Even the founder of lean principles, Toyota can falter on quality; thus, anyone can lose their edge - yet it is cornerstone to business success. View quality from your customer's perspective - what matters is what your customer expects when agreeing to purchase the product or service. Be vigilant [...]
As we are nearing the end of the first quarter of 2010 and continuing to teeter on the edge of a recovery of sorts, it is a good time to think about the power of focus. Ideally, your company developed and clearly articulated the top priorities for 2010, and [...]
Liken sustainability to reducing waste, which in turn respects the environment and makes business financial sense. Sustainability is gaining traction in today’s cutting edge discussions. Whenever a topic pops up in multiple places suddenly, I take notice. I’ve read multiple articles in trade publications and magazines, attended a keynote [...]
As innovation is key to succeeding in the "new normal", I thought a few tips might prove helpful: Create a culture of innovation - it's not enough to encourage innovation in R&D. Those companies who create a culture of innovation will be those who succeed. Start with the customer [...]
As I'm on my way to New York to give a speech on leveraging supply chain strategy to achieve a competitive advantage, I've been thinking about common themes with my speeches, articles, surveys and client observations - customer service emerged as a vital priority in all cases. Customer service [...]
Bedrock - always appropriate. I want to thank my mentor in this topic, Debra Daniels for her expertise – Debra, have I incorporated your wisdom appropriately? Build safety into the culture – most safety programs are pointless as they are considered an outside program (and many times, meetings are [...]
Lately, I've been thinking about trends among my consulting clients and how my value has most helped in driving bottom line results. Undoubtedly, it boils down to execution. Those clients who are able to execute strategies and plans are those who are the most successful – grow the business [...]
Another way to succeed in today's new normal is with innovation and leveraging already-existing assets. As I thought about leveraging ERP systems for a speech I gave earlier this month, I thought a few tips and questions to ponder might be of value: Improve service: how can you utilize [...]
What could be more important in today's new normal business environment of lackluster sales, strained liquidity and elevated customer service expectations than business development. Here are a few tips: Pick up the phone - as Sandi Brooks, a successful real estate broker even in today's weak market says, there [...]
Achieve expected returns from your ERP implementation by following three keys to success. I've found that noticing and acting on trends can be a key to success from both a professional and personal perspective. Lately there have been plenty of trends to notice; however, a noteworthy one is that [...]
