The Failure of “Don’t Bring Me Problems, Bring Me Solutions!” February 27, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in change management, leadership, workforce.Tags: change management, leadership, workforce
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Jamie Flinchbaugh writes about the management line that solutions, not problems, should be brought to the management’s attention, saying this is wrong. Oftentimes, bringing attention to problems is conflated with whining. Rather, talking openly about problems and identifying problems is the only way to begin to solve them. And that takes courage.
Check out Jamie’s excellent post here.
Why Won’t They Tell Me There is a Problem? February 27, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, workforce.Tags: leadership, workforce
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Jamie Flinchbaugh presents a list of reasons why people have trouble bringing attention to problems. Those reasons include fearful employees imagining they will be blamed, and the defeatist idea that bringing a problem to light won’t make a difference. These reasons must be overcome in order to properly address problems.
Head on over to read Jamie’s article here.
So You Want to be a Change Agent: Are You Weird Enough? January 30, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in culture, leadership.Tags: culture, leadership
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Lonnie Wilson, the founder of Quality Consultants, has penned an interesting article over at Industry Week. In it, she discusses how those seeking to change a company must be a mix of two things: different enough to change the company, and credible enough to change the company. A simple, yet logical and credible way of being both, is asking questions about the company’s culture. By asking challenging questions, one can be viewed as both objective and “weird”.
Read Ms. Wilson’s article here.
U.S. Employee Trust Still Low January 30, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, workforce.Tags: leadership, workforce
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According to an analysis done by HRM Guide on a Maritz Research survey, American workers –especially in the current economic climate –do not trust management. Among the notable findings are that 25% of American workers are less engaged with their bosses this year than last year, and that a paltry 7% believe that management is consistent with their words. In research done by the Corporate Executive Board, management can change this in several ways, including engaging workers in strategic planning and recognizing and rewarding quality workers.
To read the analysis at length, please head here.
No Room for “Doubt” in the Vocabulary of a Good Leader December 19, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership.Tags: leadership
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In an interview with IndustryWeek, Larry Bossidy underscores a number of important points about what makes a good leader. Among them is the idea that to do something company-wide, a good leader must first him/herself understand it. Also important is that once a leader commits, he or she cannot harbor any doubts.
Check out the interview with Larry here.
How Not to Demotivate People December 18, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, workforce.Tags: leadership, workforce
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In a refreshingly motivational video hosted at LSS Academy, Jim Collins, author of the bestselling book Good to Great, talks about how not to demotivate people. Jim recommends confronting the brutal facts, not ignoring them. He recommends getting thoughts from others rather than just declaring what should be done. Jim also says that success should be touted, because everyone wants to be part of something that works.
Watch the Jim’s video here.
How Bad Plans and “Good Ideas” Ruin Meetings December 18, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, strategy.Tags: leadership, strategy
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David Allen, writing at FastCompany for the magazine’s Leadership Hall of Fame Series, talks about planning and ideas. David defines five steps your brain takes when tackling just about any task, including defining the purpose and principles, and outcome visioning. These steps should be taken and understood in order to plan correctly.
I’ve used David Allens techniques for a couple years now, and it has had a remarkable impact on my productivity and organization.
For the complete list, and David’s full article, head here.
Work Smart: Live and Work With a Bias Toward Action December 18, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, strategy.Tags: leadership, strategy
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Scott Belsky, writing at FastCompany, set out to discover the best process for managing projects. He discovered a common theme about action, and talks about it in a video. He explains how the most successful projects have an orientation toward action.
Watch Scott’s creative and informative video here.
Humility, Respect, and… Ignorance November 17, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, lean.Tags: leadership, lean office
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Kevin Meyer, writing at the Evolving Excellence blog, talks about the second pillar of lean: respect for people. Mr. Meyer is convinced most lean efforts fail because they focus on waste elimination rather than respect for people. A large part of that respect is a solid ethical foundation, which is severely lacking in leadership, written off as “ignorance”.
Check out Mr. Meyer’s blog post here.
How to Give the Perfect TED Talk November 17, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, personal productivity, Uncategorized.Tags: leadership, personal productivity
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Statistician Sebastian Wernicke has analyzed over 600 TED talks to discover what works and what doesn’t. Technical terms, mentions of the New York Times, and slides make talks less popular, while more engaging talks use props, informal terms, and staying within an eighteen-minute period.
Check out the other interesting thoughts and facts here.
