Have you noticed how much we throw around the word “power”? You can munch on a power bar while driving your car with power steering and listening to Huey Lewis’ “Power of Love.” But in science, actual power has three specific variables. It refers to how much you can move (productivity), how far you can move it (longevity), and how fast you can move it (efficiency). I find these variables apply in each and every business. Do you plan to get a lot accomplished in your company? Do you want to go the distance? Do you hope to fulfill your [...]

One of the biggest movies from last holiday season was The Greatest Showman. Through moving music and whimsical storytelling, viewers are drawn into the life of P.T. Barnum, the founder of the Barnum & Bailey Circus. For all his highs and lows, his ingenious strategies and questionable moral choices, Barnum remains a lesson for all business leaders and entrepreneurs today. The movie focuses on a particular moment in the life of Barnum, one familiar to all those in business leadership. His operation grows at an unmanageable rate, and he’s faced with the limits of his own efforts. Will Barnum allow [...]

5 ways pride could get in your way. Many have heard of the “Seven Deadly Sins,” but there is one that stands out as most damaging to your company. I’m talking about pride. And when I refer to “pride,” I don’t mean a sense of accomplishment or an acknowledgment of abilities. In this context, pride is when self-sufficiency crosses the line into harmful delusion. Does this sound familiar? A talented leader whose greatest downfall is their inability to overcome their own pride. Though it hurts the staff, customers, and bottom line, this leader can never admit failure, defeat, or incompetence.  [...]

Understanding Information Bias in Your Company Have you ever watched an episode of Undercover Boss? I'm sure you've wondered what going “undercover” for a day in your own company would reveal - I know I have. When you lead complex organizations, it can become difficult to have a sense of what's "really going on" on the front lines. Remember the Telephone Game from when you were a kid? Where you'd whisper a phrase to your neighbor and then they'd pass it along? It's always funny as the last person in line repeats what they've heard because of the enormous departure [...]

If your business is anything like most, you’ve run into challenges you can’t overcome, no matter who you throw at them. Many companies establish Continuous Improvement Teams to solve problems like these only to find that the problems don’t go away in the way they’d hoped. In fact, this very thing happened to a recent client: a large, international automotive manufacturer. Like many companies, their Continuous Improvement team consisted of ambitious, high-powered employees. In this case, there were six Six-Sigma Black Belts, a team manager, and a host of other employees with high-powered salaries, benefits, and more. It was costing [...]