
Why ‘The Boss Said’ Is Not A Reason
Sharing my fourth article for Forbes: Why ‘The Boss Said’ Is Not A Reason So many action-initiating conversations lead in with some version of “the boss said,” as if that’s a good reason to complete any task. Of course, it is one reason, but it’s a reason filled with waste
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Cindy Hinds: Leading Through Coaching at A.O. Smith
In this episode of the “People Solve Problems” podcast, host Jamie Flinchbaugh sits down with guest, Cindy Hinds, the Global Director of Enterprise Excellence at A.O. Smith. Cindy brings with her a wealth of knowledge, boasting over 25 years of experience in implementing Lean principles within organizations. Their conversation
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A Person Is Not a Proxy
I witness this breakdown in critical thinking far too frequently. Just because a person or an organization is highly respected and capable, does not mean that we should judge all of their decisions, actions, and opinions based on that respect. We should be skeptical. We should challenge. After all, Aristotle
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Stress Is Hopelessness, Tension Is Potential
Stress is hopelessness Stress is better understood today, and in particular its impact on our physical health. In our worst vicious circles, stress about poor health can lead to even further decline in health. Acknowledgement of stress is also now more acceptable, and not just a sign of weakness that
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3 Reasons To Kill The 60-Minute Meeting
On Forbes: 3 Reasons to Kill the 60-Minute Meeting Open Outlook or Google Calendar and start a new meeting. It will default to 60 minutes. One hour is the most common length for a business meeting. But that’s just wrong. It’s not wrong sometimes; it’s wrong all the time. We
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Working Genius Review
The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni is a thought-provoking and insightful guide to unlocking the potential of individuals and teams in the workplace. Lencioni, also known for books such as The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and Death by Meeting, identifies six types of working geniuses that
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The Misunderstood Impact of Misaligned Perceptions of Your Abilities With Your Boss
The Misunderstood Impact of Misaligned Perceptions of Your Abilities With Your Boss …or, why it’s not about your risk of getting fired. You might hear from your boss “you’re great, a rockstar, we have every faith in you, you’re going to go far, but…you could improve in these ways…”
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How To Do an Effective Personal Work Retreat
No matter what your profession, everyone should consider at some point in time a personal work retreat. For me, it is usually about research and writing. Certainly, almost all of People Solve Problems was written across multiple retreats up to the mountains. Bill Gates would take his “think weeks” away
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The Important Gap Between Observation and Perception
Whether in problem-solving, or broad lean behaviors, or seeing the customer as an entrepreneur, there is much articulated about the idea of going to see for yourself. There are many terms for it, such as “direct observation” that we articulated in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Lean, or Gemba commonly used
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Overdesign, Overprocessing, and Overly-Complex
It’s too complicated. I don’t understand. It doesn’t work. It’s not for me. Whether launching a new product, or a new company initiative, these might be phrases that you’ve heard. It stems from overdesigning the solution. It shows up as the waste of over-processing, doing more than your customer requires
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