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Why Your Excel Spreadsheet Fails as a Scorecard

Posted on by Linda Surles

One of the most popular uses of spreadsheets is for Business Scorecards. Electronic spreadsheets arrived in the late 1970s as a replacement for bookkeeping tasks traditionally done on paper. But are they capable of handling your scorecards in today’s business environment? 

Studies Show a Disappointing Reality

  • 94% of spreadsheets contain errors
  • 57% of spreadsheet users have never received formal training
  • 72% of spreadsheet users report having no audit process to check for accuracy

Do you feel safe in using a spreadsheet to compile your critical business data for tracking performance and making important decisions? Here are some things to consider.

  1. It’s similar to a ‘full body scan’ – A well-executed Business Intelligence (BI) tool should be able to give users a detailed look at their entire business from top to bottom. Instead of clicking through multiple tabs, BI tools can quickly aggregate the data so managers can make more informed decisions.
  2. Provide your business with a single source of truth– In today’s world, data drives many of our decisions. However, without the necessary controls to ensure your data isn’t suspect, are you making the right decisions? BI tools remove this concern by ‘locking down’ the data.
  3. Identify key trends and track what you are doing to improve – Instead of handing out the latest spreadsheet, a BI tool offers a number of ways to visualize the information. In addition, by linking and displaying corrective action plans, leaders can quickly see not only how the organization is tracking, but also what is happening to improve those under-performing metrics.
For free access to Scorecard Examples click here!
You’ll find a collection of industry best practice scorecard templates that include
the most relevant KPIs and Metrics available for every industry!
 

What Top Business Books on Organizational Transformation Aren't Telling You

Posted on by Linda Surles

 Why Your Business Books Are Failing You

We tend to over-complicate things in business, and when it comes to defining what successful business transformation looks like, we really, really, over-complicate it. Much of what constitutes organizational success comes down to common sense, but unfortunately, it’s not always common practice.

All the books will tell you a long-winded version of the same message: discover the keys, take the right steps, figure out the dysfunctions, embrace the challenge, ascend the levels, look within organization, look outside organization, develop the right habits, know the rules, break the rules.

Transformation shouldn’t be that complicated. If you’re looking for sustainable business success, it can be as simple as focusing on these 3 key things:

Measure, Act, Communicate:

  1. Getting the Right Metrics at the Right Levels

    • Too often we have metrics that people can’t control at their level. To make metrics meaningful the owners must be able to directly impact metric performance. Successful organizations break strategic metrics into key tactical components at each level and department of the organization. 

  2. Holding People Accountable for Metric Performance

    • Once appropriate metrics are defined and owners can impact and control them then they set up a non-negotiable accountability system. This system should be able to handle short-term – today’s work today – actions and more long term strategic actions that focus on recurring problem resolution. Accountability systems are a key part of standard work but one that many organizations struggle with.

  3. Structured and Business Focused Communication

    • Eliminate non-value meetings and focus on those meetings that drive the 2 components above and tie the entire system together. Every meeting should be metric and action focused with a standard format across the entire organization. 

The keys to a successful transformation are that simple. The next step is deploying them.

Want to learn more about total organizational transformation? Put down your book! If you want to tour a facility to see what the execution of these strategies looks like, and visualize what you can achieve in less than a year:

Click for DEPLOYMENT CASE STUDY

Make your program succeed with proven strategies to generate momentum and sustain long term change

Here's Why 70% of Business Transformations Fail

Posted on by Linda Surles

Here’s Why 70% of Business Transformations Fail

Transformation shouldn’t be that complicated. Like Blocking and Tackling in football the key is the basics, If you’re looking for sustainable business success, it can be as simple as focusing on these 3 key things:

Measure, Act, Communicate:

  1. Getting the Right Metrics at the Right Levels

    • Too often we have metrics that people can’t control at their level. To make metrics meaningful the owners must be able to directly impact metric performance. Successful organizations break strategic metrics into key tactical components at each level and department of the organization. 

