Productivity Improvement made simple

There is so much about “productivity” and “prosperity” in the news these days.  The Canadian Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity’s Report on Canada 2010 shows us trailing the US on many measures – and yet our economy is supposed to be in better shape.  We have a $9,300 annual per [...]

Who are we kidding?

This morning I was inspired by death. There was an article about a young girl – a teenager who lived near Toronto who hanged herself after taking drugs. The drugs were meant to deal with “depression” – a diagnosed condition being treated by a doctor. Yet it is clear from [...]

Leaders don’t let fear stop them

Leaders are people we can always remember as those who “just do it”. They make things happen. They never seem to have excuses to explain why they are not doing something. They don’t see problems, they see opportunities. They feel fear, just as we all do, they don’t [...]

On choosing mediocrity

Businesses today are struggling with their costs and capabilities because of past “sins”. It may not be evident in the board room either – executives just don’t seem to get it. But on the shop floor, in the field and in factory settings around North America we hear a similar story. [...]

Creating downtime through Shutdowns

At the Shutdowns SuperConference in Calgary (8 & 9 Dec 2009) I presented a paper entitled, “Do As Little As Possible, Why Shut Down At All?” The premise is that we often create more work and more downtime that we need [...]