Hello and welcome to another edition of State of Readiness. I am your host Joseph Paris. My guest today is Innocent Hadebe, Director of Business Excellence for Chick-fil-A Corporate.  I met Innocent like a meet a great many people and that would be through LinkedIn.  Of course my initial attraction to Innocent was that we...

This post State Of Readiness | Innocent Hadebe; Director of Business Excellence for Chick-fil-A Corporate appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

In this conversation, Alan shares his life’s journey as a pilot. From earning his pilot’s license before most people earn their driver’s license all the way to becoming a research pilot for NASA and it’s SOFIA program. I met Alan while I was on assignment in Denver. He and his team from NASA were also...

This post State of Readiness | Alan Cruce; NASA Research Pilot – SOFIA appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

These are difficult times to be positive about almost anything, and certainly the nature of work is no exception. The lingering challenges of the pandemic on both the family and one’s professional life, many corporate disruptions across industries, economic instability affecting all of us, and the evolving “world of work” which has certainly become more...

This post The Best Job of My Life appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

Summary.   At some point in your career, even if you’re not in sales, you’re going to have to sell something — whether it’s your idea, your team, or yourself. Here are some strategies for improving your sales skills. Do your homework. Put yourself in the shoes of your customer. Ask: What business problem does he need solved? Plan and...

This post How to Improve Your Sales Skills, Even If You’re Not a Salesperson appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

Post-pandemic skill gaps need filling, and formal learning alone won’t do the trick. Scaling the lost art of one-on-one learning can make the difference. Recognize this situation? A manager asks a team member to prepare a presentation. The draft falls short of what’s needed, so the manager expresses her disappointment and offers feedback via email, then...

This post Reviving the art of apprenticeship to unlock continuous skill development appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

I Tried 4 To-Do List Methods. Here’s What Worked. You know that slimy, green ghost from Ghostbusters? The one that floats around eating everything in sight? That’s kind of what my to-do list reminds me of. Every day it just grows bigger and bigger as I desperately try to get it under control. (Anyone have an extra proton pack lying...

This post Managing Your “To-Do List” appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

When you were born, everyone could see the twinkle in your eyes for the fire and passion you held.  As you grew, you became inspired by the reported accomplishments of others; and consumed with great enthusiasm and dedication every bit of knowledge that was at your disposal.  You had the good fortune of being influenced...

This post Eulogy of a Continuous Improvement Program appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

Business has to meet growing and more challenging expectations from society.  The younger generation of customers especially need to know and understand more about what a company is doing with and for the world and much more besides. In the eyes of younger customers there is a greater global awareness of what is going on...

This post Answering society’s call: A new leadership imperative appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

As a “corporate suit” (his words) and former VP of sustainability at McDonald’s, Bob Langert works with companies and their strongest critics to find solutions that are good for both business and society. In this actionable talk, he shares stories from the decades-long transition into corporate sustainability at McDonald’s — including his work with unlikely...

This post The Business Case for Working with Your Toughest Critics appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

It cannot be understated nor argued against that when you’re hiring a new manager, the stakes are real high – meaning – you need someone who can effectively lead people, manage a budget, liaise with upper management and the whole lot, at simultaneously. Important to know thus, is what to do in the case that...

This post How to Know If Someone Is Ready to Be a Manager appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

In this episode of State of Readiness, we interview Carl Kirpes, responsible for Crude Oil Strategy & Analysis at Marathon Petroleum Corporation. Carl and I met some years ago at an annual conference of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers when he was just graduating from Iowa State University – and we have stayed...

This post State of Readiness; Carl Kirpes, Marathon Petroleum Corporation appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

I just got off the golf course hitting 9-holes with my Pop, who is 84 years old.  God bless him, I hope he has many more rounds to play and I look forward to getting out as often as I can with him.  We played the En-Joie Golf Club; a stop on the PGA Tour...

This post Hurry Up and Slow Down appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

Welcome to Episode 31 of The Outliers Inn – Prosolver Solutions Topic: Join us as we discuss Mark’s 36 year career at Xerox and how he assisted with the application of various Lean disciplines over the years and what he’s been up to since he “retired”. Listen now!

This post The Outliers Inn; Prosolver Solutions appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

The concept of leaders and leadership continues to evolve in the modern world.  Part of that evolution involves the change in who is eligible to be a leader.  In looking at leadership opportunities for females, the evolution has been slow.  In Rhodes book, entitled Women and Leadership (2017),[1] she looked at the history of women...

This post Women and Leadership in the United States: Background & Issue appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

HBR attempts to equate the firing process with a most appropriate metaphor: A no-fault divorce. This insert means that as painful as divorce may be at the time, it allows two people to correct a mistake and move on to a more satisfying future. And handled well, termination works the same way. Here’s how to do...

