Some mistakes managers make at the start of a visual conversion are serious and hard to repair. For example, when managers decide to commandeer the task of implementing the visual where—or simply order it into existence. Either way, this is the damaging loss of an opportunity of inestimable value.

Keep your eye on the ball, managers. Stay focused on the three outcomes I discuss in this series. We considered the first in the article, “The Start of the Journey Is the Destination,” with Outcome No. 1: Cracking the time code. Crack the code on time so improvement time can draw breath in your company and grow. In this article we look at the importance of breaking the lock that command-and-control has on the work culture—and how to liberate the power in empowerment.

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