#1 Root Cause of All Operation Problems and How to Solve It
At Toyota, I drew the conclusion that the number one root cause of all operation problems always comes down to the same thing. ? Someone didn’t know what they were supposed to do, when they were supposed to do it, or how they were supposed to do it. In my work now leading teams through […]
What is One-Team Alignment and Why Does it Matter
While Eastern culture places emphasis on teamwork and culture, Western culture values individualism. Employees are encouraged to be self-reliant, make decisions and be held accountable for their actions. And this isn’t a bad thing: It’s not about collectivism versus individualism. But when it comes to solving problems, we can learn from Eastern companies’ ways of […]
Happy 1 ½ Year Anniversary! Highlights from the Past Six Months of the UNprofessional Podcast
It’s been a year and a half ✨? since we launched the first episode of the UNprofessional podcast. With 60+ episodes to date and downloads in 44 states ? and over 30 countries ?, our UNprofessional community has come a long way. In celebration of our year and a half anniversary, we’re sharing some highlights […]
How to Build and Maintain a Customer-for-Life Philosophy in Business
If you want a sustainable business, predictable revenue, less costly acquisition engine, and shortened sales cycle and lead times, create a business that lives by the customer-for-life philosophy. According to a study conducted by Marketing Metrics, the success rate of selling to an existing customer is 60-70% while the probability of selling to a new […]
3 Ways to Problem-Solve Without Spending All Your Money
When it comes to addressing process problems, people love spending money because it makes them feel like they are doing something valuable. Here’s a classic example: Adding someone new to your team to solve a process problem. Getting a new staff member makes organizations feel great about themselves. If they can afford it, why not, […]
How to Create a Process-Based Culture
Toyota gets over a million ideas a year from their team members on how to improve their processes. Not all of them are good, and fewer are actually implemented, but one of the reasons that Toyota is a leader in their industry is that they have a system to turn good ideas into action. They […]
4 Ways to Bring Fun into Your Workplace
Almost every company recognizes the importance of keeping employees happy in order to succeed. However, we rarely associate fun with being successful at work or in business. We often think of “fun” as something that happens after office hours. This is because society has conditioned us to fear that having fun could discredit our reputation […]
Business Is Evolving: The Rise of Jobs Focused on Culture, Wellness and Continuous Improvement
More and more companies are listening to their employees. The increase in job titles focused on flex work, culture, wellness and continuous improvement is one indication that companies are paying more attention to their workers and responding to the new ways they want to work. According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends 2022 Report, the COVID-19 […]
3 Ways to Help Your Team Achieve Work-Life Balance Post-COVID
The past couple of years, we’ve seen it all: Hybrid. In-office. Work from home. A combination of these two or three work models. Achieving the right work-life balance becomes more challenging even for the most proactive organizations. Before we talk about how you can help your team maintain work-life balance post-COVID, let’s talk about what […]
4 Human Leadership Skills that Your People Will Love You For
Great leadership demands developing necessary skills. In 2020 alone, companies invested $163.5B in leadership training in the US. When we think of leaders, skills that often come into our mind are: Decisiveness. Creativity. Strong communication skills. Strategic thinking. Strong charisma. These are traits that people may admire you for; however, there are other great leadership […]
