Clear decision-making is critical to succeed in business. Sometimes you must move forward boldly even with a lack of desired data. Sometimes failing to act is essentially a decision by default! Have you missed an acquisition opportunity due to inaction? Have you lost a great customer because your team reacted to a problem without confidence…
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Actually, that isn’t the question. The question every business owner really needs to ask is: When and how should I scale? Scalability is the ability to maintain performance and deliver quality products as a company begins to take on more customers, hire new people, and expand in its market, with or without increased resources. Scalability…
Training your employees on why they do something is just as important as training them what to do and how to do it. Process Documentation is the framework that gives you a roadmap on exactly how to go about this! You may be wondering what exactly this looks like and how you can apply these…
Attention to EMMA WORKSPACE users! We are excited to announce that EMMA Workspace’s new software name is EPS OPTIC(S)™. The new website is epsoptics.com Monitor your mailbox moving forward, the notifications will be coming from no-reply@epsoptics.com Here is the update inside the EPS OPTIC(S): Modules: OPTIC(S) Training WHAT’S INSIDE THIS TRAINING? THE P5 ROCKET MODEL The EPS…
If Key Performance Indicators don’t inspire, inform, involve, and interest people, then it is unlikely that they will IMPACT the outcomes! In a recent post by Robertson Hunter Stewart, president of RHS Consulting, “KPI” took on a new and powerful meaning. What if your business quit focusing on the top 4 standard KPIs and focused on…
“My inventory is missing, but I hear you’re the guy that can help!” The caller was the frazzled owner of a business that had a constant flow of inventory both in and out of its warehouses. The missing inventory was the lifeblood of this organization, and being unable to keep track of it was expensive…
They were tired, frustrated, overworked, and didn’t have time to enjoy things related to life, such as hobbies or family time. Some of them were questioning the future of their career in the organization. Maybe it was time to quit. So, when the boss came and told them they were about to add one more…
Consider the following scenario: It’s 10 PM and your baby is still awake. She’s been fussy and irritable all evening and doesn’t want anything you’ve given her to soothe her. You’re starting to think she might be sick. You go to the cabinet and grab a thermometer and take her temperature. Sure enough! She’s burning…
1913 was an exciting year to be alive in America! New inventions revolutionize the world and seemed to be hitting the market every day from the humble zipper to stainless steel. This was the year Arthur Wynne invented the crossword puzzle and Cracker Jacks added toys to their packaging, bringing widespread happiness to millions. Meanwhile,…
The top 7 things business leaders get wrong about process… 1. Overcomplexification… I know that isn’t a word but making things more complex than they need to be is almost always counterproductive. 2. Oversimplification… Assuming processes are simpler than they actually are. 3. Lack of consistent documentation… As businesses & teams grow,…
How often have you looked at a data sheet and wondered if the calculations were accurate? When people see statistical data, it is often assumed that it is accurate. Numbers don’t lie… or do they? What happens if the people entering the data were distracted and entered data after the fact? Data can only tell…
People are far smarter than typically given credit for. Often, there is a disconnect in training employees and/or communication that creates problems. When connecting people and processes, explaining why a process is relevant is just as important as what the processes are and how the processes work together. Employees in the food service industry…
A decision-making process can become a massively complex and time-consuming process, making coming to a decision an exhausting process for all involved. A general contractor had a matrix to help the decision-making process for pursuing new projects. This matrix was a complex spreadsheet requiring the lead to answer dozens of questions, including the investment of…
3 Components for Boosting Your Company to Improve Performance After all, it is more important than ever to maintain a high level of productivity. It is easy to get distracted by the many things that are vying for your attention and before you know it, hours have passed without accomplishing what needs to be…
The top 7 things business leaders get wrong about process… 1. Overcomplexification… I know that isn’t a word but making things more complex than they need to be is almost always counterproductive. 2. Oversimplification… Assuming processes are simpler than they actually are. 3. Lack of consistent documentation… As businesses & teams grow, standards get eroded.…
Are you using Chatgpt AI yet? I started writing this article and was interrupted by an interesting thought… Why not let AI write it? You may have heard of the new tool that is absolutely taking over conversations in technology called #chatgpt. This new system was developed on the open.ai platform and actually wrote the following…
