State Of Readiness

Video version

About the Podcast

My guest today is Carey 'Vixen' Lohrenz and was one of the first female F-14 fighter pilots in the United States Navy; call-sign Vixen. Given her experiences, she knows well that inconsistent execution in fast-moving, dynamic environments can generate catastrophic results.

Carey has translated her training, leadership, and strategy experience in the Navy to helping business leaders supercharge their performance in today's competitive business environments; adapting strategies under pressure, reducing errors, and overcoming obstacles along the way.

Her first book, "Fearless Leadership", was a Wall Street Journal Best Seller – and explored the characteristics of true leaders—courage, tenacity, and integrity.

Her latest book, "Span of Control", picks up where Fearless Leadership left off – encouraging and guiding readers to develop resilience for facing hard times – offering a clear path out of the chaos when we are seemingly overwhelmed.

Carey is a selfless individual, the very definition of a servant leader, and I am very pleased to consider her a personal friend of mine.

About Carey 'Vixen' Lohrenz

Carey 'Vixen' Lohrenz

Carey Lohrenz is a dynamic communicator with an incredible story. As the first female F-14 Tomcat pilot, she was a pioneer in military aviation. Having flown missions worldwide as a combat, mission-ready United States Navy pilot, Carey Lohrenz is used to working in fast moving, dynamic environments where inconsistent execution can generate catastrophic results.

Carey is uniquely qualified in the fundamentals of winning under pressure, reducing errors and overcoming obstacles. Her mastery of these fundamentals can help your team triumph in this high-risk, time crunched world. Her experience in the all-male environment of fighter aviation and her ability to pass on the lessons learned in her career allow her to deliver insight and guidance from a credible platform.

As a high content Keynote Speaker, who is both motivational and inspirational, Carey Lohrenz inspires Fearless Leadership and increased team performance. Carey has been requested by name from some of the top Fortune 100 businesses. Her ability to connect with both an audience and on a one-on-one level, coupled with her knowledge and experience in leading high-performing, diverse teams, has made her highly sought after as a business consultant and leadership speaker.

Carey Lohrenz is the author of "Fearless Leadership" and "Span of Control." She resides in Excelsior, MN and is currently working on her Masters in Business Administration in Strategic Leadership.

Company; Carey Lohrenz Website; https://careylohrenz.com/ Headquarters; Minnetonka, MN Year Founded; 2012 Company Type; Consultancy Company Size;  1 Specialties;  Keynote Speaker, Workshops, Team Building, Strategic Partnerships, Creating High Performance Teams, Achieving Life Balance

Video version

About the Podcast

The Certainty Principle, David Light

My guest today is Dave Light, owner of Certainty Resources Limited and author of the book, "The Certainty Principle". We start this episode by exploring David's meandering journey and how each opportunity, with some tenacity and focus, led him to the next.

But his personal transformational moment, the one that helped him to decide to strike-out on his own, was when he was fired as the CEO of a company. He blames his termination on himself because he started to believe that he was the one that built the company - being about the self and not the team is always a leadership blunder.

The way David searched for opportunities when he started his firm was simply by cold-calling prospects. He shares that the approach was successful, but not satisfying. So he gave his model a rethink and decided to specifically and deliberately target people that would challenge him (and he, them) and for whom he felt he wanted to work. The list of companies he has worked for is a who's who of household names.

Ultimately, he came to believe that it was counter-productive for him to be opportunistic in his approach to gaining clients. For David, and he would propose for others to consider, the "secret sauce" of his (and your) success lay in being focused and deliberate in his pursuit of clients; to leave nothing to chance and approach everything with certainty.

About David Light

David Light

David Light has had a very interesting career path; beginning as a Teamster working on the docks in San Francisco before going to UC Berkeley where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Biochemistry and Biophysics. After graduation, he worked for several companies including Genentech and had several roles, including that of CEO. Dave earned his Masters Degree in Management and Leadership at Western Governors University. And in 2015, started his firm which is dedicated to helping hone the leadership and sales skills. His clients include some of the most well-known companies in the world. A new book, "Culture of Certainty", will be published is the summer of 2021.

