Manufacturing Success Tips - Are You Playing to Win or Battling to Survive?

One of the most dangerous mistakes a company can make is to be like an ostrich with its head in the ground, being neither ready nor willing to look at new ways and different approaches to lead their people and to run their organizations. In todays business world, more than ever, there is a demand for dynamic, progressive and nimble companies. Organizations who are unwilling to recognize this and make the necessary changes will go the way of the dinosaur. Are you headed for Jurassic Park? Take my recommended detour. Please take a look!

Lynn Tilton Wants to Save U.S. Manufacturing | Articles | Articles | Chief Executive - The magazine for the Chief Executive Officer

This is a great article worth looking at!

Lynn Tilton Wants to Save U.S. Manufacturing | Articles | Articles | Chief Executive - The magazine for the Chief Executive Officer

Manufacturing Success Tips - Have You Met Yourself Lately?

Who is it that looks back at you in the mirror reflection? Is it someone you are proud of or someone who needs to make some improvements either personally or professionally? If we never take the time to reflect, we will continue to act in ways that may not always benefit our relationships with others. We all have to deal with difficult people but we seldom acknowledge that we may be the problem. Why is that? Please take a look!

Manufacturing Excellence - Inspire, Lead and Succeed with DISCIPLINE!

"Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways."

~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Is it me or can it be that it is very difficult for people to establish certain disciplines? I believe everyone recognizes their importance but nobody wants to follow them. That's why we have Codes of Honour, Value and Mission Statements hanging on the wall, instead of walking down the hall. 

One of the things that I have noticed when I work with companies is that many employees don't know what the expectations from management are. They simply don't know what's expected of them and they don't know the rules of the game.

They may have a job description but job descriptions will only make them task oriented instead of outcome oriented, and as a result, they may miss the big picture. Most employees are not held being held accountable for their behaviours and actions, and that's why they do the bare minimum to survive the day. 

I am not a big fan of following rules, standards and regulations because it simply goes against my personality but we all know that we have to have rules in place if we want to achieve certain results. There are rules in sport games, there are rules in traffic and every country has their rules which are non-negotiable. True? Well, the same holds true for business. In the absence of certain rules and guidelines people will make up their own rules.

It is unfortunate that many people in leadership positions seem to associate the word discipline with disciplining people instead of having certain disciplines in place and teaching people to practice self-discipline. It is not about controlling people, it is about cultivating them. In some organizations I have the feeling that everyone does what they want, nobody does what they should, and all are in this together. This problem becomes clearly apparent when there is a lack of leadership.

Imagine a conductor with an orchestra. Individually the people may be very talented but if you don’t tell them what to play and conduct how they play, no common sound will emerge. That’s the same in a company. You have to provide direction and certain disciplines. 

If you treat your employees like little kids and don't give them the respect they deserve, they will not go the extra mile for you.

If you establish a Code of Honour or an Organizational Values and Behaviour Statement, it is imperative that everyone plays by the same rules. It has to be simple, easy to understand and cannot be negotiated. The important part is that managers, supervisors, and team leaders are not exempt from following these rules. 

Leaders who believe in the power of discipline, establish and follow the rules of the game,  and inspire their followers by leading by example, will have a huge competitive advantage amongst their competition in this rapidly changing business environment. How disciplined are you? Is there room for improvement?

Manufacturing Success Tips - Get in the Habit of Creating Good Habits!

Frank A. Clark stated once, "A habit is something you can do without thinking - which is why most of us have so many of them." Do you find that giving up good habits is a lot easier than giving up bad ones? Have you ever wondered what would happen if you would consciously start to replace a bad habit with a good one? The goal is to do it without thinking and make it part of your DNA. Do you want to know how? Here are my unconventional insights!

Manufacturing Excellence - Plant The Seeds!

 

"Courage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying when you know you can lose."
~ Tom Krause


A friend of mine shared this story with me and I thought that I have to share it with YOU. It is really worth reading it! Let me know what you think!


A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.

Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it,
and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you.

I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After
about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however, he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.

Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board
room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the
floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer!

