We live in a world where we often hear the term fake news thrown around.
Today at work we came across a situation when people threw out lots of facts about how we did something at Willmar Electric. Instead of using it as an example I found a separate true story we can all relate to and will use it as my example to keep from embarrassing any coworkers.
I grew up in Minnesota and was frequently told: “March is the snowiest month of the year.” People love to throw this “fact” around. I even verified this sentiment with 3 Minnesota natives today.
Every March somebody would point out how winter was nearly over, and some wet blanket would announce while you know, “March is the snowiest month of the year.”
If you are a Minnesotan feel free to answer Mr. Wet Blanket with, “If I wanted to be in March I would cheer for the Timberwolves.”
Another classic is how “it always snows at tournament time.” I ‘ll leave this statement alone other than to say if March is so snowing and the tournaments are in March you don’t need a very high level of education to put it all together and deduce it will snow during one of the tournaments. (I now live in Nebraska; I’ll point out
Nebraskans say the same thing and the same level of genius is needed).
Guess what the snowiest month of the year is in Minneapolis?
It’s not March. March is the third snowiest month of the year. My source is the Minnesota Department of Resources (https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/twin_cities/snowfall.html). I first heard this news around the turn of the century from Metrologist Paul Douglas on WCCO-TV and then by Dave Dahl on KSTP radio. I believed them. I’m still nervous you won’t, believe me, so I found a second link (https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/minneapolis/minnesota/united-states/usmn0503).
If you live in Lincoln, like I now do, and you need to see your data, I found this (https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/lincoln/nebraska/united-states/usne0283). It is interesting to note the season totals for Lincoln this year add up to the average Minnesota total.
Which when pointed in a group today prompted my Nebraska based coworker to turn toward our Minnesota coworkers and ask "how can you live there?"
She was told, "it's the woods and the lakes."
Finally!!! A Minnesotan who didn’t try to trick us by saying it’s not that cold. Had he tried that old trick we would have more facts to verify.
Hopefully, we are now all on the same page. January is the snowiest month in Minnesota. I hope this doesn't ruin your day or make you think your grandma was a lair. Feel free to track down your wet blanket friend and tell them to cheer up the end is near.
All this information on winter weather gets me back to my point of fake news. It seems the idea of people saying the same thing over and over again gets the majority of people to accept the information as truth.
As I said above today at Willmar Electric I was involved in an issue where during two different conversations two claims counter to each other were claimed as true. My response was to point out the good news. We have the information available to find out what is happening and react according to the facts.
Isn’t it cool we don’t have to move ahead making decisions-based on contradicting stories. We don’t have to accept under proven statistics as our proof.
Back to the weather, relax Minnesota the worst is over. But also remember on average you should still be getting another 10 inches of snow. Don’t worry you have an extra 60 hours of sunshine to melt all the new snow and the stuff underneath it. If you don’t believe me check the links I attached.
Monday, March 4, 2019
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Good Customer Service Involves Results
My back has been hurting for about three years. In 2016 I was too busy as National Chair of ABC to do anything about it when the pain started. For another 18 months, I just put up with the pain because I’m not very good at stopping to go to a doctor appointment. It’s a hassle.
Early in 2018, I went to the doctor, and he tried a few things. Physical Therapy and pills didn’t’ solve anything so before I broke down completely from a physical standpoint, “broke down” went back to the doctor in early 2019. He gave me a few more options before anybody tries to operate on my back.
I would rather have back pain then a message and didn’t want stronger drugs, so I opted for going to the Chiropractor.
It has been a great experience. I will admit my back feels a little better. But the best part of going to this chiropractor is the lesson I am getting in customer service. (The worst part was looking at x-rays showing I have very little cartilage between two of my vertebra).
Everybody in the office knows my name when I walk in. (Of course, they know I’m coming because I have a prearranged appointment). But seldom are people excited to see me when I enter the room. So this is a nice change or pace.
The staff at my chiropractor’s office take customer care to the next level. As they escort me to the room for my treatments they ask about my time between visits. Not by saying something generic like “how was your weekend?” They ask things like “did you have a good trip to Oklahoma?” Or “how was weather in Minnesota?” Or other very specific question based on the last conversation we had.
They explain to me exactly what is going to happen next before moving to the next step.
When the chiropractor comes in the room, it is more of the same. He remembers the exact condition I was in on my last visit before I have to remind him.
