tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24591908369605797292011-10-20T17:06:41.703-05:00Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.comBlogger601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-69327637161047749212011-10-20T17:05:00.000-05:002011-10-20T17:06:41.732-05:00

Its not new that companies fail to show bottom line improvement numbers immediately with a lean initiative. It is a large undertaking to change a mindset and to introduce a phylosophy where the people doing the work are accountable to not only perform the work, but to improve the work as well. Most companies are looking for experts or silver bullets to introduce that change.In most companies I

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-71906237886273821052011-03-18T15:26:00.005-05:002011-03-18T15:30:47.773-05:00

In the business arena, especially today, two simple words – thank you – have given companies and individuals a serious edge in the marketplace. A simple heartfelt thank you message can create a huge competitive advantage. Think about it - when was the last time you got a personal greeting card in the mailbox? When was the last time you had a handwritten card on your windshield, on your door, or

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-55553290638988909792010-05-20T16:40:00.002-05:002010-05-20T16:44:05.149-05:00

NBI is offering a strictly limited number of seats to learn about Lean on a cruise of the Mediterranean Sea!Check it out by Clicking HereNorm www.normanbain.com

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-29820169240560034502010-04-10T08:44:00.004-05:002010-04-10T09:04:51.926-05:00

I enjoyed another interesting week as I introduced several new companies to the concepts of lean thinking. When I present these concepts, I like to begin by introducing paradigms. If time permits, I’ll introduce Joel Barkers film “The Business of Paradigms” … its such a powerful presentation. Paradigms are rules that we enforce upon ourselves that often block our ability to see alternative ways

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-18955376419557288662010-01-11T20:33:00.003-06:002010-01-11T20:36:09.008-06:00

Looking for a diversion? Need some training tools?Try our Lean Tools Crossword.Just print it out and have some fun!http://leanjourney.ca/LeanCrosswordPuzzle.htmFor those who get frustrated, we've provided a link to the solution.Norm www.normanbain.com

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-57459388329176333792010-01-08T11:02:00.003-06:002010-01-08T11:08:52.142-06:00

In most industries, leaders put up barriers when they see someone from outside their industry looking in. Whether hiring workers, consultants, trainers, managers or engineers, they put the blinders on and look for someone who has done that particular job before. When thinking lean, we explore how we do the work. We break tasks out to discover what skills are required, what equipment is required,

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-78647154803106075512010-01-07T15:53:00.001-06:002010-01-07T15:55:44.128-06:00

One the fundamentals of lean is the concept of standard work. Where there is no standard work, there can be no kaizen. Kaizen roughly translates to “change for the good”. But our people must establish, agree on, and become proficient at the current method before they can improve it. Its fine to ask our newest people to raise the flag and ask “why” we are doing things a certain way. But if

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-65716299435233842652010-01-05T08:24:00.002-06:002010-01-05T08:30:09.592-06:00

I was reminded of a great quote by George Bernard Shaw; "If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples then you and I will each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange those ideas, then each of us will have two ideas".Teams in the workplace today have little time for in-depth analyses of issues. They look for ways to streamline their work.

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-77513660199382292572009-12-30T11:52:00.003-06:002009-12-30T12:11:22.389-06:00

First impressions are lasting! When I walk into your organization, what impression will you leave? What story do your people tell? What message do they send? Does the story and message align? Do you walk the talk?Lean organizations never fail to impress me. From the wait time at reception, through the safety orientation and the facility walk through, these organizations have their act together.

