Measurable Management

Absorbing the Shock of Cultural Change

2012-01-26T14:17:00.004-06:00

My good friend Gerry Raubach of Industrial Solutions Inc. based in Tulsa has implemented many Measurable Management programs with his clients over the past 6 years. This week he completed a pilot program for Gabriel Ride Control a manufacturer of shock absorbers. Below is the email that Gerry sent to me yesterday.

"Robin,

We conducted the report-out at Gabriel yesterday and the results were spectacular. Lisa Bahash, CEO and James Neeley, CFO were in attendance from Michigan as well as the whole top management team from the local plant. We also had Mike Raymond of the Oklahoma Alliance in attendance.

The 8 students all presented excellent powerPoint reports using a standard Gabriel reporting format. Each student had completed 3 ideas for action. The cumulative total savings reported was over $800,000 on an annual basis. One student had implemented an idea in their department that was going to yield $164,000 in hard cash savings. Another student had figured out a new arrangement of machines in the rod department that would reduce the staffing from 7 people to 4 with an annual cost savings of $93,000. It went on like this for 3 hours of presentations.

What was particularly impressive about this whole situation was the fact that we undertook this engagement in the most risky situation I could imagine. The plant had been through great turmoil over the past several years, being threatened with closure. The workforce was made up of over 70% temporary contract employees. In fact, I had warned the management team that we had never conducted Measurable Management in such and environment. The participants were extremely pessimistic at the outset that we could do anything to improve morale or much less, move forward with improvement initiatives with a workforce that was apathetic. Nevertheless, we agreed to proceed and see if the program could be successful in this situation. I am pleased to report that not only did we get the measurable results noted above, but we saw a turnaround in the culture that was even more remarkable. The participants all affirmed that the tools they learned proved to be effective with all employees, temporary and permanent. In addition, they saw a decided improvement in morale as the employees saw management's commitment to the future being evidenced by the conducting of the program itself. What we learned from this experience is that the tools of measurable management are truly effective in creating culture change, when coupled with a total commitment by top management. Gabriel is facing a much improved future outlook as a result of measurable management.

Gerry "

Tilting at Windmills

2012-01-18T16:46:00.008-06:00

Thanks to my facebook friend Nick Anderson for the picture and the following statistics:-

"According to several surveys of top executives only 19% of strategic plans achieve their objectives. Not so surprisingly, only 25% those same executives are even motivated by the plans they create."

There are times I must admit when I feel that trying to get senior executives to see the benefits to implementation of strategy that a program like Measurable Management can bring, is like Tilting at Windmills. Time to turn with the wind of change.

Any thoughts?

Northwest Passage

2011-11-02T17:47:00.004-05:00

I have just relocated from Sioux Falls SD to the Greater Seattle Area. We're not yet fully moved in to the new home but I should be in full swing by next week. I will be working very closely with our licensed partners "invite CHANGE" but my role regarding Measurable Management and our licensees has not changed. Williams & Co and I will still be supporting all of our licensed partners in the same way that we have always done.

I spent three days in Ohio last week working with Jim Poole of Lifetime Learning and we delivered Measurable Management facilitator training to a number of clients including Hertz Global.

Tammy Fagan at Williams & Co will provide you with my contact information if you need to get hold of me.

I'll keep everyone posted of new Measurable Management developments.

Measurable Management Roadshow takes to the Rails with CSX

2011-05-13T15:29:00.003-05:00

The Measurable Management Roadshow takes to the rails on June 2nd & 3rd as we head to Jacksonville Florida where the Fortune 500 rail freight giant CSX will be hosting our workshop. Anyone wishing to come to that event should call Tammy Fagan on 712 252 4041 ext 208.

Before then however we will be in Edmonds WA next week as InviteChange host the Free 2 day Measurable Management Facilitator Training Workshop on June 19th & 20th. The soft numbers for this event are looking very good but if you are in the Edmonds/Seattle area and would like to attend just call Tammy Fagan and she'll take care of your booking. Remember that these are Free workshops.

Keep checking our website www.measurablemanagement.com as we soon will add July dates for Tulsa OK and Virginia Beach. It is also looking like Toshiba will host an event for us soon at their Corporate HQ in Irvine CA.

The UN Roadshow Rolls On

2011-04-01T10:35:00.005-05:00

Our United Nations Roadshow was in Ohio this week as guests of Lifetime Learning. I delivered the two day facilitator training workshop at the Polaris Center in Cleveland and we had a packed room and even had to squeeze additional people in. It was an excellent workshop and as a result I just received the following email from Frank Gibson, Program Manager at Ohio State University.

"Hi Robin!
Excellent two days well spent.
Your 2-day facilitator’s training is very well developed. Your “Action-Learning” approach allows participants to bring their real work world to the training and to practice what they learn. Following your direction given in the classroom and the assignments in between each session gives participants many opportunities to have a very positive impact on individual and overall business performance in their organizations.
Your materials (Facilitator’s Guide, Participant Workbook and slide shows) are first class.
I see many of our clients struggling with either initial implementation or sustaining continuous improvement efforts. Many times I’ve heard, “we implemented the changes but when we leave the supervisors/workers revert back to what it was before”. The organizational culture development is needed in most organizations.
If I were to use one word, that I believe applying your approach in an organization, it would be “Velocity”. How quickly does an organization have to change?
Your approach will save them time and money with little effort and minimal resources.
Thanks again for a superb job.
Respectfully,

Frank Gibson
Program Manager
The Ohio State University at Marion"

As we celebrate our United Nations Positive Peace Award nomination we move our roadshow to Las Vegas on April 18th & 19th. Anyone is welcome to attend at no charge whatsoever just sign the Non Disclosure Agreement. It looks like we'll be adding a late April date at the National Hispanic University (NHU)in San Jose, CA so keep checking our website www.measurablemanagement.com or click on the title to this post for more details.
To attend any of the free workshops contact Tammy Fagan on 712 252 4041 ext 208

On The Road with Measurable Management

2011-03-17T13:22:00.005-05:00

I've been quite busy taking bookings for our up coming facilitator workshops and what I'm hearing over and over again from those booking places is a desperate need to find something to help sustain existing initiatives that seem to be stalling. More and more I'm hearing about expensive investments in various improvement initiatives that are sitting dead in the water and sensing the frustration of leaders that are struggling to find ways to resuscitate them. Is anyone else out there finding the same thing? I'm curious to know so comment below if you're finding this and if you have any thoughts or opinions.

We started our roadshow last week and kicked it off right back where Measurable Management began in the USA at The University of South Dakota Beacom School of Business shown in the photograph. Participants from 10 different organizations ignored the winter weather warnings and learned all about Measurable Management and how to facilitate programs in their own companies. Almost half of those organizations are looking to re-fire the enthusiasm of the workforce in their various quality improvement programs.

Next week we are just 50 or 60 miles up the road from USD at the University of Sioux Falls School of Business where twice as many attendees will be coming along for the same workshop.

The Cleveland Ohio workshop looks just as busy on March 28th & 29th and then we'll be in Las Vegas on April 18th & 19th followed by Edmonds WA May 19th & 20th.

If you'd like a free workshop in your area just let us know and we'll do our best to make it happen.

Toshiba - Measurable Management

2011-03-01T13:52:00.004-06:00

Many thanks to Toshiba America for moving forward with a Measurable Management Corporate License Agreement. This makes the program available to all Toshiba employees across all Toshiba divisions. This follows a very succesful pilot program at the Toner Manufacturing Plant in Mitchell SD where they implemented Measurable Management with only 10 participants and delivered improvements worth over $3.5million over the next 5 years. Toshiba feel that Measurable Management has added additional value and momentum to their existing Lean Manufacturing initiative.

