Articles

During one of my recent drives in Tennessee, I came across this interesting intersection and captured it for posterity. What would YOU do at this intersection (green light with a stop sign)? I’m not sure of the history of this intersection but would venture to guess the traffic lights were a new installation and the

Growing up, my Dad seemed to always stop at Cracker Barrel restaurants during our road trips. Some of that rationale was the clean bathrooms, good food, and a gift shop. In recent years, I have found myself adjusting my road trip travel stops centered on Buc-ee’s, Ltd. (and judging by the masses of people, others too). Why? Buc-ee’s has

No doubt, we are living in a VUCA world. Markets are volatile. Labor availability is uncertain. Supply chains are uncertain at best. And ambiguity abounds. Strong processes help organizations navigate in a VUCA world. Standardizing on the best know way to accomplish a task reduces uncertainty and complexity. Understanding your customers and markets through value

Operations leaders affected by resignations and labor shortages must fill unexpected gaps on their teams while dealing with elevated demand and supply chain shortages. Finding permanent replacements for key operations talent can take several months. Overworked teams are picking up the slack when their co-workers leave but are increasingly showing signs of burnout. NEXT LEVEL

First impressions are important. Associates who are introduced to Lean concepts for the very first time often have some misconceptions of what Lean is all about. They think that creating standard work will take away their creativity on the job. They fear that becoming Lean means they will have to work harder. And they believe

Living on my self-described “Gentleman’s Farm,” we have an abundance of eggs as well as quite the variety. While there is a lot to be said about overproduction (at times) as well as scarcity (in winter months), my wife sent me this picture which captures the diversity of eggs our hens produce. In reflecting on

Is improving employee engagement on your company’s 2022 resolutions? Many associates are returning from holiday breaks with positive outlooks for the year ahead. Maintaining these positive outlooks is easier in a culture that involves and develops associates at all levels of the organization. This key Lean principle is at the heart of continuous improvement. Lean