I was sitting in on a conversation between a continuous improvement manager and the operations manager the other day.

The operations manager was asking for help developing good leader standard work.

The C.I. manager was responding that she had already developed it for the value stream manager and the supervisor.

The operations manager said he thought that, right now, they needed to focus on the team leads, the first line of leadership.

The C.I. manager reiterated that she had already prepared standard work for the value stream manager and the supervisor.

The operations manager reiterated that he wanted, right now, to focus on the team leads.

This went back and forth three or four times, and the operations manager moved on to something else.

The C.I. manager seemed frustrated and even a little angry.

My working hypothesis

The C.I. manager was frustrated because the work she had already done had not been implemented or acknowledged.

The operations manager was frustrated because his immediate need was not being acknowledged.

So they were each reiterating, again, what they had said before, with neither of them acknowledging what the other was trying to say.

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