A podcast devoted to sharing knowledge of how companies can become high-performance organizations. Hosted by Joseph Paris.
Video Version About the Podcast In the realm of strategic business discussions, Ron Crabtree, a seasoned entrepreneur, assumed the mantle of authority. With a keen understanding of the trials and tribulations inherent in business scaling and talent acquisition within dynamic environments, he underscored the necessity of fostering robust professional networks and discerning between strategic and tactical hiring approaches. In collaboration with the esteemed Joseph Paris, they delved into the pivotal role of effective facilitation in propelling organizational transformation and spearheading digital integration within Lean Six Sigma frameworks. Their discourse emphasized the indispensable fusion of technical acumen with interpersonal finesse for facilitators, stressing the criticality of holistic skill sets in driving successful change initiatives. Further discussions between Joseph Paris and Ron Crabtree centered on the strategic importance of network cultivation in achieving business triumphs and the ongoing challenges entailed in sustaining enterprise prosperity post-initial program iterations. Their insights coalesced around the imperative of cultivating cultures steeped in continuity and excellence, underscored by a contemporary leadership ethos. Transitioning from discourse to actionable directives, the duo outlined a comprehensive set of strategic imperatives aimed at catalyzing tangible business advancements: Launching the Metapod podcast series in April 2024, with an inaugural focus on the Defense Production Act. Provision of diverse training programs and curricula spanning Lean Six Sigma, supply chain management, and facilitation skills, deployable via both online and in-person modalities. Engagement of meta experts as interim consultants, project managers, or subject matter authorities, fostering collaborative scoping processes to align client requisites with specialized resource allocations. Continuous refinement of vetting, skills inventory, and client alignment protocols to ensure optimal matching of meta experts with client demands and opportunities. Grounded in Ron Crabtree's entrepreneurial acumen and Joseph Paris's transformative insights, these action items epitomized a strategic blueprint poised to drive organizational excellence amidst the dynamic currents of contemporary business landscapes. About Ron Crabtree LinkedIn Profile: Company: Title: CEO of MetaOps Inc and MetaExperts Website: Year Founded: About:
Video Version About the Podcast I have known Michael Webb for several years. He has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Operational Excellence Society almost since its inception and led the Operational Excellence Society Chapter in Atlanta. We start the podcast by discussing the application of operational excellence and continuous improvement principles to sales and marketing activities. Paris made note of the challenges due to the personality-driven nature of sales and getting salespeople to document processes and how there might be a natural conflict between the human-empathetic side of sales with the data-driven needs of management. Michael explained how sales processes can be defined through engaging salespeople to determine what drives value for customers. This allows processes to be measured and improved. To this end, defining what is of value operationally is important and discussed how processes should focus on creating value rather than only eliminating waste. Michael highlighted how statistical analysis can be applied to sales activities like lead qualification when processes are defined properly. This brings more science to sales. And regarding management needs, Michael emphasized processes should serve salespeople but allow enough standardization for effective management and fostering opportunities for coaching. Striking a balance when it comes to documentation is ideal; harvesting only the information that is of value and minimizing the narrative form of documentation (nobody reads it anyway). Towards the end of the interview, Michael overviewed his books, including Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way which shows how Six Sigma principles apply to sales, and Sales Process Excellence which earned a Shingo Research Award and provides a textbook on improving sales processes. And finally, no interview would be complete today without some commentary on where AI is going and its impact on sales and marketing processes and personnel. To this end, we both believe that human interaction will remain important for establishing trust and empathy. About Michael Webb Michael Webb is an internationally known author and management consultant. He brings data-driven management approaches to sales and marketing organizations. Before starting his own consultancy firm, Sales Performance Consultants, Inc., he held roles in sales, sales training, and sales management for IMPAX Corporation, PCT Incorporated, Rockwell Automation, and others. When exposed to production improvement methodologies (e.g., Six Sigma, and Lean) he saw parallels to B2B sales production. He pioneered ways of helping sales teams distinguish value from waste. He also created ways for sales teams to develop operational definitions. These enabled continuous improvement in sales productivity, forecast accuracy, and other metrics. His approach recognizes the critical role beliefs play in the behaviors of sales and marketing people as well as customers. He engages front-line salespeople, managers, and executives as well as cross-functional teams. His 2006 book, “Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way”, earned 4.5 stars on Amazon and sold more than 21 thousand copies. And his 2014 book, “Sales Process Excellence” earned the prestigious Shingo Research Award in 2015. His articles range from sales quality and process to reducing waste and capitalizing on customer value where they draw on his extensive experience working with direct and channel sales and marketing teams of large and small companies. Author of: Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way: In Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way, Michael Webb shows how to blend marketing and sales efforts with the cutting-edge methods of Six Sigma to boost their bottom lines. Sales Process Excellence, 2015 Shingo Award Winner: In 'Sales Process Excellence', Michael Webb traces sales and marketing problems to their root causes in traditional management methods, such as pushing product, setting quotas, and trying harder while doing the same things over again. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljwebb/ Company: Sales Performance Consultants, Inc. Title: Senior President Website: https://salesperformance.com/ Year Founded: 2002 About: Sales Performance Consultants, Inc., collaborates with B2B executives to extend operational excellence to sales and marketing. Clients systematically increase revenue, loyalty, and margin while wasting less time and money.
Video Version About the Podcast My guest today is Scott Lushin, Senior Manager of Global Operational Excellence at Donaldson Company, Incorporated. In this episode, Scott takes us through his professional journey. Starting off in retail automotive and the restaurant business, it is obvious that has two passions; problem solving and leadership. Although his passion for problem-solving made itself readily apparent in his early life, his skills in leadership made themselves known later and over time. Scott started his journey right out of high school at an automotive service chain where he became manager and then training manager. After a few years, he eventually moved on to work in the food industry at a chain of restaurants; becoming training manager then district manager. Against his mother's advice against seeking a job in manufacturing, he joined Donaldson through a temp-agency. He has always been a ‘thinker', a problem solver, even as a kid he loved to solve problems. The more complex the problem, the more fun they were to solve. He could spend days trying to unravel a problem and eventually he got very good at it. His problem-solving specialty is manufacturing and process improvements. Scott sees the world through a different lens, which is why he is often called upon to solve complex problems. He especially loves being thrown into a complex problem and forming a team to tackle it. Even though Scott did not (and does not still) have a college degree, Donaldson must have seen something in Scott, as he has been there 32 years. He has held positions and roles too varied to list, but include: Operations Supervisor, Manufacturing Engineer, C.I. Engineer, C.I. Specialist, Operations Management, and since 2019 leading efforts with Global Operational Excellence. There was a time when a person without a college degree could grow to leadership roles in a company and Scott is living proof. Has that time passed? Or has enough time not passed to make that determination. We shall see. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottlushin/ Company: Donaldson Company, Incorporated Title: Senior Manager, Global Operational Excellence Website: https://www.donaldson.com/ Year Founded: 1915 Company Type: Publicly Traded (DCI) About: Donaldson Company, Inc. manufactures and sells filtration systems and replacement parts worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Mobile Solutions, Industrial Solutions, and Life Sciences. Its Mobile Solutions segment provides replacement filters for air and liquid filtration applications, such as air filtration systems; liquid filtration systems for fuel, lube, and hydraulic applications; exhaust and emissions systems and sensors; indicators; and monitoring systems. This segment sells its products to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the construction, mining, agriculture, aerospace, defense, and transportation markets; and to independent distributors, and OEM dealer networks. The company's Industrial Solutions segment offers dust, fume, and mist collectors; compressed air and industrial gasses purification systems; and hydraulic and lubricated rotating equipment applications, as well as gas and liquid filtration for industrial processes. This segment sells its products to various distributors, OEMs, and end-users. Its Life Sciences segment provides micro-environment gas and liquid filtration for food, beverage, and industrial processes; bioprocessing equipment, that includes bioreactors and fermenters; and bioprocessing consumables, such as chromatography devices, reagents and filters, and polytetrafluoroethylene membrane-based products, as well as specialized air and gas filtration systems for applications, including hard disk drives, semi-conductor manufacturing and sensors, battery systems, and powertrain components to OEMs and various end-users.
Video Version About the Podcast Hello and welcome to another edition of State of Readiness. I am your host, Joseph Paris. My guest today is Ben Guttmann, Author of “Simply Put; Why Clear Messages Win―and How to Design Them.” We start the conversation going back to high school where Ben was fortunate enough to have attended a high school that had a business department and offerings for those who were interested in business goings-on. It's here where Ben got hooked on marketing. We share our ideas on communicating, mostly born of experiences. Why do people feel they have to pack so many words around an idea to get the point across; and all at the risk of making the message less clear. As an example, Joseph shares his experience as an elementary school student. When returning from summer vacation, the teacher would always ask for a "500 word essay on what I did on my summer vacation." Joseph shares that "I went fishin' and I went swimmin.' Now I have to find another 493 words of fluff to pad it and complete the assignment." Ben shares how he and a few friends came to start their own marketing firm, Digital Natives Group, starting out of an opportunity that presented itself while they were attending Baruch College. One of Ben's professors, who also ran a marketing agency, needed help with digital marketing. They meet with the professor's partner, and Ben and his friend decide to start a marketing agency specializing in digital with the professor's firm being the first client. They even set-up shop in the basement of the professor's agency. So, in the spirit of "Simply Put", I will leave it here. Enjoy the podcast. Ben Guttmann is an experienced marketing and communications expert and educator on a mission to get leaders to more effectively connect by simplifying their message. He is a former co-founder and managing partner at Digital Natives Group, an award-winning agency that worked with the NFL, I Love NY, Comcast, NBC, Universal and other major clients. Currently, Ben consults with a range of thought leaders, venture-backed startups, and other brands. He went attended Baruch College where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and Marketing Management. He presently teaches digital marketing at Baruch as an Adjunct Lecturer and serves on the Advisory Board of the Zicklin School of Business. An interesting conversation which I am sure you will enjoy. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benguttmann/ Company: Unisphere Ideas Title: Principal Website: https://www.benguttmann.com/ Year Founded: 2022 Company Type: Sole Proprietor Also an Adjunct Lecturer at Baruch College Marketing Department where he currently teaches digital advertising,
Video Version About the Podcast Hello and welcome to another edition of State of Readiness. I am your host, Joseph Paris. My guest today is Jesse DePriest, President of Jesse DePriest Consulting, LLC; Privately held consultancy specializing in Lean including; strategy development and deployment, leadership development, process design and analysis, process improvement, problem solving, teamwork. I have known Jesse for several years and his story is as American as Apple Pie. Jessie grew up on a dairy farm in Alaska where he was the youngest of 10 brothers and sisters. Those of you might not appreciate how challenging working on a family farm might, be not to mention that farm being a dairy farm. It starts with understanding that the cows have to be milked twice a day, every day of the year. There is no rest. But having such a challenging job and its responsibilities (even with 9 others to help out) makes a person both resilient and resourceful. Resilient, in that you better be tough and durable otherwise the job will break you. Resourceful, because the challenges make you want to always find easier and better ways of doing your tasks. Jesse went to university on an ROTC scholarship at the Oregon Institute of Technology where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering. Afterwards he went into the US Army as an officer flying and tending to Blackhawk helicopters; where he and his unit consistently earned performance commendations. After his time in the US Army, Jesse entered the private sector working at various manufacturing companies and also banking; which was his last W2 job before starting his consulting practice. The conversation follows Jesse's journey and the lessons learned along the way. Topics include his thoughts on; Lean principles and practices, leadership, psychological safety, why most everyone knows what should to create a high-performing organization but consistently fail to deliver it (hint: it has to do with KPI's), and other lessons learned from his experiences. An interesting conversation which I am sure you will enjoy. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fjdepriest/ Company: Jesse DePriest Consulting, LLC Title: President Year Founded: May 2019, Omaha NE Company Type: Privately held consultancy specializing in Lean including; strategy development and deployment, leadership development, process design and analysis, process improvement, problem solving, teamwork.
Video Version About the Podcast Hello and welcome to another edition of State of Readiness. I am your host Joseph Paris. My guest today is Daniel Varroney, President and CEO of Potomac Core; a consultancy specializing in helping trade organizations transform into strategic partner for industry and professions. I have known Daniel for many years; having first met him when I was a member of the New York City Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) which is an organization of professionals serving the mergers and acquisitions ecosystem and he was its Global CEO. The main topic of our conversation is the challenges that businesses face today are bigger, faster, and more frequent than in times past. For your consideration, within just the last six years (since 2016 when President Trump was elected) we have had; tariff and trade wars (friends and adversaries alike), challenges with refugees and managing borders (not just in the States), Brexit, COVID (and everything directly and indirectly associated with it), Russia invasion of Ukraine (and the resultant food and energy disruptions), unacceptably high inflation (and the resultant interest rate hikes), political discourse, and probably several items I missed. How is a company, industry, or profession to cope? Not to mention influence? The obvious answer is to form advocacy organizations to act as platforms to consolidate their voice and interests. Which leads us to his book; “Reimagining Industry Growth” offers readers a blueprint to harnessing the power of leading industry associations as strategic partners. By utilizing those partnerships, business leaders will become able to leverage the collective strength of the supply chain to overcome challenges, address uncertainty, mitigate risks, and position their industries for growth. An interesting conversation which I am sure you will enjoy. LinkedIn Profile: hhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/danvarroney/ Company: Potomac Core - Association Consulting Title: President and CEO Year Founded: 2012, Arlington Virginia Company Type: Privately held strategic consultancy that applies research driven strategies to reimagine new growth pathways for Industries and Professions. Our mission is to deliver research guided processes that help Trade Associations transform into Strategic Partners for Industries and Professions. As such, we help transform organizations into the important role of real time business solution providers.
Video Version About the Podcast Hello and welcome to another edition of State of Readiness. I am your host Joseph Paris. My guest today is Innocent Hadebe, Director of Business Excellence for Chick-fil-A Corporate. I met Innocent like a meet a great many people and that would be through LinkedIn. Of course my initial attraction to Innocent was that we were like minded professionals pursuing Operational Excellence. But it was not until we met face to face in Orlando at an Operational Excellence conference where I was able to really understand Innocent and his story; which was fascinating. Innocent was born and raised in Zimbabwe from a family with limited means; extremely limited by Western standards. I won't share Innocent's journey in this text but rather I would have you listen to it first person in this inspiring interview. However, I will say that Innocent debunks the idea that the American dream is dead. He proves that anybody who has a dream of their future self, remains laser focused on realizing that dream, works hard plays by the rules, can persevere and achieve anything they set out to achieve. In addition to Innocent's responsibilities at Chick-fil-A, he also started founded the Lot Water Project which is a 501.c3 Not For Profit organization dedicated to bringing clean potable water to remote villages in Zimbabwe. The details for the Lot Water Project can be found here; https://thelotwaterproject.org/ Be sure to listen to the bonus track just after the outro. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/innocent-hadebe-mba-pmp-six-sigma-black-belt-25349388/ Company: Chick-fil-A Title: Director of Business Excellence Year Founded: 1946 Company Type: Privately held American fast food restaurant chain. With almost 3,000 restaurants, it is and the largest chain specializing in chicken sandwiches. Company: Lot Water Project Title: Founder Year Founded: 2020 Company Type: A recognized not-for-profit (501.c3) organization that is passionate and committed to bringing safe drinking water to communities across the continent of Africa.
