Investing in our Employee Genius- Part 2: Connection

Everyday TrippNT gathers at 8:00 am for a 15 minute Morning Meeting. There, information is shared about sales, shipping, improvement videos and other topics relevant to the entire team. The purpose? To have the entire company start the day off on the same page. It is a time for transparency and growth. 

“This investment of 15 minutes of our daily payroll has a huge return on investment.  Employees feel included, engaged and uplifted.”- Jesse Teegarden, Production Manager.

Each morning a different member of the team will lead the meeting. They get up in front of the company and read through the numbers and announcements and fill the team in on the progress of their quarterly project (or Rock) and share some facts about a subject of their choice (i.e. history, deep ocean exploration, best hiking in South Dakota, etc). This gives everyone a chance to share a little bit about themselves while practicing public speaking and other leadership skills.

Without a doubt, a crowd favorite is the “Who’s Grateful?” segment. It’s peer to peer recognition of work well done as well as general gratitude for life’s little pleasures. The morning leader for that day will often start the team off and pretty quickly there is a line of people waiting to share what they’re grateful for that day.

As a Lean manufacturer TrippNT’s  mission is: “Improve Today for a Better Tomorrow”. So what role does gratitude play in that? Lean is all about reducing waste, but waste doesn't just come in the tangible or clearly visible. Waste can occur through miscommunication, misaligned values, and disrespect, to name a few. In fact, “Respect for People” along with “Continuous Improvement” comprise the two foundational pillars of Lean. 

Gratitude goes hand in hand with Respect. When people begin their day from a place of gratitude, it changes their outlook by increasing positivity. This helps the team focus on what is good in life and reminds us that we are all working for the same goal. And at the end of the day, the Morning Meeting is rooted in that Positivity and Respect, setting the team up for a day of success.

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