Believing you understand your customers’ needs can differ vastly from what they actually want. In the end though, the customer gets what the customer wants, whether from you or your competition. As I thought about an appropriate topic, I was reminded of the importance of starting with your customer. [...]
I've been thinking about the value of SIOP (sales, inventory and operations planning). Not only can it be a great way to gain bottom line results (capacity to support business growth, improved margins, accelerated cash flow), but it also can help align the functions of an organization. I've facilitated [...]
Transactions occur so often you may not even be giving them a second thought. But each one has the potential to affect growth and profits. Few executives think much about transaction criticality. Transactions certainly aren't strategic; however, I have seen numerous clients growth and profit plans negatively affected by [...]
Competing priorities may seem equally important and worthy of full attention. For significant impact, though, you have to stop and determine what you can safely put on the back burner. Why is it so challenging for executives to focus on priorities? It would seem simple; however it rarely is [...]
Focusing on relevant, actionable data is easier to manage when you can prominently display it on your dashboard. I've been working with a rapidly growing, smaller client that sees the power of dashboards. I have to tip my hat to them as most $50 and $100 million dollar companies [...]
Published January 23, 2015 We commonly hear the phrase "Do it right the first time". Of course, generally speaking, who wouldn't want to do that? Waste is bad. However, I've found that there is a time when doing it right the first time is NOT the path to success [...]
Working in partnership with your customers delivers winning results on both ends. Customer collaboration has become cornerstone to success in today’s supply chain driven world. We are all part of a supply chain, and so we must look for ways to thrive within our supply chains. Undoubtedly, those who [...]
Published January 9, 2015 I started writing this about supply chain strategy, and I might go back to that topic next week as I was preparing to teach an APICS CSCP (certified supply chain professional) class tomorrow; however, I was diverted on a conference call that compelled me to [...]
Employees trust and follow proven leaders — those that motivate, communicate, and know what they’re talking about. As a tribute to my HR mentor who recently retired after a long and successful career in organizational development and HR (congrats Debra), I have to tip my hat (if I wore [...]
You’re in danger of spinning your wheels aimlessly by having too many priorities. Focus on the priorities that truly impact your business and are aligned with your strategy. I've yet to meet a client that didn't have FAR too many priorities for what could be achieved successfully. Instead of [...]
