(This is the third in a 12-part Series on the Origins of Lean in the U.S.) To get the Omark revolution underway, in early 1982 we bought the first 500 copies of Shigeo Shingo’s A Study of the Toyota Production System that were imported into the U.S. Because it was the first edition, it was » Read More
“I see you ahead of me. You see me behind. Where are we going today?” Whether you subscribe to the notion of leaders having “followers” or not, let’s consider this: What do others trust your leadership, i.e. why do they literally follow your lead? Someone has to be first. Someone has to have a » Read More
We are entering the time of commencement speeches. Some may go viral while others will evaporate as soon as the words are spoken. It is an important time, nonetheless, as a younger generation enters the next phase of their life and leadership path. Read more here on SmartBlog.
About a year ago, we started a local lunch group to discuss character-based leadership topics. It takes time to gain momentum and patience helps. As we look to our meeting next week, the group is really starting to take shape. Erin Schreyer (@ErinSchreyer) and I met through Lead Change and started the group. We call » Read More
Good businesses are run by good people. You can throw around as many buzzwords as you like, but when it all comes down to it, it is the people who make the company. A good leader recognizes that, and knows that whatever they do, they are nothing without their employees. In fact, the way that » Read More
Last week, my daughter Chana and I attended the SEEED Conference at Brown University. It was an amazing gathering of those doing, funding, supporting, working in and for social businesses. These are Chana’s thoughts on the first day of the conference. Chana is 13 years old and in 7th grade. Yes, I am a proud mom and find her insights » Read More
A leader once said to me “Alan, I’m a leader in my company, but I don’t know what’s expected of me.” A closer look at that organization revealed a few things. It had succession gaps in key leadership positions. It had little support for new leaders and no model of leadership. It had inconsistent training » Read More
Have you ever been frustrated by a conversation (or a series of them!) that seems to go nowhere no matter how hard you try? Progress can be illusive at best when two or more people are in a conversation in which they are not committed to the same outcome. Yet even when you are seemingly » Read More
Over the last few weeks, I have been working together with a team to prepare a proposal in response to The Children’s Trust (TCT) Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) “Safe and Supportive Communities: Place-Based Service Partnerships for At-Risk Populations.” The purpose of this competitive solicitation is to identify 16 place-based service partnerships to address child abuse prevention, » Read More
Everything you do and say communicates SOMETHING. In fact, the most effective leaders know that their team’s performance hinges on being a great communicator. “Since we communicate whether we want to or not, it’s in our best interest to get good at it” David Grossman Communication Expert. When a leader communicates effectively, everyone understands the » Read More
Recent Activity