Getting Lean Right: Lessons Learned from a Lifetime of Lean April 20, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, lean.Tags: leadership, lean
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IndustryWeek Hall of Famer George Koenigsaecker, who has personally put eleven companies on lean paths, has also completed a book about lean as well. Called Leading the Lean Enterprise, he talks about his experiences with certain companies, tools of the lean trade, and what really makes a difference in terms of lean implementation –and that is sustainable culture. Mr. Koenigsaecker utilizes the Toyota TrueNorth Metric System for sustainable culture, including the ideas of quality improvement and human development.
Check out the IndustryWeek write-up here.
(Complaining About) Resistance is Futile April 20, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in culture, leadership, workforce.Tags: culture, leadership, workforce
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Mark Graban highlights a common problem on his Lean Blog. He speaks of how leaders complain that their employees are resistant to change. Quoting writer Stephen Parry, Mark explains that resistance to change is due to a lack of leadership. Indeed, he notes, blaming others for lack of change is a convenient excuse. Instead of complaining about resistance, leaders should seek to understand specifically why their employees are resistant.
Check out Mr. Graban’s post here.
Twelve Signs Arrogance is Running Your Company February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, workforce.Tags: leadership, workforce
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Alaina Love recounts a story over at Bloomberg Businessweek of the departure of an up-and-coming worker who was slated for leadership, but quit because management wasn’t receptive to his suggestions of sustainability. Ms. Love proceeds to list twelve signs that any given company is being run by arrogance. Among them including hiring and developing talent, ultimately refusing to listen to their input; leaders dictate more than they listen; and a company rationalizing its mistakes rather than learning from them.
Check out Ms. Love’s article here.
Individual NFL Player Incentives: Why Are They Necessary? Do They Distort the Game? February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in culture, leadership.Tags: culture, leadership
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Mark Graban over at Lean Blog has taken to analyzing an ESPN discussion about individual NFL player incentives. Some maintain that individual incentives are necessary for performance, but others maintain that they distort play and corrode the intrinsic worth of the game itself (winning and making it to the playoffs).
Check out Mr. Graban’s analysis here.
Making Change Happen, and Making it Stick February 4, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in change management, leadership, workforce.Tags: change management, leadership, workforce
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In an extensive article at Strategy+Business, a trio of authors explain that global transitions and technological innovations have reshaped entire industries and how they operate. Making changes depends on the people in the companies themselves –from management on down. And the authors present five factors for successful change. Among them are making the emotional and rational case for change, and ensuring that leadership is an example for the rest of the organization.
Check out the Strategy+Business article here. (registration required)
Who is Responsible? February 4, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, workforce.Tags: leadership, workforce
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Instead of asking “Who is in charge?” or “Who is the manager in this area?”, Jon Miller over at Gemba Panta Rei prefers to ask, “Who is responsible?” Mr. Miller notes that the word “responsibility” means having a duty to bear. And it is crucial that those who accept responsibility take responsibility for what they have accepted. And that is especially important given the American idea of rugged individualism and self-reliance.
Check out Mr. Miller’s post here.
Management at a Glance January 22, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in 5S & Visual Management, leadership, Lean Tools & Techniques.Tags: 5S & Visual Management, leadership
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Rooting out the causes of defects in production, removing them, and continually improving upon the process is essential in lean. Continuous improvement manager of boat manufacturer Boston Whaler explains that communication means never having to talk –i.e., visual management. From simple lines made of tape placed on the floor designating where to stand or put equipment, to color coded storage systems, to boards for employees to write out problems for managers to see, visual management means better efficiency with fewer problems. Combined with managers on the ground floor overseeing and participating, visual management is highly effective.
Check out the IndustryWeek article here.
Lean Won’t Work in 2011 January 22, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in economy, lean, strategy.Tags: economy, leadership, strategy
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My good friend and colleague Greg Fields was interviewed for an insightful piece in IndustryWeek recently. If your company survived 2010, chances are you’re here to stay –according to Greg. Innovation and tweaking only get your so far. Investing in entirely new systems is key. Small incremental improvements are fine, but much of the business landscape has changed, and your business model may need an overhaul using radical improvement.
