What question will you ask today?
Questions are the basis for improvement. Many times we approach our job as if all the questions have been asked and answered. That’s human nature. You work on a problem. Come to a solution which eases the pain or gets a favorable result. You implement it. It becomes the way you do it.
To continually question the status quo is a discipline to consider. Most people are creatures of habit. Imagine the power of challenging habit daily. Imagine the advantage you have as an individual or we have as a company if we resist being creatures of habit and ask questions. Like these:
What’s the greatest safety hazard that confronts me today?
How can I improve my product or service to delight my customer?
What does my customer think about my service?
How much of the work day do I actually produce product? How can I increase the throughput?
Who is the best in our plant at doing my job? What makes them better than me?
What does that part cost? When was the last time I checked prices?
What detail about my machine’s operation could I learn to improve its performance?
What keeps breaking down? Do other plants have the same problem that we do?
You get the idea. Put questions in your every day. Try a new way. Learn a new skill. Make a mistake trying a different way. Form a new hypothesis. Ask for a discount. Make “asking” your new habit. It sets us apart.
