Castool Community

General

Make more decisions, they do not have to be perfect, just make them and move on.

Think of management as if it were like a global positioning system, recalculating the route no matter how many times the driver veers off course.

Display moral courage daily, and physical courage infrequently.

Avoid 5 deadly traps: quick wins, reacting negatively to criticism, intimidating others, jumping to conclusions and micromanaging

Strategy

When prescribing goals be selective, and mindful of past interactions and adverse reactions.

Strategic planning should include monitoring the performance of suppliers, customers and competitors.

Don’t try to predict what a competitor might do, concentrate on what he can do..

When a project is stopped, prepare a disengagement plan that deals with the emotional as well as practical effects of the end of the project.  Keep in mind that with the exception of some personal problem that was impossible to detect at the time of hiring, whenever an employee is terminated, it is always the fault of the company, not the employee, and therefore treat him accordingly.

The five elements of successful vision are visualization, verbalization, implementation, opposition, and attainment. If it doesn’t, it is not big enough.

Meetings

Start meetings by reviewing action items. Don’t adjourn meetings until each of the actions has been assigned to someone.

Consider the attendee’s schedule. Typically managers cut the day into one-hour slices, while technicians prefer to use time in units of half days, since they cannot get much done in slices of one hour.

Performance Appraisal

Don’t look for the underperforming employee, in order to bring his work up to average, search for the outstanding employee in order to make better use of his abilities, and to assist him in personal development.

Aim high.  You can always do better.

Toyota’s problems are its alone, but they highlight broader failings.

Japanese companies are vulnerable to mishandling crisis because of their rigid system of seniority and hierarchy. There is reluctance for people to pass bad news up the chain, thus keeping information from those who need to hear it in a misguided effort to protect them from losing face. In many Japanese firms it is all but impossible to challenge the boss.

Any attempt to short-circuit the hierarchy is deemed an act of disloyalty and a violation of the traditional corporate culture. The preference for harmony also crowds out alternative viewpoints, hindering firms’ ability to take bold decisive action.

Western style corporate governance has problems of its own, highlighted by the Enron scandal.

Many Japanese companies are responding to Toyota’s troubles by re-examining their use of out sourcing to drive down costs.  The accelerator pedals were supplied by an independent American parts-maker!

But they might want to use the incident to reconsider their own internal working too. And maybe at the same time all firms should also learn from the incident.

The lizard brain welcomes a deadline that slips or an item that doesn’t ship, and most of all, busywork. These all represent safety.

If you don’t challenge the status quo, you seldom fail, and are never ridiculed.

Sleep Nothing negatively affects our mood or our effectiveness more than lack of sleep.  Think of sleep as a natural fuel that powers personal productivity.  Your body will tell you when you need more. Don’t try to ‘run on dry’, you’re only deluding yourself.  This can be extremely dangerous.

Sacrifice A successful business understands that to gain a customer, it is often necessary to lose a customer. You must be willing to select who it is you want to appeal to, sacrificing others that don’t fit the mould.

Harmony Lose the “Lone Hero” mindset. Commit to collaboration and harmony. Harmony is a springboard. It supports teamwork, creates energy, and fuels creativity.

In the marketplace, just now, we’re on the verge of a major transition in the amount of information that consumers demand, and that producers are obliged to disclose. Consumers really want to know the health, safety and environmental impact of nearly all the products they purchase.

Wal-Mart, for example, is creating its own sustainability index. Although it will not be complete until 2013, it’s already becoming a formula for scientific and government agencies. They’re insisting that their suppliers track and lessen the environmental impact of all their products

The same evidence of sustainability will be applicable to manufacturing. Some companies already have their sustainability indexes in place.

A new level of competition is being created.

1) Face the bitter reality of your situation. Make sure that your advisors tell you the truth. Jettison the yes-men and yes-women.

2) Choose the right partners with the help from your colleagues. This increases your perspective and reduces chances of picking the wrong partner.

3) Develop the next generation of leaders, often they are overlooked. Create a culture that allows their strengths to come out.

4) Fire poor performers. Poor performance is painful and very costly. Ruthlessly remove anyone that does not perform with distinction.

5) Live by the rules and values of the company. The people who work for you will take cues on acceptable behavior from you.

6) Focus on strengths not weaknesses. It is an error to try to improve in an area in which your performance may never get better. Work on your strengths.

7) Demand more from your leader. Champions are not born, they are made. If you are not acquiring new skills, ideas, and information you need to make a change.