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Creating a positive workplace is critical to a company's success. Most people who have experience working in an office have seen firsthand the difference between one that has a positive environment and one that doesn't. A positive work environment has a better productivity rate, happier workers overall, better morale, and a lower turnover rate.

One of the foundational principles of kaizen is that one takes many small steps toward the ideal condition, continually. The strength of this approach is that by keeping the steps small it is both psychologically and physically easier to take action, causing a positive feedback loop as people are encouraged to take more small steps. However there are also weakness with kaizen as improving in small steps.

But just as importantly, they'll help you overcome the fear of failure and fear of discomfort that's holding you back, that's keeping you from making positive changes in your life.

How could we use this? Too often 5S, kaizen, standardization and checking our own work or the work of others begins with enthusiasm as a new management program but soon becomes a routine and neglected "nice to have". Putting 5S and kaizen together as the "6T practice" positions them as essential daily "must haves" behaviors. Placing the record of completing these duties on the clip board on the food service floor within reach of the customer is an excellent way to link practice with purpose.

*Affirmations are positive statements that can help you to overcome self-sabotaging, negative thoughts. *To use affirmations, first analyze the thoughts or behaviors that you'd like to change in your own life and career. *Next, come up with positive, credible, and achievable affirmation statements that are the opposite of these thoughts. Repeat your affirmations several times a day, especially when you find yourself slipping into negative self-talk or engaging in negative behavior.

In his book How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie gives nine suggestions of ways to handle people when you need them to change.  Here are his suggestions on how to approach people and influence them to change:

Changing your life is a marathon. There are thousands of tiny steps that need to be taken, one at a time. You can't do them all right now. But eventually, you'll get to them all. So what step will you take today?

That's right - only focus on one specific change and drive that change into making it a habit. When it becomes a positive new habit, you will realize the result. Life is a marathon - (I used to be a long distance runner) and you learn very quickly to set a fast pace that you can sustain, but don't run so fast that you burn yourself out. Trying to change 5 or 10 things is just too much/too fast, at one time. Change is also hard because we think about it too much. Listen to Nike "Just do it" Make a single change and watch the results!

Lean business operation philosophy not only applies to manufacturing, we've also seen its positive impact on service. Now here's somebody proposing to apply it to municipal operations. And he's right!

"Dust accumulates to form a mountain." (chiri mo tsumoreba yama to naru). While this may not be geologically correct, it carries a deep truth that lean practitioners will recognize through experience. Taken positively, this is the essential spirit of kaizen, that small changes repeated over time result in massive improvements. Taken negatively, it means that small, persistent losses result in huge losses.

Whatever the reason, bad days are part of life. However, we can choose how we react to them. One option is to dwell on the situation, and let our negative emotions persist throughout the day. But this is unpleasant, and there's a good chance that our mood will spread to others. Instead, we can take the initiative and find ways to make a bad day better. This choice is empowering and positive, and it puts us in control of our actions and emotions.

People who experience the most gratitude (and therefore positive effects) tend to: *Feel a sense of abundance in their lives *Appreciate the contributions of others to their well-being *Recognize and enjoy life's small pleasures *Acknowledge the importance of experiencing and expressing gratitude

Respect for people is not simply treating people in your organization in a positive manner.  It is challenging them to grow, providing them the tools, training, and experiences to do so, and creating an environment where mistakes and failures are allowed and even encouraged.  Respect extends beyond the immediate organization to suppliers, customers, and the community as a whole.

To exponentially elevate success standards, work on removing the blocks of small-mindedness, conformity and self-imposed limitations. Set high standards and never apologize for them.

"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples." -Mother Teresa