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Executive Blog

Create Efficiency at Work

Posted By: 
Wayne Olson
Create Efficiency at Work
How’s it going with getting things done these days?  Fewer people due to layoffs and furloughs, reduced hours, but the same – maybe even more! – work.  Plus, remote teams make getting together and staying focused more of a challenge than ever, especially if your organization hasn’t gotten quite comfortable with work-from-home employees. In order to get big things done and continue improving processes, products, etc., teams still have to meet.  And if everyone is being completely honest, meeting via Zoom is a poor substitute for meeting in person.  Goals and action items just don’t seem to have the same gravity and urgency as they do when everyone is in the same room.  Perhaps you’ve already witnessed the impacts: more action item delays, more unengaged team members, more non-work chit chat. Here are some productivity tips that will help your teams continue to get things done in a timely manner.…
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How to be a Better Leader Following the Pandemic

Posted By: 
Jacob Dombroski
How to be a Better Leader Following the Pandemic
Digital Transformation has been a buzzword in the business lexicon for a number of years. In many organizations, very few people understood what it means or what it would look like once accomplished. Standing now at the other side of a 3 month lockdown due to pandemic and facing what could be another 6-12 months of continued upheaval in the business world, “Digital Transformation” has taken on a whole new meaning and understanding.  How much of the organization can accomplish their work entirely via computer from anywhere and at any time? The answer to this is likely a much larger percentage now than it would have been 6 months ago. The answer may continue to grow 6 months from now. As our businesses and organizations ramp back up in this pandemiconomy here are 3 key things to keep in mind regarding digital transformation and how it can help your teams…
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How to Run a Successful Training Program

Posted By: 
David Verville
How to Run a Successful Training Program
Many employees are working from home due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Online training providers such as Udemy, EdX, Coursera, Shaw Academy, Allison, and others report record enrollment.  Employees clearly are interested in acquiring additional knowledge to further their skills and increase their promotion prospects.  The training topics include everything from how to become a better listener to pursuing a degree in Data Science.  Many of us want to learn and the avenues for doing so are greater and easier now than ever before.  Online training content continues to improve and is becoming cheaper in the process. Why do organizations continue to struggle to offer and deliver training that is meaningful to individuals and strategic to the organization? Why do training programs fail? Alignment of training initiatives to strategic objectives and metric/Key Process Indicator (KPI) performance,  Disassociation between training content and application in work,  Lack of Coaching or Mentoring follow-up,  Lack…
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How MetaExpert George Helped Increase Monthly Revenue from $350k to $2.8M

Posted By: 
Cara Chatellier
How MetaExpert George Helped Increase Monthly Revenue
Situation An international aerospace company was far behind schedule with the Boeing 737 Max program to deliver Titanium Engine inner walls. MetaExpert George was brought onboard to reorganize and streamline production. The company needed help improving on their overall production operation. Actions:  MetaExpert George helped reorganize and reschedule the plant, suppliers, and personnel. A visual “run the business” board was developed to assist with keeping the team on track. Two fifteen-minute meetings were held with all value stream managers and outside stakeholders to assess successes and constraints. MetaExpert George helped create action plans on the spot to reduce the effects of production constraints.  Results:        Within four months, my group was not only on but ahead of schedule;       Each value stream and matrix departments understood where they were in the operations of the division;       Value stream managers had a vision of the…
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Plant a Tree to Grow Empowerment & Accountability

Posted By: 
Wayne Olson
Plant a Tree to Grow Empowerment and Accountability
I know that look.  Something went Kabloo-ey and I’m going to hear about it. One of my direct report managers is standing in my doorway; I swear I can see smoke coming out of her ears.  She scheduled a 2-hour kick-off meeting – starting in a few hours – for a very important initiative that has executive management visibility.  In order to accommodate everyone’s calendars, she scheduled the meeting over lunch, and quite appropriately, planned to order pizza for the group.  And that’s where the trouble arose.  A couple of months prior, the organization decided expenses had to be trimmed; a directive was issued requiring a Request Form and CFO approval for all non-customer meals.  The form was submitted in advance, but then it sat – untouched and unsigned.  So, no pizza got ordered.  Hence, smoke-emanating-ears.  What should the manager do?  Hunt down the CFO – who was traveling –…
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6 Ways to Transform Culture Part 2