Video Version https://vimeo.com/stateofreadiness/norbert-majerus About the Podcast Hello, and welcome to another edition of state of readiness. I'm your host, Joseph Paris. My guest today is Alan Cruce, pilot and adventurer. I met Alan while I was on assignment in Denver. He and his team from NASA were also on assignment in Denver, separate assignments, of course. And we met as people who are on assignments, far away from home or app to meet in the hotel bar. They started sharing with me what their program was at NASA, which was SOFIA. I became completely infatuated. You see, when I was younger, I wanted to be a pilot, I wanted to be an astronaut. And I was fascinated with NASA. This was the time of the Apollo program and the Skylab program. I wrote to NASA and IBM Federal Systems many times and each time I was gifted a package of goodies; pictures, pamphlets, mission patches, the works. We all got along wonderfully. And as the night went on, they asked me if I wanted to join them to the next day for simulator training in a classic 747 (the model that was all analog). Of course, I said, Yes, and messaged my client that I was going to be late. Alan's story is a great one; earning his pilot's license before most people earn their driver's license. From then his life was one confluence of circumstances and events after another - which he shares some (but not all) - until he got his chance to fly missions for NASA as a pilot in the SOFIA program, a fascinating program that was recently terminated. About Alan Cruce Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse id nisl non tellus varius dapibus. Cras vitae ex mattis enim blandit finibus. Integer convallis pretium elit ut euismod. Fusce suscipit quis nulla cursus bibendum. Nunc eros libero, ornare a lobortis a, dictum id libero. Proin felis diam, volutpat ut augue id, pellentesque semper dolor. Vestibulum auctor ipsum eget erat auctor egestas. Nulla in convallis leo. Phasellus vel vestibulum tellus. Suspendisse non varius risus, id feugiat tortor. Suspendisse cursus, tortor eget commodo varius, arcu nunc vulputate sapien, et semper lorem mauris non mauris. In cursus pharetra purus eu blandit. Phasellus non ante ultricies, venenatis elit mollis, vulputate enim. Maecenas finibus dui sapien, sed egestas elit semper eget. Curabitur id aliquet tortor, sit amet pretium nisi. In gravida, odio sit amet egestas vulputate, erat lacus aliquam tellus, in dapibus eros lectus id velit. Nunc pulvinar lacus vel nisl molestie egestas. Quisque pulvinar eros a pharetra eleifend. Etiam id sapien ut odio commodo vestibulum. Duis blandit dapibus tortor, mollis blandit quam auctor ut. In ornare nulla eros, quis tristique erat posuere ac. Vivamus vel tristique odio, nec gravida ante. Praesent porta id sapien sit amet pellentesque. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Proin eleifend faucibus magna, ac posuere libero dictum nec. Aliquam semper ligula convallis, suscipit enim non, lacinia dui. LinkedIn Profile: Company: SOFIA Science Center Title: Research Pilot Website: https://www.sofia.usra.edu/ Headquarters: Year Founded: Company Type: Company Size: Industry Experience: Practice Areas:
Video Version https://vimeo.com/stateofreadiness/norbert-majerus About the Podcast Hello and welcome to another edition of State of Readiness with your host, Joseph Paris. My guest today is Norbert Majerus; Author of “Lean-Driven Innovation” and “Winning Innovation” and a Lean Champion (Ret) from the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. He confesses that he went into engineering because he didn't like to working with people and felt that a career in engineering would find him in the corner of a room with a computer and being left alone to do his work. It did not quite work out that way. Norbert spent most of his career at Goodyear's Innovation Centers. Having first been introduced to Six Sigma, his natural gravitation was more towards Lean and the “people” side and skills associated with creating a problem-solving and leadership culture. We then talk about culture change; a topic which appears to be on many people's minds. But people rarely speak of what they would like to change from what, to what. They share the phrase “culture change” and just leave it hang there in the air like a cartoon bubble and leave it to others to figure out what was meant; a grand assumption on everyone's part. But Norbert does take the time to explain his ideas with respect to culture change; including the from what, to what. Fun fact; “Luxembourgish” is a language… About Norbert Majerus Norbert Majerus Norbert was born in Luxembourg and has a Master's Degree in chemistry from the University of Saarlandes, Saarbrucken Germany in 1978. After graduation and for the next almost 40 years, Norbert works for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, starting as a rubber chemist. Over the course of his career with Goodyear, he held several roles in the Goodyear Innovation Centers in Luxembourg and in Akron, Ohio and holds over 60 patents and trade secrets in the United States alone. The role he held the longest and for the final 15 years with the company was that of Lean Champion and is a Master Black Belt. Norbert has taught workshops and given keynotes at many conferences around the world. Since retiring from Goodyear in 2017, Norbert continues to share with others the wisdom he has gained through his consultancy, his speaking opportunities, and his writings, which include two books; “Lean-Driven Innovation” and “Winning Innovation”. Norbert is also a Shingo Academy Fellow, an Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) Assessor, and serves on the board of the Lean Product and Process Development Exchange (LPPDE). LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/norbert-majerus-5a746235/ Company: Norbert Majerus Consulting LLC Title: Owner/Member Website: https://www.leandriveninnovation.com/ Headquarters: Akron, Ohio Year Founded: 2018 Company Type: Privately held Company Size: Independent Consultancy Industry Experience: Retired in 2017 with almost 40 years at The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co, holding the role of Lean Champion Innovation for the last almost 15 years. Practice Areas: Assist companies with; Lean Product Development and Innovation, Change Management, Lean Project Management, Managing People in a Lean Environment
Video Version https://vimeo.com/795992546 About the Podcast My guest today is Ben Cook, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Spreetail, a next-generation 3PL company headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. We start the conversation with Ben sharing his early years. His father was an Army Officer who resigned soon after Ben was born to have a more stable family life. But that didn't mean they set roots and became grounded, quite the opposite, as his father became a high-school football coach who moved through several high-schools in the Southeastern United States; and also did some time in Spain and in Africa on volunteer work. So Ben struggles with where “home” is, except that it's the United States. Ben then shares some details of his military career. Being in the Special Forces, the assignments were not the most comfortable (including stints above the arctic circle). But it was pre-9/11, so the assignments were (perhaps) a bit easier than afterwards. After the military, he became interested in Supply Chain. Perhaps recognizing the importance of supply chains during his military career somehow influenced his gravitation to the discipline which, in the late 1990's and early 2000's, was in its infancy. We walk though the various roles he had; including one in China soon after China's assentation to being a member of the World Trade Organization. And Ben shares some of the lessons learned along the way, some by design, some by accident, including a lesson-learned about culture eating strategy for breakfast. These experiences led him to develop his personal approach to leadership which he calls “One Team”, and I am sure you will find his thoughts on this quite interesting; perhaps even adoptable. About Ben Cook Ben Cook With over 20 years of leadership experience with a focus on leading startups, driving turnaround efforts, scaling revenue, invest to grow and global expansion, Ben Cook is a hands-on, people-focused, leader and board member. He has had senior leadership roles at six Fortune 150 companies including; Apple, The Home Depot, Kimberly-Clark and two startup ventures and is currently the Chief Supply Chain Officer for Spreetail. His passion is on people and helping to shape strong values-based cultures where high-performing teams master change and execute the vision for the next phase of the company's life. Ben has served on the Board of Advisors for several startup companies, the Auburn University College of Business and the University of Tennessee's Global Supply Chain Institute. He is also a US Army Special Operations veteran and is an avid outdoorsman and adventurer who can be frequently found hiking and camping the in Colorado wilderness. Ben is an lifelong learner who holds a BS in International Business from Auburn University, an MBA with a focus on Supply Chain Management from the University of Tennessee and multiple leadership and coaching certifications from The Wharton School, Harvard Business School, and the Center for Creative Leadership. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cookben/ Company: Spreetail, LLC Title: Chief Supply Chain Officer Website: https://www.spreetail.com/ Headquarters: Lincoln, Nebraska Year Founded: 2006 Company Type: Privately held Company Size: Approximately $500 Million Annual Sales Industry: Spreetail is a next-generation third-party logistics (3PL) company. In addition to traditional 3PL services, Spreetail also offers sales channel management, internet marketing services, eCommerce, end-user customer service, and software applications to support all your business fulfillment needs.
Video Version https://vimeo.com/768988205 About the Podcast My guest today is Sanjeev Khot; Director of Global Product Quality, Cummins, Incorporated and is responsible for overall Global Quality Strategy, Supplier Quality, Reliability, APQP, and Logistics Quality Transformation to support growth and drive long-term business value. Sanjeev is a highly accomplished senior executive with global experience in manufacturing, quality, project management, and quality systems and and operations management. He is especially capable of building highly motivated teams focused on achieving results, customer satisfaction and business growth; and we explore his journey and lessons learned. What is unmistakable in our conversation is the passion and conviction Sanjeev has for his profession and for living a life worth living in general. As is plain to see, Sanjeev believes that it is important to do what you love doing, and then the success will come. What form that success might be needs to be in harmony with where your passions lie, of course. Sanjeev was born, raised, and educated in India and it is also where he joined Cummins as an operations leader in 2005. He grew his role and corresponding responsibilities at Cummins in India until and opportunity to join the Cummins team in the States became available in 2017; to which he applied and was hired. Not just a quality and process improvement professional, Sanjeev is also a systems thinker and considers the end-to-end value chain in his deliberations and deciion-making. About Sanjeev Khot Sanjeev Khot Sanjeev Khot currently serves as the Global Products Quality Director for Cummins Filtration Business. He has a demonstrated track record in; business turnarounds, global footprint execution, creating profitable and cost effective organization. With more than twenty-four years of experience, he drived long-term vision, tactical planning, and organizational growth to optimize quality, productivity and the overall customer experience. He has lead and still leads, numerous initiatives to enhance KPI management, developing business and quality strategy programs, global launch systems and other programs that foster significant cost of quality reduction and maximize satisfaction among business partners. Given his responsiblities, he leads multiple cross-functional teams globally to standardize and improve business processes and continuously identifies opportunities to elevate supply chain operations (plants, logistics and suppliers) to ensure all customer quality goals are consistently met. Sanjeev is an ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE), Cummins certified Six Sigma Black Belt with 22+years of progressive leadership experience in Manufacturing Operations, Process and Product Quality improvements, Quality Systems (ISO/IATF 16949 & ISO 9001), Manufacturing Engineering, Lean and Six sigma, Quality Functional Excellence, Operations Excellence, TPM (Total Preventive Maintenance), Supplier Quality, Projects Management & Plant and facilities maintenance in national and international organizations. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjeev-khot/ Company: Cummins Filtration, a division of Cummins, Incorporated Title: Website: https://www.cumminsfiltration.com/ , https://www.cummins.com/ Headquarters: Columbus, Indiana (USA) Year Founded: 1919 Company Type: Publicly Traded (CMI:NYSE) Company Size: $26-Billion, 60,000 employees worldwide Industry: Cummins Filtration is a global power leader that designs, manufactures and sells air, fuel, hydraulic and lube filtration, as well as chemical technology products for diesel and gas-powered equipment around the world. Cummins serves its customers through its network of 600 company-owned and independent distributor facilities and more than 7,200 dealer locations in over 190 countries and territories. Cummins Incorporated is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipment, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control, electrical power generation systems, and trucks.
Video Version https://vimeo.com/stateofreadiness/mark-mcgrath About the Podcast Hello and welcome to another edition of State of Readiness with your host, Joseph Paris. Chaos And Oceans Ltd. Today I am happy to have Mark McGrath, Founder of Chaos and Oceans Ltd, a consultancy specializing in helping individuals and teams thrive in Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) environments. He does this by sharing his cross-functional experience and education in the areas of strategic planning, decision-making, process improvement, capital markets, economics, training, and coaching. We start where every journey starts, at the beginning, where Mark shares his early life experiences including being an "Army Brat" of a career officer and how the original Top-Gun changed his trajectory from land to sea; becoming a Marine. And Mark shares the experiences and wisdom gained from his attending university and the instructors who were impactful in his personal and professional development. But it is in the Marines where Mark was exposed to, and became fascinated with, operating in VUCA environments and the Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act (OODA) Loop as a counter-measure. In the podcast, Mark goes on to explain why chaos and VUCA are nothing to fear and shares his “three immutable points”. He also shares why he emphasizes Orientation over observe and why he teaches OODA, and not “OODA Loop”. Everyone operates in chaos and the chaos is only increasing in amplitude and velocity over time. We need to learn, think, and decide in less time and with more orientation. Mark's sharing of his thoughts and experiences may prove invaluable. Mark also shared an article with the Operational Excellence Society entitled, "The Adaptive Entrepreneurial Method". It's worth a read. About Mark McGrath Mark McGrath Mark is the son of a West Point career officer, but he became obsessed with the sea; a convert thanks to Top Gun – the original. He attended Marquette University on a Marine Option NROTC scholarship and earned a BA in History with an emphasis on social and intellectual history in United States and Europe. After graduation, Mark served six-years active duty as a field artillery officer and another two years in the Reserves. After his time in the Marines, he held several leadership roles over the course of almost twenty years in private sector; mostly in finance and asset management industries. He also furthered his academic career and attended the University of Detroit Mercy where he earned a Masters Degree in Economics; with an emphasis on theory based on the Austrian School of Economics. Feeling he had much more to give and create and believing he could not achieve that in the corporate world, he started his consultancy. Mark is a book addict (as is evidenced by the book-shelf in the video), speaks Spanish and is a distance swimmer and surfer. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markjmcgrath1/ Company: Chaos and Oceans Ltd Title: Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chaos-and-oceans-ltd/ Headquarters: Columbus, OH Year Founded: 2022 Company Type: Consultancy Company Size: Sole Practitioner Industry Experience: Finance, Asset Management, Practice Areas: Team Building · Thought Leadership · Process Improvement · New Business Development · Public Speaking · Conference Speaking · Spanish · Dynamic Speaker · Experienced Speaker · Impromptu Speaking · Employee Training · Training & Development · Team Leadership · Cross-functional Team Leadership · Leadership Development · Leadership · Training · Sales · Time Management
Video Version https://vimeo.com/748455371 About the Podcast Hello and welcome to another edition of State of Readiness with your host, Joseph Paris. Today I am happy to have Billy Ray Taylor, CEO of LinkedXL and author of "The Winning Link" on my podcast. Billy previously worked at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for 30 years; starting off on the plant floor and retiring as Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion and Executive Director of Commercial, Off Highway, and Support Manufacturing North America. We start the conversation taking a stroll down memory lane. Soon after graduating from Prairie View A&M University with a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Billy joined Goodyear starting where every recent graduate does; on the floor of the night shift. A life-long learner, Billy recognized early on as he steadily climbed the ranks at Goodyear that he had to "earn the right" to be appointed to the various roles and to retain the right to remain there. This meant that he had to have both the technical skills and also the leadership skills necessary to succeed in the various roles. The conversation comes to diversity and inclusion; with Joseph sharing that, having walked the Earth and worked with many companies located around the world, that the completive advantage of companies based in the States (along with those in Canada and the United Kingdom), is their diversity (regardless of what might be current assumptions). People bring forward what they have learned during their lives. And if everyone on a team has had the same life experiences and brought-up in a homogeneous culture, then everyone will look at a challenge with the same solution set. As the saying goes; "If everyone is thinking the same, then nobody is thinking". But Billy also drove the point that there is a significant difference between "diversity" and "inclusion". Whereas diversity means there are a members on the team with a variety of backgrounds and expertise, inclusion means you use that talent. I guess I never gave the difference too much mind because, as an entrepreneur since 1985, I don't have resources that I would gain but not use. The thought would never occur to me. So it's not about quotas and making sure every race, creed, and sex is included in the picture (like marketing departments are apt to do). It's about understanding that the differences are strengths, but only if you use them. This was a really good, interesting, and valuable conversation. Give a listen... About Billy Ray Taylor Billy Taylor is an American business executive, dynamic speaker and leadership guru. He is the Founder and President of LinkedXL (Excellence), a Business Operating Systems Architecting Firm. Billy spent 30 years with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (GT), serving as Director of North America Operations and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. During his tenure at Goodyear, the company's earnings rose from a loss of 38M to +17.5B. As the Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion for Goodyear, Billy formulated and led the diversity and inclusion strategies for 64,000 employees across the 22 countries where Goodyear operates. After retiring from Goodyear, Billy founded LinkedXL, a consultancy that specializes in helping companies architect their Business Operating Systems, and serves as its CEO. Billy is a dynamic speaker and leadership guru who is routinely called upon by universities, international conferences, global publications, and the U.S. Armed Forces to demonstrate how to drive and sustain effective results through creating a culture of leadership and enabling employee ownership. He is a disciple of continuous improvement and operational excellence. And as a trusted global industry leader, Taylor is a member of the executive advisory board for the Shingo Institute, Utah State University Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, and The Executive Board for the Association of Manufacturing Excellence (AME). He is also an independent Board Member of M-D Products. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billyrtaylor/ Company: CEO of LinkedXL, Retired from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Title: Website: https://www.linkedxl.com/ Headquarters: Independence, OH Year Founded: 2020 Company Type: LLC Company Size: 3 Employees Industry Experience: Across industries, but specializing in the Process Industry Practice Areas: Business Operating System Architecting Firm. We're a Premium Business Solutions Provider. We analyze your business needs and develop a custom operating and daily management system that aligns your enterprise -- Linking people, processes, and assets to deliver Customer & Company value.
