Perhaps it is time to declare a crisis
When there is a major problem, what signals do your actions send to your employees? What do you do when things are going dramatically worse than planned? Merely hoping that things will get better is pretty risky. Many of our … Continue reading
Harry Potter and the power of vision
Mary and I have just gotten back from viewing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two. We have read, and re-read all seven books. We have listened to the Stephen Fry audio books over and over again. We have … Continue reading
The most valuable asset you have is your team
Over the course of my career, I’ve seen many CEOs who underutilize their teams. This letter, written in response to a New York Times article, recently caught my attention. The author’s management insight is not limited to the medical profession. … Continue reading
The next big thing could be in front of your face
My wife Mary and I love seasoning our food with black pepper. When I was growing up, I concluded that my mother considered black pepper an exotic spice, since I never saw her use it. We always had salt and … Continue reading
Today’s youth don’t have the same values as I did
Jack, the CEO of one of my client companies, was complaining that people today don’t have the same values as he did. “Why, when I was a kid I had two paper routes. How many of today’s kids have the … Continue reading
Productivity gains can come from small, simple changes
When Scientific Time Sharing Corporation was founded in 1969, it had a problem. It had nine locations and only six full-time employees. How could they communicate and coordinate when there were seldom more than two or three people in the … Continue reading
The challenge of low turnover
Bill was bragging about his company’s low turnover. “The lion’s share of our employees have been with us for over ten years! We seldom have to hire anyone new for our plant. That continuity is one of our competitive advantages.” … Continue reading
If you want to hunt buffalo then dress like a buffalo
I joined Scientific Time Sharing Corporation (STSC) in December 1969 as a programming elf. I was in the Army, stationed in Northern Virginia, with excess time on my hands. In grad school I had adapted a prototype Fortran implementation of … Continue reading
Why is the status quo so hard to change?
“It can’t be done.” So said Director of Operations, Wally as we discussed how to increase capacity in anticipation of the projected surge in demand in the next year. “Employees will never accept a fourth shift. They won’t be willing … Continue reading
The Gordian knot — how you frame a problem influences the solution
Back in the last millennium, when I was a contract programmer, my customer asked me how long it would take to write a custom program he outlined for me. As I was getting ready to estimate the number of man-months … Continue reading