Forbes magazine posted an article called “Religion in the Workplace: What Managers Need to Know.” The author noted that religious discrimination claims have increased 50% over the last 15 years. Since many business schools have labeled religion as a taboo subject, many managers have little in practical guidance on how best to navigate this growing area of conflict. The overarching […]

As my workplace email box filled up with thousands of unsubscribe messages, I discovered that someone had hacked into our email marketing provider and dumped 300,000 stolen email addresses into our system! The hacker then blasted phishing messages under our brand to hundreds of thousands of people who didn’t know us! For days I received unsubscribes and hate mail. The […]

Although some of us have a vast number of social media “friends,” having someone you deeply confide in seems less common. My pastor recently highlighted three elements he believes is needed to have a truly close friend: Proximity, Presence, and Transparency. At some point we need to spend time face-to-face with a friend. We then need to be willing to […]

When Joel Kaplan, an executive with Facebook, was seen sitting behind his friend Judge Kavanaugh at the Supreme Court hearings last month, it caused a firestorm. Many Facebook employees began complaining online. It became so intense that Facebook called an all employee meeting to assure their employees that Facebook is apolitical. At that meeting Kaplan apologized for not letting his […]

In 1945, Raymond Weeks returned to Birmingham as a World War II veteran. He dreamed of having a day when the country honored the living and dead veterans. Mr. Weeks picked November 11th as his preferred date and developed a plan to present his petition to the highest level of military officer he could reach; the Army Chief of Staff. […]

One of the foundational tools in Lean Manufacturing is the 5S system.  Each of the 5S’s represents a step towards the most efficient utilization of space. As with every new process, the easy part is putting it in place. The hard part is getting the changes to stick. SUSTAIN, the fifth of the 5S’s, teaches a methodology to ensure the […]

One of the foundational tools in Lean Manufacturing is the 5S system.  Each of the 5S’s represents a step towards the most efficient utilization of space. The fourth of the 5S’s is STANDARDIZE.  This step’s job is to ensure that the process is repeatable and reproducible. The STANDARDIZE step allows for others to easily step into the role and fulfill […]

One of the foundational tools in Lean Manufacturing is the 5S system.  Each of the 5S’s represents a step towards the most efficient utilization of space. The third step is SHINE. Shine addresses the dirt exposed when clutter is removed, and the work area is organized. This step may appear redundant with previous steps.  But it’s only when the clutter […]

One of the foundational tools in Lean Manufacturing is the 5S system.  Each of the 5S’s represents a step towards the most efficient utilization of space. The second S is “Set in Order.” An organized work space may seem like a minute detail when it comes to managing a business.  However, an organized work space may be the difference between […]

One of the foundational tools in Lean Manufacturing is the 5S system.  Each of the 5S’s represents a step towards the most efficient utilization of space. The first “S” is SORT. SORT requires the elimination of that which is not needed.  Only the essentials to perform the job duties are kept. Ephesians 4:22 says, “So get rid of your old […]