Have you ever thought that you could be more innovative if you just had fewer constraints imposed upon you? That’s the dream of many leaders; to be free of constraints so they could let their minds wander and do truly innovative work. After all, how can you be innovative when you have to hit margin …
Read more “Constraints don’t stifle innovation – you can’t be creative without them.”
I know that we were supposed to have learned everythingwe needed to know in Kindergarten. It’s hard to argue withsharing, saying “thank you” and playing nice. However, from a leadership point of view, I think we needto look a little farther down the road. I know teenagers mayseem like an unlikely source of business wisdom. …
Read more “Want to be a better leader? Start listening to your kids.”
How often do you see goals like these? Quality: Attend 85% of the weekly quality review meetings. Finance: Submit monthly financial reports within one week of each month’s close. Customer Service: Increase the number of Customers completing our customer satisfaction survey by 15%. Personal: Join a health club and work out three days a week. …
A consulting team was looking at a client’s supply chain process. They found that they could cut delivery times in half – from four days to two days. The client wasn’t satisfied. The end-end-end supply chain process was thirty days. Two days out of thirty wasn’t enough. They focused in the wrong place. They had …
I once received a call from a distraught director. One of his departments continually posted abysmal customer satisfaction results. He asked if I could provide a customer service workshop for his team. I looked through the department’s customer satisfaction results. While there were some opportunities to improve on service, they didn’t need customer service training. …
Read more “AIM your people for performance and you’ll hit your targets”
Most of the leaders with whom I talk understand the importance of data. They will tell you that to be a good leader you have to be comfortable with and knowledgeable about the data that drives your organization. However, many leaders are not providing leadership when it comes to using data and information. Take a …
How much of your time is really spent on value-added work? If you are familiar with the Pareto Principle the best guess is about 20%. Commonly referred to as the 80/20 rule, the Pareto Principle states that 80% of outputs in a system are generated by 20% of inputs. Look at your own business and …
Read more “Falling prey to Pareto – where does 80% of your effort go?”
Do you sometimes worry that if your people become too marketable they will leave your company? I once heard an executive suggest that his company offer certificate programs rather than degree programs. This would ensure that his people built needed skills. Without a formal degree, they would be less attractive to competitors and less likely …
Read more “Do you really want a workforce that your competitors wouldn’t hire?”
I remember the first time I went shopping for baby cribs. I couldn’t lower the side rail on any of them. Now, to many people this is a pretty simple task. Yet, try as I might, I couldn’t do it. The salesperson would gently instruct me, “pull up on the rail while you push the …
Today is a milestone day for what I believe is one of the greatest examples of leadership in history. Today, the One Laptop Per Child Project begins mass production in China.The goal of the project is to provide low cost laptop computers (under $200) to children in developing countries. If you haven’t heard of this …
Read more “Leading our future – The One Laptop per Child Project”