Remembering details about me is impressive service, especially when your reason to go to a place is for personal care.
Meeting customer needs is one of our stated core Values at Willmar Electric. We pride ourselves on knowing what the customer needs and meeting those needs. We think to listen to a customer tell us their story is a key step in giving them good customer service.
If you remember from the first paragraph in this story, I didn’t get help with my back because I don’t like to go to appointments. I consider doctor appointments to be a hassle. But good customer service helped get me over the hassle factor.
I realize customer service goes beyond just caring and listening. Customer service also involves results. If my back doesn’t get better, I'll stop using the chiropractor.
Willmar Electric’s customers also want results. Yesterday Lee Freudenburg and I went on a customer visit. During the conversation, the customer, LES, kept telling us how Mark Ashcraft and Lee solve their problems. Highlighting the conversation by saying “I call them because they know us and they know what they are doing.”
I love it. I want the core values to go beyond something we say in the morning huddles. I want customer service to be something my customer tell other people about us.
Early in 2018, I went to the doctor, and he tried a few things. Physical Therapy and pills didn’t’ solve anything so before I broke down completely from a physical standpoint, “broke down” went back to the doctor in early 2019. He gave me a few more options before anybody tries to operate on my back.
I would rather have back pain then a message and didn’t want stronger drugs, so I opted for going to the Chiropractor.
It has been a great experience. I will admit my back feels a little better. But the best part of going to this chiropractor is the lesson I am getting in customer service. (The worst part was looking at x-rays showing I have very little cartilage between two of my vertebra).
Everybody in the office knows my name when I walk in. (Of course, they know I’m coming because I have a prearranged appointment). But seldom are people excited to see me when I enter the room. So this is a nice change or pace.
The staff at my chiropractor’s office take customer care to the next level. As they escort me to the room for my treatments they ask about my time between visits. Not by saying something generic like “how was your weekend?” They ask things like “did you have a good trip to Oklahoma?” Or “how was weather in Minnesota?” Or other very specific question based on the last conversation we had.
They explain to me exactly what is going to happen next before moving to the next step.
When the chiropractor comes in the room, it is more of the same. He remembers the exact condition I was in on my last visit before I have to remind him.
Remembering details about me is impressive service, especially when your reason to go to a place is for personal care.
Meeting customer needs is one of our stated core Values at Willmar Electric. We pride ourselves on knowing what the customer needs and meeting those needs. We think to listen to a customer tell us their story is a key step in giving them good customer service.
If you remember from the first paragraph in this story, I didn’t get help with my back because I don’t like to go to appointments. I consider doctor appointments to be a hassle. But good customer service helped get me over the hassle factor.
I realize customer service goes beyond just caring and listening. Customer service also involves results. If my back doesn’t get better, I'll stop using the chiropractor.
Willmar Electric’s customers also want results. Yesterday Lee Freudenburg and I went on a customer visit. During the conversation, the customer, LES, kept telling us how Mark Ashcraft and Lee solve their problems. Highlighting the conversation by saying “I call them because they know us and they know what they are doing.”
I love it. I want the core values to go beyond something we say in the morning huddles. I want customer service to be something my customer tell other people about us.
Sunday, January 27, 2019
They are Yellow not Green
Tennis balls are yellow right? I have never thought any other way. The facts are clear. You can literally see for yourself. Sure, I've seen some off colored balls from time to time. I've been present for radicals showing up with white or orange tennis balls. Trying to be cool or different.
Recently the International Tennis Federation declared only yellow or white balls could be used.
But never green. I've never seen a green tennis ball.
My wife and daughters on the other hand claim they have never seen a yellow tennis ball? They claim the world is full of green tennis balls.
What is this craziness? Why are they so foolish?
I have looked for common threads. Is seeing a tennis ball as green a gender thing? Could it be women see this particular object differently? Nope, I've asked around and found a couple of things. There are a collection of people who see tennis balls as green. Not all of them are women.
It leaves me wondering how can these perfectly rational people see something so basic so different than me. I've been told they can see how I would see tennis balls as yellow but they insist they are green. I can't even go that far. I don't see any green when I look at them.
Let's back up a step. Maybe these "green tennis ball people" aren't perfectly rational. After all, how could they be considered rational?
They can't even tell the color of a tennis ball.
Enough about tennis balls. Let's consider the big picture.