Video Version https://vimeo.com/744164877 About the Podcast My guest today is Stephan Meyer PhD, CEO of Almademey Ltd. I have known Stephan for some years now, he being one of the first professionals when I arrived in Germany over a decade ago. I have always found our conversations quite interesting. Like me, he knows you can't hit home-runs without the risk of breaking a few windows. The conversation starts where it always starts, at the beginning. Stephan shares that his father was an electrical engineer and he hoped that Stephan would also become an electrical engineer. But Stephan found himself rather bored with the complicated and gravitated towards the complex (listen or watch the intro for a really elegant explanation for the difference of the two). As such, Stephan gravitated towards psychology. Stephan shares many highlights of his professional journey, including the journey of researching the subject for his PhD, "Sacred Cows" and how they should be sought in an organization and eliminated. And he also makes the case for the necessity for businesses to face perils and even doom every now and then which would offer the opportunity for a radical change and cleansing purge; to be reborn again better. All in, a really great session and I believe you will enjoy it. I did… About Stephan Meyer, PhD Stephan Meyer Stephan has orchestrated successful change initiatives in digital transformation for 25 years. During this time, he has held roles as CEO, Member of the Board, Program Manager, Mentor and Coach. At a rather mature age (you are never too old to learn), Stephan received his PhD in Business Administration and Management at the University of Gloucestershire in England for his research in radical change by finding and killing "sacred cows" in organizations. For his research, he interviewed interim managers, consultants, and line managers. Stephan is a forward-thinking advisor for avant-garde clients. Stephan is not for those who shrink from leading. There are bold choices and there are easy choices. And he stands for those in the front of the line – the bold and visionary, the entrepreneurs, and the risk-takers. Stephan clients are those who surprise the world by taking a leap into the future. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanmeyer/ Company: Almademey Ltd Title: CEO Website: https://stephanmeyer.com/ Headquarters: Paphos District, Cyprus Year Founded: 2022 Company Type: Privately Held, LLC Company Size: Himself Industry Experience: Service, Healthcare, Mobility, Automotive, Life Sciences, Finance, Infrastructure, Media and others Practice Areas: Business Psychology, Business Wargaming, Change Management, Corporate Foresight, Crisis Management, Cultural Change, Digital Transformation, Innovation Management, Lean Management, Merger & Acquisition, Multi-Project Management, Operational Excellence, Organization Design, Performance Measurement, Private Equity, Program Management, Restructuring, Service Management, Strategic Management, Turnaround
Video Version https://vimeo.com/724388913 About the Podcast My guest today is Larry Long Jr, CEO (Chief Energy Officer) of LLJR LLC and the author of the book "JOLT! Get Zapped into Intentionality: Rediscover and Believe in Your Inner Greatness". Buy the book here! Larry has a lot of energy and passion. But he is also approachable and does not shy away from sharing his own challenges and setbacks that he has faced and had to overcome. It is one of the most genuine conversations I have ever had. His parents worked for the Veteran's Administration serving those who had served. And as a result, he moved around quite a bit when he was younger. But it also instilled in him a duty to serve others. One of his core tenants is "you are what you consume", and he is not referring to just food, but media, books, even the people with which you surround yourself. If a person consumes negative, they will be negatively charged – and if they consume positive, they will be positively charged. This is not to say a person needs to become delusional by becoming falsely positive, but that they need to constantly assess that those who are perpetually negative and the professional victims need to be taken in small quantities. And similarly, not to become cynical or loose your empathy, but understand that there is only so much energy that can be devoted to helping others and a person needs to guard against over-investing in one person or cause and neglecting others – seek a balance. All in, a really great session and I believe you will enjoy it. I did... About Larry Long Jr. Larry Long Jr is the Founder and CEO of LLJR Enterprises, which focuses on sales motivation, inspiration, training & coaching. He is the host of the ‘Midweek Midday Motivational Minute' and Author of JOLT! (*released May 19th). As a former college athlete (Go Terps! He played baseball for University of Maryland), Larry is extremely passionate about coaching, and helping professionals take their game to the 'next level'. As an experienced sales leader with a demonstrated history of success in SaaS sales, Larry brings a unique perspective to the table and understands many of the challenges faced by sales professionals. His areas of experience include Sales Training, Team Development, Leadership, & Motivation within organizations of all stages (start-up to publicly traded). Practicing what he preaches, Larry continuously seeks opportunities to learn & grow. Larry looks forward to assisting your organization. You can find Larry on his YouTube channel which includes his series entitled the Midweek Mid-Day Motivational Minute. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/longjr7/ Company: LLJR Enterprises Title: CEO (Chief Energy Officer) Website: LLJR LLC Headquarters: Raleigh-Durham, Chapel Hill Year Founded: 2021 Company Type: Privately Held, LLC Company Size: Himself Practice Areas: Motivational Speaking, Coaching, Consulting, Author
Video Version https://vimeo.com/702374226 About the Podcast My guest today is Tim Pettry, Program Director for Continuous Improvement at the Cleveland Clinic's Akron General (CCAG) Hospital where he directs the implementation of a Culture of Improvement for over 5,500 caregivers, utilizing the Cleveland Clinic Improvement Model. One of the biggest “take-aways” of this conversation is the difference in syntax between manufacturing and healthcare that needs to be considered when attempting to deploy an Continuous Improvement program in a healthcare environment. But we start the conversation at the beginning (where else?) with Tim's 18 years of experience at Ford Motor Company at their Cleveland Manufacturing Site. As a result of the continuous improvement efforts of Tim and his colleagues, Ford won the Shingo Prize with Tim himself being appointed to the Shingo Institute's Board of Examiners in 1996. I am sure you will enjoy listening to the conversation as much as I did. Give a listen. About Tim Pettry Tim Pettry is the Program Director, Continuous Improvement at Cleveland Clinic Akron General (CCAG) where he directs the implementation of a Culture of Improvement for over 5,500 caregivers, utilizing the Cleveland Clinic Improvement Model. He has been a member of a Continuous Improvement team since 2008 that serves over 70,000 Cleveland Clinic caregivers worldwide. Prior to jumping into the Healthcare field, he spent 18 years with the Ford Motor Company at their Cleveland Manufacturing Site in several roles including Cost Analyst, Training Manager, and Ford Production System Coordinator. His final year at Ford he served as a Ford Production System Coach for Powertrain Operations. Tim's career started in retailing as a Department Manager for the May Company (now part of Macy's) where he learned to appreciate the concepts of customer service. Recognizing that a career in Retailing did not fit with his new role as a father, Tim joined Ernst & Whinney's (now Ernst & Young) National Client Services department in Cleveland, where he led a team of 6 analysts and multiple students who were responsible for providing secondary research data and analysis in support of major request for proposals for Audit and Consulting services, and maintaining the firm's Mailing and Alumni programs. Tim's passion for continuous improvement work comes from participating in and leading several cultural transformation efforts while at Ford and the Cleveland Clinic. A highlight of his career was helping to save Ford's Cleveland Engine Plant 1 from closing in 2002. The work there was recognized as one of the pivotal events in valuing work and delivering results in the book, “Inside the Ford-UAW Transformation” Tim was appointed to the Shingo Institute's Board of Examiners in 1996 after leading the team responsible for writing Cleveland Engine Plant 2's Achievement Report and coordinating the site visit that led to the plant being awarded the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing. He has served as a lead examiner for over 10 years. As an examiner, he has participated in a number of site visits to a variety of different manufacturing and healthcare organizations. Additionally, as an examiner, Tim has had the opportunity to review numerous books vying for the Shingo Prize for Publications. Tim served for 6 years as the Shingo Institute's representative on the AME / Shingo Institute / SME Lean Certification Oversight and Appeals Committee, serving as Chairman of the committee in 2010. He earned his Master of Business Administration in Management and Labor Relations from Cleveland State University. He and his wife, Lisa, have 5 grown children and 7 grandchildren. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timpettry/ Company: Cleveland Clinic Title: Program Director, Continuous Improvement Headquarters: Cleveland, Ohio, USA Year Founded: 1921 Company Type: Not-for-profit Hospital Company Size: 72,500 Employees, $12.4 Billion in Revenue Practice Areas: Cleveland Clinic is a not-for-profit American academic medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio with expertise in all healthcare practice areas and is consistently ranked as one of the best hospitals in the United States. It is owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an Ohio not-for-profit corporation established in 1921. It runs a 170-acre (69 ha) campus in Cleveland, as well as 11 affiliated hospitals, 19 family health centers in Northeast Ohio, and hospitals in Florida and Nevada. International operations include the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi hospital in the United Arab Emirates and Cleveland Clinic Canada, which has two executive health and sports medicine clinics in Toronto. Another hospital campus in the United Kingdom, Cleveland Clinic London, opened to outpatients in 2021 and is scheduled to fully open in 2022
Video Version https://vimeo.com/687446935 About the Podcast My guest today is Kevin Robinson, Managing Director of OPEX Performance Solutions Ltd and Toyota Alumni; having spent over 28 years at Toyota UK at the Deeside Engine Plant; starting as an Engineer in 1991 and working his way up the ranks until retiring as the General Manager of Manufacturing Operations. Rather than starting at the beginning of Kevin's journey, we start in the present with Kevin sharing that he had many mentors along his journey who proved invaluable to him on a professional and personal level. And to honor them, he devotes a considerable amount of time being a mentor to others. A lifelong learner, Kevin shares his passion for exploration and discovery. That he is humble and understands that what he knows is nothing compared to what is left still to learn is obvious throughout our conversation. Throughout the entire conversation, Kevin shares nugget of wisdom (knowledge with experience) on a wide variety of topics, which is not a surprise considering his journey within Toyota. I am sure you will enjoy listening to the conversation as much as I did. About Kevin Robinson Kevin Robinson has three decades of hands on leadership experience in manufacturing operations within Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK. Having enjoyed a diverse career working in all key functions before stepping into a general management position. Responsible for delivering on all performance measures he led power train manufacturing operations in the UK through a period of significant challenge, securing a 30% manufacturing capacity improvement with zero capital investment and becoming a benchmark for Toyota global best practice. With a deep knowledge of the Toyota Production System (TPS) and the Toyota Way, Kevin understands the key leadership behaviors, practical methodologies and skills that are essential for delivering operational excellence into any organization. As the founding senior manager for the Toyota Lean Management Centre (TLMC) he developed a program of educational materials and onsite coaching support for sharing Toyota best practice to external clients across a diverse range of sectors, including Government economic development initiatives in Wales and the Republic of Ireland. Kevin's passion lies in creating the right environment to engage all employees, allowing them to contribute positively, grow as individuals and deliver on the key metrics that really matter. He continues to support organizations in their pursuit of operational excellence, providing both executive coaching and mentoring services. Additionally, he continues to share his knowledge as an adjunct lecturer with Trinity College, Dublin and as a Non-executive director with the Irish Centre for Business Excellence (ICBE). LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-robinson-opex/ Company: OPEX Performance Solutions Ltd (retired Toyota-UK) Title: Managing director (GM Manufacturing Operations at Toyota-UK) Headquarters: Greater Cheshire West and Chester Area Year Founded: OPEX Performance Solutions was founded in 2019 Company Type: Privately Held Practice Areas: OPEX Performance Solutions exists to help organizations achieve their true potential. Through the provision of coaching, mentoring and consulting services we aim to add significant value to your current operations. We bring practical hands on experience, deep subject knowledge and a passionate desire to share and make peoples working lives richer and more rewarding.
Video Version https://vimeo.com/672153514 About the Podcast My guest today is Sam Smolik, SVP Americas Manufacturing (retired) for LyondellBasell and author of the book, "The Power of Goal Zero". After his retirement, Sam decided to share the lessons learned during his journey and years of experience - the best practices and techniques for achieving Operational Excellence - and that led him to authoring his book, "The Power of Goal ZERO" (published in June 2021). Through the telling of personal stories and sharing his experiences, "The Power of Goal ZERO" provides a proven roadmap for demonstrating strong leadership, creating a culture of excellence, implementing organizational change, developing effective management systems, and achieving superior performance. In today's competitive environment, individuals and organizations must be best in class to compete and win. The book is designed for leaders and aspiring leaders at all levels to improve personal effectiveness, organizational efficiency, and motivation of people; with the principles helping to enable rapid transformation in any organization. In my interview of Sam, you will gain insights that will undoubtedly help you and your organization become best in class. About Sam Smolik Before retiring from LyondellBasell Industries in 2017, Sam served as Global Vice President for Environment, Health, and Safety for LyondellBasell, Royal Dutch Shell, and The Dow Chemical Company (where he started his career). Sam earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, and currently serves on the Engineering Advisory Board there. In addition, Sam currently serves on several Boards of Directors including; Axalta Coating Systems, Evergreen Industrial Services, and Ducks Unlimited. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-smolik-7084725/ Company: LyondellBasell Title: SVP Americas Manufacturing (retired) Website: https://www.lyondellbasell.com/ Headquarters: Houston, Texas (for US) Year Founded: 2007 (as a result of the acquisition of Lyondell Chemical Company by Basell Polyolefins. Company Type: Publicly Traded (NYSE; LYB) Practice Areas: LyondellBasell is one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world and produces materials and products that are key to advancing solutions to modern challenges like enhancing food safety through; lightweight and flexible packaging, protecting the purity of water supplies through stronger and more versatile pipes, improving the safety, comfort and fuel efficiency of many of the cars and trucks on the road, and ensuring the safe and effective functionality in electronics and appliances. LyondellBasell sells products into more than 100 countries and is the world's largest producer of polypropylene compounds and the largest licensor of polyolefin technologies. In 2021, LyondellBasell was named to Fortune Magazine's list of the “World's Most Admired Companies” for the fourth consecutive year.
