Kent Blumberg

Saturday Snap - Our Dog Family

Three or more times during the week I write a bit about tactical leadership, strategy or performance management.  But work isn't everything I do with my time.  Among other things, I am an avid photographer.  Each Saturday, mainly for my own enjoyment, I post one of the photos I'm most proud of.  Please feel free to:

• Ignore it, or
• Enjoy it, or
• Share it (as long as you don't use it for commercial purposes and do tell people where you got it).

Lean IT - what comes first, technology or waste reduction?

Is your organization broken?  Is waste high, quality low, cost high, productivity low?  Are you missing key customer delivery promises?  Is cycle time too high?

Put in new Information Technology. That'll fix it.

Right?

Are you working on the True Problem?

I had an "Aha!" moment last week, while reading The Toyota Way Fieldbook (Jeffrey K. Liker and David Meier, McGraw-Hill, 2006, 476 pages).  My moment of clarity came around page 327, in a section called "Find the True Problem to Get the Most Significant Results."

The Right Job, Right Now - a new book by Susan Strayer

If you want one book to guide you throughout your career, you need this book.  Just released today, The Right Job, Right Now: The Complete Toolkit for Finding Your Perfect Career (Susan D. Strayer, St. Martin's Griffin, 2006, 320 page paperback, ISBN 0312349262) is the only start-to-finish career guide I've come across and it's packed with great ideas.

How smiling works - two views

Carolyn Manning, on her blog thoughtsphilosophies.com, does a cool thing of contrasting two posts on the same or similar subject.  For example, here's one she recently wrote about treating customers well.  Carolyn is a master of this blogging style.

I don't usually use this posting technique, but two recent posts on smiling dovetail so well that I wanted to introduce you to them. 

Saturday Snap - My new weekly feature

Three or more times during the week I write a bit about tactical leadership, strategy or performance management.  But work isn't everything I do with my time.  Among other things, I am an avid photographer.  So I am adding this Saturday Snap feature.  Each Saturday, mainly for my own enjoyment, I'll post one of the photos I'm proud of.  Please feel free to:

• Ignore it, or
• Enjoy it, or
• Share it (as long as you don't use it for commercial purposes and do tell people where you got it).

Getting a great start - adjusting to change and communications

All week I've been reviewing key ideas from The New Leaders 100-Day Action Plan: How to Take Charge, Build Your Team, and Get Immediate Results (George Bradt, Jayme Check and Jorge Pedraza, John Wiley & Sons, 2006, 230 pages).  Yesterday I covered how to select a couple of early wins and how to get the right people in the right places.  Today I'll cover adjusting to change, communications, and suggest a couple of other useful books.

Getting a great start - early wins and people decisions

All week I'm reviewing key ideas from The New Leaders 100-Day Action Plan: How to Take Charge, Build Your Team, and Get Immediate Results (George Bradt, Jayme Check and Jorge Pedraza, John Wiley & Sons, 2006, 230 pages).  Yesterday I covered the burning imperative workshop and how to set milestones and tracking mechanisms in place.  Today I'll cover how to select a couple of early win targets, and how to get the right people in the right roles.

Getting a great start - burning imperative and setting milestones

All week I'm reviewing key ideas from The New Leaders 100-Day Action Plan: How to Take Charge, Build Your Team, and Get Immediate Results (George Bradt, Jayme Check and Jorge Pedraza, John Wiley & Sons, 2006, 230 pages).  Yesterday I covered the options for engaging the new culture and how to control the Day One agenda.  Today I'll review how to get alignment behind a burning imperative and how to set milestones and tracking mechanisms.

Getting a great start - engaging the culture and controlling the Day One agenda

All week I'm reviewing key ideas from The New Leaders 100-Day Action Plan: How to Take Charge, Build Your Team, and Get Immediate Results (George Bradt, Jayme Check and Jorge Pedraza, John Wiley & Sons, 2006, 230 pages).  Yesterday I covered key prestart activities.  Today I'll review the options for engaging the new culture, and how to control the Day One agenda.