Lean Connections

I’ve been on the waiting list to attend the TED conference (subtitled: Ideas worth spreading“) for a while now and unfortunately I’m still pretty far down the totem pole.  So in the meantime I’ve had to make do with reading TED presentation transcripts and checking out their videos and podcasts.  This one struck me as timely and relevant to my work and to all the manic discussions now taking place in both the public and private sectors regarding executive compensation.

So, is money the ultimate job motivator? Here is the link to an awesome video of Dan Pink speaking at this year’s TED conference on exactly this issue.  Turns out that it depends highly on the kind of work that needs doing. And it looks to me like we might just want to revisit some of our basic asssumptions about how we pay people and the kind of performance we get in return.  Let’s do some out-of-the-box lean thinking on this one. What do you think?  Adam Zak

“There is a better way for everything. Find it.”

Thomas Alva Edison

Turbulent times provide ample opportunities for success, if we approach things with the right frame of mind.

by Adam Zak 

In my role as an executive recruiter specializing in helping companies with Lean transformation, I’ve been spending a lot of my time lately speaking with people all over the world who are wrestling with complex decisions. I thought I’d share some of my observations with you, and in turn, hope that you will share your thoughts with me. 

Everywhere we turn, there’s advice heralding “How to manage in a crisis,” or “New rules for surviving the crunch.” Just the other day I heard a discussion on PBS involving business writers trying to agree on a title for what the economy is going through. And there was no consensus (imagine that, from business writers). 

Crisis Breeds Opportunity 

Craig Barrett, recently retired CEO of Intel told Newsweek readers, “There is a general rule in business life: market share is won or lost during transitions. You cannot save your way out of a recession, you can only invest your way out.” No one is denying that cutting costs is essential to surviving 2009, but we Lean disciples have always practiced a different philosophical approach. As we look for ways to eliminate waste and improve productivity, we are always focused on getting better. In early February Muhtar Kent, Coca-Cola’s CEO told the Wall Street Journal “I’ve been through this movie in smaller versions a number of times in the past…times like these are not an excuse to sit back and ride out the storm.” And this week, at a global sustainability conference in Chicago, I spoke with Rick Frazier, Coke’s VP Supply Chain, who told me they were leveraging their Lean & Green efforts even more dramatically during this time of uncertainty. 

“A recession creates winners and losers just like a boom,” observed Mauro F. Guillen, a professor of international management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in BusinessWeek. Let’s chose to be among the winners.  read more »

“Respect for people: Very few businesses start up only on the backs of the sole founder. It takes a team.”  Jamie Flinchbaugh 

Just a few days ago Jamie blogged over at LeanBlog about the Lean Entrepreneur. With layoffs mounting at even the Leanest Thinking companies, he argued that this might be just the time for “lean-minded” individuals to strike out on their own and start new businesses. In fact, some quick research I did indicates that 16 of the 30 DJIA (Dow Jones index) corporations were launched during past recessions, among them Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, and Walt Disney, for example. Jamie makes a persuasive point. 

And he’s also on target writing that Lean Thinkers’ clear focus on “customer obsession,” “direct observation” and “respect for people” can add tremendous value to the new venture.  But I might have changed the order a bit and put “respect for people” first. So here’s some additional perspective on the importance of the team – people – to the success of your new business undertaking.

In my earlier days I spent some time in Silicon Valley helping start two companies, one which turned out moderately successful and was sold to a strategic buyer, and one which burned to a crisp and was eventually abandoned.  These two experiences qualified me for a very small seat at the venture capital table, and I found myself assessing the viability of entrepreneurial ventures as they were brought to our attention. 

I learned that, without question, the start-up team is absolutely the most critical element in the success or failure of a new company.  Analyze carefully your own strengths and weaknesses and recruit others who can balance and complement these.  Sure, it may be your brilliant idea for a phenomenal product or service, and you may be hesitant to share decision control, execution responsibility and eventual profits with others.  But unless your business is high-powered consulting (think Deming, Drucker, Ram Charan, or James O. McKinsey – well, you get the picture) you are not likely to make the big time on your own. read more »