CONNSTEP advantage magazine, Vol 1 No 3

Leadership

12 What Your Marketing TeamNeeds from You

14 What I’ve Learned

18 The Fast & The Furious

22 I Don’t Have Time

advantageVol. 1, No. 3

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onns

tep.

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Improved ef ciency.

Faster ROI.

Higher pro ts.

Companies that move ahead and stay ahead choose CONNSTEP to guide their

continuous improvement and growth strategies. Through close collaboration

with our industry experts, CONNSTEP accelerates top line growth, operational

ef ciencies and long-term sustainability.

Ready to experience a new level of success with your company? Bring us your

business goals and we’ll work together to make them happen.

CONNSTEP. Your total business improvement resource.

www.connstep.org

CONNSTEP, Inc.

1.800.266.6672

>>> CONTENTS

connstep.org 3

advantageVol. 1, No. 3

14What I’ve LearnedGrace Napolitan, Vice President Administration

of the Connecticut Hospital Association, shares

her unique career pathway and her idea on what

Connecticut’s new motto should be.

4Follow-the-LeaderLooking back at all the games that were

played as a child, follow-the-leader was

certainly one that many of us knew well.

In case you have forgotten, one person in

the group was chosen as the leader and

everyone else had to follow exactly what the

leader did.

18The Fast & The FuriousWith the commencement of a continuous

improvement strategy, Dymax has the pedal to the

metal and looks to keep racking up the accolades.

22I Don’t Have Time...Over and over, after running through a problem

solving session or providing training on proper job

instruction, I’ll hear, “It sounds great and I think it

will work, but we don’t have the time.”

12 14

18 22

12What Your Marketing

Team Needs from YouWhether you have a chief marketing offi cer with

an internal staff or an outside advertising and

public relations fi rm handling your company’s

marketing communications efforts, there are a

few things you need to know in order to ensure a

consistently successful program.

4

6

26

6The Buzz

Newsworthy trends, topics, statistics, Q&A ,

Biz Lit and an opportunity to ask the experts.

26Lean LeadershipLean is not about what you do; it’s about

how you think, your thoughtware®. Lean

is a way of life, a management system, a

long-term strategy. A Lean culture requires

a leadership approach that is, in many ways,

contrary to conventional management

philosophy.

Follow-the-LeaderLooking back at all the games that were played as a child, follow-the-leader was certainly one that many of us knew well. In case you have forgotten, one person in the group was chosen as the leader and everyone else had to follow exactly what the leader did. Eventually, those that did not follow were out of the game, leaving one left to become the new leader. Pretty simplistic, no? In the real world of working adults, this type of leadership would certainly struggle to build a great organization with such authoritarian rules and little respect to the individuality of those in the group.

Knowing this, we listen to the stories of those who have had success in their leadership roles. Last November on Veterans Day, we were fortunate to have Joseph Grano, Jr. as a keynote speaker at our CONNSTEP Manufacturing and Business Conference. He spoke on his leadership experience from the Vietnam War to that of Wall Street. Throughout his speech, he talked about leading in a time of crisis, a time when true leaders emerge. There is no doubt that presently, we are in a time of crisis. And no doubt, we welcome the leader who can cope with change and set the direction. But can we teach someone how to lead? Is it innate or are there others factors that contribute? And if so, how can we teach and incorporate this from a Lean perspective, creating a true Lean Leadership system?

CONNSTEP has undertaken the task this year to build a Lean Leadership Development Program. After many months of hard work from our staff and partnership with the Thoughtware® organization, we have completed a 6 module teaching framework that captures the essence of a true Lean Leadership System, encompassing company mission, vision, strategy and values. And starting at the beginning, we address the need to understand the difference between a traditional business model leader and a Lean business model leader. In our system, the leader includes the interests of the customers, shareholder, and employees in his mission and vision. The strategy of the leader sets a framework of collaboration with the entire organization, allowing them to think and make tough decisions and empowers them to be the problem solvers. And the values that this leader measures is in waste reduction in the process, contributing to the fi nancial health of the business.

We hope that you will want to learn more about this program being offered this coming spring. We encourage you to assist those in your organization with the skills

necessary to be the next leader…not just by following the “rules” but by allowing them to think. As Peter Drucker has

said, “leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.”

May your reading be satisfying,

Bonnie Del Conte is the president & CEO of CONNSTEP.

She can be reached at [email protected].

Bonnie

4 advantage Vol. 1, No. 3

CONNSTEP advantage Magazine is a publication of CONNSTEP, Inc.

Since 1994, the business consultants at CONNSTEP

have helped Connecticut’s small and midsize businesses

compete and grow. Through highly personalized services

tailored to the specifi c needs of our client companies,

we help develop more effective business leaders,

execute company-wide operational excellence and devise

creative strategies for business growth and profi tability.

CONNSTEP is Connecticut’s NIST/MEP affi liate and is

supported by the Connecticut Department of Economic

and Community Development (DECD).

PublisherBonnie Del Conte, President & CEOCONNSTEP

EditorRebecca Mead, Manager, Marketing & CommunicationsCONNSTEP

Contributing WritersCarmen Brickner, CLEARbrick, Inc.

Tom Southworth, CONNSTEP

Helene Kelly, Clay Advertising

Susie Zimmermann, Channel Z Marketing

Michael Perrelli, CONNSTEP

Contacts

To subscribe: [email protected]

To change an address: [email protected]

For reprints, PDF’s: [email protected]

For back issues: [email protected]

For permission to copy: [email protected]

To pitch a story: [email protected]

To register for an event: [email protected]

800.266.6672

CONNSTEP, Inc., all rights reserved. Reproduction

encouraged after obtaining permission from CONNSTEP.

CONNSTEP Advantage Magazine is printed four times

a year by CONNSTEP, Inc., 1090 Elm Street, Suite 202,

Rocky Hill, CT 06067. 800.266.6672

POSTMASTERSend address changes to:

CONNSTEP, Inc.

1090 Elm Street, Suite 202

Rocky Hill, CT 06067

advantage

>>> Contributors

connstep.org 5

Tom Southworth joined CONNSTEP in 2007, and brings more than 27 years of manufacturing experience to his role as Lean Consultant. In this position, he provides consulting services to a variety of manufacturing companies with a concentration in Lean Manufacturing. He has provided both classroom and hands-on training and facilitated the design, development and implementation of Lean Methodologies on an enterprise wide basis.

Mr. Southworth has spent 19 years in various management positions, with a particular focus in quality and plant management in commercial and label printing. Prior to joining CONNSTEP, Tom served as the Director of Lean Manufacturing for Moore Wallace, an RR Donnelley Company, during which time the company conducted over 300 kaizen and training events involving more than 1,700 associates.

Among his professional credentials, Tom is SME Lean Bronze Certifi ed, an ASQ Certifi ed Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence, and a certifi ed Training Within Industries (TWI) Job Instruction and Job Relations trainer.

