#178 – LISTENING SKILLS FOR RELIABILITY ENGINEERS – FRED SCHENKELBERG

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ABC FredDid you hear what they said? Or, were you busy loading for your next verbal barrage?

As my mother would remind me, one should listen twice of often as speaking. Something about the ratio of ears to mouths in the population. I have to agree with her, that one can learn a lot by listening.

Listening may not seem to be a skill that one needs to master. Yet, how often have you walked away from a meeting where one or more participants obviously were not listening? How often are points repeated in an effort to be heard?

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#178 – WHY TYPE A PERSONALITIES DON’T ALWAYS GET AHEAD AT WORK – ELIZABETH LIONS

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Picture1You know the kind of person I’m talking about in the office. The one that is always talking, driving and in your mind – knows how to play office politics.

Type A personalities are often described as:

  • Assertive
  • Ambitious
  • Passionate
  • High achievers
  • Controlling
  • High strung
  • Perception Sensitive
  • Do-ers

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#178 – QUALITY AND INNOVATION – JAMES J. KLINE PH.D.

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aIMG_4231-150x150Introduction

In 2015, innovation was added to the Baldrige Excellence Framework.  While there is no doubt that innovation is important for an organization’s survival, a fundamental question is: How much does a quality improvement process, which is encouraged by the Baldrige Excellence Framework, contribute to innovation?  While there is no simple answer to this question, some indication can be seen in an examination of the focus of the quality improvement process and what happens to a company, with a reputation for innovation, when a quality improvement process is implemented.  Continue reading

#177 – WICKED PROBLEMS – JOSEPH PARIS

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image001-2-300x300-250x250There are all manner of problems (being an optimist, I rather use the term “challenge”) that we face each and every day.

Most of these challenges are simple enough: what’s for dinner this eve; is there traffic on the highway that is going to impede my progress; do I have any clean underwear, and so on.  Some challenges are more complex; how are we going to meet our production schedule; my primary vendor has failed and I need to bring a replacement on-line; which automobile or house should I purchase and what are the financing options, etc… Continue reading

#177 – RECOVERY: LEAST UNDERSTOOD ELEMENT OF BUSINESS CONTINUITY LIFECYCLE – GEARY SIKICH

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Untitled1-150x150The post-crisis recovery phase is one of the least addressed in planning, training and simulations.  This is an area that, if not properly managed, can cost financially, reputationally and operationally.  Communications, internal and external are, at best, misjudged.  Guidelines for recovery are lacking and most entities lose focus when it comes to discussing recovery operations.  It may be that recovery is one of the most complicated of the lifecycle elements and that no two recoveries are going to follow the same pattern.  Continue reading