Measurable Management Facilitator Training

2011-02-22T09:20:00.002-06:00

To celebrate the nomination of Measurable Management for the 2011 United Nations Positive Peace Award there will be a number of Free 2 day Facilitator Training workshops around the USA over the coming months. Some are hosted by ourselves and some are hosted by Fortune 500 companies such as CSX and Clear Channel but all of them are open to any company to send one or more attendees at no charge. Each attendee must sign a non disclosure agreement and will then be trained in how to facilitate Measurable Management within an organization. This is a perfect opportunity to assess the program in detail and discover how it can assist your organization to do even more positive things for your customers, employees and communities. If you would like to have someone attend on one of the dates listed below simply call Tammy Fagan on 712 252 4041 or email tsr@willconsult.com

March 8th & 9th University Of South Dakota, Vermillion SD

March 24th & 25th University Of Sioux Falls, SD

March 28th & 29th Polaris Career Center, Middleburg Heights, Cleveland OH

April 18th & 19th Embassy Suites, Las Vegas NV

May 16th & 17th Clear Channel, San Antonio TX

June 2nd & 3rd CSX, Jacksonville FL

Date TBA for ONEOK, Tulsa OK (Let us know if this location is of interest to you)

What do The Steelers, Colts, Hines Ward and Measurable Management have in common?

2010-12-08T10:08:00.006-06:00

Congratulations to Hines Ward for his nomination for an individual United Nations Positive Peace Award. His team the Steelers and their NFL rivals the Colts have also been nominated for UN Positive Peace Awards.

I'm relieved that none of these are competing in the same category as Measurable Management but it certainly is an honor to be nominated and to be in such illustrious company.

"Hines Ward changed the cultural landscape of Korea," said Janet Mintzer, president and CEO of Pearl S. Buck International, said in a statement. "After Japanese invasions, Korea placed high value on being pure-blooded Koreans, creating prejudice of biracial people. As a successful biracial Korean-American, he returned to Korea, creating media attention which sparked a cultural shift."

During the year, Celebrate Positive will feature nominees for the 1st Annual
United Nations NGO Positive Peace Awards who exemplify and demonstrate the word "positive." The United Nations Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) will honor the World’s Most Positive businesses, schools, communities, sports teams, athletes, coaches, and entertainers. Every nominee will be judged on an extensive list of criteria in order to be eligible for a Positive Peace Award.

Polar Bears & Dogs

2010-12-05T15:34:00.002-06:00

Many people think that they can't do or don't want to do Measurable Management because they are already implementing other initiatives like Lean or Six Sigma and that Measurable Management might displace what they have already invested heavily into. The reality is that Measurable Management is designed to co-exist with big initiatives and when the two work hand in hand it can be truly amazing. The video below is just a beautiful example of how wonderful and surprising it can be when your huge Polar Bear initiative meets our Measurable Management Husky. This is wonderful!

American Airlines - Measurable Management

2010-12-01T15:59:00.003-06:00

I'd just like to welcome American Airlines to the exclusive club of Measurable Management Corporate License holders.

It's understandable that they would choose a First Class program.

For those of you wondering what we mean by a corporate license we simply mean that any organization can purchase a license to use Measurable Management from Williams & Company or any of our licensed partners listed down the right side of this blog page. We will then train your facilitators how to run the program internally within your own organization. The corporate license allows you to implement the program throughout your organization and its affiliates.

We wish for a long and successful relationship with American Airlines and thank them for choosing Measurable Management.

Les Miserables Management

2010-11-18T15:49:00.006-06:00

I've had a busy first half of November directly involved in training Measurable Management facilitators in a variety of Fortune 500 companies. Last week we were with the world's biggest supplier of prepaid credit cards and one of America's leading airlines. This week we have introduced Measurable Management to a global Japanese electronics company, a major American oil company and a global food company.

All of these organizations have a reputation for excellence and with Measurable Management getting nominated for the United Nations Positive Peace Award they are striving further ahead of their competitors.

In amongst all of this activity I managed to squeeze in a viewing of the 25th Anniversary Performance of Les Miserables from the O2 Arena in London. You can never get too much excellence!

James Bond - Chapter 11

2010-10-27T17:16:00.004-05:00

I was surprised to read an article on the BBC website about MGM beginning plans to file for bankruptcy protection. Click on the title to this post to see that article yourself. It seems that the company behind the James Bond movies is both shaken and stirred. I'm sure that chapter 11 in any of Ian Fleming’s books never implied anything like this. I think that MGM should drop the G and would benefit from a little MM.

On a more interesting and upbeat note, the original James Bond Aston Martin DB5 from the Goldfinger and Thunderball movies was sold in London earlier today complete with ejector seat and other gadgets for $4.4 million. Although it was not a bad return on the owner's investment in 1969 of $10,000 it only made the minimum and had been expected to sell for up to $10million.

Change Management - What is it really?

2010-10-25T09:36:00.004-05:00

If you look at the Wikepedia definition of Change Management you will see the following:

"Change management is a structured approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at empowering employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment. In project management, change management refers to a project management process where changes to a project are formally introduced and approved."

My problem with this definition is that it implies that change is something that we do to people and that the skill lies in obtaining their acceptance and approval of the change that we are implementing. While leaders continue to impose change on others the reality is that they will frequently meet with resistance. If those who are charged with implementing are not involved in developing the change they will never own it.

In my opinion Change Management is a structured approach to transitioning individuals, teams and organizations from a current state to a desired future state through the development of a culture of involvement. A culture where leaders ask more questions and give fewer opinions, where they do more listening than talking. A culture that recognizes the expertise within and encourages the workforce to own the problems and develop the solutions themselves.

It can be hard for any leader to keep a good solution to themselves when they see an opportunity to fix a problem. The real skill of Change Management lies in being able to hold that solution close to your chest and learning to ask the right questions of those who have to implement. When they can develop the same solution themselves or even develop a better solution then you have really empowered your employees and ensured that the change will be implemented without resistance.

As the old Chinese proverb says, "Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I'll understand"

A "Spring Awakening" for the Economy Perhaps?

2010-10-22T14:18:00.005-05:00

As a drama teacher by training I relish the opportunity to go to the theater and enjoy the spectacle of a Broadway Musical. It's rare enough for a hit musical on tour to visit Sioux Falls SD let alone one that was nominated for 11 Tony Awards and actually won 8 including Best Musical, so when Spring Awakening was publicised for one night only at the Washington Pavilion I parted with around $160 for tickets for my wife and I as well as our two boys.

I have seen several performances at this theater and all were well attended or sold out. Not this time. The performance was well publicised but attendance was so low that we were able to relocate to more expensive seats. I'd say the theater was little more than half full. I know the musical deals with some risque topics but I don't think the people of Sioux Falls are any more prudish than anywhere else so I'm left to think that the lack of attendance is a reflection of the state of our economy and the reluctance of everyday people to spend their cash on non-essential items.

Businesses are not much different. The economy has forced many to cut back on non-essential items and as always training & development frequently finds itself with this label. How many of you have heard the words this year "contact me again in the New Year"?

Our Measurable Management partners offer all of their clients a financial guarantee that whatever they spend on a facilitated program it will be guaranteed using your own figures to deliver a return greater than your investment or they will cut you a check for the difference.

One client referred to this risk free offer as a "no brainer".

I hope the title of the musical is a good omen and that the Spring of 2011 will bring about a big improvement in your line of business whatever kind of business you might be in. If you want to be proactive however check out http://www.measurablemanagement.com/ to find a provider close to you.

Alexander Souri - Relief Riders

2010-10-20T09:15:00.002-05:00

The winner of this years United Nations Positive Peace Award is Alexander Souri and his small company Relief Riders. He organizes humanitarian based adventure travel vacations on horseback through the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India. The video below is a CBS Newsreel explaining how over the last six years Relief Riders International has been able to deliver far reaching medical and educational programs providing school supplies, goats, medical care and cataract surgeries to rural communities in Rajasthan. I have met Alexander and talked with him over dinner and found him to be a fascinating and modest individual who truly deserves his UN Award. I am proud that we are now friends and that Measurable Management has been nominated for the 2011 award. It is an honor to be in such illustrious company.

