Tag Archives: Life targets

Lean Manufacturing!

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I started on my Lean Journey in 2007. I joined a group of likeminded people wanting to improve Aerospace supply chain. After reading about Lean Manufacturing and hearing testimonials I took a complete leap into the world of Lean. I was producing approximately $10 million per year in sales, had good quality, very low (terrible) inventory turns with only reasonable on-time delivery.

I wanted my Company to be the best in class for our products. I hired two Lean managers, told one to start at the front end of our manufacturing process and the other to start at the end and eventually they would meet somewhere in the middle.

1st year I had no increase in costs. The lean initiatives paid for the two Lean managers. 2nd year my costs started dropping, profit improved and we began seeing improvement in quality and delivery. Inventory started dropping, inventory turns started an upward trend.

I was so naïve those years that I hadn’t realized I wasn’t even in the game for Lean — Yet. Gradually I began to see the benefit for my entire enterprise, from sales, order entry, engineering, and manufacturing through after delivery service.

Do you have a lean understanding or do you view it as a personnel and cost reduction opportunity?

Make 2017 your best year yet!

Give up? – Never!

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“Never, Never, Never, Never — Give up!” –  Winston Churchill

So drive by gyms on the way to work — What do you see? Parking lots with fewer and fewer cars.

Tiresome to write about goals when inside you know that you won't or can't keep them going.

End of first quarter is near. Are you feeling good about the accomplishments so far this year? Will you feel good about completing the first three months.

Interesting question — especially for me. I am pretty much meeting or exceeding my goals set for Q1 of 2017. I always look back and see that I could have done things differently, or better. However, I do feel good with progress made so.

Comments?

Make 2017 your best year yet!

Last month of 1st quarter 2017!

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What is your attitude toward the first quarter of the year?

  1. Are you ahead and going to finish the first quarter of the year with sales, personal, family, financial, etc. goals on-track or ahead of schedule?
  2. OR— Are you the person who says “I did Ok this quarter, just a little or just a lot behind — Not to worry! — I have three more quarters to catch up!”

Like most people I have talked with, we all seem to fall into one of the above categories.

In my career I was the person always going to have plenty of time in the last three quarters to catch-up. Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn't.

Several years ago I read a great article and when I find it again I will most likely publish it and recognize the author. The gist of the article was to get the feeling of success as soon as possible with new a new year and new goals. Try really hard to get goals accomplished monthly. But — Be extremely diligent in getting the goals completed and even get ahead for the quarter. The feeling of knowing that you are there or ahead is mesmerizing. It can literally fuel you to do better the next month and quarters ahead.

You owe it to yourself and the “Stakeholders” / “Stockholders” around you to be the best you can be.

Make 2017 your best year yet!

 

Readers

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“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” ― Harry Truman

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Some years ago I was giving a toastmasters speech titled “All leaders are readers.” I felt something was missing from the title. This quote by Harry Truman sums it well.

I am an advocate of continuous reading. I started a reading program many years ago. As a slow reader, the idea of reading one book per week really was not viable in my life style. I decided to begin a practice of reading minimum 5 minutes per day. I read several books that first year and I tracked my reading habit. After several years I grew my goal to 20 minutes per day, and several years ago I switched to reading pages per day. This year 2017 I have a goal of reading minimum of 20 pages per day.  Does this mean I am diligent and read every day — No! But I do average 20 pages per day.

As I have discussed in the past I really look to Jim Rohn – Author, Entrepreneur, Speaker – as a mentor on business and living. He had a philosophy of reading that included all types of books. Get in the habit of reading for your profession, but also read books on opposite thinking and throw in a few good novels.

Harry Truman was right “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” Do some “Internet” research and you will find most leaders are readers.

Think about reading for your 2017 goals. Begin a reading program and track it.

Make 2017 your best year yet!

Momentum! (A powerful word)

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Momentum – What a powerful word when thinking and working on your goals for 2017.

I have many goals that I really want to accomplish.  Some of my goals can't be completed in a day or month or a year.  These longer harder goals are important and may take several years to accomplish.

Well — After writing and thinking about this early last year, I reaffirmed my longer term goals as being very important to me when accomplished.  I have reaffirmed and dedicated daily time 15 – 20 minutes to stay on task. I didn’t miss a day during last year 2016, I kept the momentum going.

My reaffirmation was easy.  The hard part was not making a very easy to use measurement tool to follow progress.  For longer term goals I was halfheartedly tracking progress with nothing really jumping out to me saying — “You are not on track here, keep up the momentum!”  Now I have a tracking system that shows Green when on track and Red when off track.

Do you have a measurement system for your important Goals?

Make 2017 your best year yet!

2017 is here! Goals set? Are you measuring your goals?

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I have started working on 2017 goals and measuring them.
Day 1 we should all be aware and moving forward —- 2016 is gone!

Here are 5 tips to keep your goals moving for 2017:
1. Make sure you have goals written down and easy to find.
2. Look at your goals daily.
3. Make time to work on your goals daily, even if you spend a few minutes.
4. If a goal seems too hard, revise it. Or, look at smaller parts to work on.
5. Never give up — Make 2017 your best year yet!

Goals – 5 tips to keep your goals moving for 2016!

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I read that some people already have stopped working on their Goals for year 2016.  Hopefully you have made it easy to see your goals and review them for progress frequently.

Here are 5 tips to keep your goals moving for 2016:

Make sure you have goals written down and easy to find.

  1. Look at your goals daily.
  2. Make time to work on your goals daily, even if you spend a few minutes.
  3. If a goal seems to hard, revise it.  Look at smaller parts of each goal to work on.
  4. Never give up — Make 2016 your best year yet!

 

Goal Setting – As reported in “Think & Grow Rich”!

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Take a thorough self-inventory!
It is a proven fact that there is great value in solving problems or developing desirable habits by asking yourself the right questions. “Know thyself” and you have taken an important step to happiness and success.

Engage in thinking, study and planning time to set and achieve desirable goals. Learn how to recognize, relate to, assimilate and apply universal principles that, once applied, will help you achieve any objective you desire.