Company; Certainty Resources, Ltd Website; https://certain.im Headquarters; Philadelphia, PA Year Founded; 2015 Company Type; Consultancy Company Size;  1 Specialties;  Helping to build the leadership skillsets in senior executives.

Video version

About the Podcast

I invite Aaron Roe, presently the Process Owner of Customer Experience at Roche Diabetes Care, as my guest on this episode of "State of Readiness". This is a really great conversation full of enthusiasm and passion.

Aaron started his professional career out of tech school at a small start-up weighing drops of water as part of the testing process for medical devices. His process included queuing 10 devices at a time. One day, a colleague suggested there was a better way; and that better way was queuing three at a time. This proved to be more efficient and Aaron has been infatuated with process improvement ever since.

But the real "ah-ha" moment came as Aaron saw the start-up grow and move from Lean principles to value-based manufacturing. This resulted in employees working to the KPI (as naturally occurs), but not in what was in the best interests of the company. The results looked good on paper for a time, but the company was building inventory; with much of the inventory expiring before it was sold and brought the company to near failure.

A true tail of woe. But an experience which would shape Aaron's thinking since.

Give a listen. I am sure you will enjoy hearing Aaron's story as much as I did.

About Aaron Roe

Aaron Roe

Aaron Roe has spent the last 15 years at Roche, holding positions and roles including; Commercial Excellence Director, Business Process Owner for Global Marketing and Customer Experience and various roles in Continuous Improvement, Quality, and Compliance.

For the past seven years, he has also been an Instructor and Course Designer in Lean Principles at Purdue's College of Engineering.

His career began in food service before moving on to automotive service and then to Medical-Devices.  From the factory, to the warehouse, to the customer's lab, he has specialized in leading professionals to take what is and make it better.

But his passion and specialization are tackling the "Big Hairy Performance Problems" that loom large and prevent business from moving forward and is especially adept at facilitating collaboration and progress in complex scenarios.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and his MBA at Indiana Wesleyan University.

Company; Roche Website; https://www.roche.com/ Headquarters;  Basel, Switzerland Year Founded; 1896 Company Type; Pharmaceuticals Company Size;  80,000 employees worldwide Specialties;  F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG (aka "Roche") is a Swiss multinational healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, Roche Holding AG, has bearer shares listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. Roche Diabetes Care is a leading provider of blood sugar monitoring systems and insulin pumps. With more than 40 years experience, our number one goal is to help people living with diabetes track and manage their blood sugar so they may have better control of their health.

Video version

About the Podcast

Today I invite Brian Strobel, VP of Corporate Quality at Sierra Nevada Corporation (the aerospace company, not the beer guys) and author of the upcoming book, "Pursuing Excellence: A Values-Based, Systems Approach to Help Companies Become More Resilient" (2021), in addition to his previous book, "Leading Change from Within: A Road Map to Help Middle Managers Affect Lasting Change" (2015).

We start off the conversation with the notion of "truth", what is it and who holds it.  In this regard, Brian and I agree that neither he or I are the holders of the truth when it comes to people, leadership, and followership – and that we both are skeptical of people who claim to be the holders of the truth when it comes to topics which are nuanced and contextual.

After obtaining an AAS in Metrology and then a BA in Physics, and having considered signing up for the nuclear Navy, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps where he served for fifteen years as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer, primarily with F/A-18 Aircraft.  Highlights of his career include three carrier deployments, a two-year exchange tour with the Royal Australian Air Force, Quality Assurance Officer for the US Atlantic Fleet, and Aircraft Maintenance Officer for the largest squadron in the Marine Corps.

