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Must Have FOCUS! Turning Competencies into Breakthrough Opportunities

by mstickler on Monday, February 17, 2014 8:59 AM

Over the past few months we have been working with a number of companies helping them with their strategic planning process. From company to company the process to develop/update their strategic plan is quite similar, however the results differ.



Based on discussions with clients, the common problem that prevents forward progress is a lack of focus.  Almost all of these companies had too many improvement projects on their plate and, to borrow a phrase from an old movie, “a point in every direction is the same as no point at all.”



Here is how to narrow down the number of improvement projects.

Mike's Blog
Operational Excellence
Strategic Direction
Alignment
Leadership
Strategy

Resistance is Futile.

by khunter on Monday, February 17, 2014 8:54 AM
 

You may laugh but there is some truth to that statement.  However, while organizational change is inevitable, it doesn’t go over well to say this to your employees or to hear it from your boss.  Change happens and the default response is pushback.  It is as if we are hardwired for stability and when the circuitry is swapped out we struggle to learn the new operating system.  Upgrade be dammed, if the work-around fixed the problem then leave it alone.  

Katherine's Blog
Alignment
Coaching
Relationships
Culture

Structuring Your Lean Transformation Implementation Plan

by mstickler on Tuesday, August 27, 2013 12:10 PM
The development of the Implementation Plan consists of defining the steps needed to achieve the design objectives and creating the control infrastructure for daily and weekly implementation activities.
Mike's Blog
Operational Excellence
Alignment
Plan
Leadership
Coaching
Transformation
Strategy
Performance
Implementation

Why Knowing Better Doesn't Always Translate to Doing Better

by khunter on Tuesday, August 20, 2013 12:01 PM
Lean Transformations begin as an idea, an idea that by doing something different we can be something different.  In the security and comfort of our own thoughts, we can imagine how amazing it will be to work within a continuous improvement culture where our talents are recognized, supported, and our skills utilized.  What a great place to be!  No end-of-the month rushes, consistently making the numbers, everyone contributes, and life is good.  Sounds great, right?  So how do we get there?  And why is it so hard?
Katherine's Blog
Work \ Life
Operational Excellence
Alignment
Leadership
Coaching

Actual Implementation

by mstickler on Sunday, June 23, 2013 6:30 PM
In a site-wide Lean transformation, success depends upon the use of a structured approach to deployment. Ensuring this success is a process of moving each value stream through the 5 basic steps of deployment: Stabilize, Flow, Takt, Pull, and Sustain. Let’s define each of these...
Mike's Blog
Work \ Life
Operational Excellence
Alignment
Leadership
Transformation
Strategy
Performance
Implementation

Real Magic

by khunter on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 7:26 AM
Magic. It is real.



“What?” you say, “Isn’t magic just an illusion?”



I’m not talking about the kind of magic in which you are persuaded to believe in something that is not there. Real magic happens when you bring something into the world that wasn’t there before. Let me explain.
Katherine's Blog
Strategic Direction
Alignment
Leadership
Transformation

Values, Vision, & Mission

by khunter on Thursday, April 25, 2013 1:58 PM
Setting direction for an organization, department, or group is vital to keeping everyone aligned. However, most companies unknowingly go about this process backwards. The title of this article may sound odd and, if so, it says a lot about the standard sequencing that rolls so easily off the tongue: mission, vision, values. The order IS important and here is why …
Katherine's Blog
Work \ Life
Strategic Direction
Alignment

Lean Transformation: The Implementation Planning Phase

by mstickler on Thursday, April 04, 2013 2:37 PM

The Implementation Planning Phase of a Lean Transformation is dependent on the quality of the Diagnosis Phase. Don’t start the Implementation Planning Phase unless the leadership of the business agrees and signs off with the Design Phase document. The sign-off on the Design Phase document is a public statement that confirms ...

Mike's Blog
Operational Excellence
Alignment
Plan

Anatomy of a Business Death Spiral: Part 2

by khunter on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 8:02 AM
In your business moving fast and distilling large amounts of data quickly is absolutely necessary. The question then is how to work with what you have. Pulling out of the business death spiral requires a two-pronged approach ...
Katherine's Blog
Work \ Life
Alignment
Leadership
Coaching

Anatomy of a Business Death Spiral

by khunter on Wednesday, October 31, 2012 12:53 PM
In the face of an imminent crisis, business transformation can be a daunting task, so daunting in fact, that most companies will try anything else. So how do you know when you need to walk the path of transformation? Click here to learn the five symptoms of a dysfunctional organization and why is it important to recognize these symptoms early.
Katherine's Blog
Work \ Life
Alignment
Diagnostic
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