Lean Six Sigma - Next Generation

2010-10-15T15:47:00.003-05:00

I was reading an article by Megan James, Executive Director of Profit Through Process Week. She was advertising the 2011 Lean Six Sigma Summit and posed the question to a number of her most trusted contacts across the Six Sigma & Process Excellence IQ network, "What does a successful and profitable Lean Six Sigma program look like in the post recession era"? The key discussion points that they perceive to be changing the Lean Six Sigma landscape and the way organizations develop their program deployment would not surprise anyone who is familiar with Measurable Management. They were of the opinion that:

"Culture is key to sustainable success. Having a Lean Six Sigma program is one thing, but taking the next step and making process excellence part of the organizational DNA is another. Many organizations fall at this hurdle, so how can you embed process thinking as a way of life"?

My book "Cultural Change Through Measurable Management" not only makes the same point but offers an answer to the question and shows how to embed process thinking as a way of life within the workforce through Measurable Management.

Cultural Change is essential to a successful Lean Six Sigma program in order to avoid Lean Six Sigma existing in organizational silos. Here are two quotes from my book:

"The culture of an organization directly affects the health of the organization. It affects the agility and speed at which it can respond to change. The role of leadership therefore should really be to develop a healthy culture in order to shape a healthy future for the organization, a culture where people work in association with one another, not in conflict, a culture that involves people and respects their contribution".

"While Lean and Six Sigma are excellent tools for process improvement they are weak culture changing initiatives. They focus on the technical side of process improvement and they forget about the people and how these changes will affect them".

Much of the success of Measurable Management lies in the development of a "Pull Style" of leadership, a listening and involving style that engages the workforce and harnesses their expertise. You can bolt on to Lean Six Sigma a teambuilding workshop and a leadership training package but like any aftermarket item it will never be as good as the factory fitted option and it will eventually fall off. By truly developing team leaders to use the "Pull Style" long before allowing them to put their hands on the technical side of Process Improvement, Measurable Management is building in these behaviors at the factory, changing the culture and making process excellence everyone's responsibility. It's like adding a turbo charger to your Lean Six Sigma initiative.

You can view all of Megan's article by clicking on the title of this post.

United Nations Positive Peace Award

2010-10-08T14:15:00.003-05:00

We are honored and very proud to announce that Robin Byrne’s Measurable Management has been nominated for the 2011 United Nations NGO Positive Peace Award.

Celebrate Positive is a United Nations Non Governmental Organization (NGO) created to establish and manage these global awards.

Scott Pederson the CEO of Celebrate Positive announced that within the next 3 to 5 years he fully expects these awards to eclipse the Nobel Prize in terms of popularity and prestige.

My thanks to Iowa City Fire Dept. for nominating Robin Byrne’s Measurable Management for this award.

Celebrate Positive, LLC’s mission it is to promote “positive” year-round throughout the world. In working with the United Nations, and it’s NGO’s, and the Culture of Peace Initiative, Celebrate Positive is able to bring the Positive Peace Awards to the world in an annual week-long celebration called International Positive Week.

These awards are some of the most important and prestigious for those seeking to make our world a better, happier and more positive place in which to live. Celebrate Positive is the driving force behind this effort.

United Nations NGO Voting Academy

Selecting the winners of the Positive Peace Awards will be some of the United Nations most highly respected Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). These organizations represent connections to thousands of local communities and their leaders throughout the world. We are proud to announce participation from the following United Nations NGOs for the 2010 Voting Academy:

• Pathways To Peace
• Sister Cities International
• Rotary International

Bad Company or Just Bad Management?

2010-09-29T15:56:00.005-05:00

“There is no such thing as a bad industry or a bad company. There are only managers who do not understand strategy and who cannot implement what is required for exceptional performance!”.
Prof. Andy Andrews

Andy is an outstanding communicator with vast experience in strategy, management and the challenges of corporate growth and currently works with clients in South Africa, Europe and the United States.

He was the founder of the Graduate Institute of Management and Technology, which introduced the Henley MBA program into South Africa.

Andy has published widely and has received several awards including “Most Admired Business School Professor” and one of the “Four Outstanding Young South Africans”. He has served on the boards of several companies and has served as President of the Harvard Business School Club of South Africa since 1984.

Andy Andrews invited me to Johannesburg, South Africa back in Sept. 1997 to talk at the Graduate Institute of Management & Technology and again in Feb. 1998 to speak to South African business leaders and to train 24 facilitators to implement Measurable Management in South Africa. He saw in Measurable Management a powerful implementation vehicle that held the hands of managers as they translated the strategy of their organization into real and measurable outcomes.

I couldn't agree more with Andy's view that there is no such thing as a bad industry or a bad company and I am honored that he recognized and recommended Measurable Management to the South African business world.

Process Excellence Through Measurable Management

2010-09-20T14:38:00.002-05:00

Many thanks to my colleague Dennis Bixenman who emailed me today with his thoughts on Process Excellence and the difficulties that Process Excellence Teams face in engaging their fellow workers. What follows is lifted directly from his email and your thoughts and comments are invited.

"I love that Measurable Management is a perfect vehicle for engaging all the team leaders throughout the organization in process excellence as opposed to just the black belts and experts.

It is not uncommon in today's organizations to see process excellence initiatives led by process improvement experts (such as black belts), only to see a very small percentage of the workforce actually engaged in the process excellence efforts.

If you are not on a process improvement team or lean six sigma, you are probably not engaged in improving the processes you own. Process excellence initiatives are very worthwhile and will help the company save money and reduce waste, but your rate of improvement will be slow if you cannot engage the entire leadership team in the process. It will take years to make a lot of change happen, and it will be a constant struggle to sustain your improvement initiatives.

Process experts can lead the effort but most likely, you will end up with only small segments of sustained excellence. Your success will still be dependent on the team leadership skills of your people and they are not trained in nor engaged in the process excellence initiative...someone else owns it. The biggest problem is that this approach sends the message..."If you are not on a process improvement team, you are not responsible for process improvement. One of the key things that hold back process improvement initiatives is the fact that in most organizations, only a small percentage of their leaders are actually taught to use process improvement tools. We are not taught how to use these tools in our formal education.

There is often resistance to team leaders permitting their reports to participate in process excellence events led by someone outside their team. The team leaders often do not foster a team culture that supports process excellence initiatives. Measurable Management engages all your leaders to use process improvement tools".

I think you have hit the nail on the head Denny. This is precisely what we mean when we say that Measurable Management adds momentum and is like adding a turbo-charger to your Process Excellence initiative.

Employee Engagement

2010-09-11T12:11:00.005-05:00

According to Gallup, "The world's top-performing organizations understand that employee engagement is a force that drives performance outcomes. In the best organizations, engagement is more than a human resources initiative -- it is a strategic foundation for the way they do business.

Research by Gallup and others shows that engaged employees are more productive. They are more profitable, more customer-focused, safer, and more likely to withstand temptations to leave. The best-performing companies know that an employee engagement improvement strategy linked to the achievement of corporate goals will help them win in the marketplace".

Gallup go on to say that "In world-class organizations, the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees is 9.57:1.
In average organizations, the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees is 1.83:1.
Actively disengaged employees erode an organization's bottom line while breaking the spirits of colleagues in the process. Within the U.S. workforce, Gallup estimates this cost to be more than $300 billion in lost productivity alone. In stark contrast, world-class organizations with an engagement ratio near 8:1 greatly reduce the negative impact of actively disengaged employees while unleashing the organization's potential for rapid growth".

It seems that Gallup are saying what Measurable Management has been preaching for over a decade in that the best consultants an organization could have already work for it. Measurable Management provides a simple easy to implement solution to engaging the workforce and unleashing their potential. I invite anyone who has experienced Measurable Management either as a facilitator or as a participant to comment here and offer their opinions. Many thanks to my friend Scott Purcell for sending me the article.

Change Management in City Government

2010-08-06T18:11:00.004-05:00

I visited three City Managers in the Minneapolis/St Paul area on Wednesday this week. Molly McDonald of Fritz Partners had set up the appointments on the back of her success implementing Measurable Management with the City of Waconia MN. Each of these meetings revealed that these particular forward thinking city administrators recognized the need to change the culture within their departments in order to effectively initiate change that will benefit their citizens.

