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: 

• Check out my Toyota Kata workshop coming up on October 14 as part of the IISE Engineering Lean Six Sigma 2020 Conference + AI Symposium. This workshop will provide a good overview plus quick hands-on practice. It's a great jumpstart for skill-building tools that will advance your career & build your problem-solving chops. WEDNESDAY, OCT 14: Toyota Kata: People and Processes. Only at VIRTUAL #ELSS2020 + AI. CEUs available. Conference registration: https://link.iise.org/ELSS2020register

• Visit www.doyoukata.com — This is our Kata overview and resource page (approved by Mike Rother, the guy who literally wrote the book(s) on it) for understanding the fundamentals of the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata, along with links to Starter Kata resources, including a Kata Storyboard template and other templates and materials. 

• Read Mike Rother's books (list of the books and links to purchase them). This will take a little longer, but if you've checked out Kata and decide to go full-steam ahead, the Toyota Kata Practice Guide is a must. 

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.

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.