Posts Tagged ‘Innovation’
Thursday, April 28th, 2011
Blog Article by Ray Attiyah, Chief Innovation Officer
Earlier in the month I had the pleasure of speaking before the Precision Machined Products Association, (PMPA) at the organization’s annual technical conference. I was asked to give a roadmap for a successful new product launch. As I prepared my presentation I found that I could not separate the concept of a successful new product launch from the need for innovation. In today’s increasingly complex and competitive market, the best way to create and keep an advantage over your competitors is to be the company that is ahead of the curve on product innovation. When you innovate, you are no longer competing on price. You are providing a solution that has value to your customer and that allows you to keep control.
I invite you to click on this image to review the slide deck from my presentation. You will see that I firmly believe that customer intimacy is the path to great innovation, but I say that with an important caution. Don’t expect your customers to be able to tell you what they want. Customers often accept what is and don’t imagine what could be. That’s your job; watch the process that involves your product and imagine what could be. Delivering what could be is what innovation is all about.
Tags: business success, Innovation, PMPA, product launch, productivity
Posted in Uncategorized | Make a Comment »
Friday, January 21st, 2011
Blog Article Written By: Ray Attiyah, Chief Innovation Officer
Obstacle #1: Spending Too Much Time with Draggers, Too Little Time with High Performers
One of the top seven mistakes leaders make is spending a disproportionate
amount of time with the lowest performers. At Definity Partners, we call these employees “draggers.” They represent about only 10% of the workforce. The next employee tier is called “followers.” These individuals represent 80% of the workforce. Finally, the top-tier is called “performers” and they represent the final 10% of employees.
Performers are often complainers. They are frustrated that their efforts have gone un-noticed or under-appreciated. They are confused as to why they are being ignored. They’re mad at the level of performance of their peers and they can’t understand why low performance is being accepted. While you may not always like their attitude, it can be a clue that the leaders in the company aren’t effectively doing their job. Frustrated performers usually traverse one of two paths. They either take their talents elsewhere or they give only what they need to give as opposed to what they are able to give.
Leaders distinguish themselves from managers by inspiring performers to a higher level. By spending more time developing top performers rather than correcting draggers, leaders can raise the organizational standard. It’s a chain reaction. Performers improve, and as the name insinuates, the followers will move up the ladder to close the gap. It then becomes apparent to the draggers that if they don’t improve, they will be forced to leave.
So why do so many managers get stuck with the draggers? It is because managers are trained problem solvers. This is one of the hardest behaviors to change on the way to becoming a leader, but they have to understand what they give up in their campaign to improve the draggers. They sacrifice the opportunity to develop inspired talent that will raise the level of the entire group.
Here’s an exercise. Write down the names of all of your top performers. If
you had to start a new organization and could only take 10% of your employees with you, who would they be? Have a conversation with these individuals and ask them what their frustrations are. Analyze what their answers say about the organization, about you. Then, go out and remove as many of those obstacles and frustrations as you can.
If they see you remove those frustrations and make improvements quickly, they will have confidence to bring new ideas that improve the organization. When you have a confident, talented group of individuals striving to reach higher levels, you have a stronger, more innovative company. Instead of being down in the weeds with the draggers, your time will be freed to focus on improvements and growth opportunities that are more invigorating personally and more important to your company.
So, one more question to answer. Are you a manager or are you a leader? What do your daily interactions tell you?
Tags: Behavioral Change, Definity Partners, Dragger, Excellence, Innovation, Leadership Development, Management Training, Obstacles to Growth, Organizational Growth, Performer
Posted in Continuous Improvement Efforts, Cultural Evolution, Definity Solutions: Thought Leadership Articles, Developing People, Management Insights, Transforming People, Transforming Your Business | 1 Comment »
Monday, January 10th, 2011
Part three of a three part series on Proactive Improvement
Blog Article Written By: Dave Mills, Managing Partner – Columbus
Did you have a chance to read the first two parts of our Remember the Forgotten Blog Series? If not, here is Remember the Forgotten I and Remember the Forgotten II.
So far, we talked about the forgotten elements of many businesses and the implications of their being forgotten. We focused on relationships with suppliers and customers. Our good friend Jim Hosley at Exterior Portfolio by Crane gave another great example: “In my experience, one of the largest forgotten elements are the people who come to work every day and just do a good, dependable, quality job. As managers we tend to focus on either the ‘problem children’ or the most ‘visible’ or the ‘high performers.’”