They were very attracted to Measurable Management because of it's success in other cities such as Tulsa OK, Iowa City IA and the City of Marshalltown IA but also the financial guarantee of over 100% return on investment was appealing given obvious budget restrictions.

All were interested in a facilitated pilot program to be followed by a corporate license that will allow them to deliver the program internally using their own facilitators. Marshalltown IA have already delivered two Measurable Management programs using their own people. The Mayor in Marshalltown said he likes the fact that they are seen by the public to be doing the work themselves rather than asking "What are you guys doing if consultants are doing all the work?"

For more details simply click on the title of this post.

Food For Thought

2010-08-03T09:05:00.006-05:00

I was in Houston TX about a week ago meeting oil companies, construction companies and Interfaith Ministries. These meetings were arranged by Amos and Michelle Benning of Nehemiah Performance Inc who are based in Houston and their hospitality was just wonderful.

It was a very interesting mix of organizations consisting of wealthy companies developing some of the world's largest construction projects, some refining oil and providing gas for our cars and trucks and another organization trying to find money to feed the homeless and disadvantaged. It reminded me of when I was in Johannesburg, South Africa training Measurable Management facilitators. One minute I was in the most opulent boardrooms I'd ever seen and the next I was in Soweto township looking at people carving out an existence in a corrugated and cardboard shanty town.

These extremes exist side by side and organizations like Interfaith Ministries work long and hard to help those who need it most. A key issue that I discussed with their CFO Sherri Cabler was "How do we find the funds to put an extra 2000 meals per day on the table?" Imagine the satisfaction if Measurable Management can help Interfaith deliver a result like this. To learn more about this organization just click on the title of this blog post.

Have No Fear, The Consultants Are Here

2010-06-25T16:52:00.005-05:00

CFO Magazine recently published an article with the same title as this blog entry. If you click on the title you can read the entire article. In a nutshell it talks about how consulting firms are having to change their pricing structures and must be prepared to "take it on the chin financially if their promises fail to materialize".

Measurable Management facilitators have consistently guaranteed financial results and never once had to take it on the chin. For organizations looking to see financially guaranteed returns and for consulting companies looking for a safe and secure "chin guard", look no further than the Measurable Management Program. It's ahead of the game and a win/win for clients and consultants alike.

Lean Manufacturing - The Capital Gate Building

2010-05-27T14:20:00.010-05:00

Talk about Lean Manufacturing ......This skyscraper is the Capital Gate Building in Abu Dahbi home of the Abu Dabhi Convention Center. It Leans at an incredible 18 degrees almost five times more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It is an astonishing example of what teamwork can achieve because the designers worked simultaneously with the construction team and designed the building as it was being constructed. The concrete core was built leaning in the opposite direction to the lean of the building and actually straightened as the building grew and applied stress from the opposite direction. At 160 metres it's not the tallest skyscraper in the world but it has to be the most amazing.

When people say their current Lean initiatives are like Measurable Management its like saying all skyscrapers are the same. The reality is that Measurable Management is to Lean what the Capital Gate Building is to Architecture.

Setting the Tone at Toshiba Toner Products Division

2010-05-25T08:14:00.004-05:00

I recently received an email from Duane Letcher the Management Innovation Representative at Toshiba Toner Products Division following the completion of a pilot Measurable Management program. With Duane's permission I have published the email below. It's completely self explanatory.

"Robin,

As the (MI) Management Innovative Representative at TPD, I have noticed a definite change in the attitude toward continuous improvement projects by some of the employees who attended your Measurable Management classes. Before the class some of the project leaders would shy away from any continuous improvement efforts. Now, they are always telling me about new project ideas and are involving their co-workers in the projects and having them identifying new projects. Measurable Management has sparked a new enthusiasm in the project leaders which I hope will spread through the entire plant here at TPD.

Thank you for training this group of project leaders."

For the record this pilot program consisted of a small cross functional group of 10 people and as pleased as Toshiba were with the cultural shift they were also pleased with the $700,000 return on investment that resulted from the 30 improvement ideas that were implemented.

The World's Tallest Slingshot

2010-05-18T14:38:00.003-05:00

The video above features my two youngest stepsons Harry 13 on the left and Charles 14 on the right. They are about to ride the world's tallest slingshot (395 feet) in Orlando FL and you will see that Harry is more enthusiastice than Charles. I could say that it's like when participants come along to a Measurable Management Program they don't know what to expect but it turns out much better than they ever imagined. I could say that but really its just so much fun to watch. Enjoy!

Putting Out Fires

2010-04-13T16:12:00.004-05:00

It's been an interesting ten days or so engaging financial companies, supermarket chains and telephone companies. My most enjoyable visit however was to a company that build fire engines. I love a good success story and as I sat with Harold Boer the President of Rosenbauer Central States I learned about how a company in a tiny town out in the middle of nowhere got to become the No.2 (from a volume perspective) manufacturer of fire trucks in the USA with worldwide exports.

Harold is the original owner of the company and started it because he lived in a small town that created its own Fire Department and they needed a fire truck so he built one.

Hopefully if his company decide to implement Measurable Management we may get to help them to continue their fairytale success story by becoming the No.1 manufacturer of fire trucks in the USA.

Most small companies are fire fighting for the wrong reasons. It's great to see success stories like this.

Royal Mail & Live Theatre

2010-03-27T08:09:00.004-05:00

The blog has been silent for the last couple of weeks as I have been visiting the UK. I had a meeting with an old friend from my days with Xerox, Ian Stewart Managing Director of Royal Mail Door to Door. I gave him a copy of Cultural Change Through Measurable Management and he offered to give me some mail to deliver. The fun and camaraderie of my days with Xerox came flooding back and we commented on how lucky we had been to work in an environment that encouraged and rewarded innovation unlike the other office I experienced during my visit.

My youngest daughter Jade is an actress and she was appearing in Office 925 at the Live Theatre on Newcastle's Quayside. In this fictitious office they struggled with change as negativity, fear and a complete lack of communication conspired to frustrate the workforce resulting in mistrust of management and an explosion of anger from one of the characters playing a supervisor.

Office 925 may be a work of fiction but I think we all know that there are probably way more Office 925's than there are Xerox copies.

Who are The Beatles?

2010-03-10T09:41:00.002-06:00

I was working out at the gym very early this morning (honestly) and I was listening to music on my ipod. Among the songs that shuffled through my ears were three Beatles hits. The first was the very 60's pop sound of Ticket To Ride, the second the very psychedelic "Lucy In The Sky" from the genius Sergeant Pepper album and finally the beautiful orchestral ballad "Long and Winding Road".

It made me realize how good The Beatles were at being customer focused and continually changing to stay ahead of the pack and remain number one. They changed their style and they evolved and experimented to exceed the expectations of their fans.

Funnily enough when they needed inspiration the Beatles turned to their Guru MM (Mahrishi Mahesh).

In the market that your organization operates in who are "The Beatles"? and who are you? Hopefully not Herman's Hermits. If your not The Beatles then maybe you should also look to the MM Guru. Just click on the title of this post and follow the Long and Winding Road to Measurable Management.

Slaughterhouse-Five or Bringing Home the Bacon

2010-03-03T08:33:00.006-06:00

This post has nothing to do with the book by Kurt Vonnegut or the subsequent award winning movie. My Measurable Management travels however took me yesterday to the John Morrell pork processing plant in Sioux Falls SD. I was knocked for six (a cricket term) to learn that they kill 20,000 hogs per day and fully process them so that supermarket ready packaged pork leaves the plant. Where do they get all those pigs from? There are clearly many more pigs than people in Eastern South Dakota and the surrounding states.

EROS / US Geological Survey

2010-02-25T14:44:00.005-06:00

I just returned from outer space having spent the morning at the EROS (Earth Resources Observation and Science) Center talking Measurable Management and looking at live images of the earth from outer space. EROS also known as the US Geological Survey is a Federal Government operation that uses space technology to find out about the earth.