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-54107184051054509902009-12-14T08:42:00.002-06:002009-12-14T08:43:22.959-06:00

Just read an interesting post by Gina Trapani who blogs at http://smarterware.org/ that I thought I'd share here. It speaks to the heart of focused change.Getting things done is not the same as making things happen.You can……reply to email.…pay the bills.…cross off to-do’s.…fulfill your obligation.…repeat what you heard.…go with the flow.…anticipate roadblocks.…aim for “good enough.”Or you can……

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-60817931324744997692009-12-08T14:12:00.003-06:002009-12-08T14:16:34.643-06:00

What is Value Stream Mapping?All businesses consist of processes. Processes for purchasing materials, receiving materials, storing materials, modifying materials, making parts, moving parts, assembling parts, packaging parts, verifying parts, shipping parts, creating invoices, receiving payments, keeping score, recruiting talent, rewarding talent, training talent ... the list as endless as the

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-12263362715315300282009-11-23T09:59:00.002-06:002009-11-23T10:04:03.951-06:00

Do you have a hobby that you absolutely love? Are you an expert at something? If so, you just might be able to turn that hobby into a few extra bucks every month.I'm sure you've heard that “it’s not work if you love what you do”. In reality, however, most of us are stuck in jobs we don’t love, working for people we don’t respect, and feel we are going no-where fast. We stay, because we are

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-34125699031353716072009-11-18T21:40:00.002-06:002009-11-18T21:43:15.058-06:00

The Untold Secret to Whole Business Improvement with Lean Thinking and the Lies you’ve been told about Lean so far!More companies are becoming frustrated with their efforts to reduce waste and improve profits by implementing lean tools. In this article, we explore the untold secret of Lean and expose why so many companies have failed to deliver the results promised by Lean Thinking.I’ve been

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-27649515645230526572009-11-16T11:37:00.002-06:002009-11-16T11:50:34.190-06:00

I have been challenged with involvement and compliance in an office waste reduction initiative. In our self assessment study, we identified that meetings and emails demanded 20% of our office workers week. The same self-assessment indicated that 78% of the time for emails and 57% of the time spent in meetings was considered wasted by those who participated.Regardless of this result, people

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-196360631341497352009-11-13T09:33:00.000-06:002009-11-13T09:34:12.693-06:00

I had an interesting discussion with a client this morning. We have been talking through his organizational challenges and he was pondering which tool we should be using next.I received an email from Seth Godin today that struck me following this conversation. Seth’s message was that “to a person with a hammer, every problem seems like a nail”. While I had heard this axiom before, it really hit

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-64222078458011757802009-11-09T13:37:00.006-06:002009-11-09T17:05:14.921-06:00

Why do change management initiatives fall short of the mark after delivering such promising initial success? Why are gains in one area of the business difficult to duplicate in others? Why are many businesses disappointed with the results of their improvement initiative? Why are the concepts of lean manufacturing difficult to apply outside the factory? How can I engage the entire organization in

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-64809904924476105292009-11-02T13:51:00.003-06:002009-11-02T13:56:16.374-06:00

People say you can't do business with friends and family. They strongly caution against it. They say it is a recipe for disaster. I say this is a fallacy. My business is built on relationships. The majority of my business comes through my network of contacts. Through the business relationship we become friends and referrals follow. The key is mutual Trust, Respect and Integrity.I've been doing a

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-41451023758409980112009-11-01T11:44:00.003-06:002009-11-01T11:52:01.914-06:00

I have had several questions come my way lately about how 5-why can work as an effective tool for problem solving. I explored this topic on this blog at this post in the past.I thought it might be fun to create a tool to manage the 5-why process for team problem solving on-line. I could not find one, so I built a 5-why problem solving website. Its free for anyone who wants to try it.You can

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-14254503135605019162009-10-28T10:42:00.006-05:002010-01-12T11:13:26.947-06:00

Recently, I’ve had an increasing number of discussions with clients who are VERY dissatisfied with their websites. This seems to be a continuing theme as more people develop their on-line presence. What prompted this blog, however, was an email I received about how bad this situation has become. Kate was PISSED OFF to say the least about web designers who create “award winning” sites that cost

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-87302318996900838112009-10-16T16:15:00.001-05:002009-10-16T16:17:01.588-05:00

Thinking Lean is usually associated with manufacturing processes. Many people lose sight of how to apply lean concepts outside the manufacturing plant floor. Articles and case studies are readily available to assist someone starting their lean journey in manufacturing. Not so much is available for those in office environments, accounting departments, engineering teams or in service industries

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-44729391558362944442009-10-15T08:46:00.001-05:002009-10-15T08:48:20.419-05:00

