OK. You don’t have enough time in the day to get anything done! I get that because I have certainly been there myself. So I did what everybody does, I took a time management course and learned how to manage my time. I tried really, really hard to do everything I was taught only to
Author: Alan Severance
To Succeed, Fall Forward; Fail Fast and Often
Failure gets a bad rap. It has become the epitome of the worst things that can happen in your life and your business. Hey – it isn’t true! Let’s look at failure rationally. It happens to everyone. It happens far more often than success. It requires more than just good luck to occur. It
Un-Reasonable Goal Setting!
We have all set goals in our lives. As business owners and leaders, it probably feels like a regulation by now, since you have done it so often. You may have already set goals for yourselves and your businesses this year, but I ask you to re-read them when you finish this article, to see
It’s Not Just About Profit
Last month I wrote about the necessity of reevaluating your reason for being in business while you were doing your year-end reflections and projections. Regardless of what brought you to your current position, you and your organization will be working toward continuing profitability. That’s your job. But making money isn’t the only measure to keep
What is your job as Owner?
January is a great time for you, as a business owner, to reflect on your life and your business as you think about your year-end results and the potential of the year ahead. It is your job, after all, to do the direction setting, goal planning, and review of the strategic drivers of your company.
Islands in the Lean
Sometimes instead of a totally Lean organization, the results of all the efforts produce a truly mixed bag of results. Some areas fail to change; some attempt to change but falter half way through; and some thrive. Why? The answer is usually “leadership” though this is incomplete. As we have noted time and time again,
If It’s Lean, It’s Routine!
I am often asked, “If Lean efforts continue forever, when can we say we’re Lean?” My answer to this is simple – If it’s Lean, it’s routine. Here’s how you will know: Check the status of 5S in your area of responsibility. Would a knowledgeable visitor recognize your efforts? Does a new employee know where
The Greatest Cause of Rework is Rework
Rework is always the first of the Seven Wastes, and none of us question that. All associated costs drop to the bottom line. What can be done about this? What is the Lean approach? I learned the hard way that this title is a truism. Years ago, when my Finishing Supervisor first told me this,
Document, Document, Document!
Yes, even Theory L leaders need to properly document. Things not recorded never happened—or are, at best, remembered differently by participants. Start right at the beginning, and record the footprint, staffing, output, initial Units per FTE, rejects, and anything else you think might be important or might be improved by your Lean initiative. As your
The Warehouse Can Be Lean!
My experiential definition of warehouse is a storage space co-located with a manufacturing plant and it exists solely to provide raw materials and parts for on-site production. I have no experience with those massive, automated, cross-docking facilities that retail chains and internet companies use. And to be perfectly up front about my prejudices, I’ve often