I looked at the devastation in Haiti and saw in unbelievable detail the ruins of the Presidential Palace up close but from way above the earth.

I saw flooding caused by deforestation and a huge scar on the earth's surface approximately 50 miles wide running through South Dakota left millions of years ago by an ice age glacier.

It really is incredible what you can see if you stand far enough away from it. If they decide to implement Measurable Management the scientists at EROS can use it to look at their key issues in the same way that they use the satellites to identify the problems on earth. It will allow them to stand back and get a clearer view of the problems.

Cut the Fat

2010-02-18T21:08:00.007-06:00

I just returned from Las Vegas today fresh from certifying our latest group of talented facilitators. I bought a new and unusual style of car magazine at the airport called HH which apparently stands for Heavy Hitters to help pass the time on the flight home. I read the editorial and I found it interesting though it seemed more at home in a business review rather than a car magazine but then again I did say it was a new and unusual style of car magazine.

The editorial was titled "Cut the Fat" and written by John Jarasa. This is his advice:-

"Too much fat in your social life or business network makes for a bad meal and simply put, you have to trim down on the friends and associates that slow you down and rob you of your time. The bottom line? Stay efficient, keep your network lean, and remain relevant.
Life's too short to become a crutch for someone's inability to align themselves with your vision, and if they are not as hungry as you are (or don't share the same vision) then why are they even sitting at the same table? .... if they want to eat they should help put food on the table, because there's no such thing as a free meal".

My friend and colleague Dennis Bixenman of Williams & Company Consulting Inc. Had been saying much the same thing the previous day in Las Vegas as he explained the Harvard Business Evolution Model to our Measurable Management facilitators to illustrate how difficult decision making becomes when you don't have aligned intentions.

It's nice to know Dennis that if the consulting business ever fails we can go into the car magazine business.

Don't sell them a faster horse!

2010-02-02T13:11:00.008-06:00

I was reading an article on the web that was basically saying that the customer is not always right. It quoted Henry Ford as once saying, "If I asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse".

We don't know as customers what products or services will captivate us so how do we as suppliers know what our customers don't?

The article went on to say that in order to remain essential, you have to think past what your customers know. You must solve the problems they've yet to encounter. Anticipate like a good fighter.

The danger here is that quotes like this one perpetuate the myth that innovation is somehow disconnected fom customers. That you are smarter than them and you will fly in like superman and save the day. Henry simply needed to ask "Why does the customer need a faster horse"? He would then have been able to sell them a vehicle that would get more work done.

Training and consulting firms should look hard at the services that they've been traditionally selling. If you have Measurable Management in your catalogue you don't have to sell them a faster horse.

The Toyota Recall- Good or Bad Quality

2010-01-28T11:12:00.004-06:00

As Toyota extends its recall to Europe and China due to a problem with accelerator pedals it's clearly a huge problem for them with large financial implications. Some might say that how does a company like Toyota with such a reputation for quality end up facing a crisis like this?

In my opinion taking action on such a large scale as this is a clear demonstration of how customer focused Toyota have become. The culture developed within Toyota extends beyond reducing costs and increasing efficiency and other inward looking improvement initiatives. Toyota have a culture that puts the customer first and therefore it is no surprise that they have taken this action on such a huge international scale.

We should always remember that every mistake or complaint gives us the opportunity to show the customer that we really want to do our best for them. I applaud Toyota and their actions. If only every other company had such customer focused attitudes.

Happy New Website

2010-01-25T13:01:00.002-06:00

It's already almost the end on January 2010 and as of today Measurable Management has a new website. Take a look at www.measurablemanagement.com or click on the title of this post. The new website is much more focused on helping companies with an interest in implementing Measurable Management to learn more about the program and find a provider close to them. We encourage everyone to use the site as part of your marketing strategy and share news with us to post on the site. Encourage potential clients to sign up for the regular web casts planned throughout 2010. Every month we will host a webinar for City Government and non profits, a webinar for health care organizations and a general webinar aimed at For Profit organizations. Potential clients can sign up for these anytime via the new website.

Take a look and roam around the site, there's a lot to see and then post a comment here on the blog and let us know what you think.

Measurable Management Facilitator Training in Las Vegas

2009-12-16T12:46:00.004-06:00

Here's wishing everyone of our Measurable Management licensed partners and all of their Measurable Management clients a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
We have been busy in 2009 doubling the number of licensed partners and we hope to add more in February when we host our next Facilitator Training event in Las Vegas on the 15th, 16th & 17th. Our existing partners are always welcome to use this opportunity to send marketing personnel free of charge for an up close and personal look at Measurable Management or to come along and brush up on facilitation skills and socialize with others like you.
Anyone interested in becoming a facilitator can also attend free of charge by clicking on the title of this post and talking to Tammy Fagan at Williams & Company.

IQ + EQ = MM

2009-12-01T10:00:00.006-06:00

I have been doing a little internet surfing regarding the subject of EQ also known as Emotional Intelligence. One website defined it as;

". . . the skills people use to achieve optimal performance. Thoughts and emotions are the building blocks of performance. When thoughts and feelings are integrated intelligently, we get the most out of ourselves and have the greatest potential to influence others."

As I read this I thought of the Thinking, Feeling, Willing model from Section 2 of Measurable Management and it seems to me that Section 2 is about developing these EQ skills.

Being successful is not just about IQ otherwise all the smartest kids in the class would be the most successful. Something else comes into play to separate the successes from the pack and that is where IQ meets EQ.

Section 2 has always been my favorite part of Measurable Management I think it contains much of the EQ that separates Measurable Management from the pack. Ergo IQ + EQ = MM

Test your Emotional Intelligence simply by clicking on the title to this post.

Separated At Birth?

2009-11-20T13:30:00.005-06:00

My wife Heather and I had the very recent pleasure of dining out with Bill Byrne (no relation) and his wife Lynne. Bill is a very successful entrepreneur and author of the best selling book "Habit$ of Wealth".

I met Bill by chance when looking for offices in Sioux Falls SD and indeed ended up moving in to his old offices for a while. It's rare for me to meet another Byrne with the same spelling as mine so I have a clear recollection of the meeting. We had no further contact until we accidentally met again in a car wash as we both looked through the glass at our cars going by. We both drive the same model of car the Jaguar XK8 convertible. It turns out that we have both invested in and produced a movie, both written business books and last but not least, he owns 17 restaurants and I love to eat.

With these coincidences in mind it may come as no surprise to you to discover certain similarities between what Bill has written about leadership and what I have preached through Measurable Management. In Bill's book he gives 15 Leadership Habits and as I read through them a couple jumped out at me. Habit number 7 "Tell Me, Are You Thinking or Are You Feeling..." and habit number 11"Will You Listen To Me?"

In the latter of the two Bill describes successful leaders as " inquisitive and have a genuine interest in you and in your subject matter. They are more inclined to listen than to talk and are likely to control the agenda, sculpting enquiries targeted to elicit specific knowledge. If you consider yourself a leader, chances are excellent your also a good listener.... "

Coincidence or ??????

Quality Improvements at CCL Label

2009-11-17T14:10:00.002-06:00

CCL are the worlds largest supplier of labels to the pharmaceutical industry and are currently implementing Measurable Management at their Sioux Falls plant in South Dakota. I have just been listening this morning to the second round of presentations of improvements from their 17 participants. The outcomes are living up to the usual Measurable Management standards and we will generate a case study when the program is complete. Doug Corp is their lean specialist with the title Process Improvement Manager and this is what he said about the program.

"Employee involvement is the most critical factor to successfully implement lean manufacturing ideas and the people factor is the most frequently overlooked aspect of lean initiatives. After experiencing Measurable Management in our own company CCL Label it is clear that Measurable Management provides the necessary development for addressing the people issues, creating the cultural change and creates a firm foundation for improvement initiatives to succeed."

