Those of us who are familiar with Continuous Improvement programs have undoubtedly heard references made to a “burning platform”. We have come to understand that this is a metaphor for a crisis situation and, along with it, the sense of urgency that is necessary to effectively react and overcome the crisis. If you “Google” the…
Charles Darwin in his book, “The Origin of Species” (read full PDF book here) proposed that evolution occurs with the introduction of challenging or adverse circumstances on a population of a species such that only those who are able to adapt (either by natural selection or by action) thrive (or even survive). For instance, the…
Imagine this scenario: A customer gives us an order, the factory produces the products, and the order ships, autonomously, without any management intervention. No meetings, no expedites, no shifting priorities, no direction setting. Like turning a key to start your car engine, it just happens. Sound like a dream? It’s not. Many companies have achieved…
I have lived in an age where technology advances have been rather amazing and certainly life-changing for the vast majority of persons on the planet. I have witnessed: the birth of manned space-flight culminating with sending men to the moon and returning safely back to Earth; trans/inter-continental flights becoming routine; the birth of the personal…
We started our discussion on Customer Focus last month with a general discussion about what it means to be ‘customer focused’, and how this term is overused and misunderstood in business. Everyone claims to be ‘customer focused’, yet customer loyalty is at its lowest point in years, complaints are higher than ever before, and almost…
