Rip slept for 20 years, including through the American Revolutionary War.
General Motors slept for about the same duration, but much more recently.

Rip woke, wishing to maintain his pre-nap idleness, but knowing things had changed.
GM woke, wishing to maintain its pre-nap strategic and management approaches, but knowing things had changed.

Neither had the commitment to actually make changes in themselves.

Rip’s laziness had no real impact on the surrounding citizens.
Not so lucky, the citizens surrounding GM.

As a 30 year resident of Ohio, I have become aware of the vast limitations of that school up north. But strangely, observations of the recent relative resurgence of their football team offer lessons for business leaders.

Following the sleepy eyes of Lloyd Carr and the fire and brimstone of Rich Rodriguez, Brady Hoke has players performing. How?

Safety Jordan Kovacs attributes it to Brady’s (1) understanding of the program’s tradition, (2) passion for the program, (3) tone of mutual respect, and (4) re-establishment of a foundation of toughness, accountability, and pride in the program.  Mostly the same players as last year, but with significantly improved results.

If Hoke can apply those simple principles to successfully get a bunch of 19 year old boys to perform at increasing levels of success, perhaps they would help you do the same with your employees.  If Big Blue can do it, surely you can too.

Last week I fell on a lava coral rock while enjoying the beauty of Haleiwa HI; my right shin was shredded so off to the local medical center I went.  I appreciate that they took me in (it was not an urgent care or emergency center), cleaned the wounds, and put in 12 stitches to reconnect the skin. (good insurance may have helped my case) 

It was interesting to watch the doctors and assistants look for basic supplies as I sat in the “minor surgery” room.  Couldn’t find the right size or right material “thread” for stitching; couldn’t find the right antiseptic; and on it went.  While the medical care I received seems good (will know more when stitches removed later this week), they could work much more effectively with simple visual systems to organize and re-order inventory.

They had a very nice sign on the wall of one of the rooms that said something to the effect: “there is no idle time; organize and clean for the 200 days that are crazy busy.” We discussed that, and they all understood and supported that message.  They simply have no training in how to organize effectively.  Cabinet were labeled with generic description of what was behind; syringe; suture; urology.  But behind those doors was a stacked conglomeration of materials.  Pull out a box, read it, put it back and pull out another.  The process was repeated until they found what they needed or gave up and said they were out. There was no “sharp medical products” disposal container in the surgical room, and a regular trash can was used for all wastes, bloody and otherwise.

A two hour training class summarizing 5S and Mistake Proofing concepts would save this group of hard working medical professionals (and their patients) a lot of time, and likely provide better quality care.

As the recovery slowly begins, I’ve read entirely too many articles that refer to companies “squeezing more productivity” out of their workers as the reason why hiring hasn’t picked up yet.

That sounds so painful…

When will journalists and economic pundits figure out that hiring is always a lagging indicator?  And what about all the productivity improvements that smart companies have made during the last 2 years?  They aren’t driven by whips and chains, but by problem solving and better processes.

Increasing productivity is the way that countries become richer, but somehow it’s made to seem like a bad thing.  Don’t be fooled.  Growth without increasing productivity is not the goal.

MacNeil Automotive Products Limited has a two page ad in AutoWeek magazine touting their “made in America” commitment.  Most of their supplies are from US or Canadian suppliers, as is most of their equipment.  The last sentence is: “Life is simple:  be good to your fellow man, be kind to animals and the environment, and place building a quality product, supporting your country and your fellow American worker before profit.”

I applaud the sentement and claimed commitment.  It’s important for companies to stand for something in addition to profits.  But how far should that commitment go?  That company can apparently still make an acceptable profit following its espoused commitment.  But what about the company that cannot? 

Is an EBITDA of 10% too little to justify offshoring?  How about 20%?  At what point is it greed?

I would guess that decision is a function of shareholders understanding of and interest in long term impacts.  On the one extreme, let’s say all US manufacturers offshore 100%.  Clearly that would devastate our economy and also any US sales they were hoping to get.  What if US manufacturers offshore nothing.  If the materials don’t exist here or we can’t make it using domestic resources, then a foreign company will have to export it to the US if we are to have access.  Not as obviously, but without the energy we import, that becomes almost the same as the other extreme.

Until we focus on energy independence, can we really complain about other types of offshoring?

Following 14 years in a wide variety of roles in a wide variety of industries, I entered the worlds of entrepreneurship and consulting 20 years ago. Experience and many of you have taught me a lot over those years.