Quality Sales Through Measurable Management

2009-10-28T15:54:00.013-05:00

Quality Sales Through Measurable Management is the second book in the series and is now available. It is 85% the same book as Cultural Change Through Measurable Management but takes an approach that may be of more interest to those with a sales and marketing background. Many thanks to Rebecca Heidepriem of Fritz Partners for writing the Foreword of this version.

Just click the title of this post and it will take you to the storefront page to obtain a copy.

The first book is now available from Amazon.com and other outlets.

Toshiba & Measurable Management

2009-10-19T13:29:00.004-05:00

We began our Measurable Management program with Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. this week at their toner manufacturing plant in Mitchell, South Dakota.

Toshiba have already introduced Lean Manufacturing into the plant and have invested in Measurable Management to support and add momentum to their Lean initiative. They correctly see that Measurable Management will help them to harness the existing talent and innovative qualities of the workforce and provide a vehicle for developing an improvement focused culture.

Just 60 miles from the Toshiba factory in Sioux Falls, CCL Label presented the first round of improvements from their Measurable Management program and we saw over $500,000 of measurable outcomes from just 14 presentations. These figures will be adjusted and updated at the second round of presentations next month but none the less they show very significant results and demonstrate that Measurable Management continues to deliver more than 10 times the return on investment for the client.

Meanwhile the City of Marshalltown in Iowa have now purchased the materials for their second Measurable Management group facilitated by themselves via a corporate license agreement. This is the first corporate license that we have sold and it is therefore satisfying to see that the client has made a repeat purchase.

Global Change

2009-10-07T10:38:00.006-05:00

We have been initiating change into organizations for some time now via Measurable Management and although it is succesful at helping those entities change and improve it is only being effective one company at a time. How do we initiate change on a global level in areas of worldwide significance such as global warming, energy resources and famine relief? Issues such as these will not be addressed by Lean, Six Sigma or Measurable Management. It's beyond my abilities to address these issues but like most of us I try to make a personal contribution. I was asked recently to do the voice over for an advert for bio-fuels and I thought I would share it with you.

The Book is Here!

2009-10-05T13:39:00.004-05:00

At long last after many requests I have published a book on Measurable Management. The book is titled "Cultural Change Through Measurable Management" and is available from http://www.lulu.com/ or simply click on the title of this blog post and it will take you directly to it.

The aim of the book is to encourage sales of the program by explaining what Measurable Management is and how it works.

Other versions of the book will be available shortly. The next title in the series will be Quality Sales Through Measurable Management. This will be essentially the same book but slanted towards sales professionals.

Healthcare Reform and Measurable Management

2009-08-31T13:15:00.011-05:00

August has been a busy month and the blog has had to take a back seat to more pressing activities. Developing the partnership between Measurable Management and The DAIS Group has been very exciting and provides a significant opportunity within the healthcare sector for all our licensed partners. Take a look at the provisional website http://www.thedaisgroup.com/

Healthcare reform is the hot topic right now and the President has made it clear that he wants to see hospital records digitized so that information can be shared more easily. The DAIS Group already have the technology with BizExplorer to allow disparate IT systems to communicate and produce reports. Additionally the Market Staging component allows hospitals to directly compare themselves to their competitors and identify business and patient care opportunities.

Put simply, Market Staging and BizExplorer identify the Key Issues for Measurable Management to deliver the outcomes and guarantee a 5 to 1 return on investment..

This package is available to be marketed by all of our licensed partners. Just contact Robin Byrne, Denny Bixenman or Tammy Fagan at Williams & Company for more details.

Tel. 888-907-DAIS (3247) for more details

Cultural Change - What is it?

2009-07-13T15:43:00.003-05:00

We regularly talk about Measurable Management as being a great vehicle for changing the culture of an organization but what does that mean? What is the culture of an organization?

In my view the culture of an organization is about the people, how they behave in order to achieve their business goals and satisfy customers. It shows itself in how people communicate, how they make decisions, how they treat each other and how they treat their customers and suppliers.

Organizations that struggle with change basically have a problem with culture. In these organizations negativity, fear and internal politics are easily identified and these elements conspire to strangle change initiatives and improvement projects.

The culture of an organization directly affects the health of the organization. It affects the agility and speed at which it can respond to change. The role of leadership is to develop a healthy culture in order to shape a healthy future for the organization, a culture where people work in association with one another, not in conflict, a culture that involves people and respects their contribution.

How healthy is your organization? Who makes decisions? Who’s involved? Who implements? The answers to these simple questions are the difference between a culture that embraces change and a culture that resists it.

While Lean and Six Sigma are excellent tools for process improvement they are weak culture changing initiatives. Dr Jeffrey Liker, author of the Toyota Way once told me that Toyota successfully changed their culture but it took them 10 years and they couldn’t tell you how they did it. Leadership somehow forced it to happen.

So when we say that Measurable Management is a great vehicle for changing the culture of the organization what exactly does that mean? We are saying that having identified a set of objectives to be achieved, Measurable Management focuses on how people behave, how they communicate and how they treat each other and their customers in order to achieve those objectives. It can do this alone or alongside other existing initiatives, working in association with one another, not in conflict.

Too many Chiefs?

2009-06-26T13:43:00.003-05:00

I was in Milwaukee yesterday presenting a Measurable Management workshop for Fritz Partners and talking about the importance of involving people in crafting solutions. I was giving my well known view that if we want to implement change into the workplace with minimal resistance it is essential to involve those who will be affected by the change as well as those who will have to implement the actions. By listening to and involving these people in developing the solutions they will implement the changes with little or no resistance because ownership will reside with them.
One of the participants in our discussion "Dick Tillmar" a healthcare insurance executive commented that for years he had held the belief that the General should not be afraid to ask the troops for their opinions on what should be done. I was thinking about this during my flight from Milwaukee to Omaha and wondered if this could be viewed by some as "too many chiefs and not enough indians" resulting in chaos. It is essential to realize that having everyone in the organization "thinking" like the General is not the same as "too many chiefs", thinking like the General is highly desirable in terms of aligning the workforce behind the strategy. What are your views?

Move With Not Against

2009-05-27T08:16:00.006-05:00

Judith E Glaser from Benchmark Communications sent me this in my email. I thought I'd share it with you as a perfect example of how you can influence the behavior of others through the Perception Attitudes and Behavior model in Measurable Management.

"We interact energetically with others. We either move towards (and with) others, or we move against them. When we believe others are our adversaries, we move against them. Action - reaction, tit-for-tat, can transform them into adversaries. Anthropologists and biologists believe we have a tit-for-tat instinct hardwired into our DNA. In fact, this instinct is evolutionary and is found in all mammals. When someone comes at us 'mammals' in anger, this action fires fear signals in our Amygdala - a tiny organ found in the lower part of our Limbic Brain - and we move into our protection mode.

As soon as we see and feel the signals that someone is on the attack, we respond instinctively to protect ourselves. Some people fight back and match anger with anger, and a fight may ensue. Others may flee if they feel the anger and aggression will lead to danger, and they run away so they will not 'be eaten alive'. Others will freeze, and hope we change our minds and move on to more enticing prey. This dance of engagement drives all of human behavior. Psychiatrist Stuart Brown gave an incredible presentation that puts these interaction dynamics in context for us. Brown describes a meeting between an enormous 1,200-pound male Polar Bear and a female Husky. The scene is the moment of contact between the two -- the Polar Bear and Husky -- on the Hudson Bay, North of Churchill, Manitoba.In October and November, there is no ice on the bay, and the polar bear is in pursuit of food. On the other side of the polar bear's predatory gaze is the female Husky starring back. Then something unusual happens. Under normal circumstances, the Polar Bear's generally fixed, rigid and stereotypical behavior ends up with its making a meal of the Husky. However, this time the Husky returns the gaze with a bow and a wagging tail. The polar bear stands in front of the Husky, no claws and no fangs, and they begin an incredible ballet, a ballet of nature, with two animals in an altered state -- a state of play. This interaction was just as much part of nature as the usual battle to the death. All because of the way the Husky acted.

