25. Be Relentless About Continuous Improvement.

 
Regularly reevaluate every aspect of your role to find ways to improve. Don’t be satisfied with the status quo. “Because we’ve always done it that way” is not a valid response. Find new and innovative ways to get things done better, faster, and more efficiently.

Rick's Message:

 

Continuous Improvement is extremely important to the success of Famous, so much so that it is also one of our Core Values. This commitment to continuous improvement has been vital to Famous’ past success and will be even more vital in today’s rapidly changing environment.

It is the responsibility of every associate at Famous, regardless of department or position, to always look for a better, more efficient way of doing things. Even when things are running smoothly and you are content with your processes, challenging yourself to ‘improve’ the process will benefit you and everyone in the company. When we challenge ourselves and strive to become better, it is contagious; everything around us becomes better too.

Not challenging ourselves and continually looking for opportunities for improvement is not an option in today’s world. Embracing Change is another one of our fundamentals that comes to mind as a necessary part of living this fundamental. If we are not moving forward, we’ll be left behind. I’m sure everyone can think of at least a dozen companies that were around for many years that are no longer in existence because they did not practice continuous improvement. They were reliant that their processes and successes of the past would carry them into the future; utilizing the logic of “we’ve always done it this way”.

One associate that comes to mind when I think of this fundamental is Del Landin. Anyone that has worked with him knows he is passionate about process improvement. Having worked with Del on several projects, I know he continually challenges all members of the team to provide input into improving their processes, and contribute to continual improvement.

“Success is a process that continues, not a status that you reach. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.” – Denis Waitley

Rick Dunn
Transportation Manager