In the past, lean used to apply to just manufacturing but over the last 2-3 decades different types of organizations have sought to apply the techniques to their businesses. Essentially, lean is about identifying and removing waste from your organization. You can also use the same approach to find and eliminate busywork or work that doesn’t add value.

There are 8 types of waste to be on the lookout for:

• Defects – when something is done wrong and doesn’t meet expectations
• Overproduction – when you do something more than what needs to be done
• Waiting – when you are waiting for inputs from others, in order to do your work.
• Non-utilized talent – when your job doesn’t make good use of strengths and experiences
• Motion – movement that does not add value
• Extra-processing – when you touch things multiple times when they could just touched once
• Transportation and inventory are the other two types of waste but have limited applicability in most people’s daily tasks.

At a high level, ...

Are you one of the 45% of Americans that typically make a New Year’s Resolution? I am. Every year, I make a list of 3-4 goals I want to accomplish to make that year my best year ever. I look at it as the chance each year to get a bit closer to the best version of myself. And most Americans agree. The top resolution in 2015 was related to self-improvement. Generally, the top resolution is related to weight, fitness or being healthy.

Like me, you might be wondering why you can be such an achiever at work and in getting things done in every other area of your life, but for some reason these resolutions rarely make it. You’re not alone. After the shininess of the New Year rubs off, very few Americans actually keep their New Year’s Resolution, about 8%. Even just 30 days later, almost 35% of those who made a New Year’s Resolution have already given up. After some personal accidental experiments, I’ve discovered three techniques that helped me accomplish my resolutions.

STEP YOUR GOALS. I ...

There’s a simple formula to writing a great self-assessment for your annual performance review.

Be proud: Share your accomplishments. This is your time to shine. I recommend that clients also include language from recognition or feedback they have received from their partners. You should be as concrete as possible (focus on facts not opinions). Also, make sure you describe the business impact of your accomplishments. In summary, you’re trying to provide evidence that supports your accomplishments especially towards your annual goals.

Be honest: Be honest about your strengths and places that you need to improve in order to get to the next step in your career. No one is perfect and self-awareness is a critical leadership skill. Your manager knows you have places you can improve and you create an environment for open dialogue when you show you are aware of them.

Career development: if you have a good idea of the next role you are interested in, then identify 1-2 competencies that you w...