What trumps what in nature? We assume power-over others gets us our way. What is our way anyway? The dance in nature we witnessed in the story of the Husky and Polar Bear is a perfect example of how human beings and all other animals communicate. We send energetic signals all the time. We test each other - as the Husky did the Bear, and we see what comes back. Our signals work like radio signals saying: "where are you" and "what do you want?" Our signaling system - what we send, and what we receive - alerts us to the nature of our relationship with others. We are either 'moving with others, moving against others or move away from others. Each signal generates a reaction that is hardwired in nature as the fight-or-flight syndrome. In our brains, we are translating these signals into labels about our power relationship to others. We are either in a power-over or a power-with other's mode of interaction. The Husky's signals to play - power-with - trumped the Polar Bear's signals to dominate - power-over - a trump that is one of nature's big surprises.The antidote to power-over behaviors at work is not to give back power. Rather than demanding others to step into a power-fight, instead we can request that others move into a power-with dance with us.Reflections & Actions to Experiment With:
Remember you have the ability to trump an adversarial offer. You can be the game changer.
Make requests not demands.
By moving towards and with others, with the intention of creating something wonderful - our adult form of play - we do create something wonderful! Try it!
Our beliefs drive our intentions, our intentions drive our actions, and our actions drive the results that we achieve with others."

Many thanks Judith for your email.

Customer Focus

2009-05-08T13:08:00.004-05:00

I'd like to thank one of our new partners Mike Brewer for sharing this story with me:-

How IS NORMA?

A sweet grandmother telephoned St. Joseph 's Hospital. She timidly asked, 'Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?' The operator said, 'I'll be glad to help, dear. What's the name and room number?' The grandmother in her weak, tremulous voice said, 'Norma Findlay Room 302.' The operator replied, 'Let me place you on hold while I check with her Nurse After a few minutes, the operator returned to the phone and said, 'Oh, I have good news. Her nurse just told me that Norma is doing very well. Her blood pressure is fine, her blood work just came back as normal and her physician, Dr. Cohen, has scheduled her to be discharged on Tuesday.' The grandmother said, 'Thank you. That's wonderful! I was so worried! God bless you for the good news.' The operator replied, 'You're more than welcome. Is Norma your daughter?' The grandmother said, 'No, I'm Norma Findlay in 302. No one tells me s#!t.

True Story

We should never miss an opportunity to talk to our customers. Even handling a complaint is an opportunity to talk with the customer and show them that you care and want to do a good job for them. Remember that customers tell four times as many people the bad news than they tell the good news.

Trust Me!

2009-04-15T11:03:00.004-05:00

Trust is a very fragile thing. Those of you who have facilitated a Measurable Management program will be all too familiar with the twists and turns of the Reds and Blues exercise. This video of a British game show might be something that you want to show as part of your post exercise discussion. It is self explanatory. My thanks to Rey Gonzales for drawing this to my attention.

'E' harmony Meets 'E' fficiency

2009-03-31T13:16:00.005-05:00

Many thanks to Joseph Aranki (pictured right) of the Mayer Group for inspiring the title of this particular post.

I am often asked “What is Measurable Management and how does it differ from other approaches”?

Simply put, Measurable Management is ‘E’ harmony meets ‘E’ fficiency. It is the missing link that organizations have long been searching for to engage employees in a “people focused” approach to organizational change.

For a long time organizations have invested in one flavor of the month after another only to see improvements fade away and initiatives falter in a search for the “holy grail” of sustainable change.

The problem with all of these flavors of the month has been that “led by industry” they focused on processes and the tools to improve these processes and they forgot the most important thing of all, people. You can give someone the best equipped workshop in the world but they will still do a poor job if their heart’s not in it. People need to be enthusiastic about change they need to embrace it as an opportunity and they need to take ownership of it. Implementing someone else’s ideas is never done with the same enthusiasm as implementing your own and furthermore what works for industry is not necessarily going to work for Government or for Education. You don’t use a cross head screwdriver on a slot head screw.

So when these “business led” approaches fail to fully engage the people, the improvements from them are like one night stands, exciting at the time but quickly forgotten.

Measurable Management takes the time to engage people. Like a real life engagement it is an opportunity to explore what’s good and what’s not so good and ensure that the foundation is rock solid and ready to build upon. By evaluating their Resources and Relationships first, they develop a "listening and involving style of leadership" long before evaluating the way we do things, the Processes. Using this approach the participants learn that “people work better when enthused than they do when they are bruised”. When those who have to implement solutions are involved in crafting them they do not resist the change, they don’t have to be bullied or dragged kicking and screaming to the altar of continual improvement. They walk down the aisle with a smile.

Ergo 'E' harmony meets 'Efficiency'.

Fighting Recession - American Hairlines

2009-03-11T13:52:00.002-05:00

Many thanks to Scott Purcell of the R2 Group in Oregon for his comment on my post titled “Driving In Your Sleep”. Building on Scott’s comment it’s hard not to observe that wherever you turn these days all you seem to hear about are the recession, hard times, job cuts, repossessions, TARP, bailouts and everyone seems to blame everything on the economy. Well let me put a different spin on things:-

I feel that too many of us see recession exclusively as something that is bad for us and fail to see it as something that can be turned into an opportunity. When recessions bite, we need to remember that it hits the competition just as hard as it hits you and therefore you have a great opportunity to attack your competitor’s customer base and squeeze them even harder by being truly customer focused.

Customer focused organizations will always do better in a recession than product focused companies because they are seen by the customer to be offering solutions rather than simply being additional expenditure. The product focused outfit therefore is the one most likely to suffer as a result of the customer's budget cuts. Ask questions of your customers and listen to their answers. By truly understanding what their needs are and proving that you can provide a value for money solution you will differentiate yourself from those who TELL the customer what they need and then bombard them with offers. The only recession that has me worried right now is my fast receding hairline. What's your opinion? Please make your comment below.

Shoot The Rapids or Just Shoot Me?

2009-03-03T09:54:00.005-06:00

I was inspired this week by British Actor and Producer Richard Wilson. I was reading his book “Can’t Be Arsed , 101 Things NOT to Do Before You Die” which my sister-in-law had given me as a Christmas present. I enjoyed the piece on White Water Rafting as a corporate team building event and have put a slightly edited version here for your appreciation. It may reassure you that our approach to team building is a better choice?

“Apart from the Sheer thrill of almost smashing your brains out on the rocks in a fast-flowing river, white-water rafting is supposed to be great for team bonding- a favorite corporate away-day/weekend activity for city bankers , admen and home grown terrorist organizations.

The top destination for such holidays is the Colorado River. For me, a group of friends paddling down a fast-flowing river in a boat throws up one word – Deliverance. You will be laughing away like a teenager on a roller coaster for a few hundred yards until it starts to get really bumpy. Then your boat will capsize; you will all be thrown out and one of your party will suffer one of those horrific bone-sticking-out-through-the-flesh fractures. It’ll probably be the one who looks most like Burt Reynolds, and while he screams in agony, a couple of you will wander off looking for help – only to be captured by some cross-eyed mountain men, who will tell you that you sure got a purdy mouth.

Fortunately one of your other friends will kill one of the mountain men with a bow and arrow. After that you’ll have to bury the body because the local inbreds will never give you a fair trial and you will live with the guilt for the rest of your lives. Last year 4 out of 5 river-based adventure holidays ended up with serious injury, male rape and revenge killing- I’m sure I read that somewhere.

”

Like I said, I think our approach is the better choice.

Driving In Your Sleep

2009-02-20T10:55:00.003-06:00

My Dad will turn 90 years old on May 5th this year. He gave up driving his car when he was about 83 I think. The deciding factor was the day that he drove into town to get his grocery shopping and then returned home on the bus. When he looked in the garage later that day and there was no car inside he thought it had been stolen. I remember laughing when he told me the story but he commented that it wasn’t funny because it was the second time he’d done it. It reminded me of the story of the man who said “ I want to die like my father, peacefully in my sleep........ unlike his passengers who were screaming in terror”. Thankfully my Dad had the good sense to realize that maybe now was the time to change before something more serious happened and he now makes full use of his senior citizen bus pass.