The conversation continues to his transition out of the Marine Corps, to civilian life and the various companies he worked at the roles he held; and with each incarnation having increased responsibility and authority and his leadership skills matured and where honed.  The experiences, stories, and insights gained that Brian shares through his civilian career hold a lot of wisdom and is a particularly good listen.

And he shares details of his books; why he wrote them, who he wrote them for, what he hopes people gain from their reading them, and experiences of the writing process itself.  So if anyone is thinking about becoming an author, there is some good guidance here.

About Brian Strobel

Brian Strobel

Brian Strobel has been leading people in operational environments for nearly thirty years.  His initial academic pursuits trained him to be a physicist, but life had other plans.  He's served in roles from leading large-scale military operations to leading change across large companies and is certified as a trainer for Situational Leadership, a Professional Coach, a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and a Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence.

Brian's professional career started as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps where he served for 15 years as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer, primarily with F/A-18 Aircraft.  Following the Marines, he worked at various companies serving the Department of Defense including; Harris Corporation, Northrup Grumman, and L3 Technologies before landing his current role at Sierra Nevada Corporation.  Within each company, and in changing companies, the roles Brian held increasingly had more responsibility.

He is the author of "Leading Change from Within: A Road Map to Help Middle Managers Affect Lasting Change" (available on Amazon) published in 2015.  And his latest book is "Pursuing Excellence: A Values-Based, Systems Approach to Help Companies Become More Resilient" whose website is here and is due to be released in February of 2021 and available on Amazon.

Brian earned his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Physics from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, his Master of Arts (MA) degree in Management from Webster University, and his Master of Science (MSc) degree in Executive Leadership at the University of San Diego School of Business where he studied under Ken Blanchard.

Although Brian's path has been different than most, he has always focused on pursuing excellence.  This path ultimately revealed how his life's plan was coming together where he is now fully dedicated to its pursuit, living in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada with his wife and his new dog.  When not serving as the Vice President of Quality helping a special company pursue excellence, you can probably find him with his wife and that dog enjoying the mountains.

Company; Sierra Nevada Corporation Website; https://www.sncorp.com/ Headquarters;  Sparks, Nevada Year Founded; 1963 Company Type; Privately held Company Size;  4,000+ Employees in over 40 locations Specialties;  Sierra Nevada Corporation provides electronic aerospace and defense system The Company offers communication, navigation, and air traffic management systems, as well as provides intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, command, and control products.

Video version

About the Podcast

In this edition of "State of Readiness", I invite Dr. Morphis Tsalikidis. Morphis is an experienced professional in the field of Operational Excellence who I have known for a great many years and with whom I have shared the stage at several conferences.

Our conversation is on the impact of COVID on businesses and their operations. Even though we know we have not made it through to the other side of this event, and in fact we are still in the midst of it, we share our observations of what companies have done, what they are doing, and what they might still need to consider.

We start off with a discussion on "disruptors"; specifically what are non-credible disruptors and what are credible disruptors. The difference between the two is that a credible disruptor has truly destructive powers and where true transformation will occur; necessity being the mother of invention.

One of the most obvious results of the COVID transformation is how quickly businesses made the transition from working at an office to working at home; something which was anathema prior to COVID. But what was especially remarkable was that the business leaders with whom each of us have spoken almost universally share that their productivity and the productivity of their staff has actually increased markedly; although the activity on the production floor has not fared as well for a variety of reasons.

Since we are both OpEx/CI professionals, we delve into into the role, organization, and delivery of OpEx/CI programs and the observations we have had with respect to their effectiveness during this transformative period. In this regard, the OpEx/CI programs have had mixed results and we do a deep dive in sharing our observations and opinions with regards to why. Give a listen...

About Dr. Morphis Tsalikidis

Morphis Tsalikidis, PhD

Dr. Morphis Tsalikidis has a passion is for helping organizations develop their in-house capabilities in Continuous Improvement tools, techniques and mindset.

