The past 20 years has bred a generation of managers who are tightly focused on cost reduction and the elimination of waste, and who have a deep faith in many of the practices that come under the heading of "Best Practices." These practices are the nominal foundation for a company's continuous improvement efforts - nominal, because we rarely see them in practice.
This session challenges managers towards a different goal. Do they know how to manage the business to make more money, rather than to save money? Are they capable of inventing their own solutions, ones that leap-frog the competition, rather than playing follow-the-leader with the "Best Practices" proponents?
We use an approach that is wholly non-confrontational, with no personal embarrassment for any participants, to present manager with opportunities to "improve" a simple business. Some act on instinct; others follow the rules of business they have learned from their years of experience. Yet time after time, managers realize they made the decision that was entirely justified according to their experience and training but which points the company away from increased profitability.
The question arises: are there alternative rules that management can follow that DO make sense, that do guide them to make better money-making decisions?
Managers quickly develop the rules for themselves. The new rules are simple, intuitive, and based entirely on common sense. By session’s end all participants agree they have been exposed to a different, valuable way of thinking about their organization and the whole issue of "continuous improvement."
