Hi, Will - interesting thoughts.

I am right there with you regarding the value of paying intentional attention to our processes and work flow.   The Lean Six Sigma movement is full of handy tools to help us do this and the bottom line is clear:   Paying attention and then acting on what you observe or measure makes a strong difference.

About your second point on noticing people's behavior, I have an addendum to offer.  Since you did not specifically indicate that the purpose of this is to identify coaching targets and specific behavioral issues.  I think that helping people understand the impact of their behavior is always preferable as a starting point in disciplinary counseling.  Using a coaching approach, you can help the person choose to change their behavior to make it more productive in the workplace.

As always, useful observations about how we work and how to do it better.

John