This post was inspired by my wife and "On being nimble versus visionary" over at the Learning About Lean blog. Now is certainly a time in the business environment to be flexible. To be adaptable. To grab opportunity when others sit back and watch. And the airport shuttle guy in the airport in Mexico was [...]
Remember when Dr. Baker on Little House on the Prairie went to the homes of the people who were ill? That would never work today, would it? Well don’t tell Jay Parkinson that. When he finished residency, he was determined to revolutionize health care by personalizing it. Here’s some of what he has to say: [...]
An importance emphasis in lean is a focus on the customer. Dev Patnaik has released a book called "Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy" (web site, book). I’ve just read one of the sample chapters online (introduction), and in that section highlights how the bigger an organization gets, the more [...]
Surprisingly great example of how to treat customers (thanks to Evolving Excellence)…surprising because it is coming out of the airline industry. Some true servant leadership is being displayed by United Airlines captain Denny Flanagan. Imagine being stuck at the airport and having the captain buy you lunch? (insert your own joke about pigs flying here). [...]
Seth Godin posted that on his blog today. It may become my new mantra. When I first started Lean Technologies, I was nervous talking to people because of how small we were (are). Eventually I realized how smallness is part of my advantage. In fact, it was the "largeness" of other software companies that got [...]
David Armano has an excellent post on "micro-interactions" with customers on his blog. I am often amazed how companies and/or people do not realize the impact their encounter with you, even a small encounter, will have on gaining your trust for further interactions. My friend recently took a coupon to a franchise restaurant to buy [...]
I just received an email in my inbox regarding a (complimentary) magazine subscription that states: You have been part of a select group of senior IT professionals who rely on [Magazine Name] to bring them 50 issues per year loaded with unique editorial and in-depth analysis for business technology buyers. Okay, so how big is [...]
I’d better take a deep breath. And before I go into my experience, suffice it to say that I did fill out a feedback form on the company web site, so I am at least trying to do due diligence in giving them an opportunity to improve. But some of these opportunities for improvement seem [...]
If you found yourself walking into a room full of lean thinkers for the first time, you may think everyone was speaking another language. And you’d probably be right. Amidst some recognizable English, you’d probably hear a smattering of acronyms and Japanese words that would probably sounds somewhere between Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam [...]
…in a showdown of customer service. People talk about empowerment. And I was surprised to see that a Taco Bell franchise in Bloomington, MN is actually empowering their employees. After eating my meal there, I was still hungry and noticed on the menu: “Caramel Apple Empanada”. I went back to the counter and asked, “What [...]
RT @Skowty: Going 2 spend some time talking @StartupIowa #Pella #StartupFair on @kniakrls w/ @veelhoeden and @leantech this morning. Stoked!Monday Jan 30 - 2:56pm