Learn a Lesson from DOGE!

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is turning Washington, DC upside down!  Actually, that is an understatement. Elon Musk and his team are turning the whole of government upside down!  It’s amazing what can be discovered when people take a serious look at how things have been operating for years and ask a simple question. Why? Sometimes all it takes is a fresh look and a big helping of common sense.  However, as an employee in my father-in-law’s assisted living once told me, “Common sense isn’t so common anymore!”

You don’t have to be Elon Musk, or one of his brilliant young people, to notice things that don’t make sense.  All it really takes is a genuine desire to look at things as they are and then ask the simple question, “Is this the most efficient way to do this or that?”  An honest look, coupled with a sincere desire to think outside the box a bit, can cause huge, positive, changes to take place.

One of the most interesting things that is currently happening is watching the effect DOGE is having on current leaders in government.  The new cabinet heads and department heads are jumping on board.  They aren’t just tolerating DOGE; they are actually embracing change.  Many of these individuals are now looking within their own departments for waste and fraud.  It’s no longer just a small group of sharp individuals looking for ways to become more efficient and to save money.  There is a small army that is gathering and growing, to look for changes that can be made within their areas of responsibility. 

Guess what, taking a fresh look at how our companies operate can cause huge changes to take place as well.  Who knows more about the specific jobs that are being performed than the actual person doing the job.  Sure, an outside consultant could come in and look for positive changes, and that person would likely fine some savings and/or make recommendations on how to operate more efficiently.  However, what would happen if the whole team, from office manager to service techs were incentivized to look for better ways of doing things?

I heard on the news today that Musk and Trump are at least considering allocating 20% of the total savings be given back to the taxpayer if total cuts achieve the goal of cutting 1-2 trillion dollars of waste out of the government.  The number they are currently throwing around is about $5,000 per family or perhaps individual.

Let’s bring the total concept of becoming more efficient down to your company.  Think about creating a suggestion system with monetary rewards where the individual suggesting the idea earns a percentage of the first-year savings.  Who knows more about the stockroom than the person running it.  How many ideas would your techs have if asked how to reduce non-billable time or suggestions on how to get on the road quicker in the morning.  What would happen if the purchasing agent were given the freedom (incentive) to look for better pricing from other sources.  What would happen if company employees were offered an incentive if the entire company sold another 100 maintenance agreements?  Think about a safe driving program that rewarded techs that had no accidents over the past 6 months or year.  The list of savings and/or potential increased efficiency is unlimited.

I think you get the point.  Think about creating your own DOGE team made up of all your employees.  If the small DOGE team in government can literally find billions of dollars in a few short weeks invasion potential results when government department heads and their employees begin to take a serious look at the department they work in every day! 

If these kinds of results can be accomplished on a governmental level imagine what could be accomplished within your company if all the employees were incentivized to look for cost savings and/or more efficient ways of operating. It would be a win-win for everyone!