I would like to get into "group think" and lack of diversity of thought. Maybe even tolerance.
I love my wife and daughters. I respect them and their brains. When they say tennis balls are green they aren't trying to be argumentative. (Although, when the subject comes up, they aren't trying to stop the argument either).
How does this relate to other issues? I think the parallels are quite strong.
In the world we live in today we tend to view the other side of an issue as the enemy. If they can't see things our way they are just flat wrong. Some issues push us away from even being friends. Certainly, people aren't breaking off friendships over the color of a tennis ball, but you wonder where rational people draw the line.
Can we still be friends if we disagree over immigration, gun control, religion or even daylight savings time? (What about a Yankee fandom? Pity yes, befriend no way).
When somebody sees something differently than I do I'm trying to make my first reaction to consider their view.
When somebody sees something differently than I do I'm trying not to let their view define their entire personhood to me.
I know in a business situation we are better off when a diverse group of people shows up to solve a problem. If we all have the same perspective or views as each other our solutions get stale, boring and even a little ineffective.
I've heard it said the first idea is the worst idea but the most important. The first idea gets the ball rolling down the path to making an improvement. But in a room full of diverse thought the first idea is shaped, molded and improved upon. The end product is sometimes nothing like the first idea. But without the first idea, you would still be stuck in the past. The less productive past.
Tennis balls are yellow. But listen to the other person because they might offer an insight you find quite useful.
Recently the International Tennis Federation declared only yellow or white balls could be used.
But never green. I've never seen a green tennis ball.
My wife and daughters on the other hand claim they have never seen a yellow tennis ball? They claim the world is full of green tennis balls.
What is this craziness? Why are they so foolish?
I have looked for common threads. Is seeing a tennis ball as green a gender thing? Could it be women see this particular object differently? Nope, I've asked around and found a couple of things. There are a collection of people who see tennis balls as green. Not all of them are women.
It leaves me wondering how can these perfectly rational people see something so basic so different than me. I've been told they can see how I would see tennis balls as yellow but they insist they are green. I can't even go that far. I don't see any green when I look at them.
Let's back up a step. Maybe these "green tennis ball people" aren't perfectly rational. After all, how could they be considered rational?
They can't even tell the color of a tennis ball.
Enough about tennis balls. Let's consider the big picture.
I would like to get into "group think" and lack of diversity of thought. Maybe even tolerance.
I love my wife and daughters. I respect them and their brains. When they say tennis balls are green they aren't trying to be argumentative. (Although, when the subject comes up, they aren't trying to stop the argument either).
How does this relate to other issues? I think the parallels are quite strong.
In the world we live in today we tend to view the other side of an issue as the enemy. If they can't see things our way they are just flat wrong. Some issues push us away from even being friends. Certainly, people aren't breaking off friendships over the color of a tennis ball, but you wonder where rational people draw the line.
Can we still be friends if we disagree over immigration, gun control, religion or even daylight savings time? (What about a Yankee fandom? Pity yes, befriend no way).
When somebody sees something differently than I do I'm trying to make my first reaction to consider their view.
When somebody sees something differently than I do I'm trying not to let their view define their entire personhood to me.
I know in a business situation we are better off when a diverse group of people shows up to solve a problem. If we all have the same perspective or views as each other our solutions get stale, boring and even a little ineffective.
I've heard it said the first idea is the worst idea but the most important. The first idea gets the ball rolling down the path to making an improvement. But in a room full of diverse thought the first idea is shaped, molded and improved upon. The end product is sometimes nothing like the first idea. But without the first idea, you would still be stuck in the past. The less productive past.
Tennis balls are yellow. But listen to the other person because they might offer an insight you find quite useful.
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Sue's Secret Recipe is Simple: Execution.
I have a great wife. She has many wonderful qualities. People hold in her in high regard for several reasons. She is pretty, smart, organized, and a great conversationalist. She is so wonderful I could never list all the great things about her. But for the rest of this blog I’m going to focus on one of the things she is most noted for.
Chocolate Chip Cookies.
She makes the world best chocolate chip cookies. (And she makes them all the time). People request them for parties. People expect them at parties.
When a neighbor from our old neighborhood told me they had bought a acreage and were moving he said “I still consider us neighbors and at Christmas we will still expect Sue’s annual plate of cookies, I’ll stop by and pick them up.” How about me? Will you miss Sue’s charming husband?
