FAQs
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Constantly. Whether through my own research or through workshops, seminars or continuing education with accredited learning institutions. I teach continuous improvement to organizations. It would be hypocritical if it didn't practice it myself.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
I was working for Goodyear in a manufacturing facility when corporate hired a consulting firm (Overland Resource Group - orginc.com) to facilitate a culture change. It was a strong union environment and primarily an adversarial relationship. The effort included building joint union-management leadership team, mid-level teams and shop floor problem solving teams. I was selected to be the internal subject matter expert for this process. I spent 15 years in this capacity before starting my own firm and continuing to partner with Overland Resource Group on various projects. My philosophy is to build internal capability with my clients so they don't need me anymore. Who wants to pay an outsider forever? The answer is none. I respect that.
- What types of customers have you worked with?
It usually goes like this: 1. A client requests a free consultation where we discuss the challenges of the business. I do a lot of listening. If the client wants to proceed... 2. We conduct an assessment. I will meet with leaders, mid-level staff/managers and the "shop floor." I ask the same targeted questions on subjects like metrics, safety, communication, recognition, work rules, etc. 3. I diagnose the feedback and identify the results (gaps). I then report my findings back to leadership. 4. If leadership wants to proceed, then we develop strategies and action plans to close those gaps. Some examples would be to create a more effective communications process, more comprehensive recognition systems, problem solving for continuous improvement, Lean/Six Sigma, etc.