A LOCAL motivational speaker is copying Brian Tracy’s “eat your frog” model. Ugly frogs must be eaten first thing in the morning, preferably with green tea, for a good match. If you have to eat two or three frogs, start with the big one. Of course, it’s a figure of speech — meaning, when we start our work day, do the most difficult, stressful or tedious task.
Eating frogs is recommended to be a cure for procrastination.
Is it? In the first place, why do we procrastinate? Why can’t we discover the root causes of those 3D (difficult, dirty, dangerous) jobs and eliminate them one by one? That way, we don’t have to suffer eating frogs in the morning, in the afternoon or any hour of the day.
This is the problem with motivational speakers who create, if not copy, the template of others without realizing the folly of what they’re trying to copy. In the first place, we don’t need motivational speakers to inspire our workers except for one motivational speaker who made sense to me.
It was Zig Ziglar who said something like this: “Motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing. That’s why we have to do it every day.” This alone makes it indefensible for organizations to hire external motivational speakers for several hours to improve employee morale.
Motivating people is job number one for line leaders, supervisors and managers who interact with them daily. They know their direct reports better than anyone. They know their strengths and weaknesses. And if these line executives are competent, they should be able to manage their workers well.
Problem-solving
One thing I learned from the Toyota Production System, which I call the Thinking People Strategy when I’m talking to people outside of the car manufacturing industry, is to make everything easy for the workers, the customers, the suppliers and other related stakeholders.
TPS, according to its website, “is based on the premise of making work easier for workers.” That’s the trademark of Toyota, the only company in the world that is emulated, studied, and copied.
If there’s one thing that should eliminate frogs in our work life, it is to teach our workers to proactively solve problems. If they’re having difficulties in their jobs, require them to discover the easy option without sacrificing quality and increasing production costs.
Shigeo Shingo, one of the co-creators of TPS was specific about the formula for kaizen: It is to “make it easier, better, faster and cheaper, in that order of priority.” So, if there are many frogs on your to-do list, the best approach is to eliminate them one-by-one, and not to unduly suffer from them.
It’s quite simple. There are many problem-solving tools that you can choose from. You can emulate the Toyota Business Practice, which expounds on its eight-step process. I have my own version as well:
One, define the problem by calculating the amount of waste.
Two, know your SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound) goals.
Three, analyze the root causes by using the Fishbone Diagram.
Four, choose the most likely root cause and validate it by asking at least five whys (Why-Why Analysis).
Five, generate all possible low-cost, common-sense solutions. Then, choose the most practical.
Six, seek the consensus of every stakeholder. This is easy to do if you’ve consulted everyone starting from the first step.
Seven, implement the solution. Sometimes, we call it a countermeasure because we don’t know its effectiveness unless tested.
Eight, monitor the new system. Adjust, if necessary.
If you want a simpler tool, then use the 3C instead. One, define your concern. Two, know the root causes. Three, apply a countermeasure or temporary solution until you’re convinced that it’s the most potent of all solutions.
Avoiding procrastination
Everyone is expected to actively define their operational issues and apply a solution to them. If you do just that, you possess the power to change reality. And the solution is not to eat frogs in the morning but to eliminate them altogether from our work diet. Sure, if you want the taste of frogs for some reason, you can proceed with whatever you like.
Raise the bar for your workers and managers. Eliminate, if not reduce, all the 3D jobs in your company operations so that you can feel how to improve employee motivation, just like what Toyota is doing. At the same time, lower your expectations of what external motivational speakers can do for your organization.
As paradoxical as it may sound — the best way to avoid procrastination is to equip yourself with common sense. And appreciate the fact that motivational speakers have no real value.
Rey Elbo is a consultant on human resources and total quality management. Contact him on Facebook, LinkedIn, X or email [email protected] or via https://reyelbo.com
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