As principal of CLEARbrick, Inc., Carmen Brickner guides people and organizations through transitions. She accesses cross-disciplinary wisdom gained through four decades of organizational leadership and innovative coaching with teams and strategic leaders.

Carmen specializes in helping managers become mentors, supervisors become coaches, and individual contributors become effective team members. Development of these new roles is crucial for organizations embarking on a Continuous Improvement journey.

Traditional foundations acquired as a CPA, IT Project Leader, Strategic Analyst and Senior Change Consultant in large multi-national fi rms of CIGNA and ABB have been integrated with best practices in motivational theory and group dynamics to become Carmen’s unique approach to practical and sustainable change.

Helene Kelly specializes in strategic public relations and marketing communications for a variety of clients. Most recently, Helene manages several accounts with the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, specializing in public health and economic development for the State of Connecticut. She has a particular focus in state government agencies, non-profi t, high-tech and business to business.

She served as Vice President for well known high tech Boston public relations fi rms such as FitzGerald Communications and Miller Consulting Group. She managed accounts in numerous markets including wireless, ERP and CRM, eHRM, incentive compensation, software, eBusiness and portals.

Her passion lies in strategic marketing communications consulting, advertising, media relations and publicity augmented by her ability to execute comprehensive marketing programs that include market research, direct mail, collateral development, telemarketing and event coordination.

Michael Perrelli is the Marketing Specialist with CONNSTEP where he is responsible for developing the content, markets and promotions of CONNSTEP training, networking and outreach programs. Additionally, Michael works with the Manger of Marketing & Communications on organizational market development, website maintenance and trade show efforts.

Before joining CONNSTEP at the end of 2010, Michael worked for the Alcone Marketing Group, a promotional agency based in Darien and for SourceMedical in Wallingford, where he controlled multiple direct marketing and trade show efforts for the leader in ambulatory surgery center management software.

Susie Zimmermann has more than 20 years of experience developing and managing marketing and communications for corporations, non-profi t organizations, and government agencies. In her current work with clients from both the commercial and non-profi t sectors, she provides strategic consulting on branding, product launches, messaging, positioning, employee communications and comprehensive marketing programs. Prior to launching her own consulting business, Susie managed marketing and communications programs for the Department of Commerce’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership, AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps. as well as for organizations specializing in commercial real estate, urban revitalization and health insurance.

CICCCONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTCHAMPION CERTIFICATIONMarch 6th to May 22, 2012

The gist: This thirteen-week course provides

intensive exposure to the principles and

practices needed to develop and sustain the

Lean Enterprise. You will receive immediate

reinforcement of the classroom learning by

applying your training to a real-life project

within your organization. Together with on-site

mentoring and knowledge assessments, this

approach dramatically reduces the time frame

from training to bottom-line results.

Who attends? Those tasked with

implementing and sustaining a culture

of continuous improvement within their

organization.

http://bit.ly/CICCprogram

>>> calendar

Connecticut Manufacturing Coalition RoundtablesOctober to May

The gist: The roundtables off er a confi dential forum where manufacturers share and learn

about common challenges as well as best practice solutions to achieve sustainable continuous

improvement and profi table growth. You’ll gain an invaluable network of trusted peers, business

development opportunities, best practice presentations, as well as industry related resources.

Who attends? Manufacturing professionals interested in benchmarking, networking and

learning from their peers.

http://bit.ly/cmcroundtables

New Learning OpportunitiesComing soon!

The gist: CONNSTEP is developing new in-person and online learning opportunities. scheduled

to make their debut in the new year. From short, informative web-based tutorials to full-day,

in-depth training workshops, there will be opportunities to learn new skills, develop a deeper

working knowledge of continuous improvement and advance your career.

www.connstep.org


Q: What is the importance of having Lean leadership?

One defi nition of leadership is the process of social infl uence in which one can enlist the aid and support of others to accomplish a common task. Simply, leadership is the ability to successfully integrate and maximize available resources within the internal and external environment for the attainment of organizational goals.

In order to understand what Lean leadership is, maybe it is best to identify what it is not. In many organizations, leaders “live in the corner offi ce” where they send out their experts to solve problems. Their focus is often entirely on “making the numbers.” They have little or no interest on the day-to-day activities and infrequently focus on eliminating the wastes in their organization.

The Lean leader is in many ways the coach. He or she strives to expose problems and train individuals to be problem solvers. The Lean leader develops and communicates the action plan, initiatives and process improvements. It is important to provide the employee with a clear purpose and required autonomy. It is also imperative to manage and drive the performance, constantly adapting and adjusting in the truest sense of continuous improvement. Many times managers manage the resources when in reality the process is what needs to be managed.

Lean leaders develop and support company culture - the set of shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that characterize the organization.

An example of Lean leadership and Lean culture development is very apparent at a CONNSTEP client in eastern Connecticut. We had been in contact with the previous general manager several times and after determining that there were signifi cant opportunities for improvement, we were just unable to engage the individual. After a period of time a new general manager took the reins, and while his manufacturing background was limited, he realized signifi cant changes had to be made if the company was to survive. Through his leadership, the business and culture focus changed. They became focused on training, open and clear communication, and cemented their education with kaizen events, leading to Lean becoming a way of life.

Ten years later, their leadership remains just as focused on Lean. Management has stated that without the Lean leadership focus, the company would not be in business today. Continuous Improvement activities continue to be driven by leadership, the only difference being the leadership not only comes from the general manager, but has permeated throughout the whole organization. Their leadership drives and supports change and encourages experimentation on a daily basis.

Lean isn’t something you do on any one day but it is something you live every day. It is important not to only focus on the “tools” of Lean but on a philosophy of excellence.

You have questions, Bill Kirchherr fi nds the answers. An expert in continuous improvement methodologies including Lean Manufacturing, Bill answers your questions using his experience and the knowledge of industry’s top thought leaders.

Bill Kirchherr provides consulting services to Connecticut manufacturing companies with a concentration in Lean Manufacturing. Through classroom and hands-on training, Bill facilitates the design, development, and implementation of Lean Methodologies on an enterprise wide basis.

Reach Bill at [email protected].

>> > Ask the Experts

TripIt (free; www.tripit.com)TripIt is a free travel app that keeps

your itineraries at the ready whether

you’re online, offl ine or in airplane

mode. Get access to all the trip

planning information you’ll need

on the road, even when you can’t

connect to the Internet. Save all those

confi rmation e-mails in one place!

Travel management features include

calendar sync, auto import, trip sharing

capabilities and more.

Yelp (free; www.yelp.com)

The leader of user-review sites,

Yelp is a stress-free way to search

for places to eat, drink, shop, and

more- especially when traveling.

Use Yelp’s mobile app to search

for top destinations around town,

and read reviews from an active

community of knowledgeable

locals. The Yelp app is available

for BlackBerry and iPhone, but

other phone owners can just go to

m.yelp.com with their browsers.