  2. Holding People Accountable for Metric Performance

    • Once appropriate metrics are defined and owners can impact and control them then they set up a non-negotiable accountability system. This system should be able to handle short-term – today’s work today – actions and more long term strategic actions that focus on recurring problem resolution. Accountability systems are a key part of standard work but one that many organizations struggle with.

  3. Structured and Business Focused Communication

    • Eliminate non-value meetings and focus on those meetings that drive the 2 components above and tie the entire system together. Every meeting should be metric and action focused with a standard format across the entire organization. 

The keys to a successful transformation are that simple. The next step is deploying them.

If you want to tour a facility to see what the execution of these strategies looks like and visualize what you can achieve in less than a year, complete this form for upcoming opportunities

Make your program succeed with proven strategies to generate momentum and sustain long term change

6 Benefits of Benchmarking

Posted on by Linda Surles

The Benefits of Benchmarking

Benchmarking is a common practice and sensible exercise to establish baselines, define best practices, identify improvement opportunities and create a competitive environment within the organization. Integrating benchmarking into your organization will result in valuable data that encourages discussion and sparks new ideas and practices. At its best, it can be used as a tool to help companies evaluate and prioritize improvement opportunities. 

Benchmarking can allow you to:

  1. Gain an independent perspective about how well you perform compared to other companies
  2. Drill down into performance gaps to identify areas for improvement
  3. Develop a standardized set of processes and metrics
  4. Enable a mindset and culture of continuous improvement
  5. Set performance expectations
  6. Monitor company performance and manage change

Sound complex? It doesn’t have to be.

Looking for ways to improve communication, focus and business accountability in your organization? Join us for a Leadership Seminar in Atlanta on October 4th with Shane Yount. More details can be found here.

Please complete the form to receive more information on benchmarking.

 

Rockline Industries Reaches Major Safety Milestone with Eight Million Safe Work Hours at Arkansas Plant

Posted on by Linda Surles

Congratulations Rockline Industries! 

Rockline Industries recently announced that the Arkansas Department of Labor has recognized its Springdale, Ark. manufacturing facility with an award for exceptional safety, achieving eight million safe work hours without a lost time accident. This impressive milestone puts Rockline Industries in elite company as this has only been achieved 10 other times since Arkansas began recognizing workplace safety in 1976.

 “I am very proud of the teamwork that all of our associates display each day when it comes to the safety of themselves and others. Excellence is often pursued but rarely captured, and our team’s unwavering dedication to a higher level of safety and commitment to do the right thing 24/7 has led to this remarkable achievement,” said Mark Fougerousse, EHS manager of Rockline Industries NW Arkansas.

“We’re incredibly proud of our associates. Working together, over an extended period of time, we have created and supported a culture that puts people and product safety before any other manufacturing metrics. We use a tool called PBL Scorecard to bring clarity to our employees of how key strategies, like Safety, are supported and accountable to very specific and achievable metric targets. Our associates’ ability to see and support this each and every day made this milestone possible,” said Joel Slank, general manager of the Rockline Industries Springdale location.  Associates are constantly encouraged to look for and provide documented opportunities to improve their work areas and practices to make their work environment even safer.

About Rockline Industries

Rockline Industries was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. It is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of coffee filters and consumer, health care, industrial and institutional wet wipes. A family-owned company, Rockline has repeatedly created first-to-market product design solutions for the wet wipe consumer, and continues to provide innovative products to the nonwovens industry. Rockline employs approximately 2,200 people worldwide and has manufacturing facilities in Wisconsin, Arkansas, New Jersey, England and South China. For more information on Rockline Industries, visit www.RocklineInd.com.

Executive Business Bootcamp & Plant Tour

Posted on by Linda Surles

Executive Business Bootcamp & Plant Tour

A 1.5-day immersive experience. Participate in an executive leadership forum to learn how to drive employee engagement, redefine organizational accountability, and deliver bottom-line business results. Includes a site tour to see how one company created a sustainable culture of business focus & accountability in less than a year.

presented by Shane Yount, Principal of Competitive Solutions, Inc.

