2 Years on the Virtual Lam
In January 2020, I hosted an in-person class. It was a Lean Six Sigma Basics class for a group of young professionals on a rotational program within a company, and I had a great time. Most of the attendees were new college graduates and they were excited to travel to...
Agile Elements Keep a Project Moving
Shift happens. Shift happens everywhere. The world around us changes so quickly. Family. Politics. The environment. Business. It's naive to think that things will happen exactly as we plan them. We only fool and frustrate ourselves when we get bent out of shape...
Decisions Require Action
"Never leave the scene of a decision without taking an action."-Tony Robbins I'm a serial decision maker. I take a special joy in making grandiose proclamations about my new life choices. For me, these decisions are usually related to drastic eating changes and how...
Lean for Project Managers
I have been learning and practicing Lean and Six Sigma for the past 18 years, and it's been an awesome journey. This journey has allowed me to learn and think about work and processes from a customer’s perspective. I studied engineering as an undergrad and business as...
Personal Empowerment
I read an article recently by Maryville University titled, "7 Tips for Achieving Self-Empowerment”. It was written to encourage people who are considering going back to school. One of the key lines in the introductory paragraph is, "Self-empowered people take control...
How Your Ego Can Get in the Way of Your Success
Many moons ago when I was a newly-minted project manager, I had a peer approach me after a meeting I had led. This peer asked me if I was open to feedback. To be honest, I use the term “peer” rather loosely. He was about 20 years my senior, had done a stint in the...
Bringing Fun Into the Workplace
Lately, I've had way more work than I've had time. I've overbooked myself, but thankfully, it’s slowly getting better. This is sometimes a good problem to have… but I don't want to repeat it. As I extended the amount of time that I worked, I edged out my morning...
Try New Things. People Aren’t Sitting Around Thinking About You!
Just try it. No one is watching. No one is thinking about you. They are busy thinking about themselves; they’re thinking that you are watching them. You can either see this as encouraging or sad. Here is why I'm choosing encouragement: Most of the things I delay on...
Staying Connected as a Team – Pizza Anyone?
In March 2022, at the top of the pandemic, I had been in business for almost 3 years. From August 2017 - June 2020, I was a solopreneur and I loved what I was doing. When I left corporate America I thought, “I’ll find gigs doing what I enjoyed the most over the past...