09/10/2020
Lean Six Sigma – what’s in it for me?
We all rarely take the time to stop and think…...myself included. I recently had a really insightful call with a recruitment consultant; instead of spending 20 minutes on the phone selling myself, we stopped and turned our thinking on its head. A couple of days later I have had time to reflect.
Let’s put the obvious benefits of what the organisation gains to one side and let us instead think about how Lean Six Sigma provides benefits for individuals within the organization, who then go on to become their Lean Six Sigma leaders. We will discuss the various leadership roles in more detail in a later section. First, let’s identify some of the personal benefits you can expect when participating in Lean Six Sigma.
Personal effectiveness
Lean Six Sigma provides a structured problem-solving methodology that can be used to address any type of problem. Being able to find and fix problems will improve your ability to perform in any position and industry. The Lean Six Sigma methodology steers you through an organised process of inquiry, analysis, problem identification and solution creation. Many of the tools and techniques can be applied to everyday problems and issues. But even if you don't use all the tools, the organised problem-solving approach will put you in control of finding and fixing your problems. I have used this approach when fixing everyday problems at my house and, of course, in many different, much more complex business settings.
Leadership opportunity
Lean Six Sigma is implemented through projects and those projects have leaders. Leading a Lean Six Sigma project will often provide an opportunity for exposure to other functions and senior management. This exposure is in the context of someone who can find and fix a problem. Interacting with team members and managers will likely improve your communication and decision-making skills. The structure of Lean Six Sigma can help you to develop your project management skills. And of course, being able to put on your resume that you led a project team that achieved cost savings, quality improvement, and cycle time reduction will only help you as you seek that next promotion or new opportunity.
Pay and promotability
Which brings us to the pay and promotability of Lean Six Sigma practitioners. Attaining belt training and delivering projects is a valuable credential on your CV. So, this will open the door for some promotions. In addition, within an organisation, promotions are often based upon how you have demonstrated your leadership skills. Effectively leading a Lean Six Sigma project shows senior management and HR that you are ready for greater responsibility.
Any further questions drop me a line at [email protected] or via the contact us page on our website –
Plemstall Consulting are global specialists in the delivery of Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma training and coaching.
