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, what tools are required, what material is required, what information is required. We look at how all of this fits together to create flow. Where we can’t flow, we introduce pull. We level out the work and install visual queues to see where the problems are. We engage people in fixing the system.
In doing all of this, it does not matter if he are building cars, treating patients, making ice cream, digging coal, making paper, designing spaceships, building skyscrapers or making vaccine.
Every task in any business can be broken down into a system. Lean thinking is applied to the system. We work on how we do the work and eliminate waste in the process. Lean is all about continuously improving the system to deliver customer value.
More companies should realize that while they are “unique” in what they do, they are simply using systems and processes to create value for the customer. Hiring someone who has a systems background and understands lean thinking can be a huge asset to any organization. Put these people to work!
Norm
www.normanbain.com
Showing posts with label Rant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rant. Show all posts
Friday, January 8, 2010
Monday, November 23, 2009
In todays economy - why not create your own job?
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 worried about paying the rent and getting out of debt.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could turn what you love to do into your full time job? Time flies when you're having fun — doing what you gladly spend your other 8 hours doing! Why not make money doing that?
Check out Melanie Jordan's book What you know is worth more than you think!
Here are some things to consider:
1. What can you teach? Before you say "nothing", take a moment and really think about this. Take some time to brainstorm your talents, skills and interests. Do you speak another language? Are you a marketing whiz? Have you mastered social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook?
2. What can you do from home? Brand building. Build web sites. Process forms. Do company billing from home.
3. How much can you make? Consultants and teachers can make $100 to $300 an hour! Freelancers can earn $20 - $100 an hour. Not bad for doing something you enjoy.
The list is endless. Limited only by YOUR imagination. Best success . . .
Get started NOW - With the book "What you know is worth more than you think!"
Norm
www.normanbain.com
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 worried about paying the rent and getting out of debt.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could turn what you love to do into your full time job? Time flies when you're having fun — doing what you gladly spend your other 8 hours doing! Why not make money doing that?
Check out Melanie Jordan's book What you know is worth more than you think!
Here are some things to consider:
1. What can you teach? Before you say "nothing", take a moment and really think about this. Take some time to brainstorm your talents, skills and interests. Do you speak another language? Are you a marketing whiz? Have you mastered social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook?
2. What can you do from home? Brand building. Build web sites. Process forms. Do company billing from home.
3. How much can you make? Consultants and teachers can make $100 to $300 an hour! Freelancers can earn $20 - $100 an hour. Not bad for doing something you enjoy.
The list is endless. Limited only by YOUR imagination. Best success . . .
Get started NOW - With the book "What you know is worth more than you think!"
Norm
www.normanbain.com
Friday, November 13, 2009
Why do CI tools fail to deliver results.
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 home today.
Perhaps this is why many people are not seeing the results that they are striving for with their continuous improvement initiatives. Rather than looking at their organization systematically and identifying the opportunities for waste elimination, we look in our toolbox and select which tool to play with next.
With all the focus on tools, we can easily lose perspective on a systems approach. The opportunities in the organization drive the need for the tools. Our understanding of lean thinking helps us select the right tool to apply. We should not be selecting the hammer and go hunting for loose nails.
Perhaps this is a common problem when learning the tools. Perhaps this is why I hear “we tried that before - lean does not work here”. I’d hate to see the doctor for a head cold and be told he recommends surgery, just because he is a surgeon.
Food for thought.
Norm
www.normanbain.com
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 home today.
Perhaps this is why many people are not seeing the results that they are striving for with their continuous improvement initiatives. Rather than looking at their organization systematically and identifying the opportunities for waste elimination, we look in our toolbox and select which tool to play with next.
With all the focus on tools, we can easily lose perspective on a systems approach. The opportunities in the organization drive the need for the tools. Our understanding of lean thinking helps us select the right tool to apply. We should not be selecting the hammer and go hunting for loose nails.
Perhaps this is a common problem when learning the tools. Perhaps this is why I hear “we tried that before - lean does not work here”. I’d hate to see the doctor for a head cold and be told he recommends surgery, just because he is a surgeon.
Food for thought.
Norm
www.normanbain.com
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Do you have a road map?
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 looking for work in December last year, unchanged from November.
The past few years we focused on how to deal with unpredictable rising costs of materials. What will the challenge be in 2009? The Global Insight forecasting firm said the country will lose an additional 100,000 jobs in the first 3 months of 2009. Do you have a plan?
Todays leaders face bigger challenges than ever before. The financial markets are in crisis and it seems the economy is not far behind. How well equipped are you to face these mounting obsticals. Do you have the right teams in place to tackle your key issues.
I have released a new ebook entitled "The 5 Action Steps That Will Make Your Business At Least 50% More Profit in The Next 90 Days". It is available free at the NBI website http://www.nbi.onlinenow.ca. Just visit the site and enter the phrase "Profit" in the "Get It" box.
Sometimes it seems like we need an “oh-shit” experience to take action. We wait until we are in real trouble before we take action. A crisis makes us become more focused. It wakes us up to what was under our noses all along – but we were too busy to pay attention.
I hope you are not in crisis. I hope you are looking for a way to strengthen an organization that is already strong. Whether you are or are not in crisis, this ebook will help.