It’s true that too often there is a focus on the extremes when what any manager would prefer is to have confidence in all of their employees. What if they did? We have a proven strategy to move toward that goal called Run-Improve-Grow™. It has allowed top-leaders to expect more and gain confidence and trust in their entire organization.
Imagine Run-Improve-Grow™ as a triangle with the run function at the wide base. Ideally, your operators and front line supervisors are managing the run while your managers in the middle of the triangle are focused on proactive improvements. Too often the middle managers get called in to solve routine run problems. When they are working in the run, they are not working on improvement that would make the business more productive and profitable. It then falls to senior management at the top of the triangle to make improvements, when their time would be put to better use focusing on growth initiatives and innovation. I think you can see what then happens to the company’s growth pursuits when middle managers get stuck in the run. What percentage of time do you spend Running the business, Improving it and Growing it? What would you want it to be? How would the company benefit if you made the switch?
Run-Improve-Grow™ starts by empowering the front-line with tools. With our clients, we have used lean initiatives such as 5S, six sigma and kaizen to streamline the front-line’s systems and processes. Additionally, daily huddle meetings between the front-line supervisors and the operators have focused on open and honest communication and have facilitated discussions of what went well and what needed improvement in the previous shift. The operators said that when they shared their ideas and saw them become implemented, it made them feel valued. The confidence in their ideas increased their accountability to the job.
What would an empowered front-line mean to your company? Imagine if instead of middle managers being pulled down into the
Run, operators and frontline leaders were empowered to make improvements themselves Run-Improve-Grow™ pushes time up. Middle managers have the time to focus on making proactive improvements. Top-leaders have the time to focus on innovation and growth.
Now take it to a personal level. Mark Hartings, plant manager at PDi Communications, has been with the company for 30 years. In all of his time with the company, he never used every one of his vacation days. After working with Run-Improve-Grow™ this past year, he was able to use them all for the first time. Even more significant was the feeling he had when he took time off: “I was never worried that when I came back, the operation would have fallen apart. I was able to take time off with confidence.”
Understanding how the Run-Improve-Grow™ system has helped the lives of our clients’ employees is very special to us at Definity Partners. In 2011, we would love to help you. How can Run-Improve-Grow™ help you this year – personally and professionally?
Tags: 5S, Confidence, Continuous Improvement, Daily Huddles, Exterior Portfolio by Crane, Growth, Innovation, Jim Hosley, Kaizen, Leadership, Lean Initiatives, Mark Hartings, Middle Managers, Open and Honest Communication, PDi Communications, Proactive Improvements, Remember the Forgotten, Run-Improve-Grow, Six Sigma
Posted in Client Recognition, Continuous Improvement Efforts, Cultural Evolution, Definity Solutions: Thought Leadership Articles, Developing People, Management Insights, Uncategorized | Make a Comment »
Thursday, December 30th, 2010
Part two of a three part series on Proactive Improvement
Blog Article Written By: Dave Mills, Managing Partner – Columbus
In our last conversation, we discussed how supplier relationships are a common “forgotten” element of many businesses. Did you have a chance to think about any other forgotten elements of your business? What were they?
It seems that even the President has been thinking about what he forgot in
2010 so he can focus on how to most effectively spend his time in 2011. According to senior advisor Valerie Jarrett, “the President’s ‘biggest regret’ was that because of economic turmoil – ‘he had to spend almost every waking hour in Washington working on solving that crisis.’”
For Obama, spending his time almost exclusively with politicians and advisors meant he was not connecting with the public, something that, over time, could diminish his chances of re-election. What are the implications of the forgotten elements of your business?
Let’s analyze customer relationships. As a good businessperson, you know the value of spending time with customers. But how deeply do you delve into those relationships? We have found that engaging deeply with customers is usually forgotten.
With superficial relationships, it’s what you miss that matters. Specifically, you miss an opportunity to gather market intelligence and consumer insights. Your customers have a valuable perspective. They can provide information about potential future demand that is important to keep in mind when budgeting, scheduling and purchasing. They can also help you identify product improvements and gaps in the marketplace.