I read an interesting blog from Steve Shapiro through a link in his newsletter that I thought I'd share here. What struck me most was the frame of reference as integrators and innovators. It re-enforces and expands the 5-why concept;“(As innovators,) we are architects of companies and industries. An architect is not a ‘reengineer.’ To illustrate this point, I often ask clients what is the

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-37858494467443008072009-10-14T15:12:00.003-05:002009-10-14T15:15:38.087-05:00

Have you heard the business axiom "business problems show up as inventory"?Whether you count inventory as WIP, raw materials or finished goods, the health of your organization is generally apparent in the level of inventory on hand. Many companies recognize this simple truth and adopt a goal to reduce inventories. The senior leadership typically sets a target for a 20% inventory reduction. Most

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-12829133477352644782009-10-14T09:05:00.001-05:002009-10-14T09:13:26.055-05:00

Confused about lean concepts or terminology? Then visit the NBI knowledge center or our management library. Our on-line education and continual learning resource guide! Norm www.normanbain.com

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-34752477976345632242009-08-21T10:33:00.002-05:002009-08-21T10:40:54.271-05:00

Many companies, embracing the concepts of lean thinking, hear the urging to 'Just do it', in the spirit of the leaders and pioneers of the Toyota Production System. They then excitedly delve into the transformation process. They stage a kickoff meeting to share their passion, pick something important and start removing waste quickly to capitalize on that “low hanging fruit”.The target area

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-573822765078733142009-08-18T08:59:00.000-05:002009-08-18T09:00:56.264-05:00

John Ryan of the Center for Creative Leadership posted an article this week on Creating a Sense of Urgency Among Employees.In it he talks about:• Don't take your foot off the gas.• Don't hesitate to share bad news.• Convey optimism and passion.• Publicly praise urgent actions.• Partner with colleagues on strategy.Great thoughts from a great organization. Read the post here.I had the pleasure of

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-34379460289199100022009-08-05T11:31:00.000-05:002009-08-05T11:32:44.256-05:00

Lean teaches us to look at problems as treasures. An organization that has no problems cannot improve. In order to learn and grow, we need to take risks, make mistakes, discover problems and solve them. The first step to continuous improvement is finding problems.So, by changing the environment so that discovering problems is encouraged, we create a no blame and learning organzation. An

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-70554076378035913892009-07-16T10:30:00.004-05:002009-07-16T11:45:56.692-05:00

I'm often asked what a typical lean journey looks like and how long it takes to become a lean organization. While the answer to those questions is as varied as the organizations that ask it, this post will explore the most successful and repeatable approach that I have been engaged with. If you would like a copy of this post as a downloadable PDF, click here.Step 1 Create the environmentThe

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-83937721669675736892009-05-15T09:39:00.002-05:002009-05-15T09:42:23.654-05:00

I had an interesting note pass by my desk this morning that I thought I'd share here. Stange as this sounds, it close to how our economy works!It is August. In a very small town in the Okanagan Valley holiday season should be in full swing, but it is raining so there is not too much business happening. Everyone depends on the tourists. But there are none so all are heavily in debt. Unexpectedly,

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-61761136286124774482009-05-05T09:25:00.002-05:002009-05-05T09:27:27.764-05:00

Consulting is a rich mixture of exploring, training, guiding and implementing. Its working with business and institutional leaders that recognize that doing the same thing as we have done before will yield the same results! In order to implement change, we must develop a different approach. Become lean! With the current level of economic uncertainty, companies must recognize the hard facts and

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-10390071595834512312009-04-30T08:43:00.004-05:002009-05-26T10:24:47.925-05:00

I picked a book off the shelf this morning and browsed through it again. I'm always amazed at what I miss the first few times through a good read. This time, I actually read the preface!The book was Shigeo Shingo - Zero Quality Control. In the publishers message, Norman Bodek talks about engineers and their approach toward quality. He says that according to Shigeo Shingo, there are three types of

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-23383039673211350502009-04-10T11:28:00.004-05:002009-04-10T11:35:54.742-05:00

