Published Articles

On Forbes: Hire Skills, Not Certifications For years, many operations and engineering jobs came with a requirement for a Six Sigma Green Belt (or Black Belt). It was an easy “check the box” requirement that allowed the human resources team to cull the herd of applicants. That particular requirement has faded in

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

Fast Company published an article of mine, “The Power of Solving Small Problems.” I have observed even some of the most experienced and wise lean leaders struggle to get this principle correct, as I struggle with it as well. Perhaps that’s why I wrote it, to remind myself. Here’s a

This article originally appeared on IndustryWeek.  I’ve been rereading, in greater depth, Art Smalley’s book Four Types of Problems. Art and I first worked together about 25 years ago on the transformation of Chrysler.  It went from near bankruptcy to the most profitable company in the industry, until it was

This article was originally was published in the Lean Mag   There are many valuable books and knowledgeable speakers who offer informed opinions about what is needed to make a lean journey successful. Trust, or a culture of trust, will often make that list. But how much does trust matter?

While I intend to continue contributing online occasionally, this is my final Lessons from the Road column for IndustryWeek’s print edition. I have written this column for eight years. I have enjoyed interacting with readers, and I hope the column has provided value for you. Writing this column has helped

As my ties to Lee Iacocca include Chrysler and Lehigh University, when he passed away this week at the age of 94, I was honored when IndustryWeek asked me to write a tribute to him. Many tributes will focus on facts and events, but I wanted to focus more on

Trust is an important precondition for lean success, but it’s not as easy as asking people to trust you. You must take deliberate actions to build trust. In my latest column for Industry Week, I share the systems I use to build trust-based cultures. I have developed and tested these

What do your lean journey and The Wizard of Oz have in common? More than you might think. In my latest Lessons from the Road column, I take you down the Yellow Brick Road of lean and share with you the similarities in the two journeys. In the article we

How do you know when you’ve shaped your lean culture effectively?  You create a mechanism to measure the results. In my most recent “Lessons from the Road” article written for Industry Week, I share the five essential mechanisms that will help you establish a management system to measure and improve