This post A Step-by-Step Guide to Firing Someone appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

Our leaders and institutions are failing us, but it’s not always because they’re bad or unethical, says venture capitalist John Doerr – often, it’s simply because they’re leading us toward the wrong objectives. In this practical talk, Doerr shows us how we can get back on track with “Objectives and Key Results,” or OKRs –...

This post Why the secret to success is setting the right goals appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

This article means that mentoring programs are aimed at assisting participants with career management but questions just how can a mentor help. It also gives some helpful activities to assist with career development conversations, because it further means that career management involves assessing the current situation and making informed decisions about the future… Read more

This post Mentoring for career development appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

This short-and-sweet article briefly but eloquently poses the ultimate 6 ways to take control of your career development. Whether you want to strengthen your skills or identify your weaknesses or whichever your purpose would entail, this article addresses 6 methods to steadily take control of personal career development even if you do not have the...

This post 6 Ways to Take Control of Your Career Development If Your Company Doesn’t Care About It appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

This in-depth article explains how to best leverage Social Media for the benefit of your career, whether you are looking to expand your network, build a business or find a new gig. If you would to use Social Media for any of these purposes, this article explains and elaborates on the reasons why doing so would...

This post How to Use Social Media in Your Career appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

I have been an entrepreneur and in business – nonstop – since 1985.  And over the course of those 30-plus years, I have gained a lot of experience.  But as the saying goes; “Experience is the most difficult teacher, she gives the test first and teaches the lesson after.”  So I can say, with some...

This post 8.5 “Must Know” Career Tips & Tricks (v.Done) appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

Have you ever “Nailed it!” when interviewing for a sales position? All the stars aligned. Your answers were spot on, and the rapport was effortless. Isn’t that the best feeling?! How do you usually feel when interviewing for a sales position? Excited? Nervous? Confident? Uncertain? Driven? All of the above? Regardless, there are concrete ways...

This post The Complete List of Sales Interview Questions and Answers appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

My book, “State of Readiness”, was published in May this year (2017).  And it’s been almost six months since I have written a fresh article.  It’s not been for a lack of topics.  In fact, I have several topics in the queue for articles I want to write.  But, publishing a book took a lot...

This post So, you want to write a book… appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

Psychologist Barry Schwartz studies the link between economics and psychology, offering startling insights into modern life. In this eye-opening TED talk, he dives deep into the question: What makes work satisfying? Apart from a paycheck of course, Barry Schwartz suggests there are intangible values that our current way of thinking about work simply ignores. Schwartz...

This post Barry Schwartz: The Way We Think About Work is Broken appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

I wrote the first version of this article two years ago and offered an updated version last year.  I have had a great many people remark to me that it has helped them a great deal (which is the point, I guess.)  I have also had several people give me some new ideas and, of course, I have had...

This post 8.5 “Must Know” Career Tips & Tricks (v3.0) appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

The Economist poses an important and pressing question: Can American labour policies face the challenge of long-term joblessness? As a matter of fact, statistics reveal that a far larger share of Americans remain out of work now than when the recession began in 2007.  In November 2013 America’s unemployment rate was 7.0% – 2 percent...

This post Long time gone: The challenge of U.S unemployment appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

Texas Representative Ted Poe was looking for reassurance that backing an overhaul of U.S. immigration laws won’t be political suicide for conservatives like him – and he may have found it. Several business executives told the Republican that they can’t find enough Americans willing to cook fajitas, repair sidewalks and perform other types of unglamorous...

This post Insight: Quietly, businesses help reshape U.S. immigration debate appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

One of the most favourite things I get to do is being involved in academia; especially being able to mentor students as they embark upon their careers.  It is one of the very best ways of which I can think to “give back”, or even “pay it forward”.  And it is usually this time of year –...

This post 8.5 “Must Know” Career Tips & Tricks appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

Increasingly, successful companies are beginning to recognize that good brand relationships with their employees are more important than good brand relationships with their customers. They understand that employees should be happy first in order to make the customers happy and that corporate brand loyalty starts with employee’s engagement. This can be realized by aligning the...

This post Aligning Personal Brand with Corporate Brand appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

I am sure that for many of us, 2011 was quite the ride.  And in spite of the considerable challenges and incredible odds, the vast majority of us made it to 2012 (certainly, those reading this article did).  A “Hip-Hip-Hurray” to all of us! As the year winds-down and the Holidays befall us, we are granted a...

This post New Year’s Resolution – Personal Plan, Do, Check, Adjust appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.

The current financial crisis is driving the world into a global recession. There is no job security anymore. Especially in times of financial crisis you need to be independent, become the CEO of your life and redefine yourself in order to create and attract new creative opportunities. This can be realized successfully according to an innovative four-stage authentic personal branding...

This post A 4-Point Survival Guide for Turning Personal Financial Crisis into Opportunity appeared first on Operational Excellence Society.