True Voice of the Customer
We scheduled live furniture deliveries to test our improvements and the reaction of our customers was fantastic.
Preventing Failures Leads to Success
Using Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) to help us manage the project led to breakthrough results.
Moving Mountains ... of Paint
Walking the shop floor (Gemba) showed us why the tiles were rotating in the paint booth. Now we knew what we had to do to solve the problem.
Visibility Equals Accountability
Taking our meetings out of the conference room and onto the shop floor (Gemba) raised our game and drove results immediately
Be Careful What You Ask For
My words came back to haunt me after an extremely challenging week.
Sometimes You Have to Let Things Go
I should have checked with the Engineering Manager before disposing of so much equipment.
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.
Change Your Perspective
I hoped my discussion with our new plant manager wouldn't lead to my termination.
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?
When You Want Something Done Right - Outsource it
I learned that I could provide more value to the company by hiring an expert to perform the critical work.
Stop and Smell the Roses
We were so close to setting a company record. Why was everyone so stressed out?
Sometimes the Right Choice isn't the Convenient One
I made a significant rookie mistake. Luckily, I only made it once in my career!
Pick it Up and Move it
In order to make a significant impact on performance, we had to move critical equipment to a new location and get buy-in from the employees.
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.
Blow it Up
I had to suppress my fear as I lit the fuse to blow up the side of a hill during a mining demonstration.
Even the Weather Couldn't Beat the Team
With an impending ice storm coming, would we get enough team members to test our new process?
Good Things Can Come from a Bad Situation
As we wound down the factory, people stayed focused and productivity rose.
Knowing Your Product a Bit too Well
How did the mining operator know the clay was good? He took a bite!