One of our clients recently published a graph of their performance over the past several years.  I’ll show it to you in a moment, but first-

HERE’S THE SETUP…

This is an electrical utility whose transmission segment spans three states (consisting of what was previously three separate companies with VERY different cultures). They’ve been involved in massive (billions of dollars) capital expansion consisting of replacement, modification, and new construction by both themselves and 23 different contract firms.  The average work “unit” consists of two men and a truck, with units scattered across the countryside, using (in many cases) inaccurate drawings and vague procedures. And, oh by the way…this is in the northeastern US, where the weather tends to be anything but cooperative.

Does this sound like a SETUP for human error?

Well, in the fall of 2007, this organization began implementation of Practicing Perfection®. For a picture of the results, GO HERE.

HERE’S WHAT THEY DID…

In the summer of 2007, the Manager of Test & Electrical sent five of his supervisors and himself to our PPC Certification program.  In the fall of that year, I helped them put together a half-day session that included (1) a shift in CONTEXT, (2) roll out of the Error Elimination Tools, and (3) practice using the Tools involving simple scenarios.

The training began with the Test and Relay folks, and then spread through the other disciplines working in or near the switch yards, as well as linemen and other workers (both in-house and contractors).  Natural work teams participated together in a single half-day training session.

The supervisors, having attended PPC Certification, had acquired the underlying insight necessary to be very effective day-to-day front-line champions of the effort. The workers, having a new context and recognizing the value of the simple-to-use Tools, enhanced their behaviors because they WANTED to.

The Result?  a 72% SUSTAINED reduction in human error rate.

If you’d like more specifics, let me know, and I’ll put you in touch with the organization that made it happen.

In the meantime, you might want to get the ball rolling in your organization by attending PPC Certification along with your supervisors.  The next opportunity (the last US opportunity for 2009) will occur during the week of November 2 in Hawthorne, CA.  For details, CLICK HERE.

Until next time,

-Tim

This video has great spirit, submited to to you as an example of how well the energies of human beings can combine (even across the world).  ENJOY!

It struck me that thousands of years ago there were plenty of rocks and sticks lying around.  We know from artifacts that ancient peoples knew how to bore holes in things.  Then one day someone came along and put these pieces together.

He took two round stones, bored holes in them, rammed a stick through the holes in each one, and…changed the world.  It would come to be called…the wheel. Yes- all the pieces had been lying around.  It was the way they were put together that changed EVERYTHING.

This is exactly what Viral Accountability™ is- pieces put together in an entirely new way.

For those of us who embrace it, it’s the end of the world as we’ve known it- the beginning of a new generation of human error reduction, safety enhancment, and performance improvement.

The Special Report is available for your FREE download here.

Enjoy.
Until next time,

-Tim  

The direct flight from Bradley to Pearson International on the de Havilland Dash 8 (yes…it’s small) drops you off at the satellite terminal, requiring you to take a shuttle bus to the main terminal.

During my trip on that shuttle this afternoon we were rounding a rather ‘blind’ turn, with chain link fencing on one side and concrete barriers on the other, and came upon a large ladder lying in the middle of the roadway.

Our bus driver scooted past it without [apparently] giving it much thought.  There was a van behind us.  He didn’t stop either.  Two pickup trucks passed us going in the opposite direction, each swerving slightly to avoid the ladder.  Nobody stopped to get the ladder out of the road.  Apparently, it wasn’t their job.

It looked like quite a safety hazard to me.  I was thinking (to myself of course), “SOMEBODY needs to stop and get the FREAKIN’ ladder out of the road!”  But at the moment, I was apparently the only one.

So whose job is it to eliminate safety hazards anyway?

Whose job is it to identify and get rid of traps, and waste, and latent organizational weaknesses (what I like to call ’landmines’)?

It’s yours.  It’s mine.  It’s ours.

It’s evening now as I write this.  I hope it was SOMEBODY’S job to get that ladder out of the road before it got completely dark!

For freedom from error,

Tim

Having watched the video, I hope you now have a feel for where things are headed in the world of human performance, safety in the workplace, and performance improvement initiatives (such as lean).

What should you do now?

First, grab a copy of Leandro Herrero’s book, Viral Change.

Second, download the Code of Honor Exercise Guide by clicking here.

Third, if you want to know more about Viral Accountability™, reserve your copy here: Viral Accountability™: When ‘Good Enough’ is NOT an Option.

Fourth, TAKE ACTION. In this HU-2.0 intro video series, you’ve been given some incredibly powerful insights and tools that you can put to use immediately. But the greatest knowledge and most powerful tools are useless if not put to use.

As performance improvement and safety professionals, we have a wonderful opportunity to [literally] make the world a better and safer place.

Let me know your thoughts, questions, and comments using the COMMENTS Section below.

For freedom from error,

-Tim

P.S. Be watching your email and this blog for info on the official release of HU-2.0.
P.P.S If you’d like a page with links to this entire HU-2.0 Intro Series (including links for all of the downloads), click here.

