Above and Beyond

Happy Thursday All,

What are you doing above and beyond that is not required?

Matt Carpenter shows up at the ball park 2 hours before required to take extra ground balls.  Larry Bird would shoot 200 free throws every morning before high school. How many swings of the golf club do you think Tiger Woods did when he was young?

Look at almost any successful person and you will find someone who has gone above and beyond to become successful.

Back to the question...What are you doing above and beyond that is not required?  Are you reading to educate yourself to help others?  Are you preparing, prior to the meeting, to help the meeting accomplish it's purpose?  Have you gone in to work at 1:30 in the morning to make sure the truck was loaded and headed for it's delivery spot? (Thanks Joe)  Did you answer that phone call at 4:50 and take care of the customer instead of ignoring the call?  Nobody would know the difference.  What about picking up that piece of trash laying on the parking lot?  So many other examples could be given.

These are things that, if not done, would almost go unnoticed.  The other side of this though, if you are not doing things above and beyond, youmight be unnoticed.

My action challenge to you this week, find someone each day that is going above and beyond and thank them for their dedication at Paramount.

Thanks for reading and have a great Thursday,

Chris

Lean at PAi

Happy Thursday All,

This year, 2015, we have had a lot of buzz about this thing called lean going around PAi.  It's been going on long enough for everyone to start realizing, it's not the next fad that is going to eventually go away.  If you haven't started changing your thinking, don't you think it's about time you do?  What I am challenging you to think about this week is....what does lean mean and do for you?  

Would you define lean as....

1. A fixed state or goal (being lean)
2. Continuous change process (becoming lean)
3. Set of tools or methods (doing lean/toolbox lean)
4. As a philosophy (lean thinking)
5. All of the above

Is lean only a manufacturing thing?  How would Cory explain lean to you? Hint: Eliminating waste (D.O.W.N.T.I.M.E.)  These occur in all parts of our company and our lives, not just in manufacturing.

Is lean a positive term in your mind?  Is lean a positive in your team's eyes?  Have you discussed lean with your team?  Is your boss on board and becoming educated about lean?  Are you the boss and wondering what your team is answering to the previous question?

Does your team feel empowered to suggest and help implement ideas that make Paramount a "More Lean" company?

My final question....and I am looking for feed back from all of you on this one....What do you see at Paramount that shows we are changing towards a more lean culture?  A quick one sentence response to all of us would be awesome.

Have a great Thursday!!!

Chris

Think About What You Think About

Hello Thinkers,

Think about what you think about.  Say what?  Have you ever thought about what you think about?  Napoleon Hill said in his book, Think and Grow Rich, "We become what we think about."

If you catch yourself thinking about being unhappy, about frustrations, or about negatives, CHANGE THE CHANNEL and think about what you want to happen.

Do you dwell on the past when you are thinking?  Do you think about how you have failed on your last goal so why set another one of those silly things? Or do you think about the future and how it's really in your control to make the best out of it?

Believe that good things will happen.  Expectations have a way of coming true.  You don't "catch" depression and you don't "catch" happiness...you "create" them by the thoughts you put into your mind.  Carefully choose what you read and listen to and choose carefully the people with whom you associate.

My challenge to you today is to stop and think....think about good things and about the future.  

Have a great Thursday,

Chris

Communication - Over & Over

Happy Thursday All,

How about thinking about communication today.  Communication is the purposeful activity of information exchange between two or more participants in order to convey or receive the intended meanings through a shared system of signs and semiotic rules.  Wow, let's simplify that....the exchange of information both giving and receiving. 

Research shows that employees in an organization must hear something 7 times before they believe it.  Leaders must say things again and again to enforce it.  It's only then that our people  will think, oh my gosh, I think they are serious.  Many people would say that is over-communicating.  So!!!!  Do we want our people to hear our message?  If they must hear our message 7 times to believe it, think the reverse, do we listen close enough to hear their message?

Have you posted or said something one time and can't seem to understand why people don't pay attention to it?  Most leaders do not like to over communicate.  They say it's redundant and wasteful.  They think they might be insulting there audience.  Bull!  When it comes to communicating, over communication is the best thing.

If your people can't do a good impression of you when you are not around, you are probably not communicating enough.  I dare you to ask your people to do an impression of you....are they able to reiterate the message you keep giving?  Is that the message you hope they are getting?

Don't let your message sound like the parents on Charlie Brown...wha, wha, wha.  Repeat it enough that they hear it and believe it.

Have a great Thursday,

Chris