Morphis earned a PhD at Lancaster University studying the effects of Lean Six Sigma deployment on Organizational Learning and Knowledge Creation and his Masters in Management Science and Operational Research from the Warwick Business School at the University of Warwick.

Morphis is an internationally experienced operational excellence and business transformation executive who has had experiences around the world. His areas of expertise involve Lean Six Sigma, change management and developing and deploying business models and his experience has been with manufacturing and insurance.

His professional training and qualifications include:

• Professional Agile Leadership (PAL-I);
• PROSCI – Change Management;
• EFQM – Organizational Excellence;
• PRINCE 2 – Project Management;
• Master Black Belt exam- Lean Six Sigma;
• IASSC – Accredited Training Associate.

Presently, he is the founder of Morphis Consulting, a consultancy that helps organizations improve their operational performance. Prior to starting his own firm, he was the Regional Operational Excellence and Business Transformation Director at AXA

He has worked with companies of various sizes; ranging from 150 to over 3000 employees and with revenues from 80 million to over 2.5 billion euros and has experience in Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

About the podcast

I invite Jason Prochilo, Vice President of Operations at Edel Golf, LLC to join me in a conversation.  Edel Golf is a manufacturer of custom golf equipment specializing in personally-fit putters, wedges, and irons.   Jason primary responsibility is as leader of the putter department and the manufacturing efforts in the company.  They manufacture all of their equipment in-house, using a machine shop they own and operate and with all of the materials used in their equipment being sourced from within the United States.  Their customized fitting process yields a potential of over 1-million different combinations to dial-in the fit of the equipment to the golfer.

I ask about the seemingly contrarian approach to continuous improvement – where most manufacturers would want to minimize variants, Edel seems to purposefully go in the opposite direction.  Accordingly, you won't normally find Edel equipment at a sporting goods store.  Rather, you will find their trained field engineers fitting buyers at country clubs where experiential opportunities might exist.  For instance, the putter fitting is focused on aim and speed to eliminate the biases and tendencies that might exist within the golfer.  Having the background of the value-proposition, Jason then takes us on a conversational tour of how a golfer is fitted, and then through the order processing, manufacturing, and fulfillment. 

Having a basic understanding of Edel Golf, how it operates, it's "super power", and what Jason does there, we then move the conversation to Jason's journey.  What experiences did Jason have that eventually found him at Edel Golf.  It is not a usual path with a combination of skill, luck, and a bit of being impetuous – making bold decisions from incomplete and imperfect date (my kind of guy).

Come take a listen.  I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I did…

Guest: Jason Prochilo

Jason Prochilo

Jason Prochilo is the Vice President of Operations at Edel Golf LLC, reporting directly to the CEO/Owner.  Viewed as a forward-thinking leader and catalyst for continuous improvement procedures, Jason is best known for his passion, energy, and ability to move the company forward through turnaround solutions, utilizing technology and Kaizen principles.  Jason inspires his teams to think differently, believe and deliver beyond what others think is possible. 

As a decisive executive, Jason's success in optimizing business value and improving efficiencies has led to historic gains in building a world-class manufacturing entity and global order fulfillment business.  With numerous industry accolades and collaborating on 11 company patents focused on innovative solutions, Jason's ability to visualize future success has set him apart from those merely satisfied with yesterday's accomplishments.

Prior to Edel Golf LLC, Jason honorably served 9 years in the United States Marine Corps as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense Sergeant. As a decorated and distinguished military leader with a Top Secret (SSBI) security clearance, Jason presented sensitive situation briefs and subject matter expertise to executive staff.  Jason resides in Austin, Texas with his wife Stephanie, their two children, and Plott hound rescue dog.  Away from the office, Jason is an avid golfer, outdoor enthusiast, youth sports coach, and community volunteer.  Currently, Jason is collaborating on an open forum youth technology program teaching tomorrow's workforce about technology and tools.