Do you know how often companies waste money because a software system is not used as it was designed? Sometimes, the basic features of a user interface (UI) software system are not even used as they should be. It is possible that the software isn’t synced with the behaviors and habits of the people that…
Every company has processes and needs to train people to fulfill those. And, when half-trained people are handed half-defined instructions, the entire company can break down. People become discouraged and frustrated. In the late 1960s, at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, a Sumatran orangutan named Fu Manchu kept escaping from his cage. The…
Sitting and watching a warm crackling 🔥 contemplating how the 3 most important things to keep a fire burning are a metaphor for our organizations. 1. Fuel & Oxygen 2. Chemical Reaction 3. Heat Without all three elements, the fire will die out. Fire requires tending to maintain. Appropriate maintenance ensures balance. …
About 8 years ago, I managed over 180 people across 9 teams. We created a dashboard with 3 metrics per team: Quality, Cost (value), and Timeliness (speed) on a corkboard outside my office, and the teams were responsible for updating their metrics each month. It was simple & clear. Below are 3 key points…
Listen With Your Eyes Imagine the following scenes: You’re sitting at your computer, responding to a few emails while typing up a report that was due yesterday. An employee comes in and asks you a question on a procedure, to which you hurriedly respond without taking your eyes off your work so as not to…
To date, these blogs have addressed how a problem is often a symptom of a real problem and what the real problem of your organization is. The internal and external pain points are often indicators that the people and the processes within your organization are not aligned. The solution to the real problem is in…
What’s the Real Problem? The previous blog reviewed how a problem is not always the problem but often a symptom of the real problem. Those symptoms can include high turnover, plummeting profits, customer complaints, and more. These are internal and external pain points. The real problem is that the people are not aligned with…
This entire blog series has reviewed how your perceived problem is a symptom of the real problem, how to solve the real problem, and how to design a stronger rocket ship. Now it is time to launch your stronger organization to achieve its purpose. This process has been implemented for 6 years now and has…
Learn How to Reduce Employee Frustration with a Customer Journey Map Does your company deal with frustrated clients that seem to leave in the middle of onboarding? Have you received those angry client calls about the slow processing or the length of time it takes for someone to get back to them? How aware…
Chicago OD Practitioners Network Topic: Rocketing your Organization to Success through Process Alignment Date: Friday, November 18, 2022 Location: Virtual, via Zoom Time: 7:45-8:00 AM networking 8:00-9:30 AM program Register: Reply to this email at CODPNetwork@gmail.com by Tuesday, November 15 (free program). You will receive a Zoom link 1-2 days before the program date. Program Description In today’s complex post-pandemic…
Commitment to Organizational Prosperity: Building a Better Rocketship You have a strong understanding of how misalignment between people and processes in your organization is the real cause of the internal and external pain points of your organization. Now it’s time to start putting the pieces together to build a better rocket ship for mission…
Are your team & processes “protecting or attacking waste”? We are focused on building processes with clients around the different elements of value… Value Creation = Client-focused processes Value Capture = Employee-focused processes Value Scaling = Standardization of product & service processes Value Protection = Intellectual property processes Value Growth = Marketing &…
A client had a significant problem… There was quality damage occurring in the range of $30k-$50k per month caused by crane damage in one part of their warehouse. As we evaluated the problem with the team, there were several obvious opportunities for improvement. The windows on the crane were very dirty and difficult to see…
How do you react to risk? Identify & name the risks that are facing your business or causing you stress. (Some risks are perceived, and some are real – both are important!) You should then identify the emotions that you associate with each of the risks. At the start of COVID, the three human…
Execution – without it, training is useless! Last week we started the 4th round of training with an existing client (half of the participants live in Chicago & half joined virtually from Europe!). I love working with clients who don’t just attend training – they EXECUTE! Learning & training are only effective to the…
TIME 1,440 minutes. 99.9%+ of the world’s population will have exactly the same number of minutes tomorrow. The biggest difference is how each of us will choose to use that time. When you wake up tomorrow… You will have the same number of hours as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates. You will…