Kayak (free; www.kayak.com)

When it comes to travel-booking

apps, Kayak is a top pick for

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hotels and car rentals using Kayak’s

meta-search engine, which displays

fares from travel agencies as well as

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mobileyou

connstep.org 7

The newly legislated “jobs bill” (H.B. 6801), “An Act Promoting Economic Growth and Job Creation in the State” is the product of collaborative, bi-partisan efforts between the executive and legislative branches.

In response to the success of the Governor’s “First Five” initiative, a special legislative session became the catalyst for Governor Malloy’s jobs tour, where he and Commissioner Catherine Smith of the Department of Economic and Community Development, over the course of 70 tour stops, received input from over 300 companies across diverse industries. DECD facilitated the organization of the “voice of the customer” feedback, created a current state analysis, looked

costs for new employees for up to six months. There are few stipulations on this funding that is aimed at reducing unemployment, specifi cally among the low-income urban areas.

Other elements of the bill include:

• Small Business Express program, administered by DECD, that provides low-cost loans, matching grants and other fi nancial assistance to eligible small businesses;

• Expansion or formation of manufacturing technology programs in selected community technical colleges, with an emphasis on precision manufacturing;

• Reduction in the length of time required to obtain needed permits and the elimination of some regulatory requirements;

• Establishment of an e-business portal for improved access to services and programs; and

• Bond issuance to pay for the programs and incentives within the legislation.

DECD is holding a series of nine informational sessions across the state to let businesses know, fi rsthand, how this legislation will impact them. To ensure the programs’ success, DECD is partnering with a dynamic sales force including chambers of commerce and small business groups, to deploy an aggressive, coordinated outreach effort. And within three weeks of the new legislation being passed, the fi rst check was distributed to a company on November 9th, providing needed capital for business expansion.

For a schedule of the three remaining informational sessions and complete information on the programs developed through this legislation, please visit www.ct.gov/ecd.

outside the state for benchmarks of successful initiatives and developed recommendations for best practice implementations needed to spur job creation and economic development. The subsequent Economic Summit, held in early October, brought

together experts and speakers from academia, the private and public sectors, to formulate ways to reinvent Connecticut.

The rubber met the road on October 26th, during a special legislative session, when the 163-page bill was passed, 34-1 in the senate and 147-1 in the house. Providing access to capital, incentives for hiring and assistance with

training needs, the legislation includes elements relevant to small businesses including a subsidy to help small organizations pay salaries and training

BUZZthe

“One focus of the special session was to help businesses—most notably small businesses—prosper and grow,” said Catherine Smith, commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).

“With $180 million in new funding specifi cally targeted to Connecticut’s small business community, the Malloy administration and the state legislature are clearly supporting the job creators and innovators that can accelerate our economic recovery.”

Unity of Purpose


“Self-control is an exhaustible resource.” This amazing fi nding is the basis for one of the three ‘surprises’ and what to do about them shared by Chip Heath and Dan Heath in SWITCH: How To Change Things When Change Is Hard.

If you only have time for the fi rst chapter, it is worth the price. But I bet you won’t stop there. This easy to read best seller is full of interesting empirical and anecdotal fi ndings that back up each helpful hint and how-to clinic. Examples include manufacturing, healthcare, education, families, communities, and even nations. It is scalable and widely applicable, stripping away the this-doesn’t-apply-to-us excuses.

I have managed and coached Organizational Change for almost 40 years and this book brings one of the freshest, cleanest, and most usable perspectives that I have read. The authors have an engaging style that allows us to see our human foibles and blind spots with humor. The ‘aha’ moments are like lightning bolts that don’t burn as there is none of preachy or condescending tone so often found in books on change. Rather we cycle through “oh wow, you’re kidding me”, “of course, why didn’t I see that before?”, and “I knew that all along, I just didn’t know the science behind it” moments.

While Lean and Sigma are not mentioned anywhere in SWITCH, every component fi ts beautifully into the transformations my clients are making. They won’t need another new board or program. As the Heath brothers show in the book, small changes within what you are already doing will make big impacts. I am seeing quick successes as I incorporate new SWITCH ‘tweaks’.

The three legged approach of Direct the Rider (rational/logical), Motivate the Elephant (emotional) and Shape the Path (situational/structural) dovetail the three critical foci of sustainable change: Tools, Culture and Infrastructure. Another way to look at it is that the What, Why and How of change are all necessary for the Who to actually behave in desirable new ways.

Which brings me back to the ‘surprises’. The Heath brothers state them as “What looks like a people problem is often a situation problem”, “What looks like laziness is often exhaustion” [mental and emotional], and “What looks like resistance if often a lack of clarity.” Hmmm…isn’t a core principle of Lean about learning to

see with fresh eyes? SWITCH provides a valuable

new viewpoint for every manager, champion or

consultant engaged in leading change.

- Carmen Brickner, CLEARbrick, Inc.

The cost of healthcare is skyrocketing and hospitals must make every effort to control costs while delivering the safest and most effective care possible. Businesses cannot run the same way that they were run 50 years ago and hospitals are no different. The same basic principles that have successfully transformed businesses can and will transform hospitals, and in Lean Hospitals, Improving Quality, Patient Safety, and Employee Satisfaction, author Mark Graban lays out a proven strategy to transform today’s under performing hospital into tomorrow’s model of cost-effective Lean healthcare.

Acute care hospitals are under siege. Higher and higher numbers of uninsured patients (customers) are fl ooding emergency departments, adding more stress to a healthcare system that is already strained. Even the insured are having a harder and harder time trying to make their deductible payments. Add in a growing population that’s living longer and longer, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

Lean Hospitals takes the reader off the factory fl oor and onto the hospital fl oor, showing healthcare professionals how Lean can and has been successfully implemented in hospitals. Mark Graban lifts the veil that has obscured our view of what happens in the hospital pharmacy, laboratory and other areas of hospital operations and helps us to see the wastes that are costing hospitals time and money, just as they do in the non-Lean factory. Obstacles to effective care, errors, rework, lack of standardization, and overworked and overstressed employees are traits that are shared by hospitals and factories alike.

Like the brick-and-mortar business, hospitals need to meet an ever increasing demand for services while keeping an eye on the bottom line. And, like the brick-and-mortar business manager, hospital executives must deliver results while keeping their employees healthy and happy. While this may sound like a Sisyphean challenge it’s not and, like the brick-and-mortar, the answers to keeping the bottom line as healthy as the top line can be found in the business model known as Lean.

- Tom Southworth, CONNSTEP

Biz Lit

connstep.org 9

BUZZthe >> > Business Barometer

maintain manufacturing’s role as a driver in the U.S. economy.

Key study fi ndings include:

• As the baby boomer generation

prepares to retire, nearly six out of 10

U.S. manufacturers may experience

senior leadership changes in the next fi ve

years — a fi ve percentage point increase

over 2009 data.

• Due to an aging workforce and gap

in skilled labor, professional training

and development is needed to prepare

manufacturers for the next generation.

• For example, 61% of manufacturers

stated they have the leadership and

talent to drive world-class process

improvement, whereas only 42%

believe they have the same level of

expertise for global engagement.