Company: Edel Golf LLC Website: www.edelgolf.com Headquarters: Liberty Hill, TX (about 45 minutes NW of Austin) Year Founded: 1996 Company Type: Golf + Manufacturing Company Size: 300+ accounts worldwide Specialities: Custom-Fit golf equipment, bespoke putters, single length irons, hand crafted wedges, global fulfillment, collaborating with Hall of Fame instructors, and world class manufacturing of tour proven products

Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the;  XONITEK Group of Companies,  Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute

About the podcast

I invite Andrew Chrostowski, Chairman of the Board and Acting CEO of RealWear to "State of Readiness". We start with discussing what RealWear is all about – and it is one of the coolest systems I have seen for employee-enablement. RealWear had designed and developed ruggedized head-mounted wearable Android-class tablet computer that frees a worker's hands for dangerous jobs. Being hands-free, it is purpose-built for Connected Worker programs in the industrial enterprise and is safely controlled with just your voice, even in extremely noisy environments. With a growing number of hands-free partner solutions, our customers are taking full advantage of the unlimited power of our systems for remote mentor, document navigation, industrial IoT visualization and digital workflow solutions. Global leaders in energy, manufacturing and automotive industries trust RealWear to empower and connect their global workforce

Being a young company, we talk about the entrepreneurial spirit that is pervasive throughout the company. Andrew shares how opportunities are recognized and how exciting it is to work in an environment of a young company; the energy, nimbleness, innovation, and joy in solving problems nimbleness is pervasive. And we talk about how COVID-19 has illuminated the power of telephony and how telephony in general will be leveraged much more in a post-COVID world.

And Andrew shares with us his journey. Being originally trained as a physicist, when he is faced with a technical issue, he goes back to the fundamentals. His graduate studies in Systems Management prepared him to manage and optimize complex interrelationships and has found these learnings to have instilled in him a great toolkit for managing quality, safety, operations, innovation, digital transformation and business systems in general.

Come take a listen. Fascinating person, fascinating company…

https://youtu.be/P1XQotex_ac

Guest: Andrew E. Chrostowski

Andrew E. Chrostowski

Andrew Chrostowski is a senior executive with deep experience in developing teams and strategies that enable innovation, growth, and profitability improvements. As an NACD Certified Director, Qualified Technology Executive and a founding executive member of the Digital Directors Network, he strives to improve board performance and digital governance excellence to shape and secure the digital future for everyone. He currently serves as a board member on the Finance Committee for the Rogers Group, and as the Chairman of the Board and Acting CEO for RealWear.

Before beginning his civilian career, Andrew served nine years as a physicist and program manager working on satellite and Command, Control, Communication, and Intelligence Systems (C3I) systems. He has held positions of increasing responsibility with Hitachi, Warner-Lambert, Pfizer, Energizer, Goodrich Aerospace, UTC, Tyco and JCI. He holds two undergraduate degrees in Engineering Physics from Oregon State University's Honor Program where he was a distinguished graduate of Air Force ROTC. He has a Master's Degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California's Institute for Safety and Systems Management and later completed a certificate of professional development at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Company: RealWear

Website: www.realwear.com

Headquarters: Vancouver, WA

Year founded: 2016

Company type: Private

Company size: ~ 90 employees

Specialties: Hands-free Wearable Industrial Computers – Including the only Inherently Safe ATEX Z1 Div1 Class 1 Wearable in the world.

Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute

About the podcast

We welcome Philip Holt, Vice President of Operational Excellence at GKN Aerospace, for a conversation. We start off the program discussing Philip's two books, "Leading with Lean" and "The Simplicity of Lean"; the latter having won the Bronze Medal in the Axiom Book Awards. We take a walk in Philip's shoes for a spell and follow his journey. It starts with Philip gaining his Undergraduate Degree in Polymer Engineering and afterwards working at a tier-1 automotive supplier. He then moved on to Gillette where he helped to manufacture plastic componentry before moving on to Supply Chain and Procurement. After almost five-years in Gillette, he landed a position at Philips where he started in Continuous Improvement before becoming Head of Operational Excellence. After twelve years at Philips, being based in the Netherlands, he took his present position at GKN Aerospace as Senior Vice President of Operational Excellence.

