Continuous Improvement = Career Advancement

If you want to get ahead in your career (or in life), dive in and start making something better. Opportunities for improvement are everywhere. If you can spot a problem, you have the potential to be the leader who can solve it. Every organization loves a leader who is willing to step forward and make a positive change.

Leaders are people who are willing to make things better. Not all bosses are great leaders and not all great leaders are bosses. If you wait for permission or a promotion to take on additional responsibility or to lead change, it may never happen.  You may never get noticed. The real secret to success is to start today. Start from where you are.

Not all bosses are great leaders and not all great leaders are bosses

You may need permission to spend company resources or dedicate large amounts of time, but if you want to prove that you deserve that larger responsibility, you can start small, start today. Find something small, or something in your area of responsibility that you can make better. Ask to be part of an existing improvement project, or ask to take responsibility for an improvement project. There are plenty of things that need to be done.

Of course your organization has problems, they all do. If you want to be a part of the solution, find something that you can make better and start today.  Stop waiting for permission to act and find something that you can make better today. The only person holding you back is yourself.

The best organizations have unlimited opportunities for people who can make things better.

Are you worried about eliminating your job because you came up with a solution that cuts your workload in half, or eliminates it completely. First off, I understand your hesitation, but secondly, you shouldn’t worry. If you are the person leading that change and volunteering to manage that project, your company NEEDS you. Your company NEEDS you to run more projects just like that one.  The most valuable employees are the ones who can innovate themselves right out of a job.  If you sit back and deep down you know that there is an improvement that could eliminate your job, and you do nothing about it… then, someone else will probably take that idea & you may be left with regrets.  Ultimately, you will get what you deserve. Please don’t let that happen to you.  If you are leader, if you are a change leader, if you have the potential to make something better, you have the potential to make positive change happen and your company needs you to act on that talent. Do it today!