Video Version https://vimeo.com/653243654 About the Podcast Hello and welcome to another episode of “State of Readiness”. My guest today is William "Bill" Bierce, Co-Founder of Bierce & Kenerson PC and author of the book, "Smarter Business Exits". The topic of discussion for this episode is the importance of taking into consideration the exit strategies that might present themselves in the future and how to properly prepare to minimize the anxiety and angst and maximize the return. Founded in 1990, Bierce & Kenerson, P.C. has over twenty-five years of experience in advising American and foreign entrepreneurs and businesses on sustainable growth through corporate transactions, commercial contracts and technology and intellectual property management. William's business advisories assist companies, their owners, boards, and investors throughout a company's business lifecycles where he advises on such matters as organizational design, business formation, capital raising, equity compensation, governance, risk management, crisis resolution, resiliency planning, compliance, roll-ups, corporate sales and divestitures. And with his technical advisory, he assists domestic and foreign clients on digital transformation, e-commerce, privacy, cybersecurity and strategic transactions. Fluent in French, William has an undergraduate diploma from Yale and law degrees from New York University and the University of Grenoble, France. About William Bierce LinkedIn Profile; Company; Bierce & Kenerson, P.C. Website; https://biercekenerson.com/ Headquarters; Mount Kisco, New York Year Founded; 1990 Company Type; Private Corporation Specialties;
Video Version https://vimeo.com/653243654 About the Podcast In this episode of "State of Readiness", I welcome Michael F. Schein; the Head Hype Man at MicroFame Media. We met at a "non-conference" in Saratoga Springs in the summer of 2021 where Michael was speaking about "hype". When Michael graduated from university (much to his parent's chagrin) he announced that he was going to be in a rock-band. Even though the band didn't become its own genre, they did pretty well. Much of the band's success was attributed to do with Michael "hyping-up" the band and its promotion; even going so far as purposefully booking themselves in a venue where they knew they would be booed off the stage. After all, there is no such thing as "bad publicity". In our conversation, Michael shares his thoughts on what hype is and how to use it as a positive force to create an energy around your persona to stand-out from the crowd and be recognized; mastering the art and science of using shameless propaganda for personal and social good. Imagine if you could generate and leverage hype for positive purposes―like legitimate business success, helping people, or effecting positive change in your community. Influencers have always deployed the power of hype to get what they want. But never in history have people been so susceptible to propaganda and persuasion as they are now. Hype truly runs our world. About Michael F. Schein Michael F. Schein is the Head Hype Man at MicroFame Media, a company that specializes in making consultants and coaches famous in their fields, and author of the book entitled “The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World's Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers” which is published by McGraw Hill and released in January of 2021 and is available on Amazon and wherever else books are sold. Michael's clients range from the outliers with fresh ideas who want to get their message out and make their mark – to executives at companies such as eBay, Magento, The Medici Group, Ricoh, LinkedIn, Citrix and many others. Michael graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelors of Arts degree in English and his writing has appeared in Fortune, Forbes, Inc., Psychology Today, and Huffington Post, and he is a speaker for international audiences spanning from the northeastern United States to the southeastern coast of China. LinkedIn Profile; https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfrancisschein Company; MicroFame Media Website; https://microfamemedia.com/ Headquarters; Beacon, New York Year Founded; 2012 Company Type; Private Corporation Specialties; MicroFame Media is a marketing agency that turns consultants (and other idea-based businesses) into thought leaders when they don't have the time to do it on their own.
Video Version https://vimeo.com/640700909 About the Podcast In this episode of "State of Readiness", I welcome Marcy Axelrod, Author of "On Your Game" where she explains that each of us have our "A-game"; our individual "superpowers" that we bring every day. And most of the time we are on our game. But what do we do when we get knocked off our game and what do we need to do to fix it? She shares that "research shows that 80+% of Americans lays in bed every night feeling they are not accomplishing what they feel they can", attributing to loneliness, discontentment, and depression; often leading to substance abuse. On Your Game is a wake-up call to all of us who find our days whizzing by without achieving our goals. In a witty, captivating style, Marcy explains the challenges people face, why they face them, and how they can be overcome (and not you). She shares how the "off your game" systems that surround us are constantly conspiring to block our achievement and details what living "on our game" is really about; providing elegant solutions and easy tools to propel us back "On Our Game!" and keep us there. About Marcy Axlerod Marcy Axelrod is a Management Consultant, subject-matter expert/keynote speaker, Author of “On Your Game!”, and Forbes Magazine contributor on trending topic of Customer Journey Mapping with over 25 years of hands-on strategy and innovation work at 'Big 4' consulting firms and boutique consulting organizations focused on accelerating company growth. Marcy's award-winning book, On Your Game! directs consulting tools to drive achievement in our busy lives, supporting business and personal achievement, and earning highly favorable reviews from professors at Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Cornell. With a foundation of ten years as a leader in KPMG Consulting's (BearingPoint's) High Technology Practice in Silicon Valley, Ms. Axelrod proved her abilities to secure new clients and build ongoing revenue streams by delivering meaningful process and financial results. She utilizes a mix proven and innovative approaches to customer strategy, operational effectiveness, and growth strategy by integrating design thinking (a la Dave Evans and Bill Burnett), Jobs-to-be-Done and customer empathy based approaches. Marcy helped build Gartner Group's Silicon Valley Strategy Consulting practice, was Vice President of Strategy for 3Q Digital, (Silicon Valley's digital agency of record, where she built the company's consulting capability, contributing to its 40% revenue growth and redirecting how the company goes to market. Since then she has been delivering independent work (see attached), and advising CEO's from Wall Street firms to computer science camps. Prior to joining KPMG Consulting/BearingPoint (1999), Ms. Axelrod performed buy-side equity research at Lehman Brothers on Wall Street. She also consulted to Fortune 500 companies such as Applied Materials, Hillenbrand Industries and others in business strategy, process redesign and go-to-market strategy creation. Ms. Axelrod earned a Bachelor's degree with honors from Cornell University and an MBA in International Business from Thunderbird. Company; On Your Game Corporation Website; https://onyourgame.today Headquarters; Port Chester, New York Year Founded; 2008 Company Type; Private Corporation Specialties; Deliver corporate growth, innovation and effectiveness projects for global leaders and late stage start-up organizations. Deliver Jobs-to-be-Done customer strategy through primary and secondary research surfacing what they need to accomplish (important, under-satisfied jobs). Accelerate top line growth and internal effectiveness. Work with executives to evaluate issues, design and implement changes to make teams more effective and innovative. Speak about the nature of achievement today, how it actually works, what keeps people and businesses from achieving more, and what her 20 years of research shows.
Video Version https://vimeo.com/638143690 About the Podcast My guest today is John Bicknell, CEO and Founder of More Cowbell Unlimited. Our conversation focuses on processes and the data, and information, that is captured and generated in these systems. But more important, what this information is trying to tell us, how we can hear the messaging, and how it can help in our decision-making process by adding clarity, squelching the noise, and increasing our confidence in that what we are about to do is wise (or not) Processes underlie all naturally occurring phenomena. Poorly understood or opaque processes are a national security intelligence gap. If corporate, critical infrastructure, government, and societal processes were visible and explicit, opportunities become available to strengthen, exploit or monitor these processes. Process mining interrogates system event logs to find the wisdom that might exist in the data and information (with information being data with context). And although many might immediately think of digital information system such as an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system when they think of event logs, this does not have to be the case. For instance, a pilot's flight log is a system event log; with the people reviewing it being the interrogators. A really interesting conversation which I am sure you will enjoy. About John Bicknell John is a national security thought leader and passionate analytics visionary. He has written extensively on national security matters related to information warfare, critical infrastructure defense, and space situational awareness. And he founded More Cowbell Unlimited to help America remain a beacon of hope and strength on the world stage. America must adopt Process Dominance as a core capability in order to innovate and survive in the Information Age. His vision is for process technologies to be as ubiquitous as processes are. John earned his Bachelor or Engineering degree at Vanderbilt University and was a NROTC Midshipman (but without a scholarship). Afterwards, John joined the United States Marine Corps and served worldwide including tours in Afghanistan and assignments at the Pentagon. He retired as Lieutenant Colonel in 2010. He also earned a Master's Degree in Manpower Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School. If you'd like to understand more about how John and the More Cowbell Unlimited team are adapting process mining to enable better, faster decisions for United States Space Force, be sure to check out John's guest article, Process Mining, Situational Awareness, and Competitive Advantage, published by the Operational Excellence Society. Company; More Cowbell Unlimited Website; https://morecowbellunlimited.com/ Headquarters; Lake Oswego, Oregon Year Founded; 2018 Company Type; Private Corporation Specialties; More Cowbell Unlimited is developing bleeding edge process technologies for national defense and industry. We create machine readable process models of naturally occurring phenomena such as; societies, governments, businesses enable numerous applications: Reflexive maneuver operations; Information warfare defense; Antifragility and network vulnerability analyses; Trans-national crime organization chart discovery; Red Team projects such as realistic threat emulation; Business and government agency optimization and “what if” simulations
Video Version https://vimeo.com/606702402 About the Podcast My guest today is Steven Leuschel, Director of Operational Excellence at Guardian Elder Care, with a network of elderly care facilities located across Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Eastern Ohio. Steven and I had met at the Operational Excellence Summit at the Kennametal Center for Operational Excellence at Saint Vincent College where I was delivering a "State of Readiness Masterclass and Workshop in 2018. With four books under his belt and another in process, Steven is a rather prolific writer and we start by discussing the books he had written and the messages and lessons he hoped to convey to the reader. A true academic at heart, Steven is always studying, researching, learning, and teaching. But the real meat on the bone is our discussions related to Lean and the healthcare industry; how the adaptation and application of Lean principles in the healthcare industry are different and how they are similar to their origins in manufacturing. About Steven Leuschel Steven is an experienced practitioner and academic of Lean and Operational Excellence with an emphasis in applying his skills in the field of healthcare. He has published several books including; • "Lean Culture Change: Using a Daily Management System" • "The Executive Guide to Lean Culture Change", a companion workbook • Why Lean Transformation Fails: Common Challenges to Adopting New Leadership and Management • and his latest book; "Sensei Secrets: Mentoring at Toyota Georgetown" which is based on his thesis for his Doctorate Degree and is a study with former members of Toyota Georgetown's start-up years and their relationships with their Senseis. He was previously an adjunct professor at his alma mater, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania and a member of the Operational Excellence team at Indiana Regional Medical Center located in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Steven earned his Bachelors in Liberal Arts and his Masters in Business Management, Operational Excellence at Saint Vincent College (one of the few institutes of higher learning that offer a degree in Operational Excellence). And he earned his PhD in Business Administration and Leadership Studies at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is married and the father of four. And his goal is to climb the highest point in all 50 States. Company; Guardian Elder Care Website; https://guardianhc.com/ Headquarters; 8796 US-219, Brockway, PA 15824 Year Founded; 1995 Company Type; Non-Profit Company Size; 5,500 Employees Specialties; Rehabilitation Services, Long-Term Care, Pharmacy Services, Healthcare Staffing
Video Version https://vimeo.com/567169449 About the Podcast I invite David Mackey is a senior manager at AbbVie presently responsible for the implementation of the SAP "procure to pay" processes at AbbVie. Previously, he was the Director of Operational Excellence at Pharmacyclics (a subsidiary of AbbVie). In addition to AbbVie, he has had senior leadership roles at Genentech and Roche. We start the conversation with David's early days when he was "bitten" by the travel bug, specifically the international travel bug. He was an exchange student to Sweden in high school and to Mexico when at community college. His first degree was in Geography with an emphasis on international trade from Humboldt State University and he earned his MBA in International Business Trade and Operations from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. His love of travel has guided his professional journey; always seeking and chasing opportunities which would take him near (across the US) and far (everywhere else). Most of this work was found in the pharma/biotech industries. David shares the various companies he has worked for and the assignments he had there; each building on the other and each adding to his ever-increasing variety and scope of his accumulated life's experiences. We also spend some time discussing how he and the people who he leads, which are located around the world, have coped during the COVID pandemic. Interestingly, he shares that already being a disbursed workforce, the workings of his team were already purposely designed and configured for working virtually. The conversation then gravitates to post-pandemic business operations, what that may look like, what challenges might be faced, and what may be needed to keep a edge of the team's knife sharp. Give a listen. I am sure you will enjoy hearing David's story as much as I did. About David Mackey David is a global operational excellence leader that focuses on competitive advantage by optimizing employees, teams, technology, organization structure/culture, physical infrastructure, processes and the ability to measure and manage performance and results. His extensive experience managing operations and leading/participating in strategic global initiatives include; the design and launch of a new and ecommerce capable corporate websites, to restructuring multiple regional global supply chains and global service centers, to mapping the customers' experience to launch several improved and/or new operational processes and organizations. After high school graduation, David departed as an exchange student for a second senior year to Sweden where he lived with an exchange family, attended school, and got a job on a dairy farm in the village where he lived. During his time there, he auditioned successfully to play keyboards in a rock band called Sista Utvagen (The Last Way Out); an opening act for more famous Swedish bands (such as Cal P Dahl) whose US hit "Can't Get That Feeling", with the crazy "Uga chaga uga chaga" as the memorable chorus. This gave him the opportunity to travel around Europe. He returned to California and attended Delta Community College, during which he was a summer exchange student to Mexico to improve his Spanish. Given his worldly experiences, he thrives in and across different cultures leading diverse, multi-site teams. And he has leveraged these experiences in his professional career with opportunities to work extensively in countries such as France, Mexico, Singapore, Sweden and across the US for extensive periods of time; as well as many other countries for shorter time periods. He considers his Core Competencies to be: Customer Focus • Coaching to Potential • Global Process Development • GxP • Data and Process Management, Analysis and Communication • Global/Trade Challenges • Continuous Improvement • Program Development and Execution Company; AbbVie Website; https://www.abbvie.com/ Headquarters; North Chicago, Illinois Year Founded; 2013 Company Type; Pharmaceuticals Company Size; ~48,000 employees worldwide Specialties; Immunology, Oncology, Neuroscience research, manufacturing and sales/distribution. AbbVie may have been founded in 2013, but its roots run deep. In 2013, AbbVie became a separate company from Abbott, though the company shares a common legacy and strong prospects for future success. When formed, AbbVie became a new kind of enterprise—a biopharmaceutical company. AbbVie, sees a future full of possibility; where health is in reach and patient lives are improved. They blend the stability, global scale, resources and commercial capabilities of a pharmaceutical company with the focus and culture of a biotech. Today, their employees around the world focus on delivering transformational medicines and therapies that offer significant patient benefits. AbbVie's ~48,000 employees are scientists, researchers, communicators, manufacturing specialists and regulatory experts located around the globe. They come up with new approaches to addressing today's health issues—from life-threatening illness to chronic conditions. We target specific difficult-to-cure diseases where we can leverage our core R&D expertise to advance science. We're constantly working to create solutions that go beyond treating the illness to have a positive impact on patients' lives, on societies—and on science itself.
