Right First Time - The Power of Listening

It can be frustrating when things go wrong, and we have to repeat a task. Time is wasted, customer satisfaction compromised and other work missed or delayed.

The idea of Right First Time, is not new, but it is one that we can all benefit from. So why do we repeat tasks so often?

One of the key reasons is that we didn’t understand the job well enough in the first place. As a leader, you need to ensure that the team understand what is involved what risks and hazards are related with the work and they fully understand what you want them to do.

- Communicate clearly what is required.

- Ensure they know why the task is needed and how it contributes to the team objectives.

- Ensure that everyone appreciates the risks and hazards involved in the task, and knows how to mitigate them effectively.

Telling the team is not enough. You need to be sure they know what they are doing:-

- Check that they’ve heard by getting them to tell you what they are doing.

- Listen to their description and be sure they’ve got a full understanding.

- Ask open questions about how they will handle the risks and hazards.

- Ask them if they know of any other constraints.

Tell your team members to remember the three elements of getting it right first time:

- Take your time to ensure understanding.

- Take your time to assess the job

- Take your time to ensure that you don’t cut corners.

Spending this small amount of time will save a lot of time in the long term.

How is your team doing on this? Do they often have to go back to repeat work, or to correct mistakes?