Come take a stroll along Philip's journey…

Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute

Guest: Philip Holt

Philip Holt is Senior Vice President, Operational Excellence, at GKN Aerospace and a Board Member of the Operational Excellence Society. He studied Engineering at Manchester Metropolitan University and Management at the Wharton School of Pennsylvania and the University of Warwick, was an engineer at Gillette and led the Lean Deployment worldwide at Philips for over twelve years. He achieved Lean Master status and has summarized his 30+ years of experience and insights into Lean Leadership in his previous book Leading with Lean and his most recent book, The Simplicity of Lean.

Books:

Leading With Lean

Leading with Lean; https://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-experience-based-leading-transformation/dp/9462761442/

The Simplicity Of Lean

The Simplicity of Lean; https://www.amazon.com/Simplicity-Lean-Complexity-Delivering-Excellence-ebook/dp/B087GD4BT6/

Video version

https://vimeo.com/411818337

About the podcast

I welcome Pavle Sabic to my first-ever audio and video production of State of Readiness.

We talk about the human side of business; how to get more joy out of work, how to make it more joyous for others. And we talk about a company's workforce and how organizations are constructed needs to change. Pavle invokes Peter Drucker with "culture eats strategy for breakfast" and agrees that culture is more important than strategy. To achieve this, companies need to put people front and center – especially as the workforce becomes distributed. And by that, Pavle means companies have to look to fairness, that the benefits of working together are shared together, empowerment and autonomy, empathy, and flexibility of work, autonomy.

In the best organizations, success is fueled by openness, acceptance, compassion and above all cohesion across business units. Understanding the company brand and culture promotes a clear company vision, mission and ambition. However some organizations are their own worst enemies. Their teams focus on complaining, waste valuable resources, expel energy on negativity and stretch the already limited resources.

Every single one of us has the potential to change the world and be the best version of ourselves. Pavle believes that change in a person's life is possible no matter the age. Through the acceptance of our individuality, pursuit of self-expression and social cohesion, we give ourselves the opportunity to grow and thrive. Understanding the development needs of the individual within their unique situation, Pavle provides a confidential and supportive feedback-rich environment where clients can gain valuable insights and develop positive new behaviors.

Not implementing quality thought leadership is a major mistake that organization make in failing to maximize value throughout the sales process and commercial funnel. Moreover they are not able to create effective and emotive research to engage their existing clients to prevent attrition and churn. Presentations skills are an absolute necessity in today's noisy, data rich business world.

Pavle has helped organizations create, produce and execute industry leading webinars, research report, videos, thought pieces and presentations to capture the market's attention and help their clients lead with conviction.

Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute

Guest: Pavle Sabic

Pavle Sabic

Pavle Sabic is a thought leader and a growth expert, working with individuals and corporations to build cohesion across their organizations. Founder of TM2 Ventures and a former business head at S&P Global based in New York, he is an expert in delivering strategic expansion objectives for Fortune 500 companies. He has lived and worked in UK, Europe, Africa and Asia, helping to grow businesses in developed and emerging markets. Previously, Pavle was a consultant at State Street, and an analyst at AEGON Asset Management.

Pavle has been published in the media (WSJ, Forbes, FT etc.), and is a broadcast contributor to CNBC and NYSE. He is also an official Associate Partner of University of Edinburgh Business School. He is also an, investor, actor/producer staring in Ari Taub's 2019 film 79 parts, a professional ski coach and keen surfer.

Pavle graduated 'summa cum laude' BSc in Mathematics and Economics and holds an MSc in Finance and Investment from the University of Edinburgh. Studied Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School. He holds the Financial Risk Manager designation by GARP and was the winner of the '40 Under 40' for Research from The M&A Advisor Association based in New York.

