It reached 70° here yesterday!
I took my lunch break around my pool to soak up the sun's warmth.
Get away from the COLD and DREARY winter weather and join us at the ASQ Lean and Six Sigma Conference right here in Phoenix, February 26-28. I loved visiting the Phoenix area so much during the cold weather that I moved out here in 2019. Golf happens year-round!
Of course, I play Fantasy Football! It’s all about data and probabilities!
Does your organization have a mindset for continuous improvement?
The daily routines of your organization shape its culture. Scientific Thinking can be a driver for a continuous improvement culture. One of the best ways to learn how to think scientifically again is by following the set pattern of the Improvement Kata.
The term “kata” means a way of doing so when we say “Improvement Kata” it’s a way of improving.
Did you know there’s a right and wrong way to fold a towel?
What's worse than death by PowerPoint? Working outside of the software/technology your organization uses. I know there are multiple reasons: "It's too slow"; "I haven't learned it"; "It doesn't do what I need it to do".
A picture is worth a thousand words. Many of us are very visual people.
Over the weekend, I was reminded that being a leader requires sacrifice to build trust and a sense of belonging. It was way past my bedtime, and I wanted nothing more than to head home. I could have easily called an Uber but I pushed through and stayed to the end. It was worth it!
It is a common belief that management and leadership are the same roles. It is common that a manager also plays the part of the leader; however, these two roles are truly separate in function and in the way they add to the success of an organization. By understanding the difference between management and leadership you will become more effective in helping others see the road ahead.
How powerful would it be if you reviewed AND took steps towards your goals DAILY?
Utilizing the Toyota Kata methodology, we are reviewing your Challenge and Target Condition daily.
With today’s economy, households are finding ways to cut out excess expenses such as the daily latte or going out to dinner. Families are identifying where their money is being wasted by looking at unnecessary habits and then making changes that impact their bottom line (budgets).
The strongest part of my golf game has always been my short game. Depth perception is essential for determining the distance around the green. In early 2022, I discovered that my vision loss has affected my depth perception and, therefore, my short game.
I am truly grateful that I am able to be back swinging a golf club. Rather than be frustrated, I thought I would try some of my own advice that I generously have given out over the years on chipping. Later, I realized that I was using Deliberate Practice to relearn the basics of chipping.
I was practicing chipping in my backyard like I've done for years. I was struggling to land near the targets, and as I kept hitting balls, it wasn't getting better. Rather than be frustrated, I remembered my GOLF ADVICE: chipping is like tossing a ball and imagining the club is just an extension of your hand.
Have you ever had a doctor make a quick diagnosis without asking you for more information on your current situation? “You’ve always had sinus issues, so your headaches are just sinus pressure.”
It’s an easy thing to do – in fact, we all do it many, many times every day … at home, in our relationships, driving, and certainly at work.
It’s called “cognitive bias,” and it’s a way for our brains to make decisions more quickly and efficiently. Without completely conscious thought, our brains use pre-existing information to run algorithms based on our previous experiences and fill in the blanks.
It’s a powerful mechanism that helps our brains process the massive amounts of information and decisions we have to make every waking moment, but when it comes to making decisions about new situations, our unconscious biases and preconceived notions can create a problem.
I've long been a fan of conferences, seminars, and other networking events as a mechanism for reigniting the fire in my work. Although the field I'm currently spending much of my time in falls outside of my specific areas of marketing and writing expertise, last year I had an experience that jump-started my idea-machine just the same—KATACON.
“Growth and comfort do not coexist.” ― Ginni Rometty, CEO, IBM
This is an important point to understand in education in general and particularly on point for those of us training and coaching Toyota Kata.
Getting out of your comfort zone is an important step to growing new skills, including Scientific Thinking, PDCA, and the entire Improvement Kata methodology. Reaching the outer limits of what you know —your "knowledge threshold"—is by its very nature an uncomfortable place to be. But right there is the starting point for learning, improving, and growing. Are you ready?
Here are a three ways to get started learning and working with Kata:
For reading all the way to the end, here's the bonus way to start learning about Kata: Call me. When you click that link you'll be able to schedule a call at a time that's convenient for you. You can ask questions, learn more about what's available for Kata training and coaching, or talk through whether Kata would be a good fit for your particular challenge, personal or professional (hint: it probably is).
However you choose to get started, just get started! The skills you build with Starter Kata will serve you for a lifetime.
My name is Lori Daly. I formed Diversifi Consulting Group (DiversifiCG), a certified Disability-Owned Business Enterprise (DOBE ®) to provide employment best practices and disability awareness based on my unique experiences and understanding as a recruiter, manager, and person with a disability.
This year marks an important milestone: the 30th Anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a civil rights legislation to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities.
What do you think of when you hear the word “disability”?
As a person with a disability, I can attest to how challenging it is for people with disabilities to receive support, dispel the myths and perceptions around disability, and feel they have a safe space to ask for help. And I understand the fears and misperceptions from employers to hire someone with a disability.
Why should you care?
UPDATED: Additional #RootCauseRacism post links added.
Although #COVID-19 may be the over-arching theme of 2020, #racism has been catapulted back into our collective awareness. With #BLM, protests, 24/7 news coverage, and numerous articles, books, documentaries, and discussions at the forefront right now, finding a logical, cohesive starting point for learning about systemic racism can seem impossible. We humbly suggest this one: #RootCauseRacism
We are excited to share the new book Tech Leadership 4.0: Leading in a Technologically Driven World from our friend and colleague Michael A. Anleitner of Livonia Technical Services! It's a fascinating exploration of leadership in the "Fourth Wave" of the industrial revolution.
Co-authored with Rob Pasick, PhD, the book provides an in-depth guide to developing the skills needed to become a successful Fourth Wave leader and how to develop and follow a leadership action plan that turns your personal vision and mission into reality.
During quarantine, we’ve all had to get back to basics with many things. At our house, that has included eating at home more, which, of course, means cooking more. We are both great cooks, but we rarely seem to have time to make our meals at home. So, while we have a repertoire of meals that we create from memory, this time is different, so, let's try some new things. Or, as it turned out, some old things.
Earth Day feels odd this year. With much of the U.S. and Europe still in #stayathome mode, the internet is flooded with images of crystal clear canals in Venice, smog-free skies in L.A., and the shrinking "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. For all of the devastation wrought on humanity by COVID-19, our collective efforts to #flattenthecurve have Mother Earth breathing at least a temporary sigh of relief.
Standardizing your processes can create repeatable and reproducible results. We know that standardizing can make you more efficient by reducing or eliminating non-value added activities. Why wouldn't we want to do that so that we can spend more time with her family? Isn't that what the holidays are all about?
At Park Avenue Solutions, our mission is to Empower Excellence in people, processes, and organizations. Using the tools and methods of continuous improvement, such as Lean, Kata, Agile, Six Sigma, Quality, and Leadership Development, we work with organizations to create happier employees, ecstatic clients, and superior results.
That's why our goal with this blog is to build a forum where people can read, use, and share information, ideas, and tools to help anyone working in, interested in, or tasked with improvement for their organization. Yes, that means anyone. Because at one level or another, improvement is part of everyone’s job description.
In the timeless words of one of the most famous coaches of all time, Vince Lombardi, "Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.“
We look forward to chasing perfection with you!
Park Avenue Solutions is a management consulting firm that specializes in business process improvement strategies and applying Lean Principles that empower and elevate organizational excellence.
Found your bottleneck?
