We often think of a company’s logo and color scheme as representing its brand, but brand is much more than aesthetics. It represents people's impression and thoughts about your company—what is called brand status. A company’s reputation is everything in a highly...
Over the next few months, I will be writing about talent systems that will highlight specific parts of the talent pipeline. For any factory—and any place of business, for that matter—success is directly correlated to the talent of the workforce. Having a methodical,...
A production supervisor has perhaps one of the most difficult and thankless jobs in a factory. I learned firsthand one summer as an intern at a GM Factory in Saginaw, Michigan, where I filled in for vacationing supervisors. There I was, a 21-year-old college kid...
One of the most powerful forces that can inhibit the willingness and ability of people to change their behavior is the effect of groups. Humans are social creatures, and we want to be part of and identify with a group. It may be a church group, sports team, work team,...
There’s a carwash in our community that does an excellent job. They vacuum the interior, wash the inside of the windows and hand-dry the exterior. It is staffed mostly with high school students who bust their butts, and I applaud them for that. I often bring my dog...
“We’re having a hard time finding workers.” That’s something heard from nearly every manufacturer in the U.S. When I visit with clients, I hear the lamentations about the school system pushing everyone to a four-year degree, the challenge of millennials, the...