Objectives –

  • ALIGN your organization with shared direction, engagement, and commitment
  • IDENTIFY practical and effective methods to connect a multigenerational and multicultural workforce
  • USE the right metrics and GET RID of the wrong ones
  • SPEND less time in meetings and more time running the business
  • LEARN proven accountability strategies and how to make them effective and sustainable 

Details –

  • Date: 7 – 8 Nov. 2017
  • Location: Charleston, WV
  • Total Hours: 13
  • Price: $995

“Great course! This is something that could help leaders transform business. Can’t wait to start leveraging it.” – Director, Genentech

2 Day Breakdown

Day 1 – Business Bootcamp Strategies 

Without sustainable systems, leaders will never be able to truly “Transform the Business.” In this bootcamp, leaders will explore the tools necessary to effectively manage performance, drive continuous improvement, promote engagement, and create a sustainable results driven culture. This seminar will challenge attendees to evaluate their current operating systems, while providing proven and practical solutions for improvement.

During the forum, participants will learn how to: 

  • Create an organizational communication model to support cultural change
  • Use metrics to drive performance versus just reporting results
  • Sustain individual and organizational accountability 
  • Build the right meetings with the right cadence
  • Implement standard work systems that allow Front Line Leaders to fully embrace their roles in driving continuous improvement

“This is an excellent course that makes you think outside the box. A lot of information in two days.” – Director of Manufacturing, Raytheon

Day 2 – Live Tour & Team Presentations

During the tour, participants will see the results of properly executing the tools discussed in Day 1 PBL Bootcamp. Attendees will see a cultural transformation and the direct impact it had on operational efficiencies, employee accountability, and communication. Validated by independent auditors, these results show what organizations can expect to accomplish with the right processes and methodologies. 

During the tour, participants will: 

  • See how the PBL Bootcamp processes have significantly increased Yield and Schedule Adherence 
  • Witness increased overall meeting efficiency
  • Observe dashboard and accountability tools that engage and motivate employees
  • Learn strategies to improve site communication and trust
  • See how business strategies are translated into operational plans for their teams
  • Observe the measurable impact on culture, employee engagement and performance

Who Should Attend – 

  • Senior Level Executives
  • Operations Professionals
  • HR Professionals
  • Quality Professionals
  • Supply Chain Managers
  • Operational Excellence

“Very engaging – great speaker/presenter. I thoroughly recommend this seminar to anyone looking for a true systems approach to improvement and starting at the top on down.” – Quality Assurance Director, Phenix Label

Click Here For Registration 

 

2 Day Experiential Learning Breakdown

Posted on by Linda Surles

Executive Business Bootcamp & Plant Tour

Day 1 – Business Bootcamp Strategies 

Without sustainable systems, leaders will never be able to truly “Transform the Business.” In this bootcamp, leaders will explore the tools necessary to effectively manage performance, drive continuous improvement, promote engagement, and create a sustainable results driven culture. This seminar will challenge attendees to evaluate their current operating systems, while providing proven and practical solutions for improvement.

During the forum, participants will learn how to: 

  • Create an organizational communication model to support cultural change
  • Use metrics to drive performance versus just reporting results
  • Sustain individual and organizational accountability 
  • Build the right meetings with the right cadence
  • Implement standard work systems that allow Front Line Leaders to fully embrace their roles in driving continuous improvement

“Great course! This is something that could help leaders transform business. Can’t wait to start leveraging it.” – Director, Genentech

“This is an excellent course that makes you think outside the box. A lot of information in two days.” – Director of Manufacturing, Raytheon

Day 2 – Live Tour & Team Presentations

During the tour, participants will see the results of properly executing the tools discussed in Day 1 PBL Bootcamp. Attendees will see a cultural transformation and the direct impact it had on operational efficiencies, employee accountability, and communication. Validated by independent auditors, these results show what organizations can expect to accomplish with the right processes and methodologies. 