Perception. Innovation. Value. How many of you see the image below as “innovation”? I was at an innovation conference several years ago, and the speaker asked exactly that question. A few people laughed. Nobody raised their hand. The speaker went on to share how a mechanical typewriter was given to a group of third…
5 Strategic Objectives for 2023 The CEO of a very successful organization recently asked me for help with the following question… Ryan, what should my expectations be for my leadership team next year? Based on where his team is on the leadership journey, I shared several strategic objectives for consideration. Below…
Can Process Documentation Increase People Satisfaction? One of our key clients last year had a problem… Employees were frustrated, overwhelmed, overworked, & stressed out! They didn’t have time to align, clarify, and document processes… but they did it anyway. People without process get frustrated. -Ryan Weiss You can see in the chart below, that…
Keep talking… I just need to take care of this real quick… You’re sitting at your computer, responding to a few emails while typing up a report that was due yesterday. An employee comes in and asks you a question on a procedure, to which you hurriedly respond without taking your eyes off your…
A doctor in the Philippines changed my life… and should change yours too. The events below were life changing for me. I hope as you read them, they will impact your view on the purpose, people, and process in your life as well… In 2013, I was on an amazing trajectory. I had been…
Successful Performance in Context I often speak with business owners who focus on PERFORMANCE. Don’t get me wrong! Performance is critical. It is the lifeblood of our organizations. Without Performance… Clients get frustrated Employees get frustrated The CEO gets frustrated The shareholders get frustrated Employee’s families get frustrated… … You get the point! The…
Does Your UI Lack EQ? Do you know how often companies waste money because a software system is not used as it was designed? Sometimes, the basic features of a user interface (UI) are not even used as they should be. It is possible that the software isn’t synced with the behaviors and habits of…
Is Your Data Suffering from ED (Entry Distraction)? How often have you looked at a data sheet and wondered if the calculations were accurate? When people see statistical data, it is often assumed that it is accurate. Numbers don’t lie… or do they? What happens if the people entering the data were distracted and entered…
Follow the Bouncing Client Does your company deal with frustrated clients that seem to leave in the middle of onboarding? Have you received those angry client calls about the slow processing or the length of time it takes for someone to get back to them? How aware are you of your client’s journey through your…
Listen With Your Eyes Imagine the following scenes: You’re sitting at your computer, responding to a few emails while typing up a report that was due yesterday. An employee comes in and asks you a question on a procedure, to which you hurriedly respond to without taking your eyes off your work so as not…
You Can’t Make Suds Without Water When was the last time your company reviewed their processes? Do you know if time and money are wasted on processes that have changed with the times? Is there conflict and frustration among employees that are being told to take ownership of the process, yet their improvement ideas are…
How Applying the Brakes can Help You Move Faster Excessive downtime may be costing you an incredible amount of time money. As your company grows, there are more demands on your management and employees to keep up with that growth. Some processes may end up overlooked and new hires might not be made aware of…
Using a Jackhammer to Pound in a Nail A decision-making process can become a massively complex and time-consuming process, making coming to a decision an exhausting process for all involved. A general contractor had a matrix to help the decision-making process for pursing new projects. This matrix was a complex spreadsheet requiring the lead to…
Flatten the Chicken People are far smarter than typically given credit for. Often, there is a disconnect in training and/or communication that creates problems. When connecting people and processes, explaining why a process is relevant is just as important as what the processes are and how the processes work together. Employees in a food service…
Engagement for Organizational Prosperity: Achieving Your Mission and Soaring Among the Stars How often have you been frustrated with employees because mistakes keep happening? It seems you need to retrain employees on the same tasks, employee engagement is low, and your team or company just isn’t performing at the level you think it should be.…
Engagement for Organizational Prosperity: Achieving Your Mission and Soaring Among the Stars This entire blog series has reviewed how your perceived problem is a symptom of the real problem, how to solve the real problem, and how to design a stronger rocket ship. Now it is time to launch your stronger organization to achieve its…
