7 Management Lessons from a Home Renovation Project

Anyone who has invested time in renovating an older home understands surprises and conundrums emerge every time a wall or ceiling is breached. There are parallels in the world of management where the twists and turns of the marketplace demand change. Great tradespeople and great managers find a way through wicked problems using creativity and critical thinking. Here are seven lessons I was reminded of during a recent renovation project.

Management and Quality Lessons in the Airbag Recall

With clear acknowledgement that I am just one of millions of consumers impacted by the Takata Airbag disaster (recall), I feel compelled to vent. I of course vent not by screaming, but by looking for the management lessons in the mess. There are more than a few marketing and management lessons embedded in the industry's handling of this potentially life-threatening problem.

By |2016-10-22T17:11:03-05:00March 24th, 2016|Art of Managing, Decision-Making, Strategy|0 Comments

Looking for A Framework to Rebuild Your Business? Think Baldrige

My own personal observation is that the Baldrige National Quality Program is one of the most misunderstood, unknown and poorly marketed great programs for organizations seeking a framework for business performance improvement. You owe it to yourself and your organization to become familiar with the program and the many great low and no-cost tools available to help you improve your business.

By |2016-10-22T17:12:03-05:00August 25th, 2009|Leadership, Leading Change, Strategy|11 Comments

Life, Professional Development, Quality and the Art of Ceiling Painting

Our youngest son wraps up his high school career and like many families across the country, we are holding an open house for friends and neighbors to celebrate the event. And like many husbands in similar situations across the country, I’m in charge of finishing up those chores that I put off all winter while I was writing Leadership and the Project Manager or teaching or delivering workshops or talking about performance excellence to industry groups. Today’s chore is to paint the kitchen ceiling. Like almost every job in life and in business, a successful outcome is a function of detailed preparation, a good plan and painstaking attention to the issues that potentially will impact the outcome. The patching, sanding, masking, cutting-in and thorough application of paint are all critical to the final outcome. Oh, and don’t forget the drop cloths to catch collateral spatter.

By |2016-10-22T17:12:08-05:00May 28th, 2009|Career|0 Comments

Sixty Years of Deming and American Managers Forgot to Pay Attention

Dr. Deming indicated that he hoped one of his life’s accomplishments was to keep American companies from committing suicide. The public spectacle of Detroit and Wall Street committing suicide in the same quarter would indicate that he failed in his mission. Deming’s Theory of Profound Knowledge and 14 points offered (and still do) keys to many of the answers. They are not prescriptive, but rather they combine to create a philosophical approach to running a business, that if adhered to, will stand a chance of succeeding for customers, workers and partners on a global stage.

By |2016-10-22T17:12:17-05:00December 21st, 2008|Leadership, Leading Change, Marketing, Product Management|7 Comments

Your “Weekend Reading List” from Management Excellence

Beginning with this post, I intend to make "Your Weekend Reading List" a regular Friday feature. Most professionals that I know are too busy to carve out quality reading time during the week, and many have confided that they wish they would be more diligent about reading on the weekend. While I won't be there to help you pick up the book or click on the link, I can at least try and remove the "I'm not sure what to read" excuse from your arsenal.

By |2016-10-22T17:12:18-05:00December 5th, 2008|Leadership|2 Comments

Managing Resistance to Change

Resistance to Change in corporate life is a very real force, and of course, the bane of existence of the many advocates of change challenging you to put aside your fears and embrace the new way of doing things. You are going to pay for resistance up-front by dealing with it, or your going to pay during the life of the initiative. Some resistance can be overcome through training and education and the rest will only be solved with accountability measures. Proper investment up-front will hopefully minimize the cost and pain as the initiative unfolds.

By |2016-10-22T17:12:18-05:00November 24th, 2008|Leadership, Leading Change|0 Comments
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