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Managing a New Team, Replacing a Manager
I’ve gone through several job transitions where I was the new manager, replacing another manager and assuming responsibility for an established team. Obviously this can be a very stressful time. The...
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Trends and Early Indicators
Everybody understands that it’s better to be proactive and avoid problems rather than be reactive and respond after the problem has surfaced. In quality we try to shift from fixing defects to defect...
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What Are Individual Accomplishments Within a Team Environment?
The other day I responded to a question on LinkedIn about whether performance reviews were basically worthless because we all work in teams and individual accomplishments are hard to isolate. It’s true...
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Managing By The Numbers, Continued
Picture this: a group of senior managers are sitting around a conference table listening to a monthly or quarterly business review. It’s a procession of slides, mostly the usual bullet-text items but...
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Fake It Until You Make It: Is Structural Change a Prerequisite?
Change management is frustrating. It can take a maddeningly long time to convince the required supporters that change is necessary, and then more time to get everyone moving in the new direction. Then...
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Sustaining Improvements: Self-Governance vs. Policing
Last month I listened to a presentation about an implementation of 5S methodology at a local company. The work group spent a lot of time cleaning up, installing shadow boxes to keep their tools in...
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I Need a New Plan, This One Isn’t Working (Or, Is It?)
At what point should you abandon your plan and make a new one? How do you know when the old plan isn’t going to work? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately during my current job search. Everyone...
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How Do You Know It Needs Fixing?
We’ve always been told that “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” In the world of statistical process control, making changes to a production process that’s already stable and in-control is considered...
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How Important Is Industry Familiarity?
I’m once again “between jobs” and “in-transition,” and I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at job postings. Every position seems to emphasize the preference or requirement for applicants with...
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Is This The Right Problem To Work On?
The ability to prioritize and focus is widely praised as a characteristic of successful business leaders. There are too many things to do, and not enough time or resources to do them all, much less do...
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