My Dad, who hated his job but couldn’t leave it with 4 hungry kids to support, taught me to never be in the position he was in. Live in a way where you always maintain freedom of choice on everything important to you. With that knowledge, I left the “safety” of traditional employment for the “uncertainty” of running my own business, and have never looked back. For each of us, real security is in our skills, knowledge, work ethic, and respect for others. It is not in the hands of anyone else.

My first clients taught me that I didn’t have to know everything; I only had to be honest with myself about what I did and did not know, and willing to learn about the latter. They helped me understand that client and consultant are a team working for common purpose in a mutually beneficial alliance. Any other relationship between client and consultant is simply wrong. I will never forget that.

Professional associates along the way taught me new ways to think, to interact, and to learn. They’ve helped round out my skill set in ways that continue to benefit both me and my clients. I am a much better person and professional today than I would have been without them.

Every client helped, every plant visited, every workshop and conference attended, every “you ought to know him/her” meeting, and every volunteer role accepted has further developed my vision, awareness, empathy, and listening skills.

Twenty years into this adventure, I thank each of you, while eagerly moving toward the experiences yet to come. I hope your ride is as enjoyable.

Sports just lost one of its greatest leaders when John Wooden passed away on June 4, 2010. Widely considered the best college basketball coach ever, Wooden was given the moniker, much to his chagrin, “The Wizard of Westwood,” referring to his amazingly successful UCLA coaching career.

Even if you hate sports, take the time to become familiar with the life and thinking of John Wooden. It takes more than luck to achieve all that he did. It takes great leadership.

Just a few elements from his famous “Pyramid of Success” illustrating 12 lessons in leadership:

• Good Values Attract Good People
• Call Yourself a Teacher
• Little Things Make Big Things Happen
• Make Greatness Attainable By All
• Don’t Look At The Scoreboard

If you are familiar with Deming, Shingo, and Ohno, these sound very familiar. The concepts aren’t complex; living them sometimes is. But we can all at least try.

When you get something other than what you specifically requested at a restaurant, who’s to blame?  The waitron?  The chef? Right!  You don’t care whose fault it is; you just want what you ordered.  Seems reasonable, yet we often here “it’s not my fault” or “I told him, but I guess he didn’t listen.”

If your company delivers exactly what the customer ordered, when it was wanted, and the invoicing / payment is as promised, you’ve succeeded. Anything else, and you’ve failed.  The customer doesn’t care about your new computer system or who’s out of the office today or any other excuses.

If you can’t get it right every time, then at least build your organization to replace “it’s not my fault” with “I will get it fixed immediately” and then do it!

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has long been considered the agency with the big hammer if a company creates environmental contamination, whether by intent or by accident.  Over the past several years the agency has become active in spreading information about Lean Manufactuirng concepts every chance it gets.  They know that the “elimination of waste” that is a focus of Lean is good for the environment as well as good for business.  Why not help spread the word?

The EPA has been an exhibitor at the last several AME annual conferences, and distributes “lean” articles and interviews with increasing frequency.  They are proactively helping companies understand opportunities to reduce waste, especially those that involve energy, water. hazardous, or landfill materials.  They can stimulate industry through these efforts.

We tell children that the police are here to help us, yet most adults consider police as consumed with catching someone doing something wrong as with  helping children or ittle old ladies.  The EPA has been similarly considered “big brother” trying to catch us doing something wrong, with no offsetting kind message for kids.  But this is changing.

I’d love to see all government agencies discover ways to help business succeed while serving their mission.  That “government for the people” is a great idea!

A few short years ago, I bought a new 2007 Vespa from a very nice looking, but new, dealership in the Greater Cleveland area.  I took my bike went there for the initial maintenance, and for the subsequent oil change and “spring check-up.”  This year, the dealership is simply gone.  No call, no connection to a different dealership, no notice in the window, no nothing.

I can take my bike to the one remaining Vespa dealership in this area, but doesn’t it seem that if Vespa were truly interested in customer service, I would have found out about this change other than by getting a call from a friend reporting an empty building?  While the folks at the dealership seemed passionate, nice, and interested in service, they couldn’t make it.

Maybe they didn’t understand service after all, and why would anyone spend thousands of dollars with a company that doesn’t understand service?  I did, but I’ll be very hesitant to buy a Vespa again.  Even if the dealership doesn’t understand service, the manufacturer should.