Consider this story from our friend Ron Stibich, President of ITW Fibre Glass Evercoat. Stibich’s team has spent hundreds of hours with customers observing them using ITW products. By dissecting the customers’ behavior and processes, his team gained a better understanding of how the products were being used and what problems occurred in the process. This knowledge lead to new and improved products.
Many times, Stichich’s customers hadn’t been able to articulate that they needed anything new. They had accepted the products as they were. By remembering to engage deeply with customers, ITW found new opportunities to lead the industry.
Like the President, the emergency of the day can prevent you from spending time on other important business matters. Great leaders have to learn to juggle them all. How well do you handle all of the elements of your business?
In the last blog of our series, we will be going through our proven strategy that allows leaders to have confidence in their middle managers so they can step away from the daily Run to turn their attention to future focused matters that can lead to growth. Do you have the time to join us for that helpful conversation?
Tags: Budgeting, Building Customer Relationship, CRM, Customer Loyalty, Customer Relationships, Growth, Innovation, ITW, Juggling Time, leadership skills, New Opportunities, proactive improvement, Product Development, Product Life Cycle, Purchasing, Scheduling, Target Market
Posted in Client Recognition, Continuous Improvement Efforts, Developing People, Improvement Tools, Management Insights, Transforming Your Business, Uncategorized | Make a Comment »
Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
Blog Article Written By: Ray Attiyah, Chief Innovation Officer
Think of the closest, most valued relationships in your life. What are the characteristics of those relationships? Respect? Trust? Appreciation? Now consider what moves a relationship to the point of respect, trust and appreciation? Typically, it’s a foundation of open and honest communication. Like atoms are the building blocks of matter, open and honest communication is the building block of any solid relationship.
Open and honest communication in our businesses has many advantages, including teamwork and leadership development. We have focused on Bilstein of America’s success in previous posts. At Bilstein, a story of a specific middle manager demonstrates some of the benefits.
Hendrik Walde is Bilstein’s manager of materials and logistics. In 2009,
at the beginning of the company’s Transformation EAGLE initiative, Hendrik was frustrated by discrepancies between the parts inventory in the warehouse and tallies in his SAP system. The reason was a myriad of intra-departmental communication problems. Hendrik’s discovered small problems in each department had snowballed into a logistics mess that decreased productivity and delayed orders. Each department was placing the blame on the other, neglecting to take responsibility.
The solution started with daily meetings that brought the departments together to take an honest look at the day’s problems. With everything out in the open, the whole group began to see where breakdowns were occurring and where improvement was possible. Individuals began to take responsibility for solutions and new procedures were developed collaboratively and put into place. Hendrik realized he had to carefully communicate the benefits of the new steps to assure compliance from the team. His candid approach worked. The workers were motivated to follow the procedures, the inventory was accurate, parts supply problems were reduced and productivity increased.
With the daily headaches are out of the way, Hendrik had the time to focus on developing an innovative add-on to the SAP software, streamlining the systems of the entire materials and logistics department.
We started this conversation with a question about your personal relationships, but business relationships are important too. How do you communicate with your peers? Customers? Suppliers? How does your company communicate with the external world? Is there trust, respect and appreciation?
Tags: Appreciation, Bilstein of America, Communication, Honesty, Innovation, Inventory, Leadership Development, Logistics, Materials, Openness, Respect, SAP, Teamwork, Trust
Posted in Client Recognition, Cultural Evolution, Developing People, Management Insights | Make a Comment »
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
Blog Article Written By: Ray Attiyah, Chief Innovation Officer
Followers of this blog know I am passionate about innovation. It’s not just an idea. It’s a process that includes active implementation. All too often, the idea is great but implementation lacks substance and a terrific idea dies on the vine before it can bloom.
This is my list of five things that will help prevent your next innovative idea from perishing prematurely.
1. Have the determination to break through barriers.
The implementation of any idea always runs up against logjams. You have to push through them to reach your goal. Leaders must especially share the enthusiasm to push forward.
2. Change what speed means for your organization.
Speed kills. Eliminate the term “speed” and change it with “quick”. Speedy operations are usually riddled with mistakes because the goal is completion; quick operations are smart and focus on time and execution.
