Lean management comes with a multitude of new challenges and processes. It can be difficult to navigate all of these changes, and unfortunately, that often leads to problems with mismanagement. To ensure your company does not lose momentum during a transition to lean management, be sure to consider these three tips.

Tip 1: Listen to your employees.

Lean management is driven by customer happiness. However, customer success means nothing if you lose all of your best employees during this transition. Make sure to listen to your employees carefully and discuss ways to make this transition smoother. There may be issues even after lean practices are fully implemented, so make sure to never stop listening.

Tip 2: Don’t over-prune.

When cutting back on costs, whether through finding cheaper vendors, inexpensive materials, or decreasing your staff size, it is essential to be sure that you don’t overdo it. You may lay off an employee that was exceeding expectations simply because their role was deemed unnecessary. However, a month or two later, you may realize that they were invaluable to your team, and you will need to fill their role. This type of over-pruning can occur in many ways when incorporating lean management, so be sure to understand where value really lies.

Tip 3: Always collect feedback.

As a leader in a lean business, the best thing you can do for your company is solicit feedback all of the time. Having a constant influx of feedback will give you real-time estimations on how well your team is doing. This will allow you to make many smaller changes throughout your business, rather than several large changes. It is easier to adapt to a few simple tweaks in processes instead of a departmental overhaul, which means your employees will find it easier to do a great job. On top of that, smaller changes can be introduced fairly quickly, so customers will not have to wait long to experience first-class service.

Anyone who runs a business or is a manager will testify that change is not always easy. Even one miniscule difference can have rippling effects. Switching to a lean style of management can have major consequences. This is why it is crucial to follow the tips above to ensure you are doing everything you can to make your company successful.