• While most manufacturers have the

business systems and equipment to

support current requirements for the

six strategies, few have state-of-the-art

business systems and equipment for long-

term support.

These six next generation strategies provide a

road map for success for U.S. manufacturers.

Those who are at or near world-class status,

are more likely to: have a company-specifi c

strategy with full functional involvement and

buy-in; have talent and skills development

programs driving the next generation strategy;

and have state-of-the-art business systems and

equipment able to provide long-term support.

American manufacturers are currently competitive in the global market, but public and private support is necessary for advancement and continued success.

The key to continued success is to help small manufacturers identify areas for improvement in their operations and implement “next generation” strategies to enhance global competitiveness.


• Companies that prioritize the six “next

generation” strategies are outperforming

their peers.

• A majority of U.S. manufacturers look for

outside help to achieve success in these

six strategic areas and report that their

organizations have been positively impacted

by state manufacturing associations,

including MEP centers.

• Small manufacturers have more diffi culty

implementing components necessary for

next-generation success.

• For example, 41% of the small

manufacturers have business systems

and equipment able to at least

support current requirements for

global engagement vs. 65% of large

manufacturers.

American manufacturers are placing increased importance on sustainability, global engagement, and supply-chain management.

As sustainability and globalization have become increasingly familiar terms to American businesses, signifi cantly more U.S. manufacturers rated the two strategies as highly important totheir business, whereas process improvement, customer-focused innovation, and human-capital improvement remained at equal levels of importance from 2009.

The Next Generation Manufacturing (NGM)

Study is a national survey developed to help

small-to-midsized manufacturers across

the United States better defi ne strategies

and business objectives necessary for

global competition. This year, more than

800 manufacturers across the country

participated in the study – a national

research effort coordinated by the

American Small Manufacturers Coalition

(ASMC), conducted by the Manufacturing

Performance Institute (MPI) and supported

by Manufacturing Extension Partnership

(MEP) centers nationwide.

The NGM Study evaluates manufacturers

across six best practice areas known

as the “next generation strategies,”

including: customer-focused innovation;

engaged people/human capital acquisition,

development and retention; superior

processes/improvement focus; supply-chain

management and collaboration; green/

sustainability; and global engagement. The

NGM Study identifi es trends affecting the

industry, assesses manufacturers’ views

of the six strategies today, and compares

the current data to the fi rst NGM Study

conducted in 2009.

U.S. small manufacturers are at a critical point in time and must assess whether or not they have what it takes – workforce, systems and equipment – to successfully compete in the future.

While external factors, such as the economic downturn have presented a challenge to American manufacturers, the NGM Study found that the majority of manufacturers believe it is most important to focus on their business strategies to

Next GenerationManufacturing



• Sustainability is increasingly important to manufacturers,

with 59.2% of manufacturers reporting that sustainability is

important or highly important to their future, up from 35.1%

in 2009.

• Many are responding to customer demands for greener

products, while others recognize cost-control opportunities such

as reduced energy consumption and the re-use of materials.

World-Class Performance of the Next Generation Strategies Defi ned

1. Customer-focused innovation: Develop, make, and market new products and services that meet customers’ needs at a pace faster than the competition.

2. Engaged people/human capital acquisition, development and retention: Secure a competitive performance advantage by having superior systems in place to recruit, hire, develop, and retain talent.

3. Superior processes/improvement focus: Record annual pro-ductivity and quality gains that exceed the competition through a companywide commitment to continuous improvement.

4. Supply-chain management and collaboration: Develop and manage supply chains and partnerships that provide fl exibil-ity, response time, and delivery performance that exceeds the competition.

5. Green/sustainability: Design and implement waste and energy-use reductions at a level that provides superior cost performance and recognizable customer value.

6. Global engagement: Secure business advantages by having people, partnerships, and systems in place capable of engaging global markets and talents better than the competition.

sound off

Q: What role does a leader play in shaping your organizational culture?

A: A leader’s role is to “beat the drum,” to be the consistent communicator of organizational culture in meetings, newsletters, e-mails, phone calls, and hallway conversations. As the “face” of the organization, appearance and behavior must mirror what the culture there looks and acts like. Leaders set the tone and the pace, and invite others to join in.

-Olga Dutka RN, MSN, MBA, VP Quality Management, Rushford Center

A: Organizational culture is extremely important to the success of a company. All employees, regardless of position, need to be on the same page. A true leader can skillfully articulate how the organization expects employees to act and can also ensure that all employees are moving in the right direction. As we have seen, some employees are not going to easily acclimate to an organization’s culture. A leader must have the fortitude to continue pressing for progress, even if it means having discussions with employees regarding their fi t in the organization.

- Mike Iassogna, Principle, Tier ONE, LLC

A: In today’s market, the competition is fi ercer than ever. In order to be successful and stay ahead of the competition, we must achieve performance excellence in every aspect of our business. Constantly developing tools and methods toward that end, is the primary focus of great leaders today.

- Rich DaRos, Director, U.S. Procurement, ASML.

connstep.org 11


lead to additional business for your

organization.

Third, make sure you know the

difference between ‘sales’ and

‘marketing’ because rest assured,

there is a major difference. Equating

your marketing team with your sales

force will often dilute each department’s

credibility and demonstrate a clear

lack of understanding from executive

management.

Devote at least 2% of your

annual revenues to marketing

communications activities. Too

often, companies treat their marketing

budgets as an afterthought. Research

has continually shown that the most

successful companies commit a solid

percentage of their operational costs to

outbound sales and marketing activities.

Hold an annual off-site retreat

and split the agenda between business

issues such as budgets, advertising

and public relations campaign reviews,

creative brainstorming sessions and fun,

stimulating social activities. Ask them to

plan the event because this is the area in

which they shine. This team is the best

group to generate a host of creative event

ideas and activities.

Schedule regular notices of

acknowledgment; whether the

communication goes through the internal

company communications vehicle, i.e.

e-mails, or through the distribution of

press releases, photos with captions to

the local and regional media or award

ceremonies or certifi cates at industry

events.

Give each team member an opportunity

to present a unique aspect of their job

to the rest of your staff during regularly

scheduled staff meetings or at company

picnics or holiday parties in order to

showcase their expertise and at the same

time, expose the rest of your employees to

the skills your marketing team possesses.

Lastly, make sure you offer many

opportunities for continuing

education in the form of ‘the latest and

greatest’ social media/marketing tools

or formal courses at online or brick and

mortar educational institutions.

Spending some time, money and attention

on your marketing team will pay for itself,

ten-fold. But don’t take my word for it;

just take a look at how the Fortune 500

companies treat their marketing teams.

Whether you have a chief marketing

offi cer with an internal staff or an

outside advertising and public relations

fi rm handling your company’s marketing

communications efforts, there are a

few things you need to know in order

to ensure a consistently successful

program.

