Life on a sub

A recurring question most boat sailors hear most has to do with what it’s like to live on a submarine. If you think about it, purposely going underwater for months at a time isn’t exactly what you learn about in schools when it comes to life. The Navy has an interesting link up right now […]

Doing the right thing…

I am very grateful for my company’s generosity with it’s funds. http://triblive.com/mobile/4178047-96/dyno-nobel-macpherson Thanks Dyno Nobel and IPL. A lot of people’s lives are a little better because you cared. Mister Mac

Royal Order of the Duck Rules for Effective Communication

The world we live in today presents us with more challenges to effective communication than at any time in history. Modern electronic devices, the speed at which most people live their lives, and cultural challenges in a shrinking global economy provide daily examples of the problems we increasingly face in effectively communicating with each other. […]

FBLA: A brighter future for America

In about two hours, I will be leading the first of three training sessions for part of a group of 3800 students in Hershey PA. We are going to focus on communications and leadership. The title: “Leading is easy… getting them to follow you is the tough part.” Needless to say, even thought I served […]

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 Submariner

Looking back over the last forty years, my thoughts of what a good submariner looks like have become much clearer. I have not been on a boat for over twenty years but there are some things that still stand out even through the haze of the years. I should tell you that I greatly admire […]

SSN 711

Seven years ago, an event happened on the USS San Francisco that serves as a reminder that even in this day of modern technology and science, the ocean is still mightier in its capability to test man’s limitations. On January 8th 2005 at 0243 GMY, she collided with a sea mount resulting in massive damage […]

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 […]

Dereliction of Duty

One of the worst things I can imagine a service member doing is being guilty of dereliction of duty. We all take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. When we are derelict in our duties, there are military laws which judge us and rightly so. People depend on us to defend them […]

If you want jobs, quit b!tching and join the 21st century

The name of this blog is the lean submariner. Most of the stories I write are based on leadership and submarines because those are my passions. But I am afraid for my country. Without embracing new strategies and new methods, we will lose the rest of our manufacturing capability at the very time we may […]