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A lot is written and taught about developing SMART goals. I wrote about the topic earlier this year when everyone was developing their annual goals in the post Forget the New Year’s Resolutions. There are mistakes in developing goals that I find far too common. Let’s call them DUMB goals.

  Aesop’s Fables present timeless lessons. As my mind thinks, I related these back to organizational lessons and to lean transformation, as I wrote about The Mice in Council before. One of the most famous phrases, even if people don’t really know the story, is The Goose That Laid the

  Thanks again to John Hunter of the Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog for inviting me to host issue #103 of the Management Improvement Carnival. Lean Consumption: A Summary – since Womack and Jones Lean Solutions book, there still hasn’t been much written about lean consumption but Pete Abilla take

Today I participated in Lehigh University’s Global Village program run by the Iacocca Institute. It brings together well over 100 students, many of whom are in their twenties, for a 6 week learning experience every summer from every corner of the globe – Russia, China, Israel, France, Brazil – pick

  What should boards of directors be focused on? Strategy? People? Competition? There might be several choices that could receive votes that you could feel comfortable about. Would you feel comfortable knowing that the board’s top priority is keeping up with new regulation? That’s exactly what is at the top

Every year Americans celebrate the 4th of July, but that’s only a date. The real name is Independence Day. It celebrates a fight against tyranny. A fight for independence and freedom. Americans should celebrate not just by flying a flag and having a BBQ, but by reading the Declaration of

NCIS has been one of the most popular shows on television for years now. I generally don’t like TV crime dramas, but my wife has gotten me a bit into this one over time. The lead character is Leroy Jethro Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon. Gibbs has a number of

Show me the money! Or at least, show me your plans to have money in the future. One of the most pervasive intrusions to sound strategic decision making and long-term leadership is a focus on quarterly earnings. “We must hit the number” drowns out more sensible criteria such as “what

For those of you who have taken our Lean Experience, you know we have a very structured multi-step process to kick things off in which approximately 40 people read books, distill them to key points, share them with other, build common themes and ideas and prepare a presentation. A part

Don’t generate news; do something newsworthy. Don’t just post on facebook your distaste of political decisions; get involved, go vote, or run for office. Don’t complain at the water cooler; have the courage to have difficult conversations with the right people. Don’t sulk or carry guilt; go apologize. Don’t just