First, keep in touch. Marketing

communications, advertising and public

relations people tend to be very social

people, by nature. That means they like

interaction. They also thrive on a fair

amount of kudos. Set time aside each

week or month to check in with your

marketing people not so much to ‘check

up’ on them but more to ‘check in’ with

them. Allow them to present their latest

activity so that you as the “C” level

executive are not only well-informed on

a consistent basis for business purposes

but so that they know you’re really

interested and involved in their efforts.

Everyone knows quality teamwork leads

to success.

Second, periodically, take a

marketing communications team

member along with you to a

new business or client meeting.

Their insight and viewpoints will be

valuable and often provide a new lens

to the discussion, which could ultimately

What Your Marketing

team needs from you

by Helene Kelly

connstep.org 13

>>> Grace Napolitan, Vice President, Administration, Connecticut Hospital Association

East Haven, Connecticut, 67 years old

What I’ve LearnedWhat


What I’ve LearnedI’ve Learnednever imagined my

career would take the

path it did. I studied

liberal arts in college,

taught junior high language arts and

music, went to law school, and then

ended up working in manufacturing for

35 years.

My current role allows me to use all the

skills and experience I’ve acquired during

my career, from education to strategic

planning, legal work, human resources,

facilities management, and administration

of systems, policies, and procedures.

Quite a shift, and one that has

been endlessly challenging and

rewarding, both personally and

professionally.

Kudos to my current employer who

welcomed the breadth of experience

and new perspective I brought to

the Association and the challenges it

faced—including redefi ning itself both

strategically and operationally, to respond

to the challenges of health reform and

the enormous impact that legislation

has on our members, and ultimately the

communities they serve.

I think I’ve brought some useful

administrative disciplines to the

organization and a focus on process

improvement. Simple things like starting

and ending meetings on times, with a

clear agenda, and capturing action items

to ensure things get done and we avoid

endless discussion and procrastination.

For me, the issue is showing

respect for everyone’s intelligence

and time.

From a leadership perspective I’ve learned

several things. The saying “without

vision, the people perish” is right

on the mark – so it’s essential that

leaders communicate a vision for the

organization with passion and optimism.

And once communicated, it means

ensuring that everyone understands the

values that drive the organization – from

the

most experienced senior manager, to

the least experienced new employee.

And that’s not a one shot exercise.

It requires constant follow-up and

setting an example. You can’t

do that by sitting in your

offi ce all day – or constantly

using e-mail to communicate

your expectations. Face to face

communication is still the best from

my perspective to let staff know

what you’re thinking. Learn about

them, get to know what they care

about, and let others teach you

what you don’t know – which

is plenty!

I like the concept of the servant

leader and for me that means

I

A major role for government is in education and training and it’s absolutely critical that we do a better job than we’re doing now in Connecticut to train both knowledge and production workers.

“ “by Susie Zimmermann

connstep.org 15

keeping one’s ego in check…being direct

and optimistic with people, framing the

situation – even the tough ones – in a

way that offers more daylight, because

people need hope. It also means

removing obstacles, clearing away the

red tape/bureaucracy that gets in the way

of people doing their best. I think this is

the way to build and sustain loyalty in an

organization, which I still view as a core

value – and essential to building trust.

Leaders also need a sense of

humor – it has a way of diffusing

tension and the confl ict that is often

inherent when highly creative, intelligent

people work together. It enables one to

step back from confl ict and daily stress

and gain perspective. And the fact is,

there is so much about life that is funny!

Leaders must constantly assess people

and respectfully – and immediately –

confront those who don’t share the

organization’s goals. If you don’t, the

result is toxic to the rest of the team. In

this regard, good teachers and mentors

will tell the truth…kindly. I’m very task

oriented, and tend to be impatient,

with a result that I sometimes don’t

pay enough attention to the process

and the need to encourage people

to provide input. One of my bosses,

over 30 years ago, told me that being

so focused in this way caused others

to perceive me as overly opinionated,

abrupt, impatient, and not open to

the ideas of others. Hearing this

stung initially, but then I realized he

was right. Recognition is only

half the battle – I’ve been

working on improving these

shortcomings ever since!

Another responsibility of leaders

is to ensure that everyone

understands the organization’s

fi nancial markers – revenues,

margins, expense categories, variances,

etc. This information should be shared

broadly throughout the organization,

with leaders simplifying the numbers

– and communicating routinely

both progress and problems

in relation to the fi nancial goals is

another way to build trust.

As I refl ect on my own career in

manufacturing – and look at the current

landscape I see tremendous opportunities

for American manufacturers. Why?

Today we are in great need of

innovation and new products in areas

like information technology, medical

equipment, transportation, and energy.

And making new products and

coming up with new ideas – that’s

what we as Americans do. So given

the economic crisis we are in, there is

amazing opportunity, but we must be

willing to compete globally. We can’t

be complacent, or lapse into risk-averse

behavior, or become isolationists.

Traditionally, as manufacturers

we’ve not been particularly

good political citizens. We often

aren’t very aware or active politically,

because we can easily focus inwardly on

just what’s going on in our plants. But

working in healthcare I’ve learned you

need to be aware of political issues and

be in touch with legislators to move your

agenda forward.

Government can and should play

a role in helping manufacturers shape

the future. Much of what the current

Connecticut legislature is considering

is right on the mark. It’s refreshing

to see legislators, government

agencies, and business leaders

form partnerships – and not see

each other as adversaries all the

time. It’s the best way to come up

with solutions that will make real and

benefi cial change for the industry, our

state, and our citizens.

A major role for government is

in education and training and

it’s absolutely critical that we

do a better job than we’re doing

now in Connecticut to train

both knowledge and production

workers. We need a closer alignment

Grace Napolitan with CONNSTEP’s Bill Caplan, Tom Southworth, Matin Karbassioon and Jack Crane following the conclusion of the Lean in Healthcare hosted by CHA.


between manufacturers and technical

schools, and government has an important

role in making that happen, in part by

establishing schools as labs for business via

apprentice programs.

Government also needs to look at critical

services, like improving the transportation

infrastructures. I-95 South is absurd.

We don’t have a road system that moves

people effi ciently to where jobs are

available.

Maybe the state’s new motto should be

“Connecticut – Land of Bold Ideas

and Dynamic Action”. So much

depends on one’s values and attitudes – it

just might spark a renaissance to rebuild

the manufacturing base that was once such

a proud part of Connecticut’s history.

At the end of the day, I’m a teacher at

heart. Only my classroom has changed.

Helping people learn, watching them

grow, and see that they have more ability

and talent than they thought, is incredibly

gratifying. It’s a way to pay it forward.

I used to think I couldn’t possibly take a

vacation because I was too “essential.” I

was completely wrong. I’ve fi nally learned

that stepping back and taking time

off to renew one’s energy and

dedication—while allowing others

to demonstrate their leadership

skills, is what’s essential. Now my

goal is to enjoy a vacation at each of the

Ten Best Beaches in the World.

movinon up?According to a recent sector-by-sector analysis of U.S. industrial

competitiveness completed by Booz & Company with the University of

Michigan’s Tauber Institute for Global Operations, decisions made today

by goods producers and policy makers can lead to 95% of the products

Americans consume being produced by American manufacturers.