Video version https://vimeo.com/566698929 About the Podcast Today I invite back to "State of Readiness", Brent Gleeson, a Navy SEAL combat veteran and serial entrepreneur. In addition to being a best-selling author of "Taking Point" and his new release, "Embrace the Suck", Brent has leveraged the principles of leadership, discipline, accountability and resiliency learned in training and applied down range for building high-performance teams in the business world. Brent was the very first guest on "State of Readiness" back when it was audio only and the conversation was riveting. In this episode, we talk about how he came to be a SEAL (hint: it wasn't a life-long ambition), what was involved, and the experiences and wisdom he has gained from his experiences; which he uses to help individuals and companies become the best versions of themselves they can be. And, of course, we talk about the lessons he shares in his books. I am sure you will enjoy the conversation as much as I did. Upon leaving SEAL Team 5, Brent turned his discipline and battlefield lessons to the world of business and has become an accomplished entrepreneur, author, and acclaimed speaker on topics ranging from leadership and building high-performance teams to culture and organizational transformation. I am sure you will enjoy the conversation as much as I did. About Brent Gleeson Brent Gleeson is a Navy SEAL combat veteran with multiple tours to Iraq and Africa. Upon leaving SEAL Team 5, Brent turned his discipline and battlefield lessons to the world of business and has become an accomplished entrepreneur, author, and acclaimed speaker on topics ranging from leadership and building high performance teams to culture and organizational transformation. You can learn more about his leadership philosophies in his weekly columns on Inc.com and Forbes.com. Brent is the Founder and CEO of TakingPoint Leadership, a progressive leadership and management consulting firm with a focus on business transformation and building high-performance cultures. With degrees in finance and economics from Southern Methodist University, certificates in English and History from Oxford University in England and a graduate business degree from University of San Diego, Gleeson's extensive experience is both academic and real-world in nature. Gleeson has won awards for business leadership and was named one of the “Top 10 CEOs” in Entrepreneur Magazine's October 2013 issue for his exemplary approach to building high-performance teams in business. Between his experiences in the SEAL Teams and building award winning organizations that have topped the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies, Brent has become a business transformation expert. TakingPoint highlights his ten-principle program all leaders and managers will need to lead change and achieve winning results in the twenty-first century business landscape. Company; Taking Point Leadership Website; https://takingpointleadership.com/ Headquarters; Rancho Santa Fe, California Year Founded; 2014 Company Type; Consultancy Company Size; 10 Specialties; Leadership and Organizational Development, Culture Transformation, Team Building, Workshops, and Keynotes.
Video version https://vimeo.com/526594685 About the Podcast My guest today is Carey Lohrenz and was the first female F-14 fighter pilots in the United States Navy; call-sign Vixen. Given her experiences, she knows well that inconsistent execution in fast-moving, dynamic environments can generate catastrophic results. Carey has translated her training, leadership, and strategy experience in the Navy to helping business leaders supercharge their performance in today’s competitive business environments; adapting strategies under pressure, reducing errors, and overcoming obstacles along the way. Her first book, “Fearless Leadership”, was a Wall Street Journal Best Seller – and explored the characteristics of true leaders—courage, tenacity, and integrity. And her latest book, “Span of Control”, picks up where Fearless Leadership left off – encouraging and guiding readers to develop resilience for facing hard times – offering a clear path out of the chaos when we are seemingly overwhelmed. Carey is a selfless individual, the very definition of a servant leader, and I am very pleased to consider her a personal friend of mine. About Carey Lohrenz Carey Lohrenz is a dynamic communicator with an incredible story. As the first female F-14 Tomcat pilot, she was a pioneer in military aviation. Having flown missions worldwide as a combat, mission-ready United States Navy pilot, Carey Lohrenz is used to working in fast moving, dynamic environments where inconsistent execution can generate catastrophic results. Carey is uniquely qualified in the fundamentals of winning under pressure, reducing errors and overcoming obstacles. Her mastery of these fundamentals can help your team triumph in this high-risk, time crunched world. Her experience in the all-male environment of fighter aviation and her ability to pass on the lessons learned in her career allow her to deliver insight and guidance from a credible platform. As a high content Keynote Speaker, who is both motivational and inspirational, Carey Lohrenz inspires Fearless Leadership and increased team performance. Carey has been requested by name from some of the top Fortune 100 businesses. Her ability to connect with both an audience and on a one-on-one level, coupled with her knowledge and experience in leading high-performing, diverse teams, has made her highly sought after as a business consultant and leadership speaker. Carey Lohrenz is the author of “Fearless Leadership" and "Span of Control." She resides in Excelsior, MN and is currently working on her Masters in Business Administration in Strategic Leadership. Company; Carey Lohrenz Website; https://careylohrenz.com/ Headquarters; Minnetonka, MN Year Founded; 2012 Company Type; Consultancy Company Size; 1 Specialties; Keynote Speaker, Workshops, Team Building, Strategic Partnerships, Creating High Performance Teams, Achieving Life Balance
Video version https://vimeo.com/520733354 About the Podcast My guest today is Dave Light, owner of Certainty Resources Limited and author of the book, “The Certainty Principle”. Dave has had a very interesting career path; beginning as a Teamster working on the docks in San Francisco before going to UC Berkeley where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Biochemistry and Biophysics. After graduation, he worked for several companies including Genentech and had several roles, including that of CEO. Dave earned his Masters Degree in Management and Leadership at Western Governors University. And in 2015, started his firm which is dedicated to helping hone the leadership and sales skills. His clients include some of the most well-known companies in the world. A new book, “Culture of Certainty”, will be published is the summer of 2021. About David Light Company; Certainty Resources Website; Headquarters; Year Founded; Company Type; Company Size; Specialties;
Video version https://vimeo.com/511549585 About the Podcast I invite Aaron Roe, presently the Process Owner of Customer Experience at Roche Diabetes Care, as my guest on this episode of "State of Readiness". This is a really great conversation full of enthusiasm and passion. Aaron started his professional career out of tech school at a small start-up weighing drops of water as part of the testing process for medical devices. His process included queuing 10 devices at a time. One day, a colleague suggested there was a better way; and that better way was queuing three at a time. This proved to be more efficient and Aaron has been infatuated with process improvement ever since. But the real "ah-ha" moment came as Aaron saw the start-up grow and move from Lean principles to value-based manufacturing. This resulted in employees working to the KPI (as naturally occurs), but not in what was in the best interests of the company. The results looked good on paper for a time, but the company was building inventory; with much of the inventory expiring before it was sold and brought the company to near failure. A true tail of woe. But an experience which would shape Aaron's thinking since. Give a listen. I am sure you will enjoy hearing Aaron's story as much as I did. About Aaron Roe Aaron Roe has spent the last 15 years at Roche, holding positions and roles including; Commercial Excellence Director, Business Process Owner for Global Marketing and Customer Experience and various roles in Continuous Improvement, Quality, and Compliance. For the past seven years, he has also been an Instructor and Course Designer in Lean Principles at Purdue’s College of Engineering. His career began in food service before moving on to automotive service and then to Medical-Devices. From the factory, to the warehouse, to the customer’s lab, he has specialized in leading professionals to take what is and make it better. But his passion and specialization are tackling the “Big Hairy Performance Problems” that loom large and prevent business from moving forward and is especially adept at facilitating collaboration and progress in complex scenarios. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and his MBA at Indiana Wesleyan University. Company; Roche Website; https://www.roche.com/ Headquarters; Basel, Switzerland Year Founded; 1896 Company Type; Pharmaceuticals Company Size; 80,000 employees worldwide Specialties; F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG (aka "Roche") is a Swiss multinational healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, Roche Holding AG, has bearer shares listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. Roche Diabetes Care is a leading provider of blood sugar monitoring systems and insulin pumps. With more than 40 years experience, our number one goal is to help people living with diabetes track and manage their blood sugar so they may have better control of their health.
Video version https://vimeo.com/492486581 About the Podcast Today I invite Brian Strobel, VP of Corporate Quality at Sierra Nevada Corporation (the aerospace company, not the beer guys) and author of the upcoming book, “Pursuing Excellence: A Values-Based, Systems Approach to Help Companies Become More Resilient” (2021), in addition to his previous book, “Leading Change from Within: A Road Map to Help Middle Managers Affect Lasting Change” (2015). We start off the conversation with the notion of “truth”, what is it and who holds it. In this regard, Brian and I agree that neither he or I are the holders of the truth when it comes to people, leadership, and followership – and that we both are skeptical of people who claim to be the holders of the truth when it comes to topics which are nuanced and contextual. After obtaining an AAS in Metrology and then a BA in Physics, and having considered signing up for the nuclear Navy, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps where he served for fifteen years as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer, primarily with F/A-18 Aircraft. Highlights of his career include three carrier deployments, a two-year exchange tour with the Royal Australian Air Force, Quality Assurance Officer for the US Atlantic Fleet, and Aircraft Maintenance Officer for the largest squadron in the Marine Corps. The conversation continues to his transition out of the Marine Corps, to civilian life and the various companies he worked at the roles he held; and with each incarnation having increased responsibility and authority and his leadership skills matured and where honed. The experiences, stories, and insights gained that Brian shares through his civilian career hold a lot of wisdom and is a particularly good listen. And he shares details of his books; why he wrote them, who he wrote them for, what he hopes people gain from their reading them, and experiences of the writing process itself. So if anyone is thinking about becoming an author, there is some good guidance here. About Brian Strobel Brian has been leading people in operational environments for nearly thirty years. His initial academic pursuits trained him to be a physicist, but life had other plans. He’s served in roles from leading large-scale military operations to leading change across large companies and is certified as a trainer for Situational Leadership, a Professional Coach, a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and a Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence. Brian’s professional career started as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps where he served for 15 years as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer, primarily with F/A-18 Aircraft. Following the Marines, he worked at various companies serving the Department of Defense including; Harris Corporation, Northrup Grumman, and L3 Technologies before landing his current role at Sierra Nevada Corporation. Within each company, and in changing companies, the roles Brian held increasingly had more responsibility. He is the author of “Leading Change from Within: A Road Map to Help Middle Managers Affect Lasting Change” (available on Amazon) published in 2015. And his latest book is “Pursuing Excellence: A Values-Based, Systems Approach to Help Companies Become More Resilient” whose website is here and is due to be released in February of 2021 and available on Amazon. Brian earned his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Physics from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, his Master of Arts (MA) degree in Management from Webster University, and his Master of Science (MSc) degree in Executive Leadership at the University of San Diego School of Business where he studied under Ken Blanchard. Although Brian’s path has been different than most, he has always focused on pursuing excellence. This path ultimately revealed how his life’s plan was coming together where he is now fully dedicated to its pursuit, living in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada with his wife and his new dog. When not serving as the Vice President of Quality helping a special company pursue excellence, you can probably find him with his wife and that dog enjoying the mountains. Company; Sierra Nevada Corporation Website; https://www.sncorp.com/ Headquarters; Sparks, Nevada Year Founded; 1963 Company Type; Privately held Company Size; 4,000+ Employees in over 40 locations Specialties; Sierra Nevada Corporation provides electronic aerospace and defense system The Company offers communication, navigation, and air traffic management systems, as well as provides intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, command, and control products.
Video version https://vimeo.com/473115660 About the Podcast In this episode I invite Ofra Kalechstain, CEO of Matics, to join me to share her story and the story of Matics; a publisher of suite of Manufacturing Executions Systems (MES) applications that help manufacturers monitor and manage their production operation activities. As CEO, Ofra’s responsibilities are to lead and steward the company’s ambitions to become the leading provider of MES applications around the world. We start the conversation discussing Industry 4.0 and the transformative effects it has on manufacturing businesses around the world, but in particular how it is been supported by governments as a means of keeping the manufacturers within their countries competitive so that they are able to remain where they are and not relocate their production elsewhere. We talk about some of the tell-tails, the signs, of a company that might be in need of embracing industry 4.0 and digitalization; the most obvious of which is creating and maintaining paper records for reporting activities. These paper records will result in delays in making decisions necessary to optimize the production and react in an agile manner to sub-optimal or changes in circumstances. Ofra offers a brief tour of the Matics Manager Application which highlights some of the abilities of the system and its benefits. Being able to monitor the health of plants and production remotely, I joke that a plant manager could manage their operations from a beach in Mauritius; well, you can. Ofra offers an interesting story, and a fascinating solution. Give a listen. About Ofra Kalechstain Ofra Kalechstain has been the CEO of Matics since 2019, previously serving as the company’s CTO. Prior to Matics, Kalechstain was the Vice President of Product Development at Paradigm, a globally distributed organization where for over 26 years she led the product development business unit, overseeing an annual budget of $45M. Kalechstain has been instrumental in growing Matics and instilling a culture of competitive excellence throughout the organization. She has helped build a durable organization which has and can continue to withstand change. Kalechstain holds a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion). Since 2015 she’s also been an active investor in tech startups, leading several companies to financial growth and successful product delivery. Company; Matics Trusted by hundreds of factories around the world, Matics is a new generation of manufacturing execution systems (MES) leveraging emerging smart technology. It delivers a holistic view, centralizing control of your production floor and infusing the whole enterprise – from the factory floor to the executive table – with real-time data analytics. Our solutions rapidly deploys in a secure, cloud-based, non-disruptive, modular and scalable way. Website; https://matics.live Headquarters; Haifa, Israel Company Type; Software Publisher specializing in apps that manage production
Video version https://vimeo.com/460252023 About the Podcast In this edition of “State of Readiness”, I invite Dr. Morphis Tsalikidis. Morphis is an experienced professional in the field of Operational Excellence who I have known for a great many years and with whom I have shared the stage at several conferences. Our conversation is on the impact of COVID on businesses and their operations. Even though we know we have not made it through to the other side of this event, and in fact we are still in the midst of it, we share our observations of what companies have done, what they are doing, and what they might still need to consider. We start off with a discussion on "disruptors"; specifically what are non-credible disruptors and what are credible disruptors. The difference between the two is that a credible disruptor has truly destructive powers and where true transformation will occur; necessity being the mother of invention. One of the most obvious results of the COVID transformation is how quickly businesses made the transition from working at an office to working at home; something which was anathema prior to COVID. But what was especially remarkable was that the business leaders with whom each of us have spoken almost universally share that their productivity and the productivity of their staff has actually increased markedly; although the activity on the production floor has not fared as well for a variety of reasons. Since we are both OpEx/CI professionals, we delve into into the role, organization, and delivery of OpEx/CI programs and the observations we have had with respect to their effectiveness during this transformative period. In this regard, the OpEx/CI programs have had mixed results and we do a deep dive in sharing our observations and opinions with regards to why. Give a listen... About Dr. Morphis Tsalikidis Dr. Morphis Tsalikidis has a passion is for helping organizations develop their in-house capabilities in Continuous Improvement tools, techniques and mindset. Morphis earned a PhD at Lancaster University studying the effects of Lean Six Sigma deployment on Organizational Learning and Knowledge Creation and his Masters in Management Science and Operational Research from the Warwick Business School at the University of Warwick. Morphis is an internationally experienced operational excellence and business transformation executive who has had experiences around the world. His areas of expertise involve Lean Six Sigma, change management and developing and deploying business models and his experience has been with manufacturing and insurance. His professional training and qualifications include: Professional Agile Leadership (PAL-I); PROSCI – Change Management; EFQM – Organizational Excellence; PRINCE 2 – Project Management; Master Black Belt exam- Lean Six Sigma; IASSC – Accredited Training Associate. Presently, he is the founder of Morphis Consulting, a consultancy that helps organizations improve their operational performance. Prior to starting his own firm, he was the Regional Operational Excellence and Business Transformation Director at AXA He has worked with companies of various sizes; ranging from 150 to over 3000 employees and with revenues from 80 million to over 2.5 billion euros and has experience in Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Video version https://vimeo.com/452339095 About the podcast In this edition of “State of Readiness”, I welcome Manuel “Manny” Ugarte, Director and Strategic Accounts Manager of the United States Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC). The US Army’s CCDC mission is to provide the research, engineering, and analytical expertise to deliver capabilities that enable the Army to deter and, when necessary, decisively defeat any adversary now and in the future. And the CCDC’s vision is to be the scientific and technological foundation of the Army Modernization Enterprise through world-leading research, development, engineering and analysis. Manny and I start by talking about his current role at the CCDC and the confluence of research, data, data analytics, and converting that research and data into a basis for making decisions about the future operations and capabilities of the US Army. Of particular interest is that the nature of what the CCDC and he are doing goes contraire to a lot of his past experience and training. After all, research begets innovation, and innovation requires the ability to think and act outside the box – to question everything even down to the core of how the US Army operates. But the real great story is about Manny’s life journey; Manny was born in Puerto Rico, the son of Cuban exiles escaping from the Castro regime. After escaping Cuba, his father earned his BSc in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Mayaquez afterwards “earning his salt” and providing for his family. From this experience his father instilled in Manny his life’s values and the notion of serving their adopted country as a way of giving back. There was no tradition of military service in the family (except for his great grandfather serving in the Spanish Navy way back when). After University, he found himself assigned in Panama. And this is where the story really gets interesting; it includes all the elements of a great story. There is a warehouse full of surplus vending machines and Manny decides to moonlight as an entrepreneur while serving as an officer in the Army (or is it the other way around?). There is his finding the love of his life (with whom he took forever to actually court) and who happens to be a lawyer who helps him with his business dealings (which is the excuse he found for keeping her close). And there is the vicious competition of the old ladies selling empanada’s and coke on the corner – culture kills strategy. This is a really great story. In a very real way, it is the story of America, the American Dream, and everything that is great, and can be great, about the American experience. Give a listen. I am sure you will find it as funny, enjoyable, and inspirational as I did. And I am certain you will end-up with a smile on your face and a bounce in your step. Guest: Manuel "Manny" Ugarte Manuel "Manny" Ugarte Manuel “Manny” Ugarte is the Director & Strategic Accounts Manager to oversee the Science and Technology strategic planning, program, budget & execution of experimental and state-of-the-art capabilities of the US Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command – the subordinate organization of the nascent Army’s Futures Command. His leadership and military experiences have focused on strategic planning, process improvement, operations, and complex problem solving. As an executive leader, he embraces operational excellence methods, directing high performance teams on problem-solving techniques informed by business intelligence. Manny has served the United States in its operations around the world as a US Army Officer and Executive for over 25 years. Throughout his career, Manny has held many positions, including stints as Director of Analytics at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Chief Operating Officer at the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and Senior Operations Research Analyst at the Army Futures Command. He earned his BASc of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering as an ROTC Cadet from Norwich University, his MBA from Tarleton State University, his MSc in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School, and his MEng in Engineering and Industrial Management from Penn State University. He is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt practitioner and Master Black Belt candidate from the US Army. Manuel recently completed an Executive Program certification in Management and Leadership from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Organization: US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Website; https://www.army.mil/ccdc Headquarters; Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, Maryland Year founded; February 2019 Company type; Defense / Military Industry Company size; ~ 26,200 civilian employees, military, and contractor workforce with a combined annual direct and reimbursable budget in excess of $6B Specialties; Engineering, Research & Development for US Army science & technology
