So, it struck me, that when we interview candidates or assign people to tasks based on what they tell us about themselves, we are really only going on that person’s interpretation – which may be very different from our own. Different professions have attempted to make the understanding of the job standardized by instituting certifications and licenses, however, there is still a great deal of variation in the ability to understand and implement those standards. There is still one universal truth – the definition of what constitutes “good” is often developed after the fact and is done so according to subjective interpretations by someone with a need to save face. [Read more]
Plan for peak capacity, or get good at eliminating waste
January 25, 2012 By 2 Comments
when does anyone start to examine how we do things, to look for inefficiency? If we eliminated that inefficiency, how many hours of unnecessary processing, running around to find things or people, sitting in pointless meetings, etc. etc. could be done away with? [Read more]
It’s not your management, it’s a “labor market mismatch”
January 12, 2012 By 2 Comments
What’s being done right now to make sure that the workforce they have today will be able to meet the needs of the future, or will we be hearing about this labor market mismatch in the future, too? Are businesses really just hoping that the right graduates come out of college with the necessary skills, or that mid-career pros will be able to utilize existing skills in entirely new ways, or are they providing guidance and resources so that the labor pool stays stocked with talent? [Read more]
We know life is too short, so why are we letting it get wasted?
November 18, 2011 By 1 Comment
What I’ve come to realize, is that we all waste an awful lot of time doing nothing value-added. When I say “time” (or anyone else for that matter) is being wasted, I start to think “life” instead. Every minute we spend just sitting – accomplishing nothing of value to anyone – is a minute of our lives lost and gone forever. It doesn’t come back, it doesn’t get recycled, it doesn’t break down or compress and eventually turn into a diamond. It is just simply gone. [Read more]
Ideas, not answers
November 1, 2011 By 2 Comments
My 6-year-old son has show-and-tell at school every Friday. The night before his most recent presetation, I asked him what he wanted to bring to school. He simply said, “Hmmm….I don’t know!” and shrugged his shoulders, waiting for me to give him something he could use. It was then that my improvement genes went into [...]
The luxury of I Don’t Know
October 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
“I Don’t Know how” is, usually, a defensive reaction. It’s far easier to use ignorance as an excuse for not trying to learn than it is to admit that we might not have the capacity to learn. That, however, might be a matter of self-deception. It’s not that we’re incapable of learning, it’s that we simply don’t have enough time to learn what we perceive is needed. [Read more]
The Cart Wrangler Blues
October 13, 2011 By 1 Comment
Everyone likes to show off their ability to put their backs into it and come out a winner. In the end, it’s all about “Look at me! I am tough, and I can take it.”
But why do you want to?
Any number of organizations have figured out that no one should have to, or want to. From Toyota and its fabled Production System to Best Buy and the Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE), there are places that have realized that overcoming the “Look what I can do!” aspects of human nature. [Read more]
Meeting the Teacher
October 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Let’s say a doctor has to have surgery. Do you think he walks into the operating room, holding his surgical gown closed with one hand and examining the instruments with the other? Does he look at the sheet that will cover him, checking to see if it’s sterile? Does he check the temperature of the room, ensuring that it’s at a comfort level that will be conducive to a successful surgery?
I don’t know if all of that happens, but I know some rather intense scrutiny ensues when a teacher attends a child’s Meet the Teacher night. [Read more]
Stacking firewood, and learning about learning
September 28, 2011 By 3 Comments
It’s late September, and that means it’s time to order up some firewood and begin stacking it for when the cold weather hits. This weekend, I had my wood delivered, and my father happened to be in town as well. He pitched in and helped me stack up my wood into a corral I had built last year, and we got the job done fairly quickly. It was interesting to watch his approach, as he was reluctant to begin since he had never stacked wood before. [Read more]
Irises and Sweet Bubby Bushes
September 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
In so many ways, we are who came before us. In many other ways, we are the antithesis of our ancestors, fighting to do better, have more, and be more than our parents and grandparents.
Today I sifted through artifacts (trinkets, my daughter called them) of my grandparents’ life. [Read more]
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