“As labor costs and currency rates play a smaller part in manufacturing

decisions, there is an opportunity for U.S. business leaders and policy

makers to rise to the challenge and create conditions that support

manufacturing,” said Arvind Kaushal, Booz & Company Partner. “The

potential for a rebound is there, but only if the right actions are taken.”

Today, U.S. manufacturers provide about 75% of the products that

Americans consume. But that number could soar to 95%. The complete

study can be read at http://bit.ly/mfgwakeupcall.

What are the actions business and government leaders can take to drive

momentum for manufacturing?

Weigh in - send your thoughts to [email protected].

t h e BU

ZZ

1. Develop & attract skilled talent.2. Foster high-impact clusters, in which

companies can learn from one another & innovate more readily.

3. Access to nearby countries with emerging consumer markets and lower-cost labor.

4. Simplify & streamline tax & regulatory structure.

connstep.org 17

>> for more examples of Lean Manufacturing transformations, improving the performance, quality and profi tability of Connecticut companies, visit www.connstep.org.

the fast&

the furious


With the commencement of a continuous improvement strategy, Dymax has the pedal to the metal and looks to keep racking up the accolades.

f you are a reader of Inc.

Magazine, you’re well aware of their

annual list of the 5,000 fastest-growing

private companies in the country.

Entering the rarefi ed air of companies

who have appeared on the list multiple

times, Dymax, a Torrington-based

company, will be adding a new Inc.

plaque to the mantle this year, honored

by the publication for the 5th consecutive

year.

Experiencing this type of growth year

over year isn’t as easy as it may seem;

there are considerable challenges

companies must overcome to keep the

trend of an upward trajectory alive. With

projected sales at $60 million, more than

double that of four years ago, capacity

requirements coupled with thoughts

of equipment investment and footprint

by Michael Perrelli

expansion occupied the thoughts of

Dymax leadership.

“We assumed our initiatives and

practices were bulletproof but it

became apparent some of our

processes were not conducive for

sustainable growth. A perfect example

is the addition of more than 50

employees last year, a 74% increase

of our workforce. Continuing to plug

50 people into areas in an effort to

meet growth demands was not a

sustainable business model,” says

Lance Boynton, Director of Operations,

“Our processes needed adjustment

for us to maintain our growth,

continuously improve quality and stay

competitive.”

With little to no success from previous

Lean initiatives, management decided

in the summer of 2010 that it was time

to transform the company to a Lean

enterprise in an effort to maintain their

growth rate and effi ciently boost capacity.

As John Stonesifer, Equipment Operations

Manager explains it, “Our level of Lean

awareness, on a scale of 1 to 10, could

have been in the negative numbers. As a

whole, we didn’t understand the concept

and couldn’t sustain the concept. We had

some 6S in place but that was it.”

A true watershed moment occurred when

the Dymax leadership visited Dur-A-Flex,

a manufacturer of fl ooring systems in

East Hartford, Connecticut. “When we

returned from the tour, there was a buzz

in the building. The Lean principles aren’t

confi ned to one cell, process or product

line. They are a true Lean enterprise as

the Lean principles extend through the

entire organization from the Leadership

team down through production and

over to front their offi ce personnel. You

can stop and talk to anyone on the fl oor

at Dur-A-Flex about Lean. Everyone

is educated on the procedures and

processes of the organization,” Boynton

says.

Wayne Pegolo, Adhesive Operations

Manager echoes the statement for

the rest of the leadership team, “It

was an eye opener. We were fi red up

when we came back. We saw fi rsthand

that education was the key to this

transformation succeeding.”

Steering Their Way into the Future

To properly focus their efforts, Dymax

established a four member steering

I

connstep.org 19

among all staff, not just operational

employees as expected. Boynton adds,

“Recently, I had a marketing manager

use the phrase ‘takt time’ to me. Six

months ago, it wasn’t in our vocabulary.

Now here’s a Market Segment Manager

breaking away from the stigma of Lean

being only operational.”

The Dymax steering committee

continues to set company priorities to

ensure that each department views and

applies Lean methodologies as growth

tools in alignment with McCarroll’s

methodologies, “The heart of the

Enterprise-wide model is deciding what

the business strategy is, deciding which

Lean solutions are needed and where to

apply them. This is opposed to doing a

random fl yby kaizen that has zero focus

and does not support the strategic plan.”

After entering the production fl oor,

redesigned work cells and open

fl oor space immediately illustrate the

improvements the steering committee has

spearheaded across the 100,000 square ft.

facility. As equipment usage is discussed,

Lance Boynton is proud to point out the

utilization chart affi xed to each machine,

“Before we began our transformation

process, we were all under the assumption

we would need three or four new

machines to handle expected capacity

increases, requiring the investment of

hundreds of thousands of dollars. The

process improvements have not only

alleviated the need for new equipment,

but we actually have more than enough

machines on hand.”

Understanding the Customer

The core of Dymax’s growth strategy

begins and ends with a philosophy

focused on continuous improvement

throughout the organization driven

by customer needs. Dymax refers

to understanding the needs of their

customers as “Closing the Operational

Excellence gap.” Boynton is quick to point

Cellular manufacturing allows production to fl ow.

DYMAX is a world-class manufacturer of light-curable adhesives, light-curing

equipment, and dispensing systems which are supplied to the medical, electronic,

appliance, transportation, and alternative energy markets worldwide.

committee where Boynton, Pegolo and

Stonesifer are joined by Tanisha Worrell,

Senior Accountant, in managing the

process. “Every member of the steering

committee, along with eleven other

leadership team members, is a certifi ed

continuous improvement champion,”

explains Pegolo. “We needed to learn the

philosophies and practices in order to lead

our activities.”

Communication continues to play a

vital role in the steering committee’s

operations. “The two goals of our

steering committee are to educate and

communicate. In order to complete and

sustain any successful Lean initiative, the

entire organization needs to know why

and how we are doing this.” Pegolo adds.

With the steering committee’s input, the

company newsletter has expanded to

include a monthly section on Lean and

the company’s activities, which effectively

communicates to all Dymax employees on

the transformation of their workplace.

Meeting with the steering committee

on a regular basis, CONNSTEP’s John

McCarroll has provided support to

Dymax from the very start of their

Lean transformation. Refl ecting on the

company’s commitment to change, he

explains, “Though they may consider

themselves in the toddler stage of their

Lean journey, Dymax has learned to walk

faster than any company I have worked

with because they focused so much on

the training up front.” Since their initial

efforts to adopt Lean practices, Dymax

has experienced a shift in Lean awareness


out, “There are certain things that every

client expects – on-time delivery and

material of good quality. Until you get to

the point where the stakes of meeting

customer demand with high quality

products are a given, it can be hard for

any company to start reaching out to

new markets. Before we actively target

additional markets, we need to ensure

our current customers are more than

satisfi ed.”