Engagement for Organizational Prosperity: Building a Better Rocket Ship You have a strong understanding of how misalignment between people and processes in your organization are the real cause of the internal and external paint points of your organization. Now it’s time to start putting the pieces together to build a better rocket ship for mission…
Engagement for Organizational Prosperity: Solving Your Real Problem To date, these blogs have addressed how a problem is often a symptom of a real problem and what the real problem of your organization is. The internal and external pain points are often indicators that the people and the processes within your organization are not aligned.…
Engagement for Organizational Prosperity: What’s the Real Problem? The previous blog reviewed how a problem is not always the problem but often a symptom of the real problem. Those symptoms can include high turnover, plummeting profits, customer complaints, and more. These are internal and external pain points. The real problem is that the people are…
Engagement for Organizational Prosperity: What You Think is the Problem is Not the Problem Organizations often experience many symptoms of a problem, thinking the symptoms are the problem. There is high turnover so it must be a lack of hard-working employees. There is poor company morale so it must be negative employees creating problems. Departments…
Home About Services Process Performance Workshop High Performance Workshop Plant Performance Package Specialized Consulting Tools Learning Styles Assessment Setup Savings Calculator Learning Management System Contact Blog Most Companies Get Process Improvement Backwards Did you know that most companies get process improvement backwards? Here’s what I mean… Rather than start with a rock solid foundation that’s…
Home About Services High Performance Workshop Plant Performance Package Specialized Consulting Tools Learning Styles Assessment Setup Savings Calculator Learning Management System Contact Blog SIPOC: The most powerful underutilized tool So I’m sure you’ve all heard of process maps, but how many have heard of the SIPOC? Here’s why I believe the SIPOC is one of…
Home About Services High Performance Workshop Plant Performance Package Specialized Consulting Tools Learning Styles Assessment Setup Savings Calculator Learning Management System Contact Blog How to Train Your Team: Clear and Concise Processes You’ve got a great team, and you’re committed to making sure they stay happy. You want to make the process of training them…
Home About Services High Performance Workshop Plant Performance Package Specialized Consulting Tools Learning Styles Assessment Setup Savings Calculator Learning Management System Contact Blog Improving Performance: 3 Components for Boosting Your Company In today’s fast-paced world, it is more important than ever to maintain a high level of productivity. It is easy to get distracted by…
Home About Services High Performance Workshop Plant Performance Package Specialized Consulting Tools Learning Styles Assessment Setup Savings Calculator Learning Management System Contact Blog Utilize Your Full Brainpower: Engagement is Key to Plant Performance How can you maximize your plant’s performance? One simple thing to do is to engage your workforce each and every day. Engaged…
Home About Services High Performance Workshop Plant Performance Package Specialized Consulting Tools Learning Styles Assessment Setup Savings Calculator Learning Management System Contact Blog Three Elements of a High Performance Organization “We live in a world where we are constantly barraged by messages telling us what we should do and how to do it. High Performance…
Home About Services High Performance Workshop Plant Performance Package Specialized Consulting Tools Learning Styles Assessment Setup Savings Calculator Learning Management System Contact Blog 3 Ways to Drive Plant Performance Do you want to drive incredible plant performance? If so, then it’s important that you focus on these 3 ways. First, use job breakdowns to train…
Home About Services High Performance Workshop Plant Performance Package Specialized Consulting Tools Learning Styles Assessment Setup Savings Calculator Learning Management System Contact Blog Engaging with the Whole Team to Solve Problems: A Company’s Best Tool As a company grows, it’s typical for the core leadership team to be the only ones solving problems. This is…
Home About Services High Performance Workshop Plant Performance Package Specialized Consulting Tools Learning Styles Assessment Setup Savings Calculator Learning Management System Contact Blog Maximizing Plant Performance Plant performance is one of the most important aspects in manufacturing. In this post, we will discuss how to get the most out of your plant’s performance. It’s critical…
Home About Services High Performance Workshop Plant Performance Package Specialized Consulting Tools Learning Styles Assessment Setup Savings Calculator Learning Management System Contact Blog Increase Your Business Productivity With Process Improvement Strategies Whether you are running a small business or just want to be more productive in your day-to-day life, process improvement is the way to…
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