I received a timely note from Jim Womack this morning. He touched on the topic of strategy deployment and the loss of focus at GM in these trying times. Several companies I contact are struggling with aligning their teams and establishing priorities. Even in this difficult economy, I’m surprised how many of these folks report their order books are overflowing and they are unable to keep up with

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-44121721605972024882009-03-29T09:58:00.002-05:002009-03-29T10:00:46.635-05:00

If you want 1 year of properity, plant seedsIf you want 10 years of prosperity, plant treesIf you want 100 years of prosperity, plant people.Chineese ProverbNorm www.normanbain.com

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-10153805599405421462009-03-28T18:31:00.004-05:002009-03-28T18:45:15.152-05:00

Several months ago, I joined Linked-In. Its a pretty good tool for connecting with people if you are job hunting, or looking for someone at a particular company. My direct linked in network has grown to over 4,000,000 people over the past few months! Last month, we talked about starting a newsletter and a direct marketing campaign for our products and services. Great idea! We have lots of

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-66506682109224688472009-03-11T13:36:00.003-05:002009-03-28T18:48:56.025-05:00

Customer Relationship Managers - CRM.So, my first attempt at CRM was the same as many folks; outlook on my personal laptop. I was simply looking for way to manage client conversations and an easy follow-up system. While it worked great for my email, outlook seemed too cumbersome for this task. So I migrated to a similar product called Chaos Intellect. I found it much simpler, friendlier and

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-3531437300347383732009-03-10T09:23:00.001-05:002009-03-10T09:25:43.869-05:00

This is one of the cleverest e-mails I've received in awhile. Someone out there has way too much time on their hands.Clever Anagrams ...DORMITORY: When you rearrange the letters:DIRTY ROOMPRESBYTERIAN: When you rearrange the letters: BEST IN PRAYERASTRONOMER: When you rearrange the letters: MOON STARERDESPERATION: When you rearrange the letters: A ROPE ENDS ITTHE EYES: When you rearrange the

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-24484480882065901142009-03-05T13:59:00.004-06:002009-03-05T14:23:40.842-06:00

One of the simplest tools to use in solving problems is a 5-why analysis. It is also one of the least understood and poorly applied tools. It seems that simple concepts can be the most difficult to apply and execute.In almost every instance where I have seen it used, the answers to the "why" seem shallow and the root cause of the problem - or even the real problem - is seldom identified or

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-54269040860292039852009-03-01T18:22:00.002-06:002009-03-01T18:44:12.620-06:00

Your folks are busy working on the road. They need to buy stuff to keep your projects moving. Time is of the essence. They know they are under the gun to get the job done.You know this too, but you need controls. Spending seems out of control. Paperwork does not get done. And the accounting staff is spending way too much time trying to untangle the mess. What do you do? Add more controls and slow

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-91073407666390814862009-02-25T12:42:00.002-06:002009-02-25T12:45:46.939-06:00

Saw a great video today "change is good ... you go first!"Norm www.normanbain.com

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-8451865066929141252009-02-17T14:28:00.004-06:002009-02-17T14:39:06.796-06:00

We're looking for Canadian companies that are exploring Lean!Have you started a lean journey? Are you looking at lean to improve your operations? Tell us your story and win a Lean Thinking tee shirt!Lean Thinking applies to so many companies ... in fact, we can't think of one that it does not apply to! So why do we still think of Lean as a "manufacturing" initiative? Lean Thinking applies equally

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-25302817212907383212009-02-09T10:52:00.003-06:002009-02-11T13:40:47.298-06:00

I have had the pleasure of working with many different organizations through my career. And I can truly say that each one of those workplaces was unique - in its challenges, with its opportunities and with the characters that work there. While I have enjoyed each assignment and approach my work with a passion to get the job done, I have never had the pleasure of walking into what I would

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-55384312238578553692009-02-05T09:19:00.004-06:002009-02-05T11:26:59.489-06:00