During the tour, participants will: 

  • See how the PBL Bootcamp processes have significantly increased Yield and Schedule Adherence 
  • Witness increased overall meeting efficiency
  • Observe dashboard and accountability tools that engage and motivate employees
  • Learn strategies to improve site communication and trust
  • See how business strategies are translated into operational plans for their teams
  • Observe the measurable impact on culture, employee engagement and performance

Who Should Attend – 

  • Senior Level Executives
  • Operations Professionals
  • HR Professionals
  • Quality Professionals
  • Supply Chain Managers
  • Operational Excellence

“Very engaging – great speaker/presenter. I thoroughly recommend this seminar to anyone looking for a true systems approach to improvement and starting at the top on down.” – Quality Assurance Director, Phenix Label

Click Here For Registration 

17 of the Biggest Differences Between Managers and Leaders

Posted on by Linda Surles

17 of the Biggest Differences Between Managers and Leaders 

The words “leader” and “manager” are often used interchangeably, but they mean two completely different things. 

For instance, a manager tells their employees what to do, while a leader encourages them. A manager accepts the status quo, while a leader challenges it. 

Resourceful Manager, a website that offers information, training, and tools to supervisors trying to solve management and business problems, put together the following infographic that outlines 17 of the biggest differences between managers and leaders:

Getting to Know Generation Z: The Desire for Purpose and Fulfillment

Posted on by Linda Surles

Getting to Know Generation Z [Series]

PART 3: The Desire for Purpose and Fulfillment

Generation Z wants more than just a job, they seek a job with purpose, a sense of fulfillment that helps to move the world forward.  As leader’s in organizations, how might we better convey organizational purpose to our employees and encourage them to explore and nurture meaning and fulfillment within their roles? 

Start with a clear vision.  Revisit the history and vision of your organization and department.  Most organizations are not start-ups and their founding stories have been lost in mergers, acquisitions and growth.  Recount why your organization exists and share it with your employees.  Then emphasize why their individual roles are important and add value.  In addition, encourage employees to develop a vision (purpose) statement for themselves.  What do they see their purpose in life to be?  Does this align with their career path and goals? 

Utilize recognition techniques to convey the link between individual contributions and reaching departmental and company goals.  Create an atmosphere of appreciation and positivity where one might find meaning in being part of a team; part of something larger than themselves. 

Actively engage in one-on-one’s look for opportunities to help your employees align their overarching purpose with their role.  Encourage them to also look for opportunities that might provide a sense of purpose while fostering an entrepreneurial mindset.   

For more content like this, keep up with us on LinkedIn!

Click Here for Part 2

 

Getting to Know Generation Z: the Entrepreneurial Mindset [Series]

Posted on by Linda Surles

Getting to Know Generation Z [Series]

PART 2: The Entrepreneurial Mindset

An entrepreneurial mindset is not synonymous with becoming an entrepreneur.  Generation Z tends to gravitate toward an Entrepreneurial Mindset; a mindset that has been described by The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship as the skills and behaviors that include initiative and self-direction, risk-taking, flexibility and adaptability, creativity and innovation, and critical thinking and problem-solving.  Others have described an Entrepreneurial Mindset as the ability to see opportunities, organize resources and create value.  Many of these attributes fall into the category of what many leaders feel are missing today in their workforce and would welcome experienced employees who display these skills and behaviors.  Therein lies the question around how to foster and encourage the use of these attributes in someone who is new to the industry.  What are the boundaries for creativity?  How much risk should someone new to the workforce take prior to consulting someone?  And how can we help the entering workforce gain visibly and opportunity in putting their critical thinking and problem-solving skills to work? 

Do you know someone who has an entrepreneurial mindset within your organization today?  How might you coach, teach and mentor them to ensure that these attributes are appreciated and not stifled? 

Click Here for Part 1

For more content like this, keep up with us on LinkedIn!

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