Recently, the Dymax team was able

to apply their training to the front

offi ce when they adjusted their CID

– Continuous Improvement Database

– process which focused on customer

complaints. “We didn’t have an effective

corrective action policy in place. There

was a lot of noise in the process. No

one wanted to deal with the issues,”

Stonesifer explains. “There was a lot of

wasted time focusing on complaints that

were non-issues. A process utilizing client

service reps was developed to prevent

inaccurate complaints from reaching the

production team. We have decreased the

number of CID complaints from six per

week, down to two a month – freeing up

time and resources.” This kaizen event led

to new policy formation, in which new

complaints would be confi rmed within

24 hours and containment would occur

in 48 hours or less. Whereas the process

used to be a “black hole”, customers are

now contacted twice within two days.

Sales and customer service personnel have

more clarity on how to properly address

complaint issues, which has paved the

way for better customer relationships.

To further advance continuous

improvement efforts, part of Dymax’s

action plan involves customer participation

in the company’s research and

development process. “You can spend a

lot on R&D and work on things that no

one wants,” Boynton says, “We are now

focusing on injecting the voice of the

customer into our R&D groups so we can

start working on the next generation of

the products customers really value.”

Sticking to the Plan

“We are looking at things differently now.

Taking a look at inventory turns, on-time

delivery, quality, fi rst pass yield – all things

we always paid attention to – but we now

understand what is needed to improve

those metrics. We have a team of well

trained employees who can take corrective

action by implementing or adjusting a

process,” says Boynton.

Broadening the continuous improvement

philosophy globally is at the top of

Dymax’s future plans. In addition to their

headquarters in Torrington, Dymax has

locations in Germany, China, Hong Kong

and Korea. “Part of our plan is to take

our Lean journey to the point where we

broaden our philosophy globally, but we

know we need to master it here fi rst,”

Pegolo explains while outlining their

future steps.

With overwhelming success achieved

through their new Lean initiatives, the

steering committee is confi dent their

sustainment will ultimately lead to a

global roll out. Recently completed

initiatives have resulted in a near perfect

on-time delivery rate of 99%, up 23%

from earlier in 2011. A cost savings of

$30,000 in one quarter stemming from

an 80% reduction of overtime costs has

allowed the company to increase capacity

29% without adjusting labor hours. “We

have a trained staff that stretches across

the entire organization from production

to sales and marketing,” says Boynton.

“When I see a Market Segment Manager

use Lean terms, or a Sales Manager

proactively ask for assistance when setting

up a Lean project charter, I know the

culture is embracing these concepts which

should ultimately lead to sustainability.

Our people can utilize new solutions to

correct areas or processes that may not

be running as smoothly as one would like.

Everyone has the understanding of the

principles and sees the value in them.”

Examining historical performance as a

future indicator and adding to that a

staff trained in continuous improvement

practices and a better understanding of

customer needs, Dymax should keep a

spot open on their mantle to add a 6th

Inc. Magazine plaque as one of America’s

fastest growing companies in 2012.

For more information about

Dymax, visit www.dymax.com

Adhesive Operations Manager, Wayne Pegolo discusses how Dymax uses metrics boards, located throughout the facility, to communicate the company’s continuous improvement journey and key performance indicators.

connstep.org 21

by Tom Southworth

“I Don't Have

Time...”


ver and over, after running

through a problem solving session

or providing training on proper job

instruction, I’ll hear, “It sounds great and

I think it will work, but we don’t have the

time,” or something like that. Despite

overwhelming evidence, including actual

demonstration of the new method or

technique, company executives retreat

behind the well worn excuse of being too

busy to make any real change.

Well, if the new method or technique

sounds great and it does work, then why

aren’t you doing it? If it’s because you

claim that you don’t have the time, then

I have to ask: What on earth are you

spending your time on?

Some of you are wondering who the heck

am I, casting even a shadow of a doubt

on what you do with your time. “Who

does he think he is? What does he know

>>> opinion

about what I do?” As it turns out, I know

a lot more than most outside observers

because, you see, I’m one of you. I’ve

run small, independent shops with 20

employees, and large, corporate, 24/7

operations with as many as 200. As the

expression goes, I’ve “been there, done

that.”

“It’s not enough to be busy, so are

the ants. The question is, what are

we busy about?”

– Henry David Thoreau

Back in my plant manager days, I once

had a colleague call me “the world’s

most expensive customer service rep.” I

was spending an inordinate amount of

time on the phone with irate clients, sales

managers and sales representatives,

playing Three Card Monte with

the day’s production schedule. He

was right – I was the world’s most

expensive customer service rep

because I wasn’t doing my job of

being a plant manager, which was

to lead the plant.

When I look back at that period

in my career I can now see so

many things that I had been

doing wrong: all of the tasks and

activities – the daily grind – that

I had thought amounted to time

well spent but were, instead, a

complete waste of my time. I was

running around fi ghting fi res and

trying (sometimes unsuccessfully) to

prevent confl agrations. I was “busy

about” all of the wrong things but

thinking that, because I was busy,

I was doing my job. What I didn’t

“The great dividing line between success and failure can be expressed in fi ve words: I did not have time.”

– Franklin Field

O

connstep.org 23

realize, though, was that I was constantly

extinguishing the same fi res, day in and

day out. I suspect that most of you are

doing much the same and, like me, doing

so without realizing it. In other words,

you’ve become me – the world’s most

expensive customer service rep.

“In truth, people can generally

make time for what they choose

to do; it is not really the time but

the will that is lacking.”

– Sir John Lubbock

We have plenty of time for continuous

improvement; we just don’t make the

effort to use our time wisely. Instead,

we spend our time running (sometimes

actually running) from emergency to

emergency and then we tell ourselves

that we’ve done all that we can to fi x

whatever the emergency was because

we’ve spent so much time on it.

We’re kidding ourselves, even deluding

ourselves, into thinking that way because

we just don’t have the will to confront

the real challenges that our jobs require

us to confront each and every day. We

shouldn’t be focused on fi re fi ghting; we

should be making our facilities and our

processes fi re proof. We shouldn’t swoop

in like Superman to save the day but,

rather, we should be teaching others the

requisite skills to prevent Gotham from

falling apart.

Our roles as leaders shouldn’t be cleaning

up the mess that’s left behind in the wake

of the “SS Disaster”. Our role should be

to steer our ship and to lead our crew to

the next port of call and beyond. If we’re

always in the engine room making stop-

gap repairs to keep the ship sputtering

along, we’ll never be able to see where

the ship is headed, and we’ll likely run

aground. We think we’re the Skipper,

but we’re really Gilligan, fumbling our

way from chaos to catastrophe.

We’ve all seen or heard some variation

of the expression, “There’s never time

to do it right, but plenty of time to do it

over.” We all think that it pertains solely

to quality of our products but it pertains

to the quality of our time, too. We all get

frustrated, even angry, over the wasted

time (and material) when something that

we’ve produced gets rejected, but we

never seem to get upset over the time

that we waste on everything else.