The editors at IndustryWeek certainly chose a title to attract eyeballs, but it may be a bit misleading. Greg describes how continuous improvement, kaizen, may be inappropriate for some business models, and that they need a radical makeover, also known as kaikaku. Both approaches, it turns out, are part of lean process improvement, so lean will continue to be universally applicable to all businesses in 2011, as it has been for half a century. We should not forget that the Toyota Motor Works began as a radical reconception of the mass production model just after World War II, as were the beginnings of the Toyota Production System.
Check out the IndustryWeek article here.
Control Point Standardization as a Form of “Leader Standard Work”. January 22, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, Lean Tools & Techniques, Standard Work.Tags: leadership, Lean Tools & Techniques, standard work
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Standardized points, says Jamie Flinchbaugh in an interview at Business901 Blog, are often unappreciated and not well understood. Rather than firefight mode, where leaders rush to fix problems, standardized points assist in preempting problems and being proactive against them. Dashboards and security badges are forms of control points, and control points can be visual checks, metrics, discussions, and investigations.
Check out Mr. Flinchbaugh’s 901 interview here.
Leader Standard Work and Plausible Deniability January 10, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, Lean Thinking, Standard Work.Tags: leadership, Lean Thinking, standard work
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The term “plausible deniability” is spooky, according to Mark R. Hamel, because it means holding anyone responsible for any actions whatsoever is impossible. The higher-ups blame the lower-downs who can never be identified. But plausible deniability is incompatible with lean. Lean requires transparency and requires a human system of checks at every level of operation, making sure that the standard work process is fulfilled –especially lean leader standard work.
Check out Mr. Hamel’s Gemba Tales blog post here.
The “Lean Group” Syndrome January 10, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in kaizen, lean, workforce.Tags: kaizen, leadership, lean, workforce
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A conversation Ron Pereira had with a relative recently about the lean process revealed how lean groups can often move into areas, dictate changes, and leave. Because of the authoritarian tactics, the employees on the ground never get to actively engage in kaizen. Committing to lean is as much developing people as it is what they do, Mr. Pereira reminds us. And as far as developing what they do? The workers themselves – the experts – should be involved in coming up with ideas and implementing them.
Check out Mr. Pereira’s article here.
Respect for People is Getting Your Hands Dirty December 13, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, Lean Thinking, workforce.Tags: leadership, Lean Thinking, workforce
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Jim Huntzinger was once given the job of implementing lean in a heavily-unionized company, the unions of which had horrible relations with its management. Mr. Huntzinger went straight to the operations floor, talking with operators, set-up men, and foremen. He learned about what they did, set up new cells, was open to thoughts, suggestions, and criticisms, and continued developing cells while always consulting the workers. While what he did was heavily against union policy, the threat of being “written up” for his actions was never even thought about because he was focused on the task at hand, and because of the level of respect that developed between both he and the workers.
Check out Mr. Huntzinger’s Lean Edge article here.
Leader Standard Work – Chock that PDCA Wheel September 24, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, Lean Tools & Techniques, Standard Work.Tags: leadership, Lean Tools & Techniques, standard work
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Mark Hamel over at Gemba Tales admits to being a pain for the new exercise he’s added to his Kaizen Event Standard Work. He now requires team leaders to walk him through the leader standard work. This is done to keep things honest, and to avoid backsliding because of insufficient work.
Check out Mr. Hamel’s post here.
Former Lean U.S. Senate Candidate Launches LeanAmerica.org September 14, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in government, leadership, lean.Tags: government, leadership, lean
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Paul Akers, Republican primary candidate for senator for Washington, may have failed in his bid to break into politics, but he seems prepared to succeed with the launch of his new website, LeanAmerica.org. The website seeks to apply lean concepts and lean improvements to the United States government. The objective is to put a lean leader in every government organization and department in order to effectively curtail and eliminate waste. Lean Thinkers: This is your Call to Arms!
Check out Jon Miller’s analysis here and Paul Aker’s website here.
John Shook to Replace Jim Womack as CEO of Lean Enterprise Institute September 14, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in change management, leadership, lean.Tags: change management, leadership, lean
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Jim Womack, co-author of Lean Thinking and long-time founder and CEO of the non-profit Lean Enterprise Institute, recently announced his pending retirement. Mark Graban over at Lean Blog has posted some thoughts on the Womack’s retirement from LEI. Mr. Graban notes how Mr. Womack has had a very important role in sharing and promoting lean around the world. Mr. Womack’s replacement will be John Shook, LEI’s senior advisor and former Toyota manager.
Check out Mr. Graban’s thought on the switch here.