About the podcast I invite Jason Prochilo, Vice President of Operations at Edel Golf, LLC to join me in a conversation. Edel Golf is a manufacturer of custom golf equipment specializing in personally-fit putters, wedges, and irons. Jason primary responsibility is as leader of the putter department and the manufacturing efforts in the company. They manufacture all of their equipment in-house, using a machine shop they own and operate and with all of the materials used in their equipment being sourced from within the United States. Their customized fitting process yields a potential of over 1-million different combinations to dial-in the fit of the equipment to the golfer. I ask about the seemingly contrarian approach to continuous improvement – where most manufacturers would want to minimize variants, Edel seems to purposefully go in the opposite direction. Accordingly, you won’t normally find Edel equipment at a sporting goods store. Rather, you will find their trained field engineers fitting buyers at country clubs where experiential opportunities might exist. For instance, the putter fitting is focused on aim and speed to eliminate the biases and tendencies that might exist within the golfer. Having the background of the value-proposition, Jason then takes us on a conversational tour of how a golfer is fitted, and then through the order processing, manufacturing, and fulfillment. Having a basic understanding of Edel Golf, how it operates, it’s “super power”, and what Jason does there, we then move the conversation to Jason’s journey. What experiences did Jason have that eventually found him at Edel Golf. It is not a usual path with a combination of skill, luck, and a bit of being impetuous – making bold decisions from incomplete and imperfect date (my kind of guy). Come take a listen. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I did… https://youtu.be/-J8fWb9WFZ4 Guest: Jason Prochilo Jason Prochilo Jason Prochilo is the Vice President of Operations at Edel Golf LLC, reporting directly to the CEO/Owner. Viewed as a forward-thinking leader and catalyst for continuous improvement procedures, Jason is best known for his passion, energy, and ability to move the company forward through turnaround solutions, utilizing technology and Kaizen principles. Jason inspires his teams to think differently, believe and deliver beyond what others think is possible. A decisive executive, Jason’s success in optimizing business value and improving efficiencies has led to historic gains in building a world-class manufacturing entity and global order fulfillment business. With numerous industry accolades and collaborating on 11 company patents focused on innovative solutions, Jason’s ability to visualize future success has set him apart from those merely satisfied with yesterday’s accomplishments. Prior to Edel Golf LLC, Jason honorably served 9 years in the United States Marine Corps as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense Sergeant. As a decorated and distinguished military leader with a Top Secret (SSBI) security clearance, Jason presented sensitive situation briefs and subject matter expertise to executive staff. Jason resides in Austin, Texas with his wife Stephanie, their two children, and Plott hound rescue dog. Away from the office, Jason is an avid golfer, outdoor enthusiast, youth sports coach, and community volunteer. Currently, Jason is collaborating on an open forum youth technology program teaching tomorrow’s workforce about technology and tools. Company: Edel Golf LLC Website: www.edelgolf.com Headquarters: Liberty Hill, TX (about 45 minutes NW of Austin) Year Founded: 1996 Company Type: Golf + Manufacturing Company Size: 300+ accounts worldwide Specialities: Custom-Fit golf equipment, bespoke putters, single length irons, hand crafted wedges, global fulfillment, collaborating with Hall of Fame instructors, and world class manufacturing of tour proven products Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute
About the podcast I invite Andrew Chrostowski, Chairman of the Board and Acting CEO of RealWear to “State of Readiness”. We start with discussing what RealWear is all about – and it is one of the coolest systems I have seen for employee-enablement. RealWear had designed and developed ruggedized head-mounted wearable Android-class tablet computer that frees a worker’s hands for dangerous jobs. Being hands-free, it is purpose-built for Connected Worker programs in the industrial enterprise and is safely controlled with just your voice, even in extremely noisy environments. With a growing number of hands-free partner solutions, our customers are taking full advantage of the unlimited power of our systems for remote mentor, document navigation, industrial IoT visualization and digital workflow solutions. Global leaders in energy, manufacturing and automotive industries trust RealWear to empower and connect their global workforce Being a young company, we talk about the entrepreneurial spirit that is pervasive throughout the company. Andrew shares how opportunities are recognized and how exciting it is to work in an environment of a young company; the energy, nimbleness, innovation, and joy in solving problems nimbleness is pervasive. And we talk about how COVID-19 has illuminated the power of telephony and how telephony in general will be leveraged much more in a post-COVID world. And Andrew shares with us his journey. Being originally trained as a physicist, when he is faced with a technical issue, he goes back to the fundamentals. His graduate studies in Systems Management prepared him to manage and optimize complex interrelationships and has found these learnings to have instilled in him a great toolkit for managing quality, safety, operations, innovation, digital transformation and business systems in general. Come take a listen. Fascinating person, fascinating company… https://youtu.be/P1XQotex_ac Guest: Andrew E. Chrostowski Andrew E. Chrostowski Andrew Chrostowski is a senior executive with deep experience in developing teams and strategies that enable innovation, growth, and profitability improvements. As an NACD Certified Director, Qualified Technology Executive and a founding executive member of the Digital Directors Network, he strives to improve board performance and digital governance excellence to shape and secure the digital future for everyone. He currently serves as a board member on the Finance Committee for the Rogers Group, and as the Chairman of the Board and Acting CEO for RealWear. Before beginning his civilian career, Andrew served nine years as a physicist and program manager working on satellite and Command, Control, Communication, and Intelligence Systems (C3I) systems. He has held positions of increasing responsibility with Hitachi, Warner-Lambert, Pfizer, Energizer, Goodrich Aerospace, UTC, Tyco and JCI. He holds two undergraduate degrees in Engineering Physics from Oregon State University’s Honor Program where he was a distinguished graduate of Air Force ROTC. He has a Master’s Degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California’s Institute for Safety and Systems Management and later completed a certificate of professional development at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Company: RealWear Website: www.realwear.com Headquarters: Vancouver, WA Year founded: 2016 Company type: Private Company size: ~ 90 employees Specialties: Hands-free Wearable Industrial Computers – Including the only Inherently Safe ATEX Z1 Div1 Class 1 Wearable in the world. Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute
We welcome Philip Holt, Vice President of Operational Excellence at GKN Aerospace, for a conversation. We start off the program discussing Philip’s two books, “Leading with Lean” and “The Simplicity of Lean”; the latter having won the Bronze Medal in the Axiom Book Awards. We take a walk in Philip’s shoes for a spell and follow his journey. It starts with Philip gaining his Undergraduate Degree in Polymer Engineering and afterwards working at a tier-1 automotive supplier. He then moved on to Gillette where he helped to manufacture plastic componentry before moving on to Supply Chain and Procurement. After almost five-years in Gillette, he landed a position at Philips where he started in Continuous Improvement before becoming Head of Operational Excellence. After twelve years at Philips, being based in the Netherlands, he took his present position at GKN Aerospace as Senior Vice President of Operational Excellence. Come take a stroll along Philip’s journey… Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Guest: Philip Holt Philip Holt is Senior Vice President, Operational Excellence, at GKN Aerospace and a Board Member of the Operational Excellence Society. He studied Engineering at Manchester Metropolitan University and Management at the Wharton School of Pennsylvania and the University of Warwick, was an engineer at Gillette and led the Lean Deployment worldwide at Philips for over twelve years. He achieved Lean Master status and has summarized his 30+ years of experience and insights into Lean Leadership in his previous book Leading with Lean and his most recent book, The Simplicity of Lean. Books: Leading With Lean Leading with Lean; https://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-experience-based-leading-transformation/dp/9462761442/ The Simplicity Of Lean The Simplicity of Lean; https://www.amazon.com/Simplicity-Lean-Complexity-Delivering-Excellence-ebook/dp/B087GD4BT6/
I welcome Pavle Sabic to my first-ever audio and video production of State of Readiness. We talk about the human side of business; how to get more joy out of work, how to make it more joyous for others. And we talk about a company’s workforce and how organizations are constructed needs to change. Pavle invokes Peter Drucker with “culture eats strategy for breakfast” and agrees that culture is more important than strategy. To achieve this, companies need to put people front and center – especially as the workforce becomes distributed. And by that, Pavle means companies have to look to fairness, that the benefits of working together are shared together, empowerment and autonomy, empathy, and flexibility of work, autonomy. In the best organizations, success is fueled by openness, acceptance, compassion and above all cohesion across business units. Understanding the company brand and culture promotes a clear company vision, mission and ambition. However some organizations are their own worst enemies. Their teams focus on complaining, waste valuable resources, expel energy on negativity and stretch the already limited resources. Every single one of us has the potential to change the world and be the best version of ourselves. Pavle believes that change in a person's life is possible no matter the age. Through the acceptance of our individuality, pursuit of self-expression and social cohesion, we give ourselves the opportunity to grow and thrive. Understanding the development needs of the individual within their unique situation, Pavle provides a confidential and supportive feedback-rich environment where clients can gain valuable insights and develop positive new behaviors. Not implementing quality thought leadership is a major mistake that organization make in failing to maximize value throughout the sales process and commercial funnel. Moreover they are not able to create effective and emotive research to engage their existing clients to prevent attrition and churn. Presentations skills are an absolute necessity in today's noisy, data rich business world. Pavle has helped organizations create, produce and execute industry leading webinars, research report, videos, thought pieces and presentations to capture the market's attention and help their clients lead with conviction. Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Video version https://vimeo.com/411818337 Guest: Pavle Sabic Pavle Sabic Pavle Sabic is a thought leader and a growth expert, working with individuals and corporations to build cohesion across their organizations. Founder of TM2 Ventures and a former business head at S&P Global based in New York, he is an expert in delivering strategic expansion objectives for Fortune 500 companies. He has lived and worked in UK, Europe, Africa and Asia, helping to grow businesses in developed and emerging markets. Previously, Pavle was a consultant at State Street, and an analyst at AEGON Asset Management. Pavle has been published in the media (WSJ, Forbes, FT etc.), and is a broadcast contributor to CNBC and NYSE. He is also an official Associate Partner of University of Edinburgh Business School. He is also an, investor, actor/producer staring in Ari Taub’s 2019 film 79 parts, a professional ski coach and keen surfer. Pavle graduated ‘summa cum laude’ BSc in Mathematics and Economics and holds an MSc in Finance and Investment from the University of Edinburgh. Studied Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School. He holds the Financial Risk Manager designation by GARP and was the winner of the ‘40 Under 40’ for Research from The M&A Advisor Association based in New York. Pavle was recently recognized as a "Top 100 in 100 Years" by the University of Edinburgh Business School where, in celebrating its 100 years since being founded, Pavle was selected among over 17,000 graduates as being recognized as being one of the standout global changemakers committed to making a difference in their industry. You can discover others who were recognized by clicking here. Company details: Company Name: Tell Me More Ventures Website: www.tm2ventures.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavlesabic/ Headquarters: New York Year founded: 2018 Company type: Professional Services Company size: 5 people Specialties: Thought Leadership and Human Capital Consulting / Couching
Daniel has spent his entire professional and personal career in the field of Industrial Engineers. In this episode, we explore the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a “Black Swan” event, on the way businesses might operate post-pandemic. We start by discussing how telephony in education and the corporate world will be embraced more readily to its becoming ubiquitous. While both Dan and myself have been working virtually long before it was cool, institutions for learning, from grade-school through university, and a great many companies that are not tech-companies, are getting a crash-course. Dan shares that the technology is not new – companies like Google, Facebook, and others have been using “vc” for “visual chat” a long time. And the benefits for time, efficiency, and effectiveness which, while known by some, will be more readily embraced by all – mostly because they discover how it can be an accelerant for achieving objectives. One of the biggest transformations will come in the field of education. For decades, traditional institutes of higher learning have looked down upon those that delivered education telephonically – only to embrace it enthusiastically when faced with a crisis. The challenge is to maintain quality, as if the quality of education delivered telephonically is inherently inferior. But what if the quality of delivering education telephonically is actually superior – once its learned how to make it superior. This leads us to a discussion on the value of face-to-face. Humans are social beings and we need that close interaction. This is not only necessary to make the learning experience more enjoyable and “sticky”, but also the primary driver for why people go to conferences. The sessions are (usually) very good, but it’s the interaction with peers in a casual setting where the real value of attending is gained. The conversation continues with deep dives into the various ways companies are discovering there is a “silver lining” during this pandemic cloud; the various ways they are realizing how they can improve the performance in their operations, increase health and safety, accelerate the achievement of strategic initiatives, reduce operating costs (such as the overhead of real estate and travel) and so on. Come take a listen, open your mind, and start using your imagination as to what can be, what good can come from all this bad. Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Guest: Daniel P. Bumblauskas, Ph.D. Daniel P. Bumblauskas, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Management and the Hamilton / ESP International Fellow of Supply Chain and Logistics Management at the University of Northern Iowa; a visiting professor at the University of Washington; and holds a courtesy appointment at the University of Missouri where he previously held a faculty appointment. Dan conducts research, teaches, and consults on various areas related to operational excellence and business development. He has published over 45 peer reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings, including publications in journals such; as Expert Systems with Applications, IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications and Business Process Management. He earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Economics from Iowa State University, a master of liberal arts in general management from Harvard University, and received both his M.S. and Ph.D in Industrial Engineering from Iowa State University. Prior to his faculty appointments, he was employed in industry by ABB Incorporated and Sears Holding Corporation. He currently serves as a Vice President of PFC Services, Inc., a consulting firm based in Marietta, Georgia. Family: wife, Kendra, and four children (Addilyn, Taryn, Grayson and Weston; ages 11, 10, 7, and 5 respectively) Hobbies: golfing, ice hockey (Waterloo Youth Hockey Association – WYHA, USA Hockey 6U/8U Level 1 coach) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-bumblauskas/ Company details: University of Northern Iowa https://uni.edu/ Headquarters; Cedar Falls, Iowa Founded in 1876 Company type; Higher Education Company size; ~ 639 academic staff PFC Services https://pfcservicesinc.com/ Headquarters; Marietta, Georgia Founded in 2000 Company type; Management Consulting Specialties; Industrial Engineering, Operations & Supply Chain Management, General Management
For 20+ years Joe has been empowering organizations, teams, and individuals to continuously improve processes and outcomes toward their goals and ultimately achieve Excellence in their chosen business, function, or discipline. What makes Joe unique is that he has led successful transformation programs across several Fortune 100 companies – and he has experienced the deployment and sustainment phases both as a senior leader of large organizations, as well as an Operational Excellence practitioner. We explore Joe’s dual Bachelor’ Degrees in Economics and Psychology from St. Lawrence University and how those two disciplines interplayed during his career; where they intersected and where they diverged. Joe found that hard facts drive decisions, but those decisions are made by people who are greatly influenced by the emotions they feel. Joe shares many of his experiences throughout his career. One subject in which we take a deep dive is comparing and contrasting collegiate engagement that is face-to-face versus that which is largely remote. Joe relates how he was involved in a lean transformation and the daily huddles were invaluable for level-setting the team, sharing experiences, and creating alignment for what had to be done – but the actual work was performed semi-autonomously. The huddles helped to build a level of trust so that when people did work remotely, they had confidence in their teammates because they knew them. His take-away from the experience was that remote working will work, but it will work better if the team increases their understanding of one another and the trust that comes with it. Joe shares many more experiences and insights and I am sure you will enjoy the opportunity to learn from him. Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Guest: Joe Vacca Joe Vacca About Joe Vacca Joe has 25 years of leadership experience in Operations and Finance with an emphasis on Continuous Improvement and Enterprise efficiency. He has worked across Insurance, Financial Services, and Health Care industries at companies including General Electric, MassMutual, Aetna and CIGNA. He has also invested considerable time assisting community-based organizations with achieving their goals. Joe has been a practicing Six Sigma Black Belt since 2004, with ASQ certifications for Black Belt (CSSBB) and Lean (LSC). He has a bachelor’s degree in Economics & Psychology from St. Lawrence University (summa cum laude) and an MBA from Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management. He is also a graduate of GE’s renowned Financial Management Program and CIGNA’s Financial Development Program, which he then directed upon graduation. Joe lives in Connecticut with his wife and two daughters and enjoys outdoor sports and wellness activities such as hiking, running and biking in his free time. About Cigna Website: https://www.cigna.com/ Headquarters: Bloomfield, CT Year founded: INA was founded in 1792; CG was founded in 1912; merged to CIGNA in 1982 Company type: Publicly traded (Symbol CI NYSE) Company size: ~$150 Billion in annual revenue; 74,000 employees Specialties: Cigna's mission is to improve the health, well-being, and peace of mind of those we serve by making health care simple, affordable, and predictable.
