Perfection Isn't Always a Good Idea
We brought robots into our dining room table factory, thinking that they could make a much better looking and consistent product than we could by hand. They succeeded, only to be rejected by our customers.
We brought robots into our dining room table factory, thinking that they could make a much better looking and consistent product than we could by hand. They succeeded, only to be rejected by our customers.
The Littlest Negotiator
When I was very young, my uncle taught me valuable business and negotiation lessons that I use to this day.
When I was very young, my uncle taught me valuable business and negotiation lessons that I use to this day.
The Sexiest Man in Pensacola
At the end of every Kaizen event, we created a report out and practiced it before sharing it with the leadership team. Team members were having so much fun that I didn't know if I would still have a job when it was over!
My First Process Improvement Project
When I started my career, I quickly learned how important it was to spend time out in the process and create good working relationships with the people doing the work. Go to Gemba!
The First Area Owner at the Furniture Company
When we started the Kaizen event, one of our team members thought we wouldn't accomplish much. In the middle of the week, he stepped up and took charge of a critical improvement area.
Charting the Course of Critical Information
We thought we had found all of the opportunities in our electronics lab 5S Kaizen. Until we realized that a critical communication was taking so long that the customer was waiting for their results unnecessarily.
All Night Long
This was my first IT Kaizen event. Our Gemba walk was scheduled from 9 pm Sunday to 1:30 am on Monday. Would the team find breakthroughs and would I be able to say awake?
The Journey of 100 Google Business Reviews
When I got my first Google Business Review, I was excited for the feedback I received. Now I wanted more! How was I going to get more, I wondered?
Five Lessons from my First Five Years in Business
Consulting is filled with ups and downs. Here's what I learned during my first five years.
Consulting is filled with ups and downs. Here's what I learned during my first five years.
Guiding Principles
Once we removed conveyer guides, we improved the performance at the world’s largest ceiling plant.
Once we removed conveyer guides, we improved performance at the world’s largest ceiling tile plant.
Three Principles for Funding
We had more requests than we could fund. Learn how our principles made these difficult decisions much easier.
We had more requests than we could fund. Learn how our principles made these difficult decisions much easier.
A Random Birthday Message Leads to a Strategic Planning Session
Sending birthday cards to all of my employees surprised them and strengthened our working relationship.
Treat People with Respect
Sitting on the porch drinking lemonade with the property owner, I realized how much my manager truly cared for her and wanted to protect her interests.
True Voice of the Customer
We scheduled live furniture deliveries to test our improvements and the reaction of our customers was fantastic.
Visibility Equals Accountability
Taking our meetings out of the conference room and onto the shop floor (Gemba) raised our game and drove results immediately
Raise Your Standards and Take Ownership
Keeping the job simple gave us the flexibility to service our customers in a timely way.
Gemba in the Big City
We learned so much from going to our customers' work sites in New York City.
Why Would You Treat People That Way?
The company we were visiting was known for their focus on safety. Why were they allowing people to take undue risk in a particular job?
Make it Real
I developed the Wheel of Sustainability and learned how to share it with teams in a way that was meaningful to them.
Image is Everything - Understand How Your Reflection Looks to Others
My inability to provide a clear image of how I could help kept me from acquiring an important client.