Workforce Solutions Blog

Shouting and arguing is no fun at all.  One question that often leads to arguments between little kids is:  “Who’s responsible for this mess?”  This question is typically followed by little fingers accusingly pointing in different directions joined by shouting and arguing.  I call this the “Blame Zone.”  In this instance, discovering who created the mess may be impossible to figure out.  The Blame Zone is annoying with kids but when adults get stuck in a Blame Zone the finger pointing may become down right ugly! 

This week, we are commemorating the 40^th anniversary of MAU Workforce Solutions.  The second blog in this series talks about the MAU ‘Consider It Done’ philosophy.

The interesting thing about continuous improvement is it will work for anyone, anywhere, all the time.  (Caution where and how you apply it, as I will allude to often, use extreme caution is you try to apply lean tools at home.)  One of the lessons I have learned over the past decade is to be open to outside input and always keep filling up your lean tool chest.  Benchmarking is one of the greatest opportunities to keep you apprised of how others solve their problems, often through a unique application of some lean tools. You typically hear how company X is different and "our processes are just unlike everyone else’s".  If you're one of these companies, benchmarking may just be what the Dr. ordered as a remedy to fix what is causing pain within your four walls.

Everyone struggles in the workplace at some point, but most of these tensions give way and reconcile on their own. However, disagreements that intensify and persist beyond typical conflicts have to be carefully considered. How you respond to a situation at the office is very important; all you can completely control is your own behavior. Though every situation is different, there are three actions to consider before deciding how to respond during moments of conflict:

2013 marks the 40^th Anniversary of MAU Workforce Solutions. In March 1973, William G. Hatcher, Sr. founded MAU with only $500 in his pocket. His vision and determination laid the groundwork that has earned MAU the ability today to attract the finest employees who serve the world's leading companies.

Do you listen to classic rock?  I freely admit that I do quite regularly.  I love to hear Roger Daltrey of The Who bellow this probing question: Who are you?  Since 1978 this all-to-well-known, progressive rock anthem has managed to intrigue bell-bottom-clad rockers both old and young with that pretty-darn-good question that we should make it a point to evaluate periodically: Who are you?  Think about it, to satisfactorily answer this deep query into one’s self requires more than just an obvious name response like Buba O’Riley, Dr. Jimmy or Boris the Spider.  Name only is an insufficient answer if we aim to truly understand the who-are-you puzzle.  In fact, to quench the parched thirst of a sincere identity examination, one must gaze deeply into the soul, far, far behind those blue eyes to grasp the complete answer. 

The verbiage of ‘Lean’ gets thrown around a lot these days.  It was shared with me last week by an expert in the industry that nearly every resume now has the word lean attached to it.  So what is this lean that everyone is talking about?   Let’s start out with what it isn’t.

Employers suffer not only production losses due to employee disengagement, but also financial losses. According to the Bureau of National Affairs, U.S. businesses lose an estimated $11 billion annually due to employee turnover.

The foundation of Lean and Continuous Improvement starts with understanding your current process and capabilities.  In order to understand each process we need to have established standards, specifically standard work and standard work instructions.  This is true for both manufacturing and office processes.

Wallflowers are under appreciated.  I’m not talking about the rock band fronted by Jakob Dylan, son of 60’s Rock legend Bob Dylan.  No…  I’m talking about the unassuming, shy, serious, soft-spoken, thoughtful folks that would rather read a book than attend a party.  You know, the sort of introspective-types that tend to spend their energy quietly going about their days inconspicuously.  These docile listeners are commonly labeled “introverts.”  It’s a shame that society mistakenly overlooks these quiet ones’ contributions and overly acknowledges and rewards the aggressive, outspoken, hard-charging social go-getters.  Think about it:  the social spot-light shines brightest on the accomplishments of successful attention seekers like Donald Trump, Shaquille O’Neal and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – all unashamed extraverts.  At the same time, society doesn’t often immediately recall the quiet, yet significant, accomplishments of Warren Buffet, John Stockton and Rosa Parks – all accomplished introverts.