Last month Pam Weir, assistant to the city manager in Goodyear, Arizona, and frequent Life, Well Run blogger, attended Denver Peak Academy’s Black Belt training. Here's an excerpt from her report:

The city of Goodyear is aggressively pursuing a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, and I was sent to the training to become an additional in-house resource for our organization. After learning dozens of tools and new perspectives, three big ideas have stuck with me:

1. Just get started. It’s easy to become paralyzed by the nuances of analysis and planning. However, what you actually do is what has an impact. Your ideas do not need to be perfect to be effective, but they do need to be implemented.
2. Take some risk and get to work! Build on the bright spots. You can’t transform an entire city all at once. Start with departments and people that are ready for change and eager for improvement. Accumulating wins has a multiplier effect in other areas.
3. Communicate your outcomes—both successes and failures. Constantly tell stories of what is working and what isn’t. Be honest and open about the risks you take, and create a safe environment for others to share their wins and losses. Continuous improvement is exactly what it says—continuous. While it means that our work always has room to get better, it also requires you to pause to either celebrate or reflect often. Sharing progress helps to maintain momentum and provides opportunities for learning.

You can read Weir's full blog post on the Life, Well Run blog.