Posted By: 
Jacob Dombroski
6 Ways to Transform Culture Part 2
Don’t forget to check out 6 Ways to Transform Culture Part 1!  The difference between cultures that drain the energy from an organization and cultures which feed the energy and spirit of an organization can be what sets apart great organizations from average organizations. What’s the difference between these two types of organizations? What becomes so radically different in the Esprit de Corps that creates such a drastic difference in the workplace? These differences lie in the culture of the team. The makeup of how work gets done, how interactions between people happen, and how leadership fosters or hinders the latter over the former. The key to remember is the leader sets the tone and the tempo for not only how cultures perform but how they behave as well. Last month we discussed 3 cultural transformation behaviors that leaders can employ in their interactions to leave the team feeling energetic…
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7 Ways to Make Human Resources More Human

Posted By: 
Alita Bluford
7 Ways to Make Human Resources More Human
In many organizations, the Human Resource department is perceived either as the arresting officer, judge and jury; or, the lifeline, rescuer, and therapist. A quick search on HR job description confirms that none of these nouns are included in the job description of a human resources department. Whether your organization is large and you have separate departments to perform these functions, or it is small and 1 person performs many, know that this causes a great deal of stress on the human resource staff. It is not how a human resource department is designed to function, and it makes a huge difference to your company. The Seven Functions Talent Acquisition/Recruitment Compensation Management Benefits Administration Training and Development Performance Management and Appraisal Employee and Labor Relations Compliance Management Why Have HR? The purpose of employee relations is to strengthen the employer-employee relationship through identifying and resolving workplace issues; measuring employee satisfaction…
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How a Manufacturing Company Streamlined Operational Best Practices

Posted By: 
Cara Chatellier
How a Manufacturing Company Streamlined Operational Best Practices
Situation: Multi-Site operations for the manufacturing of commercial and home products recently acquired a competitor. The company needed to standardize and streamline the operational best practices across all facilities. Immediate improvements were required to ensure customer satisfaction regarding quality and on-time delivery. The business had no existing improvement program, standardized process documentation, or KPI reporting. They also had limited exposure to Lean Manufacturing techniques through local college classes. Actions: MetaExperts Chris implemented Lean Manufacturing across 7 US facilities in a structured process. He also created shop floor teams with daily KPI discussion and reporting. The development of support teams improved bottom-to-top communication and assured accountability of reaching goals. The principles of 4S, Ideas/Suggestions, and SoPs were engaged in all of the departments, including customer service, sales, and finance. Executive management and cross-functional teams instituted Value Stream Mapping and conducted kaizen events in specific manufacturing and engineering areas. The business created…
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How MetaExpert Carlos Improved Change Over Time by 51%

Posted By: 
Cara Chatellier
How MetaExpert Carlos Improved Change Over Time
Situation A manufacturing company needed help in producing four different products in three different customer locations. MetaExpert Carlos was brought on to assist the struggling team in eliminating expeditions to their customers. The company’s overall changeover time needed improvement with on-time delivery services. Actions:  Through an in-depth analysis process, MetaExpert Carlos removed all Muda through motion and time studies. Carlos introduced the method of line balancing and proper sequencing to improve the overall system. A robust SMED procedure was created in which standard procedures were followed, communicated, and prepared. He helped rewrite the SOP, and all affected employees were professionally trained. Results:  Full compliance with our customers JIT shipment requirements Improved confidence in the customer Eliminated the need to expedite to customer Scheduled production based on customer demands Increased workforce engagement and morale Eliminated overtime and weekend work ROI: By improving the overall changeover time, MetaExpert Carlos was able to…
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6 Ways to Transform Culture Part 1

Posted By: 
Jacob Dombroski
6 Ways to Transform Culture
Have you ever worked in an organization or on a team that exhausted you? The kind of place that took every last ounce of energy from you at the end of the day? Left you feeling drained and spent? Conversely, have you ever worked in an organization or on a team that was exciting? The kind of place that left you surprised at the end of the day that the time went by so fast? Left you feeling energetic and motivated to come back the next day to continue the tasks at hand knowing that you were doing something that was going to make a difference? Knowing that you were accomplishing something that mattered to someone? That’s the difference between a company that makes-do and one that is an industry leader. Becoming a leader in your industry brings top talent, money, and brand recognition. You can cause this type of…
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