviously, mistakes have a major effect on performance.

So, what can be done to reduce or even eliminate mistakes.

simple checklist for ensuring best practices are followed

Checklist View in ClearSteps

The answer is so simple that it belies its real power of the solution – the checklist.

Checklists have been widely used for over 70 years in the airline industry and the results are so astounding they are taken for granted.

There is a 1 in 1.43 million chance of a crash of any flight and this rate continues to decline. Obviously, there are number of factors that contribute to this safety record, but the bottom line is that if you want something done right, use a checklist.

If are looking for an efficient way to incorporate checklists throughout your organization, ClearSteps offers a great solution.

So, how does ClearSteps help teams execute?

At the most basic level ClearSteps helps with Must Do lists.

At ClearSteps we believe it essential to identify key tasks that must always be done correctly.

An example would be reviewing schedule changes or cancellations at the very beginning of the day. By ensuring all changes are accounted for as soon as possible, schedules can be modified so no time is wasted.

Preventing upstream mistakes is one of the best ways to enhance team performance.

If you are a leader who aspires to greatness, we enourage you to learn more about how ClearSteps makes big things happen.

If you have not done so already, click here to start your free trial today.

How Top Performers Stay on Top

Becoming a top performer is never easy, but just as difficult, if not more so, is staying on top. The path to getting there and staying there share one common discipline.

But first, what makes a top performer in the first place?

One of my favorite sayings about performance is that good players practice until they get it right, while great players practice until they never get it wrong.

The bottom line is that top performers are always improving. They embrace the journey. It’s good to celebrate accomplishments, but the best never stop the process of getting better and better.

So, how do top performers maintain consistent performance?

Top Performer Preparation

Next Day Prep in ClearSteps

The best do so by investing time and energy into preparation. A simple example of preparation is reviewing and confirming your calendar nightly to plan your day. Every member of your team can improve performance through better preparation.

The very best performers make preparedness a habit. They take time to invest in preparation as a part of their regular daily activities.  Budgeting the time and maintaining the focus on being prepared separates the good from the great.

If you want to guarantee your team is prepared and also build the habit of regular preparation, implementing ClearSteps is a great option.

So how does ClearSteps support prepared teams?

ClearSteps helps with the concept of Prep Lists

At ClearSteps we believe in “10 minutes of prep”. This idea calls on leaders to budget a minimum of 10 minutes a day for each team member to work on preparation. Each team member creates their own Prep List to be sure they start the next day ready to go.

You will be astounded at how much performance improves by dedicating your team to 10 minutes of daily prep.

If you are a leader who aspires to greatness, we enourage you to learn more about how ClearSteps makes big things happen.

If you have not done so already, click here start your free trial today.

 

 

The Secret to a Fully Engaged Team

Engaged Team

The Power of a Fully Engaged Team

Before we can learn this secret, we have to understand what a fully Engaged Team actually is.

According to Wikipedia, an “engaged employee” is defined as one who is fully absorbed by and enthusiastic about their work and so takes positive action to further the organization’s reputation and interests.

So, that definition is pretty straightforward but we also need to appreciate why it is worthwhile to invest in creating engaged teams. In other words, do engaged teams really perform better?

Not only do engaged teams perform better than non-engaged teams, but they do so at a dizzying rate. Various estimates put performance levels compared to non-engaged teams at well over 100% – with some estimates over 200%.

So, what’s the secret?

Role ownership with ClearSteps

Supporting Role Ownership with ClearSteps

How do I get my team engaged?

The secret to full engagement is simple – role ownership. Every member of your team should be trusted to own their own role.

Great leaders work to build a culture where team members have the freedom and the authority to accomplish their role.

If you are interested in ways to accomplish this, here is a brief overview of how ClearSteps supports role ownership.

ClearSteps helps with a feature called Work Stories. Within ClearSteps, team members are able to tell their  work story much like how personal stories are told on social media. Through pictures, videos and text, work stories come to life.

Once work stories have been documented, team members have a platform to continually make their story better and better.

If you are a leader who aspires to greatness, we encourage you to learn more about how ClearSteps makes big things happen.

If you have not done so already, click here to start your free, no risk trial of ClearSteps.