So, many of you may know that NBI is in the web site design business. It started as a part time hobby, building my own specialty websites and I then entered the hosting service market by being cost effective. People found us and I was asked to do custom sites for others. I became quite busy and enlisted some web designers to help. While we were building websites and developing a web presence for

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-25428427454187366272009-01-26T12:00:00.004-06:002009-01-28T10:37:29.558-06:00

I was reminded of an interesting story this past week and thought I'd share it here. It speaks to how we resist change, go with the status quo and jump on board a sinking ship (or sagging economy?).It all started with a cage containing five monkeys ...Inside the cage, a string of bananas were hanging above a set of stairs. Before too long, a monkey went to the stairs and started to climb towards

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-65447459273579517752009-01-22T10:42:00.006-06:002009-01-28T10:38:18.438-06:00

Every day I pick up the paper and read about companies cutting jobs. The Globe is cutting jobs in Toronto, The Free Press is cutting jobs in Winnipeg, 4500 jobs lost at Boeing, Air Canada closes its flight center, Snow lake shuts down its mine, Paper mills close down never to re-open. Even Microsoft announced today that they are cutting 5000 jobs, 1400 today. There were 636,000 Manitobans

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-89160957006860259922009-01-20T09:33:00.004-06:002009-01-20T09:56:38.653-06:00

No matter how open minded we think we are, there are occasions where we get caught being closed. That happened to me this week when a friend of mine came forward with an off the wall comment. He said it with a smirk on his face that made me call bull$%^&. I must admit, I was wrong.He and I both wear glasses. I have worn them most of my adult life, having been surprised that I could not see well

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-34884539005680298952009-01-19T10:03:00.002-06:002009-01-19T10:24:33.309-06:00

US President-elect Barack Obama stopped in Ohio Friday to pitch his $825 billion economic recovery and job creation plan at a manufacturing plant that is succeeding with Lean.CNNMoney reports that Obama's stimulus sales trip features Cardinal Fastener, a company that has reinvented itself for the alternative-energy future. Cardinal traditionally supplied parts to fortune 500 customers such as

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-43201147916283564762009-01-12T09:15:00.003-06:002009-01-12T09:20:32.953-06:00

Great Post today by the Lean Insider discusses successes in Health Care Emergency Rooms. I especially like two techniques mentioned:(a) reserving space for fast tracking "minor" incidents to improve throughput. When the Health Care facility dedicates 100% of beds to "major" incidents, the entire operation gets shut down and no-one can be processed for hours.(b) No-Wait ER by taking vital

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-64438320716078902942009-01-10T21:30:00.003-06:002009-01-10T21:44:59.406-06:00

Its 10 days into the new year, and I'm certain there are many resolutions that have ALREADY been broken! An old friend of mine (not that she's old, she's younger than me [so she's just a kid!] but I've know her for a LONG time) whom I've lost touch with over the years, sent me an email that I thought I'd share here. Its quite a story, and will certainly change some of the goals I have laid out

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-53827205664293103622009-01-09T21:49:00.005-06:002009-01-19T16:04:22.393-06:00

NBI is pleased to offer our Professional Development schedule for the first half of 2009. In this time of economic unrest and turmoil, NOW is the time to upgrade your skills and to develop your staff.It is estimated that North American manufacturing will lose 100,000 jobs in the first half of 2009. How well prepared is your team to deal with these uncertainties. Are your people overstressed and

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-54890525366564080902009-01-06T22:13:00.004-06:002009-01-06T22:19:44.872-06:00

For everyone looking at new opportunities for the new year, and resolutions for 2009, I thought I'd share a post from http://tinyurl.com/7r7efaDilbert’s “Salary Theorem” states that engineers and scientists cannever earn as much as business executives and sales people.This theorem can now be supported by a mathematical equation based on the following two postulates:1. Knowledge is Power.2. Time

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-76274968155987668142009-01-06T15:57:00.005-06:002009-01-06T16:10:42.567-06:00

"Just the overview please ... I don't have time right now". Is this you? Is your day so jamb packed that you don't have time to do anything but fight fires? Want to make improvements, but don't know where to start? Is your company improvement process like swatting flies - one problem after another but never getting to where the flies are coming from? This is the current situation in many