Cindy is as self-made a person as anyone I have ever met. After graduating high school and not having any particular skills that were as yet discovered nor the grades or money to get into University, she joined the United States Navy as an enlisted person. Perhaps she knew, and it’s just as likely she did not, that this single decision to join the Navy set her on a professional trajectory that is nothing short of amazing. Once in the Navy, her MOS was that of a cryptologic technician maintenance servicing communication equipment. As her initial planned time in the Navy was nearing the end, instead of leaving, she decided to remain and earn her Bachelor’s Degree (soon-after becoming an officer) and then her Master’s Degrees – eventually retiring from the Navy. She earned her Doctorate degree after leaving the Navy when she was 46. Her doctoral study, Knowledge Management and Innovation on Firm Performance of United States Ship Repair, provided her the opportunity to gain additional professional and academic expertise to facilitate improvements in organizational knowledge management. She had a daughter while stationed in Georgia which added yet another level of complexity; working hard to balance her professional career in the Navy with her studies and the new responsibilities of being a mother. Her driving force – wanting to never fail at any of it and making sure her daughter was provided for and brought-up in a stable environment. If all this was not enough, Cindy has found time to become a certified Project Management Professional, a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, and as an ASQ-Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence – and has been a contributing author to several books including; Chapter 3: Using Leadership to Improve Firm Performance Through Knowledge Management from The Refractive Thinker: Volume XI: Women in Leadership and Chapter 4: Ensuring Prosperous Knowledge Flow from the Silent Generation Through Generation Z in a Global Workforce from The Refractive Thinker: Volume XVII: Managing a Cultural Workforce: The Impact of Global Employees. I am sure you will find Cindy’s life journey as fascinating and inspirational as I did. Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Guest: Dr. Cynthia Young Dr. Cynthia Young About Dr. Cynthia J. Young Cindy resides in Chesapeake, Virginia. She holds several accredited degrees; a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland, College Park; two Masters of Business Administration (MBA), one in e-commerce and one in advanced management studies, from Trident University International; and a Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) from Walden University. She is a retired Surface Warfare Officer with 23 years in the U.S. Navy having entered the Navy directly out of high school. At Leidos, Cindy is a Theater Mission Planning Center Curriculum Developer and Instructor, a defense contracting company. She is a past-Chair of American Society for Quality, Tidewater, Section 1128, and a member of the Project Management Institute, Golden Key International Honor Society, and Delta Mu Delta International Business Honor Society. Outside of her professional career, she raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with Team in Training (TNT). She has run (to date) two marathons (Marine Corps Marathon and the Chicago Marathon) and two half-marathons (Norfolk Harbor Half Marathon and the Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon). About Leidos Website: https://www.leidos.com/ Headquarters: Reston, VA Year founded: Leidos (from Kaleidoscope) was originally part of SAIC, which was founded in 1969, but split from SAIC in Sept 2013. Company type: Global science and technology leader Company size: 34,000 and growing; over $10B; #311 in the Fortune 500 Specialties: Defense, Civil, Health, and Intelligence markets with core competencies of: cyber, digital modernization, integrated systems, mission software systems, mission support, operations and logistics, and sensors, collection, and phenomenology.
With fifteen years of international work experience, Caroline Bondier joined with KONE Corporation in 2011 as a CRM Business Analyst and has moved up the ranks of leadership to her present position as the Director, Process Development and Program Management for KONE’s Modernization Business Line. After some struggle to find work, Caroline started her career in document coordination at NOKIA as a subcontractor before moving on to the sales and marketing development for Finnish based Citec group. She moved on to KONE in 2011, starting in IT and process development with a focus on CRM. Caroline moved to the business operations side of KONE in 2014 driving business transformation in the tendering and ordering processes and in 2017 took on the newly create role of process development and program management for modernization business line. Caroline describes herself as an “excellence ideologist”. She does not adhere to any one way or doctrine for achieving excellence, but rather looks at the opportunities to become better holistically. We talk about the “KONE Way”; what it is and how it supports the pursuit of the company strategy. The KONE WAY is actually a reference in the Nordics. Maybe not as well-known as the “Toyota Way”, but the way we operate. The point here is not to talk about KONE products, but to explain the importance of our operating model (which is fairly advanced according to benchmarks), how it supports achieving our results, how big the challenges have been, and what’s her role is in it. And we talk about her general philosophies, experiences, and approaches she has had over her career. Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Guest: Caroline Bondier Caroline Bondier About Caroline Bondier Caroline was born in France and moved to Finland when 20 years old where she fell in love with the country. She earned her undergraduate business degrees at the Université Montesquieu Bordeaux 4 and the HAMK Häme University of Applied Sciences. She went on to earn her MBA at the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. Caroline’s passion is to support organizations into achieving their vision for growth through operational excellence. Her focus is on how improvement and performance happens and how teams succeed. With her strong leadership skills and change managements capabilities, she has been able to systematically drive teams, solutions, and programs towards success. Caroline loves to travel and volunteers at the Red Cross as fundraising manager. About KONE Corporation Website; https://www.kone.com/en/ Headquarters; Espoo, Finland Year Founded; 1910 Company Type; International engineering and service company Company Size; $10.7B (2019-est) with 55,000 employees across 60 countries worldwide Specialties; Designs, engineers, manufactures, installs, and services; autowalks, automatic doors and gates, escalators, and elevators.
I welcome Dale Bayley, the Lean Director of the Filtration Group of Parker Hannifin to this edition of State of Readiness. Parker Hannifin is a an publicly-traded American corporation (NYSE: PH) founded in 1917, revenues of $14.3B(2018), 58,000 employees globally, and specializing in motion and control technologies which Dale joined in 1978. Dale grew-up in a blue-collar, hard-working family. And when Dale joined Parker, as an production assembler, he did not have a college degree. It wasn’t until 2008 with the support of Parker Hannifin that Dale earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. During the time of his earning his degree and working full-time, Dale also selected this moment to earn his Lean Six-Sigma Black Belt from ASQ – he had a full plate. Working as a maintenance mechanic in 1993, Parker Hannifin was launching a Best Practices program when he was asked to be core team member in the beginning of the initiative. Instead of going back to maintenance, Dale joined the Best Practices team full-time – a moment in his career with Parker Hannifin when the choice was made for him but not by him. The Best Practices program evolved into a Lean program and Dale incrementally gained greater and greater responsibilities – eventually becoming the Lean Director of the Filtration Group. He shares his thoughts Leadership and what he has learned over the years. And he shares his thoughts on Lean and how you can cut too much, or not in the right place saying; “If your objective is to lose weight, you can lose 20lbs immediately by cutting off your leg. But that’s not clarity of the objective. The objective is to be healthier and that’s why you want to lose weight.” Eliminate the waste, but remain toned. Listen-in on Dale and his sharing his fascinating journey. He came from modest beginnings and grew to a position of leadership in one of the most respected companies in the world. And although he has grown in rank and title, he has remained true to his roots and a humble servant-leader. Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Guest: Dale Bayley Dale Bayley About Dale Bayley Dale Bayley is the Lean Director of the Filtration Group of Parker Hannifin. He is also the founder of Aspire Coaching and Consulting. Dale started with Parker Hannifin as an production assembler 41 years ago in 1978. With Parker he held various leadership roles and found his niche as a champion of continuous improvement initiatives since 1993. Dale earned his Six Sigma Black Belt Certification with ASQ in 2007. He has also accomplished multiple model plant certifications globally (California, Brazil, South Korea, the UK, and Thailand) including winning the AME award for Operational Excellence in 2010. As Lean Director Dale leads a Leadership Development Program, runs monthly Global Operational reviews for 45 operations, and conducts rapid improvement Kaizen events at targeted sites. Dale also joined the John Maxwell Team as an independent certified coach, trainer, and speaker and setup Aspire Coaching and Consulting. He is ambitious at the service of others and clarified his personal mission as helping others to live abundantly and continuously improve. About Parker Hannifin Corporation Website; https://www.parker.com/ Headquarters; Mayfield Heights, OH Year founded; 1917 Company type; American publicly-traded corporation (NYSE: PH) specializing in motion and control technologies Company size; Revenue of $14.3B (2018) with about 58,000 employees globally Specialties; Company specializes in Filtration, sealing, hose and fittings, hydraulics, pneumatics, valves and controls
In this edition of “State of Readiness”, I interview Céline Felan, Vice President of Business Transformation at Community Brands, a software company that provides a suite of offerings for membership-based organizations, private schools and churches. Being born in Paris, France and raised in the Netherlands, Céline now calls Austin, Texas home – where she quickly learned and understood the phrase “grabbing the bull by the horns”. In her role, she has help guide the company through 28 acquisitions over the past two (2) years. Yes, you read that right (I even asked her to repeat that during the podcast because it seemed like quite a bit – and it is). As such, Céline’s days are non-standard and she never really knows for certain how each day (or each acquisition) will play out. This proved to be a considerable challenge for Céline, who is a self-professed “Type-A Perfectionist”. She had to learn and understand that “80 is the new 100”. Over time, Community Brands has created an “acquisition checklist”, but it is imperfect so it’s more of a guideline than a checklist. Most of the acquisitions are of small(ish) companies. As such, the corporate culture is that of their founders. Community brands strives to maintain the individualism of the company from a cultural perspective – keeping in mind to preserve what might keep the employees happy such as having taco-Tuesdays or allowing pets to come to the office, but making sure that the companies learn the “team colors” and fight under the corporate flag. The acquired companies are also expected to remain where they are geographically with consolidations being mostly in the General and Administrative functions where services can be shared. Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Guest: Céline Felan About Céline Felan Dedicated to expanding business capabilities, fostering innovation, driving operational efficiencies and adding value to clients, the organization and investors. Known for optimizing productivity, revenue, service levels, and employee performance through comprehensive organizational development strategies. Inspiring communicator and change agent motivating employees to go beyond set job descriptions. Energized, enthusiastic, and tenacious with exceptional mentoring skills and global business experience. PHILOSOPHY I enjoy every opportunity to define and drive strategy to meet our company objectives as one organization. I approach a business objective from multiple perspectives, understanding all aspects and dependencies, working across teams to define a strategy. This all-encompassing approach unifies the different departments around a common goal and path forward, driving close collaboration and accountability. Once accomplished, I work side-by-side with the teams to assure successful adoption and ownership of the new business processes; allowing the team to be self-sustaining and driving a culture of continuous improvement. About Community Brands Website; www.communitybrands.com Headquarters; St. Petersburg Florida Year founded; 2017 Company type; Software Company size; 3000 employees Specialties; Software suite provider for Membership based organizations, Private Schools and Churches.