How many times have you become

frustrated or upset that a meeting

doesn’t start or fi nish on time? Well, did

you spend your pre-meeting time wisely

and properly plan for this meeting?

Probably not so, once again, the fault lies

how you chose to spend your time (not)

planning for the meeting.

Have you ever walked around your

facility and became frustrated or angry

over how much inventory you have,

thinking of all of the cash that’s tied up

in that inventory? Why is that inventory

there? Who purchased that much raw

materials or ran that much product?

Who took the time to plan out how

much was really needed? My guess is

that no one did. Do you control your

inventory or does it control you? If you’re

not spending any time planning your

inventories, your ins and outs, then your

inventories are controlling you.

And what about the wasted time and

material when something was produced

and then rejected? Did you spend any

time uncovering the real root cause or

did you, like most, knee-jerk react into

the stratosphere and blame the operator,

supervisor, quality control department,

the sun, the moon and the stars? Does

the operator who ran the material really

know what to do? Again, I suspect not,

because most operators are poorly

trained before they’re thrown into the

fi re. And why are they poorly trained?

Wait for it. Wait for it. Yup, you guessed

it. You don’t have the time!

“You will never fi nd time for

anything. If you want time, you

must make it.”

– Charles Bixton

Your time is yours to do what you

want. If you’re not spending your

time doing the right things right and,

instead, choose to fi ght fi res instead of

preventing them, then the responsibility

for the confl agration that ensues rests

entirely with you.

Make the time. It will be well worth the

investment.


please tell us what you think of the new COnNsTep magazinehttp://svy.mk/2012readershipsurvey

connstep.org 25

Lean Leadership

Phil KirbyThoughtware®

“I make it a rule to believe only what I understand.”

Princeton University’s fi fteenth President, Harold Willis Dodds, was a brilliant scholar and a visionary

leader. His rule highlights the greatest challenge facing Connecticut business leaders today in their

efforts to implement a Lean management culture. To commit to Lean, leaders must believe in Lean.

To believe, they must fi rst understand Lean.

Lean is not about what you do; it’s about how you think, your Thoughtware®. Lean is a way of life,

a management system, a long-term strategy. A Lean culture requires a leadership approach that is,

in many ways, contrary to conventional management philosophy. Lean requires a radical change in

business approach even though it doesn’t require a drastic change in business organization. Lean

means that business leaders must think in a way that is opposite to what they have always known.

In the new Lean culture, products that were traditionally pushed through production are now

pulled. Warehouses that historically focused on shortage are supermarkets based on abundance.

Yesterday’s vertical, departmentalized thinking is today’s horizontal workfl ow or process thinking.

Lean is about growth, not the accustomed cost-cutting.

Lean culture requires problems, hidden for years, to be exposed. Lean requires motivated

employees to problem-solve issues previously reserved for experts. Today’s Lean leader must ‘go

see’ in the gemba and spend less time in the offi ce. The Lean leader’s focus is on how to eliminate

waste rather than how to make this month’s numbers. Instead of setting targets, the Lean leader

sets target conditions. The Lean leader isn’t interested in measuring results; all that matters is

process capability.

It’s no wonder business leaders feel overwhelmed, if not threatened by a Lean management

culture. Even if they understand the new Lean Thoughtware®, they imagine a Lean management

culture will turn their business upside-down.

As they see it, Lean requires them to change their core beliefs, do the opposite of what they’ve

always done, change the essence of how their business works yet keep the enterprise on an even

keel through implementation. Lean seems like a monumental task. So, many begin to question

Lean’s logic and benefi ts. Some conclude that Lean is not for them.

Other business leaders endorse Lean but rely on traditional management practices to implement

it. These leaders view Lean as a tactical program not a strategic philosophy; as technical tools not

managerial style. They delegate the implementation of continuous improvement tools to engineers

or technologists and believe their business is now Lean. However, they too, begin to question the

logics and benefi ts when they don’t achieve breakthrough results despite signifi cant investment.

In today’s competitive global economy, breakthrough performance results are not only desired but

required. CONNSTEP’s Lean Leadership Program helps leaders:

1. Understand Lean;

2. Believe in Lean; and

3. Commit to Lean so they can create, lead and sustain a Lean business model.

With the help of CONNSTEP’s Lean Leadership Program, Connecticut businesses will continue to be

on the leading edge of Lean in North America.

Phil Kirby is a Lean profi t expert and founder of

Organization Thoughtware® International Inc., a

performance improvement business that he began

over 20 years ago after working for years in operations

management with bottom-line accountability. He has

written two books.

Phil believes every business has a wealth of hidden treasure

buried beneath the waste of its business processes. His

treasure hunter Thoughtware® enables treasure seekers to

think with process minds and see with process eyes.

Phil has treasure hunted from the jungles of Batam,

Indonesia (20 degrees from the Equator) to the darkness

of Kokkola, Finland (20 degrees from the Arctic Circle)

overhauling businesses, bottlenecks and balance sheets.

Phil is a passionate, provocative, and practical speaker

whose incredible real-life treasure hunts with an impressive

list of blue-chip customers mesmerize audiences worldwide.

Phil was recently awarded Best Speaker at the International

Lean & Six Sigma Conference in Orlando, Florida.


The Connecticut Manufacturing Coalition Roundtables provide unique &

rewarding opportunities for manufacturing professionals.

The roundtables offer a con dential forum where manufacturers share and learn about common challenges as well as best practice solutions to achieve sustainable continuous improvement and pro table growth.

You’ll gain an invaluable network of trusted peers, business development opportunities, best practice presentations, as well as industry related resources.

Benefi ts include:

• Peer-to-peer knowledge sharing• Exclusive to manufacturing professionals• Structured meetings with professional facilitator• Best practice benchmarking• Business development opportunities

Who should attend?Manufacturing professionals interested in benchmarking, networking and learning from their peers.

2011-2012 Schedule*

10.20.11 Electri-Cable Assemblies, Shelton11.17.11 Platt Technical High School, Milford12.15.11 Legrand/Wiremold, West Hartford1.19.12 ` Dymax, Torrington2.16.12 Howmet, Winsted3.15.12 CooperSurgical, Trumbull4.19.12 Modern Woodcrafts, Plainville5.17.12 Marion Manufacturing, Cheshire*plant tour locations subject to change

For more information and to register, please visit

www.connstep.org or call 800.266.6672.

Join a group designed exclusively for manufacturing professionals.

connstep.org 27

Tel 860.529.5120Fax 860.529.5001www.connstep.org

CONNSTEP, Inc.1090 Elm Street, Suite 202

Rocky Hill, CT 06067

CONNSTEP assists Connecticut manufacturers and other businesses with strategic leadership and operational methodologies to become more competitive, thus supporting the growth of Connecticut’s economy.

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE PAIDHARTFORD, CTPERMIT NO. 518

Documents

CONNSTEP advantage magazine, Vol 1 No 3