His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.

"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"

Our Next FREE Workshop at the Richmond Hill Library is on February 8, 2011

Lost your Job?  Hate your Job?

Discover what you want and go for it!

Have you been laid off once or multiple times? Are fearful that you may be laid off soon?  Do you feel stuck in your current career? Do you  want to change direction but don’t know how?  Are you ready to be proactive and make a plan for your life?

We can help! We provide a supportive and positive learning environment and empower people to achieve their full potential and realize their dreams. It is all about taking action and taking 100 % responsibility for your life and for your results!

Sometimes it's tough to stay positive considering all the fears and insecurities we have to deal with. However, we have learned from own experience that attitude is everything and it is our goal to communicate to YOU how you can turn a positive outlook in your job search into action.

Come and join us! It's time to sign up.....

Our commitment to you is to give you positive energy, a lot of new ideas and a fantastic workshop without any investment for you, except your time. If you give us your commitment to participate, please do not let anything prevent you from attending. It will be well worth your time and effort.

This attitude alone will separate you from others who are looking a job. I firmly believe, how you do anything is how you do everything!

"When one door closes, another opens. But we often look so regretfully upon the closed door that we don't see the one that has opened for us."

~ Helen Keller

When? February 8 from 6 pm - 8.45 pm

Where? Central Library, 1 Atkinson Street, Richmond Hill, L4C 0H5 (west/south corner of Major Mackenzie and Yonge)
Why? This is our contribution to serve the community

Please register @ the Library or via email @ karin@karicosolutions.com.

Manufacturing Excellence - Inspire, Lead and Succeed with COMPETENCE!

"Equal opportunity means everyone will have a fair chance at being incompetent."

~ Laurence J. Peter

Even though this quote seems to be quite funny at first, there certainly seems to be some sad truth to it. Isn't it true that we always think that we could do a better job than the person who is in charge at the moment? Reality is that we won't find out before we walk in this person's shoes and that it is way easier to complain about other's incompetence than to work on our own competence.

Please let me share my unconventional insights on competence.

Competence is obviously a requirement for individuals to properly perform a specific job.  There is no question that this is very important but what makes a person competent? Unfortunately many companies have a hiring process in place that focuses mainly on education, knowledge and the skills as outlined in a person's resume. Why are companies not more interested in knowing what the candidate's hobbies, community activities and interests are? For example, a person who is a member at Toastmasters would immediately demonstrate his or her willingness to improve their leadership, communication and presentation skills. A person who runs marathons does not have to talk about dedication and commitment because without it, it would not be possible to keep up with the training schedule. A person who volunteers on a regular basis in his or her personal time shows the commitment to help others. Even though behavioural interviews are helpful in the search for the right candidate, it is very difficult to foresee a person's competence on the job. It really depends on the interviewer's ability to ask the right questions. It is my firm belief that education does not equal competence. I have met many well educated people who, despite university degree and job title, have not managed to perform on their job to the best of their abilities. 

The question is "why"?

One reason may be that we are all legends in our own minds and most of us like to believe that we are competent. The danger is that our ego may get in the way of being objective and then it can stand in the way of our future success. 

Can it be true that there is a significant difference between book smart and street smart when it comes to our level of competence? How can we apply to our job the things that we have learned along the way?

In a leadership role competence does not only include education, skill and knowledge, it also includes behaviour, attitude, mindset and the ability to positively influence others. A person who is continuously willing to work on his or her level of competence will not only earn the respect of co-workers and employees, it will also enormously benefit their whole life.

I always say, "If you want to be competent, you have to have the courage to learn from your incompetence."

Have you ever looked at that from this angle? So, what are some of the things you do to improve your level of competence in your job to inspire, lead and succeed?

Manufacturing Success Tips - Can You Handle The Truth?

"In his research on motivation, William James of Harvard found that hourly employees could maintain their jobs (that is, not be fired) by working at approximately 20 to 30 percent of their ability. His study also showed that highly motivated employees work at close to 80 to 90 percent of their abilities." Interested in learning more? Take a look!