Pavle was recently recognized as a "Top 100 in 100 Years" by the University of Edinburgh Business School where, in celebrating its 100 years since being founded, Pavle was selected among over 17,000 graduates as being recognized as being one of the standout global changemakers committed to making a difference in their industry. You can discover others who were recognized by clicking here.

Company details:

Company; Tell Me More Ventures Website; www.tm2ventures.com Headquarters; New York Year Founded; 2018 Company Type; Professional Services Company size: 5 people Specialties; Thought Leadership and Human Capital Consulting / Coaching

Daniel has spent his entire professional and personal career in the field of Industrial Engineers. In this episode, we explore the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a "Black Swan" event, on the way businesses might operate post-pandemic.

We start by discussing how telephony in education and the corporate world will be embraced more readily to its becoming ubiquitous. While both Dan and myself have been working virtually long before it was cool, institutions for learning, from grade-school through university, and a great many companies that are not tech-companies, are getting a crash-course. Dan shares that the technology is not new – companies like Google, Facebook, and others have been using "vc" for "visual chat" a long time. And the benefits for time, efficiency, and effectiveness which, while known by some, will be more readily embraced by all – mostly because they discover how it can be an accelerant for achieving objectives.

One of the biggest transformations will come in the field of education. For decades, traditional institutes of higher learning have looked down upon those that delivered education telephonically – only to embrace it enthusiastically when faced with a crisis. The challenge is to maintain quality, as if the quality of education delivered telephonically is inherently inferior. But what if the quality of delivering education telephonically is actually superior – once its learned how to make it superior.

This leads us to a discussion on the value of face-to-face. Humans are social beings and we need that close interaction. This is not only necessary to make the learning experience more enjoyable and "sticky", but also the primary driver for why people go to conferences. The sessions are (usually) very good, but it's the interaction with peers in a casual setting where the real value of attending is gained.

The conversation continues with deep dives into the various ways companies are discovering there is a "silver lining" during this pandemic cloud; the various ways they are realizing how they can improve the performance in their operations, increase health and safety, accelerate the achievement of strategic initiatives, reduce operating costs (such as the overhead of real estate and travel) and so on.

Come take a listen, open your mind, and start using your imagination as to what can be, what good can come from all this bad.

Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute

Guest: Daniel P. Bumblauskas, Ph.D.

Daniel P. Bumblauskas, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Management and the Hamilton / ESP International Fellow of Supply Chain and Logistics Management at the University of Northern Iowa; a visiting professor at the University of Washington; and holds a courtesy appointment at the University of Missouri where he previously held a faculty appointment. Dan conducts research, teaches, and consults on various areas related to operational excellence and business development. He has published over 45 peer reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings, including publications in journals such; as Expert Systems with Applications, IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications and Business Process Management. He earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Economics from Iowa State University, a master of liberal arts in general management from Harvard University, and received both his M.S. and Ph.D in Industrial Engineering from Iowa State University. Prior to his faculty appointments, he was employed in industry by ABB Incorporated and Sears Holding Corporation. He currently serves as a Vice President of PFC Services, Inc., a consulting firm based in Marietta, Georgia.

• Family: wife, Kendra, and four children (Addilyn, Taryn, Grayson and Weston; ages 11, 10, 7, and 5 respectively)
• Hobbies: golfing, ice hockey (Waterloo Youth Hockey Association – WYHA, USA Hockey 6U/8U Level 1 coach)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-bumblauskas/

Company details:

• University of Northern Iowa https://uni.edu/
  • Headquarters; Cedar Falls, Iowa
  • Founded in 1876
  • Company type; Higher Education
  • Company size; ~ 639 academic staff
• PFC Services https://pfcservicesinc.com/
  • Headquarters; Marietta, Georgia
  • Founded in 2000
  • Company type; Management Consulting
  • Specialties; Industrial Engineering, Operations & Supply Chain Management, General Management