They’re delivering a one-two punch to defects. They’re ridding the earth of process waste. They’re on the front lines delivering customer service perfection. They’re in leadership striving to make a difference in the world. They’re kicking process improvement butt! The Wonder Women of Quality are here!
This month in the Wonder Women of Quality pantheon we are honored to highlight Leslie Henckler!
Leslie Henckler is the Director of Process Improvement & Business Efficiency for TriNet — a provider of Human Resource services like payroll, benefits and technology. Leslie creates and implements Lean processes that help colleagues maximize service quality for TriNet clients. She has spent 10 years within the Human Resources industry developing and executing process improvement strategy at the enterprise level. She also spent 12 years directing the Lean initiative for Kodak and has consulted on service excellence for Lean processes. She is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt and is also certified by Shingijutsu Gemba Kaizen.
Here are Leslie’s answers to a few of our questions:
What is your Quality Mission?
Teach others to see opportunities to improve their work and how to think in a way that enables them to make meaningful change tied to driving business results.
What is your Quality Superpower?
- I can translate Toyota Production System manufacturing tools and techniques into what is going on in any process or workflow (Service, Manufacturing, Front Office, Back Office…)
- I can ‘see’ the waste and opportunity in any area
- I lead by example and teach others through doing
What do you see as Quality Kryptonite?
- Leaders who tell but do not show and teach their people
- Making changes without understanding why they are making the change and the outcome they expect to achieve
What are some of your Quality Victories?
The number of people I have worked with and all the places they have taken the lessons.
- More than 1,000 people taught to deploy TPS all across the U.S., Greater Asia, Europe, South America, and Mexico;
All of who have extended the reach by teaching others. It’s an exponential effect of bringing quality thinking to the world! - When I work with people I teach them to think and to do; when they go forth to slay waste in all its forms they know what it is and how to begin to eradicate it.
Do you have any Words of Wisdom?
- Business results translate into KPI (Key Performance Indicators) and metrics SQDCM Improve Safety, Quality, Delivery, Costs and Employee Morale (in that priority order). Whenever a change causes a tradeoff in those 5 key metrics the order matters. i.e nothing is more important than the safety of our people and quality takes precedence over speed to deliver.
- Catch people doing things right and reinforce the good so they know what to do more of.
- Keep the message simple: Target, Actual, Please Explain.
- What were you trying to achieve (Target)
- What did you achieve (Actual)
- Why did you or did you not achieve the goal (Please Explain)
Thanks again to Leslie Henckler for her quality thoughts!
