Published Articles

On IndustryWeek: What We Learned: Expertise and Episodes from Three Years of ‘Factory Talk’ The video series Factory Talk began as a collaborative project between me and IndustryWeek to bring voices of leadership from the factory floors to all of you. These interviews were meant to focus on practical techniques

On Forbes: 19 Graceful Ways To Ensure Recognition For Professional Contributions Being recognized for one’s professional contributions is not simply a matter of fair acknowledgment; it can also be a key factor in career advancement. However, many professionals find it challenging to strike the delicate balance between ensuring they receive

On Forbes: Forget Time Management—Manage Your Attention Baseball players can easily hit home run after home run in batting practice. But things are different when it’s the bottom of the ninth and the game is on the line in a stadium full of people cheering (or maybe booing). The difference

Everyone is so busy trying to keep up, but how do you get out ahead? How do you ‘future-proof’ your career? Some skills, capabilities, and perspectives are timeless. You don’t have to be a futurist or a fortune teller to be prepared for the future. Here are 16 perspectives, including

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

Sharing my third article for Forbes: The Two Kinds Of Visionary Leader You Can Be Very often, when a leader is highlighted in the press, “visionary” is used as a descriptor. But what exactly does that mean? We use it so often that, perhaps, it’s lost all meaning. Read More

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