Searching for Superman – why CI/Lean initiatives often fail (Part 2)

Failure is not an option… but most of the time it is assured One common set of factors that can affect success or failure for a Continuous Improvement/Lean Initiative is the recruitment, selection process, and use of a CI/Lean leader. Leadership at all levels has an impact on every initiative but this becomes more critical […]

Searching for Superman – why CI/Lean initiatives often fail (Part 1)

Starting a Continuous Improvement (CI)/Lean Journey I have been working on a project for a few weeks that categorizes what companies are looking for when they seek a lean or continuous improvement leader candidate. While that sounds rather boring on the face of it, the project has actually been a very interesting look at why […]

I Came To Learn About Lean… and All I Got Were These Legos ™

Today’s post is in honor of all those who are seeking a better and more productive workplace (Trying to put some Lean back into theleansubmariner) Establishing a “lean” culture based on continuous improvement has been a very sought after goal for many organizations over the past fifteen years. With the rising costs of labor, raw […]

A new day

Today was a special day. My business web site went live today! I will still continue to add stories and commentary to the Lean Submariner but the website bobmacpherson-speaker.info is my way to satisfy my passion for business process improvement, training services, and speaking. Check it out if you get the chance. In the next […]

The Price of Wishful Thinking … Sinking the American Fleet

When I see an internet news story like the recent one detailing the shrinking of the American fleet, I get a kick out of reading the comments in the remarks sections. If you ever want to determine the lack of knowledge of the average internet news story reader, spend a few minutes looking at […]

Pardon me, can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?

Altogether now: Practice, practice, practice Getting from one place to another has always been a core competency of human kind. Man has made an evolutionary journey since the earliest recorded times on how to accomplish the journey more efficiently. Stars were pretty useful once the early navigators figured out that they moved around. Understanding […]

SWOT you talkin’ about Willis?

I am taking a break from the cares of the world today and having a little lean and continuous improvement fun. The old TV show Different Strokes is pretty appropriate for a day like today. It was fiction of course, but you get a 1%er taking on the responsibility to raise a couple of kids […]

Day Two in Hell

The Naval bombardment at Peleliu had gone on since September 12th. The invasion on the 15th was literally hell on earth for the invaders and defenders. Day two was even worse. The battleships Pennsylvania, Maryland, Mississippi, Tennessee and Idaho, heavy cruisers Indianapolis, Louisville, Minneapolis and Portland, light cruisers Columbia, Cleveland, Denver and Honolulu, and three […]

The Ultimate Irony

On August 31, 1911 the USS Utah was commissioned. This battleship was a Florida class ship and the only one named after the state of Utah. The Captain of the ship at commissioning was William S. Benson, a Battleship sailor to the core. He later went on to become the first Chief of Naval Operations […]

If you are going to lead, LEAD!

You and your team are standing outside of a burning building. The fire isn’t very big yet but its obvious that it has the potential to become a major conflagration. Time is a key element in any damage control situation. Yes, it’s important to understand the threat in order to apply the right resources and […]