I think my Dad sets a really good example to us all. How many organizations have made the mistake of not recognizing the need to change? Not to improve is fatal. Organizations that fail to respond to changes in the marketplace become stuck in a rut of product-focused production with an ever shrinking market and the only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

Ever conscious of practicing what we preach we are introducing our new, improved edition of Measurable Management next week in Las Vegas at our licensee workshop. We feel that this new version of the program moves it even further ahead of the competition and provides other organizations with the opportunity to respond to the changes in their own markets and engage their customers and their employees more effectively. The Spanish language version of the new edition will be available in the next few weeks.

It’s always been the best, but it just got even better!

NASA - It's Not Rocket Science

2009-02-12T09:29:00.003-06:00

A colleague of mine, Brion Hase sent me an article to look at along with an accompanying video. His comment on the article was “from the sounds of this it looks like NASA could use the Measurable Management program”. The article from the National Public Radio website was titled “Astronaut's Video Satirizes NASA Bureaucracy”

Basically the article was referencing a “ video, written and filmed by four-time space flier Andrew Thomas and tells the fictional story of a young engineer at Johnson Space Center in Houston who has a great new concept for a spacecraft design".

The video highlights how bureaucracy within organizations can stifle innovation through focusing too much on the administrative process. It reminded me of how I felt way back in 1980 when I walked away from the teaching profession because in my opinion they were getting too involved in being seen to be caring rather than getting on with caring for the students. We were getting too bogged down in bureaucracy rather than taking action. I think many people who will look at the video will identify their own organizations as having similar issues.

The article references Howard McCurdy, a space policy expert with American University in Washington, D.C., who comments on how too much focus on the administrative process “is not good for rocket science”. He notes that "culture change is hard” and to be honest most people would agree with him.

Anything is hard if you don’t have the correct tools or a crafted solution. If want to loosen a bolt you get a wrench that fits the bolt head and it’s so much easier than trying to loosen it with pliers. The same applies to changing the culture within an organization. It’s not Rocket Science; people are just using inadequate tools. The best consultants an organization can have already work for it so if we can find the correct wrench to loosen the valve and let that innovation run free then change will become very easy.

Developing a listening and involving style of leadership is key . Leaders need to step outside of their comfort zone and stop giving solutions to their teams. Many management teams are walking backwards into the future forever interfering with the jobs they used to have instead of turning around and getting on with the job they have now i.e. getting things done through other people. When we learn as leaders to listen to our teams and to encourage their participation in problem solving we engage people, we motivate them and we overcome resistance to change.

I think that Brion Hase is correct, NASA need to put the Measurable Management wrench into their toolkit and discover it doesn’t take rocket science to innovate rocket science.

The King Is Dead. Long Live the King!

2009-02-02T11:23:00.005-06:00

As a child that line never made much sense to me until my father explained that the second part of the line referred to the new King who was replacing the dead one and then the “penny dropped“.

The King Is Dead

Well maybe not quite dead but definitely in decline. For a long time now Six Sigma has ruled in Corporate America with organizations striving to improve their processes, increase productivity, reduce waste and increase profits. However we are now hearing noises from reputable sources that Six Sigma has had its day. Back in June 2007 Business Week published an article titled “Six Sigma: So Yesterday”

This article spells out what myself and many others have thought for a long time, that Six Sigma is too internally focused and lacks the customer focus. It is complicated, user unfriendly and pays little attention to people.

Everyone knows that organizations need to be market or customer driven. If you are going to consistently outperform your competitors you have to satisfy the customers better than they do. When a customer buys a product the real value to the supplier lies in the repeat business that the customer will give them. This means satisfying customers in such a way that when they reach the point of repurchase they keep coming back to you.

The Business Week article illustrates how Home Depot went from first to last in customer satisfaction when they drove hard on Six Sigma. The drive for profitability took little notice of employee dissatisfaction and cost the company face to face time with their customers.
Six Sigma takes too much work to get it going and offers little or no development of leadership or team building skills other than bolted on afterthoughts.

Long Live The King!

Organizations are looking for an approach that can change their culture and the attitudes of their people. A customer focused approach that is capable of engaging the workforce and tapping into the vast reserves of crude expertise. An approach that is simple to understand and can be swiftly and easily implemented. The time is right for Measurable Management™ to ascend to the throne.

Like Six Sigma, Measurable Management™ successfully delivers improvements to processes, productivity, waste reduction and profitability, but there the similarity ends. Measurable Management™ is everything that Six Sigma is not. It’s simple and easy to implement, it engages the customer as well as engaging the workforce. It develops a listening and involving style of leadership and more importantly it recognizes the need to change the culture and attitudes within organizations. You can give the workforce all the tools in the world but what will they do with them without enthusiasm?

In May 2007 I was a speaker at the Southwestern Lean Summit in Tulsa OK. One of my fellow speakers was Dr. Jeffrey Liker the author of the best selling business book “The Toyota Way”. After we had listened to each other’s presentations we had dinner together that evening. Dr. Liker commented that “Toyota had successfully changed its culture but couldn’t really tell you how they had done it. It took them over 10 years and eventually one day they were able to say that they had succeeded in changing their culture”. Do we really have ten years to force a culture change into place? The Jewel in The Crown of Measurable Management™ is that it provides a vehicle for bringing about that necessary change in culture, that customer focused approach to continual improvement so that it becomes the normal way of thinking and working. Something that you don’t have to consciously make an effort to do.

If you want to know more about Measurable Management™ look at the links above and check out the companies that have seen the light.

The King Is Dead. Long Live the King!

Introduction

2009-01-27T16:27:00.000-06:00

I just watched the Inauguration of President Obama on TV and I surprisingly found it to be a very moving ceremony. The historic significance of Americans electing their first African American President is actually almost beyond words. You could almost feel the weight of history as Barack Obama mentioned that he was "the son of a man who may not have been served in a local restaurant only a few decades ago and was now taking the oath of office to the Presidency". I couldn't help but think of the struggles and sacrifices of so many people and appreciate how much has changed for the better in the United States in such a relatively short period of time.

It is therefore very fitting that his Presidency should be carrying the flag of change and will hopefully inspire organizations all over the USA to be proactive and embrace change as an opportunity to benefit all.

How will it be achieved? How can organizations overcome resistance and inertia? The reality is that changes of strategic direction and changes to processes are impossible without cultural change.

Healthcare alone is a gargantuan task and Tom Daschle really has his work cut out for him. I think changing the Healthcare System in the USA is infinitely more difficult a task than that set out by John F Kennedy when he announced his intention of putting a Man on the Moon by the end of the decade. The reason that was easier is that there was little resistance to the idea. Many may have thought it impossible but they were not opposed to trying. Changing the Healthcare system would be easy if you could eliminate the resistance that you will get from many of the thousands of people already employed by it and those who are currently well served by it. Many of these people already feel that there is little to improve on and therein lies the problem.

The variable combinations of apathy, complacency and self preservation are not new to the many organizations who have tried to initiate significant change. Some succeed and many don't. Those who do succeed have not simply changed their processes but they have changed the attitudes of their people. They have developed the leadership skills to involve people in the development of solutions and created teams that really work together. They have succeeded in learning how to listen to each other. They have recognized that the best consultants they could have are already working for them. They have not been scared to empower these individuals and they have encouraged them not to be afraid to try even if it goes wrong.

To achieve this means going beyond outdated initiatives like Lean and Six Sigma that were process focused and not people focused. These approaches are too complex and cumbersome for a country and its' institutions that need to move fast, improve performance, measure the improvements and stand accountable. The economic situation, the safety and the success of our Military, the security of our borders and the provision of affordable healthcare depend upon the agility of their people to embrace an objective and work together to develop and implement the solutions.

I wish for President Obama the very best success and hope that he can inspire the degree of change that made his Presidency possible.