QUESTION: How do you get people to do what they should be doing when no one else is watching?

ANSWER: It must come from within. Ultimately, the individual must WANT to do it.

QUESTION: So then, how can you get people to WANT to do it?

ANSWER: By impacting their mindset and perceptions about what “it” is.

QUESTION: How do you do that?

ANSWER: Watch the video.

QUESTION: What does this have to do with changing the culture?

ANSWER: EVERYTHING

***

Here’s the “Cliff’s Notes” Version:

• Within each and every person, thoughts generate feelings and feelings manifest as behaviors.
• Behaviors determine WHAT a person does and HOW he or she does it.
• The way to influence a person’s behaviors is ultimately by influencing their thoughts.
• Your opportunity for influencing a person’s thoughts is through impacting their mindset and perceptions.
• The only effective mechanism for impacting mindset and perception is through the EXPERIENCES you provide to the individual.

So- onto Culture…

• If you take the cumulative behaviors of the individuals who make up your team, department, organization, etc., this creates its CULTURE
• CULTURE DETERMINES RESULTS

In Summary…

• The EXPERIENCES you are providing to the members of your organization are determining their BEHAVIORS.
• These combined BEHAVIORS determine your CULTURE
• Your CULTURE determines your RESULTS

Want more details on three recent SUCCESS STORIES we received from organizations who are Practicing Perfection? Grab them here.

HU-2.0 is on it’s way, and it’s going to change EVERYTHING about how we approach human performance, error reduction, safety improvement, and quality.

In the next couple of days, I’m going to be introducing a whole new piece entitled, “HU Sigma.”

Until then, here’s a great thought ( a quote from John Wesley):

“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”

This is a GREAT business to be part of, isn’t it?

For freedom from error,

P.S. You can view the entire HU-2.0 Introductory Series (thus far), including links to all of the downloads by clicking here.

(Also in this video, you get to watch me spill water all over the place!)

Enjoy!

Here’s the link to the page where you can download the Exercise Guide and the PRIORITY DISPATCH:

Click Here

Also…please leave your comments below, AND enter the contest to win FREE Tuition to HU-2.0 when we release it in August.  With the new clue that I gave you at the end of this video, EVERYONE should know the answer (if not, you can find it in James Reason’s book, Human Error).  You can also find it on the PPI website.

Until next time, go forth and do good!

For freedom from error,

By grasping the key concept in this video, you will understand more about how to minimize human error than 90% of the people on this planet!

Okay…

I’ve given you a [very good] clue to the “technical” term for the key concept outlined in this video.

If you think you know what it is, use the comment section below and give me your answer.  Out of all of the correct entries, we will choose at least one, whose author will win a FULL SCHOLARSHIP to the upcoming HU-2.0 Course (when it officially launches in a couple of weeks).

Also, please use the comment section below to SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS on the video or the topic (including any specific issues you’d like to see covered in the rest of this series).

I will personally be reviewing every entry, and I look forward to reading yours!

For freedom from error,

-Tim

But first, a story…

I thought it might just have been a fluke.  As of this morning I know it’s the real deal.

We recently moved into a ‘house on a hill’.  And the ‘hill’ part is literally true. The picture below shows part of our driveway as it switchbacks two-tenths of a mile down to our neighborhood road (which is then downhill to the main road).   

 

 

 

 

I love to run early in the morning.  When we moved into this house, I set a goal to do my entire run (~3 miles) and finish by running all the way back up the hill…without stopping.  The goal was for me to achieve this by the end of the summer.

 

Summer hasn’t even started yet.  Today is June 11^th.  Today is the fourth time I’ve run at this location.  Today is the third time I made it all the way up the hill without stopping.

 

I’ll be honest.  In order to make it to the top without stopping, I’ve played a little ‘trick’ on myself.  Each time I’ve started the LONG uphill climb, rather than looking at the top, I focused on each individual step. 

 

Why is this a big deal?

 

Because looking all the way to the top (the ‘mountain’ before me) would freak me out.  So hard.  So long.  So steep…

 

But simply placing one foot in front of the other, and then doing it again…and again…brought me to the top WAY in advance of when I thought I’d physically be able to make it. 

 

What does this have to do with error reduction, performance improvement, or making your workplace safer?

 

It’s the same thing.

 

Looking at the ‘whole elephant’ can be totally overwhelming.  Overwhelm leads to confusion.  A confused mind says no.  (And by the way, if this is true for you, it’s even more true for the people you’re attempting to influence.)

 

But with the right focus, one bite at a time…one step at a time…you can make stronger and more rapid progress than you ever thought possible.

 

One step followed by the next…and then the next…

 

Okay, so I promised you a video.

 

Let’s face it- if you’re a leader of any type, the actions you take profoundly impact the mindset and perceptions of those around you.

 

Here’s the link to the video: Facing the Giants 

 

It’s message is profound.

 

Watch it.  Forward this blog entry to others.  Let the world know what you think by leaving a comment below.

 

For freedom from error,

 

-Tim