CEO Blog Archive - Page 166 of 171

Recent Articles

The Importance of Communication

One area where we can continually improve is communication. I’ve spent a few days recently on an improvement venture in a plant and I was struck, again, with how important communication is and how important it is to maintain a discipline of sharing information and ideas amongst the team. As a leader/manager, it is easy to get into the habit of filtering information. I can do it for a couple of reasons: It doesn’t concern

Howe Q. Wallace May 1, 2012

6S a Good Tool for Improving Our Facilities

I have seen tremendous efforts on 6S in our operations since we began to implement “lean” techniques. The 6S’s are: Sort Straighten Shine Standardize Sustain Safety Initially, it takes an effort to get it right. It takes awhile to get the methods documented and the habits formed to maintain it. There are several benefits. The first is the satisfaction the team gets from getting it done. Another is that it builds confidence and increases the

Howe Q. Wallace April 27, 2012

The Importance of Attitude

Our colleague Romana Straley, our HR Pro in Butner who also translates this note into Spanish every day, sent this along suggesting it as an inspirational HQ Note. I agree with her. It comes from preacher and inspirational writer Charles Swindoll. “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than

Howe Q. Wallace April 24, 2012

Becoming Indispensible to Customers

Today, I had the honor of being part of a customer panel for Insurance Office of America, who handles our commercial insurance as well as our benefits. I joined four others and we fielded questions on how we viewed the industry and gave pointers on how IOA’s sales force could improve their effectiveness. My primary contact at IOA is John Lahey. He has been the insurance agent I’ve done business with for almost 30 years.

Howe Q. Wallace April 23, 2012

Being Open to Ideas from Everyone

The best ideas don’t always come from the guys in the office or from the people in charge. Once upon a time, I was part of a team that received an extraordinary opportunity. A customer called, told us that they had received a big order and they needed as many pallets as we could build as fast as we could build them. That had never happened to us before. It has not happened since. Excited

Howe Q. Wallace April 20, 2012

Be Willing to Question Our Processes

I was sitting with some guys talking about ways to help “lean” catch on. One of the things said was that those who are in authority have to learn to be less “certain.” He explained: “When you are in charge, people ask you for solutions and you get used to giving them. I’m learning that the solution that I give may work but it may not be the best solution. So, I’m taking the time

Howe Q. Wallace April 19, 2012

Opportunities in Our Corners

I just completed a tour in Butner. They were showing me lean projects, which are extensive. Very impressive. Take a look on the lean intranet site to get a view. One of the things that I noticed on the tour is that you can find lean projects in the corners of your plant. Danny Brooks, general manager in Butner, was giving me the tour. I don’t think he realized it but, frequently during the tour

Howe Q. Wallace April 18, 2012

An Engaged Team Yields Superior Customer Satisfaction

There is a business theory that says that if a company focuses on building an “engaged” workforce, the bottom line will take care of itself. There is another theory that says that if a company focuses on the “customer” and provides superior customer satisfaction, the bottom line will take care of itself. A study was done recently to attempt to figure out which theory carries more weight. The answer turns out not to be “either/or.”

Howe Q. Wallace April 17, 2012

Teams with “Pride” Win

A note in the locker room of the Miami Heat, a National Basketball Association team, says this: “When two teams meet that are equal in ability and execution, it’s the team that has pride that wins.” We use “pride” a great deal to describe someone who has an unsinkable character. These words add up to PRIDE: Persistent. You stay with a task however difficult. Responsible. You can be counted on to be in the right

Howe Q. Wallace April 16, 2012

Leadership Advice from the Coca-Cola Scholarship Dinner

Last night I was fortunate to attend the Coca-Cola Scholarship Foundation dinner in Atlanta. Our host was one of our top customers, Ongweoweh CEO Dan Bonamie. It’s usually the supplier who hosts the customer so that made the honor even more special. It’s rare to have a customer treat you to an event like this. The Coca-Cola folks gave away more than $2 million to more than 250 students. In addition to receiving scholarships, the

Howe Q. Wallace April 13, 2012

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Articles About Leadership

THE JUICE IS WORTH THE SQUEEZE

“Everything you want is on the other side of ‘hard’.” – CJ McCollum, NBA player McCollum is a story of overachievement. He was undersized. Played college basketball at a non-descript school. Was a long shot to be an NBA player but worked his way to being a first-round draft pick and was a solid star in his 10th year in the league. I heard him describe his approach to the game and his development on a podcast called

Howe Q. Wallace March 25, 2024

HAPPENING TO THE WORLD – A SATISFYING WAY TO LIVE

PalletOne leaders “happen to the world.” What does that mean? A PalletOne leader is confident. Each situation creates an opportunity for service and contribution. We are talented and put those talents to work. We see those around us as having talent. We seek to unlock it. We realize that we can be called upon to take the initiative to improve things at any moment. We act when the situation calls for it. We inspire through

Howe Q. Wallace March 25, 2024

SUFFERING AND CHALLENGES

“Weep, trust, pray, think, shift, hope, grow. Ways to handle suffering.” – Tim Keller Tim Keller was a preacher from New York City. He passed away in 2023. I followed him on Twitter because he tweeted profound thoughts like the one above. You don’t exit life without tough things happening to you. It’s a fact. None of us are exempt. In specific order, Keller gave us seven verbs to consider when challenged: Weep – It’s

Howe Q. Wallace March 22, 2024