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-83265338745498432072009-01-05T21:36:00.004-06:002009-01-05T21:41:30.556-06:00

Do you participate in affiliate links to websites and products in your emails or on your own website? The links for most affiliate links are long, unwieldy and easily recognizable as an affiliate link. So, many people will bypass your link, cutting you out of your commission. And if you are completely honest to yourself, haven’t you done the same? I know I have!So how can you protect yourself to

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-20581220405105869062009-01-03T12:20:00.001-06:002009-01-03T12:59:35.571-06:00

The beauty of lean thinking is that the concepts are so simple, yet so powerful. A comment I often hear is “it’s just common sense … it can’t be this simple”. I ran across a quick and easy Lean Thinking demonstration that can be used in the board room for your leadership team, or as a quick kickoff to a kaizen event. In the space of a few minutes, it provides a powerful demonstration of lean

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-14946129987431899612008-12-12T17:18:00.000-06:002008-12-12T20:27:42.283-06:00

Have you heard the phrase – if you want something, all you have to do is ask? According to Wikipedia, Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that, if a person is one step away from each person they know and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people they know, then everyone is an average of six "steps" away from each person on Earth.What if you could tap into THAT

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-18687271829304121932008-12-08T10:46:00.000-06:002008-12-08T10:50:12.125-06:00

I had a most interesting discussion with a colleague the other day. We were discussing biggest successes and the question of approach to change management came up. How quickly can a company make significant change? What is the best approach? After several minutes of active dialogue, she asked about implementation – when do we actually start changing the way we do things? It struck me that the

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-3827780271972843592008-12-05T14:48:00.001-06:002009-08-14T07:49:45.658-05:00

The internet became a reality in the early 1970's and has been termed the "Global Village". The internet, unlike any other medium, has transformed our world. The growth over the past two decades has been exponential and the internet now boasts over 1,463,632,000 people as users. What did we all do BG (Before Google)?The magic of the internet is that anyone can get on line for very little

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-11075672678406345482008-12-04T21:43:00.000-06:002009-01-03T12:46:52.765-06:00

Have you been introduced to Lean Thinking? Have you started your lean journey?5S is a workplace organization and continuous improvement system that lays the foundation for all other lean improvement activities. By starting the lean journey with 5S, we discover tools and techniques required to be successful in eliminating waste from our processes.5S is not a system, or program that can be started

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-81817585665371554112008-12-01T13:27:00.001-06:002008-12-06T15:13:55.345-06:00

Here is one of the downfalls of being a consultant - business travel. Most of what I do is outside the office and usually outside my home town.Are you a business traveller? Are you always on the go between home and work, travelling to different cities, or even different countries? If you travel as much as I do, you have likely struggled with getting emails to work properly remotely.Your favorite

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-20775049017069076322008-11-25T16:50:00.000-06:002009-01-03T12:46:12.423-06:00

I really appreciated Jeffery Gitomers email this week and thought it deserved re-enforcing with some comments here. Several of my clients have been struggling with retention of both staff and customers, and looking for ideas on how to reduce this.Most businesses spend lots of time and money going after new customers. Most businesses also have a turnover (loss) of current customers, some as much

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-77309867772673991312008-11-25T15:04:00.000-06:002008-12-06T15:14:20.293-06:00

90% of businesses report that they are not getting the business they expected from their web site. Many people do not realize the incredible value that internet marketing can bring to their business. No matter what your product or service is, the internet is by far the best and least expensive marketing opportunity to reach your target market. The trick is in learning how to apply the tools

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2459190836960579729.post-34300052751365093022008-11-25T09:44:00.000-06:002008-12-06T15:14:33.225-06:00

Its a Tuesday morning in a sunny Winnipeg and I've just created this site to share some thoughts and answer some questions about what makes businesses successful.While we all have thoughts about what works and what doesn't, these pages will share my experiences of what has worked well.Your business may be a large multinational organization, or a home based startup! In either case, these posts are

Normhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10817394911647730175noreply@blogger.com0