The speeches were done, we enjoyed cake and coffee and finished passing out the checks. The hardware was on the table (a CEO award). But more importantly, we had sliced almost half of the time it took us to do custom product development, which was pushing up customer satisfaction and would lock us into designs […]
It came out of nowhere: it was a request that one of our customer service people might have easily dismissed, yet for some reason it was put on my desk. The device being requested was significantly more stringent than the ones we had been building at the time, and while we received many of these […]
I recall it clearly: I was working with a small manufacturing team that was looking to break out of their current niche. We had begun doing work on the business model canvas and Growth Zone principles. We were looking for opportunities in Quadrant One (which is the core), but seeing their strengths and weaknesses effectively […]
I’ve been in deep document review for a client for an upcoming diagnostic session, with the topic being growth and transformation. Like many firms, they have a complex and comprehensive ongoing plan of investment around a longer-range vision. Also, like many firms, they have opportunities to improve the clarity, focus, organization and leadership associated with […]
It happens in every firm: the core product saturates its main market and top-line growth stagnates. Margins come under pressure next, and unless investments are made to seek new markets, the firm will inevitably decline. It was a lesson I learned well early in my career. I was part of an industrial telecom group that […]
Every so often you get a clear glimpse into the future, as was the case at the recent On Ramp Manufacturing Conference in Milwaukee. The conference was organized as a unique platform for established firms and startups to come together with 1:1’s, panel sessions and keynotes. The meta takeaway was that large firms are counting […]
I recall teaching my young drivers how to drive a standard shift vehicle. Many of you have been there and can probably relate – matching the engine’s churning to the car’s needs is not easy. Frequently when people are learning, they end up creating lots more power than the car can use and exaggerated clutch […]
For those of us in the Midwest, summer is a really big deal. And one of the things we look forward to the most? Water skiing. Having been a skier for more than four decades now, I’ve developed my share of experiences. One of these experiences is something that happens nearly every year and […]
True Story: Early in my career, the firm I was with had the good fortune of receiving a large windfall tax credit that resulted in both a hiring blitz and an ability to suddenly move forward with a number of programs that had been on the drawing board for a long time. Naturally, while the […]
I was talking with a colleague at a recent summer gathering, and she is seeing the same thing I am: lots of firms that were started by Baby Boomers are being “rolled up” by Private Equity into groups of like companies. In nearly every case, these vibrant, individual firms experience a huge shock to their […]