I welcome Tyrone “Ty” Muse to this episode of State of Readiness. Ty is the CEO and President of Visions Federal Credit Union, a not-for-profit financial institution with $4.2 in assets and he will share the journey of his career from working with Jack Welch at GE Asset Management, to PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and Goldman Sachs. But in particular, Ty will share the challenges he faced when he joined Visions; changing it from what it was, to what it is, towards what it will be. In my interviews, I try to remain unbiased – and I think I do a pretty good job in this episode also. But I have to disclose that I do have a bias. Of all of the business leaders I have met over the years and those I have interviewed, Ty stands out as one of my most favourites. Certainly he has drive and he has vision (pun intended) as all good leaders must. But his real passion, core values, and “true North” is helping people and it’s unmistakable. He is the quintessential “humble servant leader”. I have had several sit-downs with Ty over the last year or so and the conversation is always easy, inspiring, insightful – and real. The conversations have never ended because they lose steam, but because of some other prior commitment that brings it to a premature end. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. To get a sense of the real Ty and what he is all about, be sure to see the link to the video at the bottom of his biography. Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Guest: Tyrone Muse About Tyrone MuseTy is President/CEO of Visions Federal Credit Union, a $4 2 billion financial institution headquartered in Endwell, NY serving 200,000 members primarily in three states (New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania).Prior to joining Visions Federal Credit Union on May 1, 2013, Ty was the CFO of Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union, based in Poughkeepsie, NY. Though Ty’s roots are southern, he was raised in Wallkill, NY. He attended Northeastern University in Boston, MA on a track scholarship where he attained his undergraduate degree, Masters in Accounting, and his MBA. Ty has over 25 years in the financial services industry working at institutions such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Goldman Sachs (Controller at Archon Group – Real Estate Division), and GE Asset Management. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.Ty has received numerous awards for his efforts in supporting the community and promoting giving for numerous causes. At age 48, he still says his greatest accomplishment is marrying his wife and raising his two daughters. Ty now lives in Vestal, NY, and in his leisure time, he enjoys attending Binghamton University basketball games, playing basketball at the Jewish Community Center, and watching his children compete in their sporting events. In their spare time, the Muse family sponsored and coached a free track club of over 100 children from ages 7 to 17 through a partnership with Triple Cities Running Club. Ty also serves on numerous community boards and advisory councils across the country.All around, Ty leads by using positivity and encouragement. Winning is contagious and fun and can be seen in his overall approach to life and management. He asks that everyone find “one thing” they are passionate about to make their lives, family, job or community better. With this approach, he believes it will lead to thousands of “one things” to make our community better. To get a better sense of Visions Federal Credit Union and Ty’s brand, watch the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXaNPGGrvtI About Visions Federal Credit UnionWebsite; https://visionsfcu.org Headquarters; Endwell, NY Year founded; 1966 Company type; Banking, Not-for-Profit Company size; $4.2 Billion Specialties; Banking, Lending, Financial Services, Helping People
In this episode, I welcome Michael Rabbitt, Head of Business Transformation, Argonne National Laboratory, a world-class research laboratory. Having a BA in Operations Management and Information Systems and earning his MBA in Human Resource Management, Michael will share his journey; how his interests evolved over time, the experiences he gained in change management, and his observations and the changes he had to make in moving from the private sector (insurance) to the public sector (research). The passion that Michael has for operational excellence and helping others is obvious even to the casual passer-by. It is anchored by his core values and rooted in his servant leadership which he demonstrates in both his professional and personal lives – never being shy to hold himself accountable. He believes that his empathy for those he wishes to influence, and a focus on customer satisfaction are keys to his success and will result in sustainable change for the better. Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Guest: Michael Rabbitt About Michael RabbittMichael is the head of the Business Transformation Office at Argonne National Laboratory. He has over 30 years of experience in business operations and IT, including process improvement, project management, business analysis, and client services. As a Six Sigma Black Belt, he also established and co-leads Argonne’s Lean Six Sigma Community of Practice. Michael formerly worked at Continental Insurance, CNA Insurance, and Sedgwick. Michael’s civic and community engagement work includes several non-profit organizations, one example being an affordable housing advocacy organization in Chicago that he co-founded. Michael is a graduate of Bradley University, and holds an MBA from DePaul University. Michael is a native of St. Louis and currently lives in Chicago with his wife and two children.“Quirky fact”: In his youth, Michael’s knowledge of sports history and statistics helped him win the grand prize of the “When Will Lou Do It?” contest sponsored by the St. Louis Cardinals (to predict when Lou Brock would break baseball’s career stolen base record). Four months in advance, he predicted the date, inning, and exact minute of Brock’s historic achievement (and as a tiebreaker, predicted the runs scored and was about 1,000 off on the attendance). About Argonne National LaboratoryWebsite; https://www.anl.gov/ Headquarters; Lemont, IL Year founded; 1946 Company type; Research Company size; 3,000+ employees and 8,000+ users (researchers) Specialties; Argonne was initially formed to carry out Enrico Fermi's work on nuclear reactors as part of the Manhattan Project, and it was designated as the first national laboratory in the United States on July 1, 1946. Its present-day research includes; Physical, Life, Environmental, Energy, Photon, Data, and Computational Sciences, and Global Security.
I welcome Stephane Jeanmart, Chemistry Operational Excellence Lead at Syngenta, a global agrochemical business headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. In this episode, Stephane shares his journey from being formally trained in Chemistry, a discipline of predictable outcomes governed by formulas and exactness, to a less exact discipline that is Operational Excellence which is largely about people. Syngenta was formed from the spin-off of a portion of the agrichemical businesses of Novartis and Astra-Zeneca. Joining Syngenta post-formation, Stephane shares his experience in seeing the cultures of two different companies evolve into the single culture that is Syngenta. We also discuss the importance of teamwork, some resources and models that helped in the understanding of building teams, and what is necessary to create high-performance teams Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Guest: Stephane Jeanmart About Sephane JeanmartStephane Jeanmart obtained his B.S. and M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Namur, Belgium. He received his Ph.D. degree in Organic Chemistry from the same university. After 18 months of a postdoctoral position at the University of York, U.K., he joined Syngenta UK as a team leader. In 2009, he moved within the same company to Switzerland where he occupied different managerial positions and led several OpEx projects/initiatives. In 2018, he moved full time to the operational excellence department and he is currently Chemistry Operational Excellence Lead.He is self-learner in Operational Excellence, fascinated by the concepts but having never earned any formal “belt” certifications. He understands that it might be a weakness, but he also considers it a strength because he had to use his critical thinking skills to make his own opinion on each problem he faced; not hesitant to collaborate, ask for help, and seek the wisdom of others. About SyngentaWebsite; https://www.syngenta.com/ Headquarters; Basel, Switzerland Year founded; 2000 Company type; Agrochemical Company size; 27,000+ employees Specialties; Crop Protection, Lawn, and Garden Products, Seeds, and Flowers
In this episode of State of Readiness, I interview Carl Kirpes, responsible for Crude Oil Strategy & Analysis at Marathon Petroleum Corporation. Carl and I met some years ago at an annual conference of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers when he was just graduating from Iowa State University – and we have stayed in touch over the years. Listen in as we follow Carl’s career; from being a walk-on player on the Iowa State Football team and the influence Coach Rhoads had on him, to his joining GENESYS Systems Integrator where he rose to the position of Vice President of Operations in just about a year from graduating, and now at Marathon. He will also share with us the importance of always learning, of being mentored, and of being a mentor. Hear about how Carl applies a concept he coined Reflective Leadership, dive into the ALL IN mentality of the Iowa State collegiate football program, and uncover how "Individuals provide the potential, but teamwork creates the results." Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Guest: Carl Kirpes Carl is a leader experienced in strategic & operational planning; consultative sales; and organizational cadence implementation to lead constant improvement initiatives, while overseeing management of day to day operations and developing high performance teams. Known for bringing systemic solutions to strategy and innovation from concept to execution.
In this episode of State of Readiness, we speak with Steve Waszak, Vice President of Operational Excellence at Green Group Industries about organizational alignment. For Steve, establishing organizational alignment was key to the transformation that he facilitated during his first two years in his role in OpEx. We discuss some of the things that need to be in place including the challenges associated with trying to get and keep everyone aligned. One silo-busting exercise example Steve will share is the value of a good roadmap and engaging exercises including generating the Measurement Matrix. This had everyone in each functional area pick one measure for every other functional area that was a key indicator of the health of the relationship between their functional areas. In addition to his role as Vice President, and in the realm of “who invented these obscure things”, Steve and his brother invented "the way to accurately measure and control" the small piece of metal in the bag that made microwave popcorn possible – and what they are up to now. Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Download Podcast Here Guest: Steve Waszak Each day, Steve looks forward to meeting new people, new challenges, learning, and opportunities to bring business performance, competitiveness and growth to new levels. Steve is the Vice President of Operational Excellence for Greene Group Industries, a privately-held major supplier to leading industrial manufacturers, with locations across the USA in California, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Reporting to the President, Steve works across the company’s business units and functional areas driving organizational alignment and fostering a customer focused culture to support the goal of continuously improving competitive advantage.
In this episode, we will have a conversation with James Considine; the Chief of Staff and Head of Business Programs for the Aging and Caregiving business at Philips, where he oversee the enterprise PMO, Continuous Improvement, and Enterprise Reporting & Analytics. Over the last several years, James has held a variety of operational/operational excellence roles building on his training in continuous improvement. From 2008 to 2012, James held various positions at GE, ultimately holding the role of Chief of Staff and Global Operations leader. It is here where he was trained in the disciplines of Lean Six Sigma – training that has served as his professional lighthouse since. It was in 2012 that James made the change from GE to Philips. His diverse career has enabled him to deliver transformational results in a variety of contexts; from manufacturing operations, to sales and marketing, to business development, and joint venturing. James’ “Superpower” is bringing order and clarity to chaos, creating structures that remove wasteful variation, while enabling people and organizations to deliver their best. He attributes his skills to his studies of philosophy and understanding people from their perspective; what motivates them, what fears they might have. In doing so, he is able to establish and maintain an alignment and commitment of people and their efforts to the company objectives and ensure the company is committed to supporting the people. Although originally from Downstate New York, he went earned his undergraduate and MBA at the State University of New York in Albany – and it is in this beautiful part of the world – Upstate New York – where he has lived ever since. His main passion outside of family, friends, serving his community, and his golden retrievers is cycling up and down the hills around his home – He also gets most of his best ideas on the bike, so it’s also quite productive professionally. Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Guest: James Considine James is a passionate, proven global chief of staff, operations and organization transformation executive -- his primary expertise is strategy execution —transforming organizations in healthcare to deliver value and help people everywhere get the care they need, when and where they need it. His specialty is partnering with CEOs, getting big things done - lots of them - repeatably, sustainably, in challenging global organizational and cultural environments.
Our guest in this episode of “State of Readiness” is Donald Kuk; continuous improvement expert extraordinaire. He started his continuous improvement journey in the mid-1990's at General Electric when he was personally selected by Jack Welch to join Jack and a select group of others senior leaders at GE in the very class to be trained in Six Sigma – taught by the original Six Sigma Guru himself, the late Mikel Harry. Since then, Donald has held senior leadership positions at JP Morgan - Chase, Computer Associates, AIG, BNY Mellon, and now Mednax (a leading healthcare provider in the States). Whether in the C-Suite or reporting to the C-Suite in his various positions, his responsibilities included; Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence, Quality, Policy Deployment, and Business Transformation. I am sure you will find his experiences, stories, and insights as fascinating as I did. Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Guest: Donald Kuk [icon name="linkedin-square" class="fa-2x" unprefixed_class=""] In addition to graduating from GE’s Executive University as mentioned above; Donald graduated from the College of the Air Force, US Air Force Medical School, Sheppard, AFB and earned his certification as a Surgical / Emergency Medical Technician. Afterwards, he went on to George Washington University and Vernay Laboratories where he studied Statistical Process Management under Dr. W. Edward Deming (who signed his certificate) and also the University of Michigan where he studied chemistry. The companies Donald has worked at and the positions held include; MEDNAX; Chief Transformation Officer, CTO, Operational Excellence, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt BNY Mellon; Chief Process Architect, Strategist, Operational Excellence, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt AIG; Enterprise Transformation Change Agent, Operational Excellence, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt CA Technologies; Vice President Worldwide Transformation, Operational Excellence, Quality and Policy Deployment JPMorgan Chase; Senior Vice President Operational Excellence & Business Transformation Telaxis Communications; Vice President Operations, Operational Excellence and Business Transformation GE Global Research; Executive Manager Worldwide Advanced Technology and Business Transformation Intergraph; Director Advanced Technology In addition to being published in respected magazines and journals (both on the web and in print), Donald has been recognized and honored with many awards and patents.
In this episode, I interview Peter Evans, Continuous Improvement Director for Lego Group. I have known Peter for a couple of years. And we seem to keep running into one another at Operational Excellence conferences – which are the circumstances of our first meeting. I have always found Peter to be an affable gentleman and have always appreciated his insights and the experiences he shared. I grew up with Legos. Loved playing with them. My sons loved playing with them. It seems children all over the world love playing with them. So, if you’re like me, you must wonder; “Is Lego the coolest company in the world to work for?” According to Peter, the answer is “Yes.” In this podcast, Peter shares is career journey and the wisdom (knowledge + experience) he has gained over time. And he and I do a deeper dive into his experiences at Lego; the type of company Lego is, what its values are, and how Lego and its employees remain aligned to those values. Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Guest: Peter Evans [icon name="linkedin-square" class="fa-2x" unprefixed_class=""] Peter was born in 1955. The early part of his career was in finance in various industries, including defense, financial services, and telecommunications. He worked for General Electric under Jack Welch throughout the 90’s including spells in Manchester, Brussels, Shannon (Eire) and Connecticut. From 2000 to 2013 he worked in Telecoms in the UK, first with Vodafone, then Cable & Wireless, before finally leading Operational Excellence for Virgin Media. And from 2013 to 2015 Peter led Process Excellence in Northern Europe for Maersk Line, based in Copenhagen. He joined the LEGO – the biggest tire manufacturer in the world – in February 2016. Since February 2016 Peter has been Director of LCI (LEGO Continuous Improvement) at LEGO with specific responsibility for Business Service Operations and is actively involved in establishing a Global Business Services Organization for Finance, HR and other services. Peter Lives in Newtown, Powys, UK with his wife Amanda, Dogs, Cats and various other pets and pests
Welcome to this inaugural episode of “State of Readiness”, a podcast devoted to sharing knowledge of how companies can become high-performance organizations and hosted by Joseph Paris. Our first guest is Brent Gleeson; a Navy SEAL combat veteran with multiple tours to Iraq and Africa. Upon leaving SEAL Team 5, Brent turned his discipline and battlefield lessons to the world of business and has become an accomplished entrepreneur, author, and acclaimed speaker on topics ranging from leadership and building high-performance teams to culture and organizational transformation. Brent is the Founder and CEO of TakingPoint Leadership, a progressive leadership and management consulting firm with a focus on business transformation and building high-performance cultures. Brent has degrees in finance and economics from Southern Methodist University, certificates in English and History from Oxford University in England and a graduate business degree from University of San Diego. He is the bestselling author of TakingPoint: A Navy SEAL’s 10 Fail Safe Principles for Leading Through Change, which was a #1 New Release on Amazon in Organizational Change and Business Structural Adjustment. Take a listen and learn Brent’s views on what it takes to make an organization successful. Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute Guest: Brent Gleeson [icon name="linkedin-square" class="fa-2x" unprefixed_class=""] Company: Taking Point Leadership Brent Gleeson is a Navy SEAL combat veteran with multiple tours to Iraq and Africa. Upon leaving SEAL Team 5, Brent turned his discipline and battlefield lessons to the world of business and has become an accomplished entrepreneur, author, and acclaimed speaker on topics ranging from leadership and building high performance teams to culture and organizational transformation. You can learn more about his leadership philosophies in his weekly columns on Inc.com and Forbes.com. Brent is the Founder and CEO of TakingPoint Leadership, a progressive leadership and management consulting firm with a focus on business transformation and building high-performance cultures. With degrees in finance and economics from Southern Methodist University, certificates in English and History from Oxford University in England and a graduate business degree from University of San Diego, Gleeson’s extensive experience is both academic and real-world in nature. Gleeson has won awards for business leadership and was named one of the “Top 10 CEOs” in Entrepreneur Magazine’s October 2013 issue for his exemplary approach to building high-performance teams in business. He is the bestselling author of TakingPoint: A Navy SEAL’s 10 Fail Safe Principles for Leading Through Change, which was a #1 New Release on Amazon in Organizational Change and Business Structural Adjustment. Between his experiences in the SEAL Teams and building award winning organizations that have topped the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies, Brent has become a business transformation expert. TakingPoint highlights his ten-principle program all leaders and managers will need to lead change and achieve winning results in the twenty-first century business landscape. He has also starred in several reality shows including NBC’s ‘Stars Earn Stripes’ where he and Chris Kyle of America Sniper along with other special operations professionals were paired with celebrities to compete and raise money for charities like Wounded Warrior Project. Brent is on the executive board of the SEAL Family Foundation and his family is an Ambassador Family for March of Dimes. He is married with three wonderful children.
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