3. Sharing best practices from other industries.
While the specific problems of one industry may be structurally different than the issues another industry faces, the best problem solving practices are not. Innovative practices are not constrained by SIC codes.
4. Being a catalyst.
Starting the process of innovation is often the most important step. One crazy idea can spark another and lead to an integrated solution previously not thought possible.
5. Thinking positively.
The implementation journey is a long one; positive thoughts lead to positive energy; positive energy leads to positive action; positive action leads to progress; progress leads to innovation. Your brain created the idea to begin with – don’t let it be sabotaged by negativity.
If you are interested in a more detailed piece on innovation, please click on the link to read our thought leadership article: Innovation for Successful Businesses Expands Beyond the Products.
Tags: Barriers, Best Practices, Change, Determination, Execution, Implementation, Innovation, Innovative Idea, Process, Quickness, Speed, Time
Posted in Uncategorized | Make a Comment »
Friday, November 19th, 2010
Blog Article Written By: Ray Attiyah, Chief Innovation Officer
We are always proud of our clients for the recognition they r
eceive from the media and other sources. On Monday November 22 and Tuesday November 23 at 5:50 PM, Business Wise, the region’s leading radio voice for business news and information on WNKU FM, 89.7, will feature Tom Barnes, Human Resource Manager at Bilstein. Tom will talk about the culture changes at the shock absorber plant in Hamilton, Ohio, that increased productivity and led the company out of recessionary lows. Bilstein’s profitability for 2009-2010 was up 10 percent from pre-recession highs; sales have also come back.
The company was recently selected one of the Cincinnati area’s Top Workplaces by the Cincinnati Enquirer. It was also a finalist in the Best Places to Work competition sponsored by the Cincinnati Business Courier.
Tom will be joined by Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Definity Partners, Ray Attiyah, to talk about the good things that can come out of a bad economy when a company has the confidence to upgrade, hire and grow.
Tags: 89.7 FM, Best Places to Work, Bilstein of America, Cincinnati Business Courier, Cincinnati Enquirer, Client Recognition, Confidence, Grow, Hire, Increased Productivity, Innovation, Profitability, Top Workplaces, Upgrade, WNKU
Posted in Client Recognition | Make a Comment »
Friday, November 12th, 2010
Blog Article Written By: Ray Attiyah, Chief Innovation Officer
I truly get joy out of seeing the transformation of our clients; every one of them has a unique story to tell. Recently, Columbus Business First highlighted the cultural change that occurred at Exterior Portfolio by Crane.
Originally, we were brought in to help the company handle its rapid growth during the housing boom of the mid 2000s. But while we were working with them, the economy faltered and their focus shifted to lean practices. Specifically, we worked to empower their employees. Champions emerged from the front line and were able to take on more responsibility. Their managers were then free to focus on their goal of developing innovative new products. This attention on the future rather than the problems of today allowed the company to achieve its business goals.
I think you will enjoy the story. Please click for the full article on the successful transformation at Exterior Portfolio by Crane.
Tags: Business Goals, Champions, Cultural Change, Empower Employees, Innovation, Leadership, Lean Practices, New Product Offerings, Rapid Growth
Posted in Uncategorized | Make a Comment »
Thursday, November 4th, 2010
Blog Article Written By: Ray Attiyah, Chief Innovation Officer
Have you ever had a great idea, an idea so remarkable that it had you dreaming of being the next Mark Zuckerberg before you even wrote it down? I’ll bet you have. From my experiences in the business world, innovative ideas come in all shapes and sizes, but most eventually get disregarded as impossible – and all they will ever become is a passing thought.
Innovation is a process, one that is less about the product than it is about the implementation of the idea. Think about the Snuggie, an idea so incredibly simple it bordered on ridiculous. But the idea was only the first step. The implementation that followed made the product innovative. From production, to distribution, to the marketing sensation that followed, the Snuggie turned out to be a great success.
So ask yourself, what blanket with arm holes is lying dormant in your mind?
Please click on the link to read our thought leadership article: Innovation for Successful Businesses Expands Beyond the Products.
Tags: Business Best Practices, Confidence, Development, Distribution, Growth, Ideas, Innovation, Mark Zuckerberg, Marketing Sensation, Product Implementation, Snuggie, Thought Leadership
Posted in Uncategorized | Make a Comment »