Norm
www.normanbain.com
The past few years we focused on how to deal with unpredictable rising costs of materials. What will the challenge be in 2009? The Global Insight forecasting firm said the country will lose an additional 100,000 jobs in the first 3 months of 2009. Do you have a plan?
Todays leaders face bigger challenges than ever before. The financial markets are in crisis and it seems the economy is not far behind. How well equipped are you to face these mounting obsticals. Do you have the right teams in place to tackle your key issues.
I have released a new ebook entitled "The 5 Action Steps That Will Make Your Business At Least 50% More Profit in The Next 90 Days". It is available free at the NBI website http://www.nbi.onlinenow.ca. Just visit the site and enter the phrase "Profit" in the "Get It" box.
Sometimes it seems like we need an “oh-shit” experience to take action. We wait until we are in real trouble before we take action. A crisis makes us become more focused. It wakes us up to what was under our noses all along – but we were too busy to pay attention.
I hope you are not in crisis. I hope you are looking for a way to strengthen an organization that is already strong. Whether you are or are not in crisis, this ebook will help.
Norm
www.normanbain.com
Monday, January 12, 2009
Lean Health Care making progress
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 infomation bedside and starting treatment at the earliest possible stage.
As more Health Care facilities look to Lean Thinking, eliminating waste from their processes and considering patients as their "customer", we will see huge improvements here.
Two years ago, my son had a 6 hour wait for treatment for a split chin from high school sports. Two months ago my nephew waited 4 hours before transferring to another hospital 100 miles away and waiting another 3 hours before treatment, again for "minor" issues in the minds of the Health Care professionals.
I'm delighted to hear of institutions in Canada and The USA are making inroads in Lean! I'll be happy to work with them in exploring more waste elimination!
You can see the Lean Insider Post here: http://tinyurl.com/99rzre
Norm
www.normanbain.com
(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 infomation bedside and starting treatment at the earliest possible stage.
As more Health Care facilities look to Lean Thinking, eliminating waste from their processes and considering patients as their "customer", we will see huge improvements here.
Two years ago, my son had a 6 hour wait for treatment for a split chin from high school sports. Two months ago my nephew waited 4 hours before transferring to another hospital 100 miles away and waiting another 3 hours before treatment, again for "minor" issues in the minds of the Health Care professionals.
I'm delighted to hear of institutions in Canada and The USA are making inroads in Lean! I'll be happy to work with them in exploring more waste elimination!
You can see the Lean Insider Post here: http://tinyurl.com/99rzre
Norm
www.normanbain.com
Saturday, January 10, 2009
How will you spend your time in 2009
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 for 2009!
Here's the note:
A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.
It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.
Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
"Jack, did you hear me?"
"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.
"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him. !
"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.
"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said
"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.
Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.
"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.
"The box is gone," he said
"What box?" Mom asked.
"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.
"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said.
"I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."
It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox, "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.
Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. It read, "Mr. Harold Belser". Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.
"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life". A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.
Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:
"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."
"The thing he valued most was ... my time!"
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.
"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.
"Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"
WOW - powerfull stuff eh?
To everyone I who reads this post ... Thanks for your time! Do try to spend some with the folks who are important in your life ... and looking to spend some time with YOU!
Norm
www.normanbain.com
Here's the note:
A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.
It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.
Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
"Jack, did you hear me?"
"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.
"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him. !
"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.
"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said
"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.
Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.
"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.
"The box is gone," he said
"What box?" Mom asked.
"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.
"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said.
"I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."
It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox, "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.
Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. It read, "Mr. Harold Belser". Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.
"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life". A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.
Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:
"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."
"The thing he valued most was ... my time!"
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.
"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.
"Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"
WOW - powerfull stuff eh?
To everyone I who reads this post ... Thanks for your time! Do try to spend some with the folks who are important in your life ... and looking to spend some time with YOU!
Norm
www.normanbain.com
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Dilbert’s “Salary Theorem”
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/7r7efa
Dilbert’s “Salary Theorem” states that engineers and scientists can
never 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 is Money.
As every engineer knows
(A) Power = Work / Time
Since:
(B) Knowledge = Power
and:
(C)Time = Money
It follows by substitution that:
(D) Knowledge = Work / Money.
Solving this equation for Money, we get:
(E) Money = Work / Knowledge.
Thus, as Knowledge approaches zero, Money approaches infinity,
regardless of the amount of work done.
Conclusion: The less you know, the more you make!!!!
Norm
www.normanbain.com
Dilbert’s “Salary Theorem” states that engineers and scientists can
never 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 is Money.
As every engineer knows
(A) Power = Work / Time
Since:
(B) Knowledge = Power
and:
(C)Time = Money
It follows by substitution that:
(D) Knowledge = Work / Money.
Solving this equation for Money, we get:
(E) Money = Work / Knowledge.
Thus, as Knowledge approaches zero, Money approaches infinity,
regardless of the amount of work done.
Conclusion: The less you know, the more you make!!!!
Norm
www.normanbain.com
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Welcome to the site
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 designed to provide the best resources available to help you succeed. Your success is what this site is all about.
Whatever success means to you, I wish you more of it on your journey with your business!
Norm
www.normanbain.com
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 designed to provide the best resources available to help you succeed. Your success is what this site is all about.
Whatever success means to you, I wish you more of it on your journey with your business!
Norm
www.normanbain.com
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