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
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.”
I sat glued to the television watching basketball last weekend. All my favorite teams advanced. I love watching the coaches. There are those I have seen for years. There are always some new faces as well. You get glimpses of how they conduct themselves in the timeout huddles, how they speak in the locker rooms, how they encourage and teach during the course of the action. Very few stand idle. Most are engaged with getting
As I reported recently, it is obvious that your efforts on “lean” – working to eliminate wasted time, wasted motion and wasted material – are working. We are identifying areas to attack. We focus our attention on improving them. You coordinate your efforts. And, you get results. But, the first part is the easy part. Sort of like a honeymoon. Then, the newness can wear off. If we don’t watch it, we drift back to
It’s hard to believe that March is here already. I’ve visited a number of plants so far this year and I notice one consistent trend: our people are fighting incredibly hard to help us to succeed. Every place I go, folks are trying out a variety of strategies to correct hassles that have plagued us for awhile as well as new problems that crop up daily. They are putting aside old methods to try new
A “lean” parable: I go to airports a lot. Some folks like to get to the airport early. I don’t. My goal is to get there as early as necessary. No sooner. I think it’s “lean” not to spend extra time in airports. I’ve gotten my routine down. It works well for me. I got a good place to park. I dress the right way not to trigger alarms. I can break down my luggage
Do you use checklists? I must admit that I don’t. I have written to you about the power of the checklist. But, I don’t have them incorporated in my life. I read a book that reminded me of their power and it has me reconsidering how I approach it. The book is called Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia. Sounds sort of exotic but it isn’t really. A friend gave me
Here’s a brief thought for the day: “You haven’t failed until you quit trying.” Some folks are more easily frustrated than others. When something doesn’t come easily, they quit trying. When something involves a long time to learn or to master, they quit trying. When something is done “good enough,” they quit trying. As we take on “lean” projects in our plants, we are trying to take the bad and make them good. We are
In another few hours, 2011 will be done. I want to thank each of you for the effort you put forth toward strengthening our enterprise. There is not one of our many teams who has not made progress this year. I am excited about what 2012 can mean for us. As we continue our path on improving our processes and practices through “lean” thinking, we have the chance to continue to build momentum. So, best
Here’s a lean exercise for you. Many of us get reports via email or by paper on our desk. Do you look at them? Why or why not? I was in a meeting recently where I made reference to a report I was looking at regularly. Immediately, someone told me, “That report doesn’t tell the whole story.” Quickly, we discussed how the report could be improved to tell the whole story. It reminded me. Every
PalletOne Inc.
Company President, Howe Q. Wallace
Since 2005, he has been sharing his thoughts on the organization, leadership, and communication in an online daily note to teammates called Daily with HQ.
“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
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
“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
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