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Have you ever hesitated to try something new, only to look back and realize you missed an opportunity? Several years ago, I started posting on LinkedIn. Initially, I felt nervous for many reasons. It can be intimidating to share our ideas with such a vast audience. Here’s what I’ve learned: while some may be critical of every detail, I’ve encountered many more who are eager to help us grow and challenge our thinking in constructive ways. As we enter the new year, my advice is

This weekend, the Ohio Valley experienced a significant snowfall. As I sat by the window observing the scene, a thought struck me. Each snowflake is unique and, on its own, may not seem impactful. However, when millions of them accumulate over time, their effect becomes undeniable. Our habits mirror this phenomenon. A single decision to say no to something we've long accepted, or to say yes to something we've previously rejected, may not seem remarkable. Yet, as we consisten

Remember: "Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday." — Dale Carnegie I think about this quote a lot. My mind still often defaults to seeing the impossibility of change first. It's a habit I've built over years—probably backed by plenty of past "data" that convinced me change usually means trouble. I've improved it (a lot), but when rapid shifts hit or the unexpected shows up, I still have to consciously step in and redirect my thinking. Lately, I'm gathering new evi

Reflecting on a quote from Russell Ackoff: "A corporation's external boundaries are generally much more penetrable than its internal ones." This thought has prompted me to consider where I've witnessed this and how it resonates in my own experiences. Ackoff also states, "It is very difficult for those inside a box to think outside of it." This raises important questions about our perceptions of our current situations. What beliefs do we hold as absolute? What do we think is u

Growing up in Dayton, Ohio, I had the unique opportunity to visit the home of Orville Wright. One fascinating detail I discovered was the kitchen table equipped with cables and pulleys, allowing Orville to control aspects of their home while enjoying dinner. His commitment to learning and inventing never wavered, even after achieving his greatest accomplishment. The story of Orville and Wilbur Wright, two bicycle mechanics from Dayton, is a remarkable tale of how they changed

Sharing a thought-provoking quote today from Eliyahu Goldratt: "The problem with a cost reduction strategy is that there is a finite limit. You can only get to zero." I find it valuable to reflect on quotes like this and apply them to my understanding, allowing them to influence my perspective. One interpretation I have is the common organizational mindset of asking, "How much cost can we take out of that?" This mindset reveals its own limitations, as the answer is "at most,

Regarding our people: Do we lead results, or do we drive results? When we speak to our leaders about our people, do we tell them that we are driving the change needed, or that we are leading our people to the change needed? Why is this even important? It is important because culture is whatever we are willing to tolerate in an organization. When we normalize "driving" our people towards goals and objectives, we will produce a compliance culture that does what we want, becaus

A 2023 Pew Research survey of 2,657 U.S. workers with managers demonstrated: 55% of workers rate their manager or supervisor "excellent, or very good" to work for overall. Even stronger, 63% say their boss excels at giving flexibility to balance work and personal life, and 56% say their manager stays calm under pressure. This shows that three traits: calm, flexible, and open are identified as traits that turn uncertainty into momentum. Leading teams through transformation isn

Sharing a quote from Jim Collins' book, "Good To Great": "Good is the enemy of great." This powerful opening line prompts deep reflection. I used to think of good and great as close allies, perhaps even family members. However, this perspective shifted as I pondered the implications of this statement. Is it about striving for perfection rather than focusing on continuous improvement? Does it challenge the teachings I've received from my mentors? In the context of lean manuf

Leaders, quick question: You just rolled out standard work—clear steps, reduced waste, measurable gains on paper. Six months has passed and it’s quietly dying in the wild. Sound familiar? I’ve lived this many times. Standard work is the backbone of operational excellence. But without deliberate change management, it can quickly become noise. Here’s what I’ve learned the hard way: • People don’t resist the process—they resist the change in how they’ve always done things.

I had the opportunity to visit Schmidt's Sausage House in Columbus Ohio last week for my first time. Schmidt's Sausage Haus, a Columbus, Ohio icon since 1886, stands as a powerful example of resilience, family legacy, and relentless continuous improvement in the face of adversity. Founded by German immigrant J. Fred Schmidt as a modest meat packing house in the heart of German Village, the business weathered massive challenges: economic upheavals like the Great Depression, sh

People don't always have the best communication skills, especially in times of extreme stress and pressure. Pressure has a way of squeezing us to see what is deep within us. When it comes out, it can be difficult to hear. This is what I learned when leading a team through a production ramp in business operations. The team was operating at their maximum output in the given system, however, the customer needed us to ramp production by 3X. We are in a period of financial constra

Just a reminder that having good ideas, and being great doesn't dismiss us from misunderstanding, misalignment, and negative press. Sometimes, no matter what we do, we will be misunderstood, and sometimes we will see things before others do. Equally, sometimes the feedback is relevant and true. The goal is to sort and to look for the difference. When I visited the Wright Brother's home in Dayton Ohio, I read and article that a friend of the family had written about the Wrigh

The duration of our expectations shapes the depth of our thinking. When our horizon is short, we default to short-term decisions. But when we align today’s choices with a long-term goal, we naturally begin to think, act, and lead differently. Consider an underperforming employee. If termination is an easy option, relief feels like the smartest move. Yet if you know you’re committed to working together indefinitely, your approach shifts. You invest. You coach. You build. The s

What do the signs around us tell us about the past? I was driving a couple of weeks ago and saw this sign as I approached the intersection. I looked and started to go, but then saw the sign and looked again. I couldn’t help but wonder what has been done to improve the functionality of this intersection, minus the placement of the sign. What makes this intersection so special that it requires a second look, and is a sign sufficient to avoid it? How long until locals begin

I had the opportunity to be with the team from Toyota Materials Solutions last week. I always learn something new when I connect with them. These are a couple of things that I learned this week: Often when we write standard work, we call it “the best known current way of performing the task”. The team at Toyota called it “the least worst knownway to perform a task”. Sound petty? It did to me too at first, but when I pushed in and began to learn about this, Toyota sees

Some organizations fail because they’re doing the wrong things poorly. Others fail because they’re getting exceptionally good at doing the wrong things righter. I’ve been reflecting a lot on this lately, especially after re-reading Russell Ackoff in Systems Thinking for Curious Managers. One idea that keeps sticking with me is the concept of tropism — the biological tendency of living things to grow toward whatever feeds them. Ackoff uses the early days of cell phones as an e

I have been attacked by geese more than I would like to admit. 🦆 Growing up, we often gave them clever names like "Cobra Chickens" or "Danger Ducks." The universal message we took away from those encounters? "Don't mess with them." It made me think about the messages people take away from their encounters with us in the workplace. What are we signaling? When leaders manage through anger, volatility, or disregard, the impact is quantifiable: Culture over Cash: Research from t

I would like to talk today about Hero Culture. Often, we build systems where we don't have solid standards and we rely on heroes to work around our processes to get quick results. When we do this, we undermine our standards and create a culture the rewards those who work around them, rather than the stability of stable processes. In time, our heroes burn out, they move on, and we find new ones to help us navigate our broken systems. In my new podcast episode, I dive into the

Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System, was famous for saying: "Data is important, but I prefer facts." Like a compass, data connected with the work can guide us in the proper direction. Years ago, while building my very first manufacturing plant, my Sensei rephrased that lesson for me: "Data exists, but the truth lies at the Gemba." I learned exactly what he meant during a trial run that I will never forget. The line was finally finished. I stood there watc