Too many companies focus on the wrong metrics. Instead, if they were focusing on increasing engagement and reducing turnover, other results like cost savings and increased profits would follow. Allison Greco joins us once more for a discussion on continuous improvement, the importance of soft skills, and how that helps build a competitive advantage. 

It’s all about picking the right metric to drive results she explains.

So, why isn’t everyone doing this? Well, according to Allison, there are 3 very important factors:

• A leader focused on improvement needs to exist
• The willingness to venture outside of your comfort zone and try something new
• The knowledge that you can’t be “too busy to improve”

When you have these 3 things, you have a competitive advantage above everyone else. You can iterate and change things faster. You’re 10 steps ahead of the competition.

All of which drive continuous improvement and increases company engagement.

But, she makes one very important point, too. Tools give you a structure around the improvement conversations, but the way you approach the soft skills often ends up being more important in accomplishing your goals.

So, if you’re going to do just one thing to start, she suggests looking in your company for a thought leader This person is a progressive thinker and naturally inclined to improve. You’ll “work with the person to find an improvement and communicate the heck out of that… tell the story, and it will grow.”

About Continuous Improvement International

Continuous Improvement International is a member-driven organization focused on offerings around networking and developing soft skills rather than hard skills. They have “meetings of the minds” meetings helping members develop and learn together.

Of course, there is an online library of resources such as courses and templates that help members work on hard skills, but the overarching goal is to bring people together to work on soft skills.

In today’s episode, Allison mentions her favorite book and the organization she founded to foster skill-building and networking, both of which can be found below.

• Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by John Krakauer 
• Continuous Improvement International

If you would like to connect with Allison, she can be contacted via LinkedIn.

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