Locate your best employees, particularly in leadership positions, and invest in them for continued success. I find that the best process will fail with the wrong people. The best system will not drive results if the wrong people are involved. Yet if exceptional people are involved, even the most [...]
August 10, 2015 Many of my Inland Empire colleagues and trusted advisors have been supporting the transfer of ownership of the Ontario airport back to the city of Ontario (from LAX airport) for YEARS. It was a big surprise last week when the Los Angeles Times reported breaking news [...]
July 10, 2015 I've seen a few examples of the power of customer service this week, and it propelled me to write on what a huge impact it can have. For example, I participated in 3 full days of ERP demonstrations in order to provide expertise on which sofware [...]
Certainly, Sales is at the heart of any organization. Without growth, a company will eventually decline and wither away. Thus, having top notch sales people is cornerstone to success. Of course I advocate thinking of all your employees like salespeople as they represent the company and can make a [...]
June 15, 2015 According to a recent KPMG survey on the Global Manufacturing Outlook, executives are thinking about innovation. 81% are altering their business models to to encourage collaboration with customers, suppliers and other partners to "improve the value of their innovation investments". Speed is critical. Thus, a key [...]
How many times have you heard about managing cost (or saving money) in the past week? I bet quite a few as almost all companies focus significant efforts on cost. In all functions and certainly if you are in or responsible for Operations, a large portion of your responsibility [...]
The best businesses see their employees as assets and treat them like partners.I constantly go back to what my HR mentor (Debra Daniels) used to say, “It begins and ends with people.” She was right! Earlier today, I went to lunch with 3 trusted advisors who work with the [...]
My APICS (#1 trade association for supply chain and operations management) chapter hosted an executive panel & networking symposium which was focused on the topic of innovation. Innovation is a critical topic! Problem solving and maintaining the status quo is no longer enough as customers expect more, regulations increase [...]
Missing important clues at work because they’re not obvious or visible is as good as going around with blinders. Part of having an eagle eye is knowing what you don't see. I've found that being observant while walking around a manufacturing or distribution facility can yield many hidden gems. [...]
If you’re riding a wave of growing demand put systems in place that can support the increased workload and not wipe out your goals. Lately I've been talking with many clients and potential clients who are interested in growth. Although rapid growth is exciting, it can also be one [...]