Our daughter is all grown up and on her own. When she was staying at our house while we were on vacation, she had a large group of friends over to our house. The friends commented the house “wasn’t same without your mom’s chocolate chip cookies.”
She send them back to college with other people’s children.
At potlucks Sue brings chocolate chip cookies. During the potlucks I go over and tell people, usually the new people, “have you had the chocolate chip cookies? They are terrible. Whoever made them must have forgotten an ingredient.” I once said it from the stage. I have to use the line on strangers because the regulars know what I’m up to. (I wanted to take as many home as possible). It seldom works.
At our new house we have new neighbors. When new people move in we bring them chocolate chip cookies. Sue makes them. I deliver them.
At Christmas time we also give out cookies to our neighbors. When I returned for a second time with more cookies I got asked “The Question.”
What is the recipe?
And just like Sue has trained me I always give the same answer.
It’s just the one off the Nestle bag!!!
Then the person starts to argue with me. “It can’t be, they taste better then anybody else’s, my kids fight over them.” Others says “I’ve tried that recipe and they didn’t taste this good.” Ultimately people try to get to the bottom of things with “What is her added secret?”
The last question is our favorite question because we have a stock answer.
“Love, she adds an extra touch of love.” Most of the kid’s friends add this line for us. It’s legend among their friends they have heard it so often.
You might be wondering what is the real deal and why I’m I writing about it.
I have an even easier answer for that question.
Execution. She follows the recipe.
When I say “she follows the recipe” I mean exactly that. She doesn’t use it as a guideline, she follows it exactly. No substitutions. No rough estimates on amounts. The measuring cup is level. The oven temp is exact. She uses butter, not margarine.
Her execution is perfect.
She executes the plan. She plans for perfection and then gets perfection every time. She has practiced literally hundreds of times. (At least twice a month for over 25 years!!) On the rare occasion they don’t turn out to her standards she starts over again. She doesn’t settle for ok or second best. (But if you know me you already assumed, she clearly wouldn’t settle for second best.)
I don’t know who said it first but you often hear how in football even if the other team knew what play you are going to run you will succeed if execute the play properly.
(I can’t resist throwing in my favorite football quote on execution. When in the middle of a 26 game losing streak to start the franchise a reporter asked Tampa Bay Buccaneer’s Head Coach John McKay “what he thought of his teams execution?” He replied he was in favor of it. McKay and I are talking about a different kind of execution).
Take a good plan, practice your craft and execute the plan and you will have success. Is a very simple recipe for success. It works just like recipe on the bag of chips.
Again, make sure you follow the steps correctly.
Step one, buy the right brand of chips. The recipe is on the bag. From there it is all about execution.
(((Bonus secret. Don’t bake the cookies. Most of the time we just eat the dough. Don’t worry you’re not going to get sick or die. Live life on the edge, eat raw cookie dough. The Chapins have never used a sick day and we eat cookie dough at least once a month))).
Chocolate Chip Cookies.
She makes the world best chocolate chip cookies. (And she makes them all the time). People request them for parties. People expect them at parties.
When a neighbor from our old neighborhood told me they had bought a acreage and were moving he said “I still consider us neighbors and at Christmas we will still expect Sue’s annual plate of cookies, I’ll stop by and pick them up.” How about me? Will you miss Sue’s charming husband?
Our daughter is all grown up and on her own. When she was staying at our house while we were on vacation, she had a large group of friends over to our house. The friends commented the house “wasn’t same without your mom’s chocolate chip cookies.”
She send them back to college with other people’s children.
At potlucks Sue brings chocolate chip cookies. During the potlucks I go over and tell people, usually the new people, “have you had the chocolate chip cookies? They are terrible. Whoever made them must have forgotten an ingredient.” I once said it from the stage. I have to use the line on strangers because the regulars know what I’m up to. (I wanted to take as many home as possible). It seldom works.
At our new house we have new neighbors. When new people move in we bring them chocolate chip cookies. Sue makes them. I deliver them.
At Christmas time we also give out cookies to our neighbors. When I returned for a second time with more cookies I got asked “The Question.”
What is the recipe?
And just like Sue has trained me I always give the same answer.
It’s just the one off the Nestle bag!!!
Then the person starts to argue with me. “It can’t be, they taste better then anybody else’s, my kids fight over them.” Others says “I’ve tried that recipe and they didn’t taste this good.” Ultimately people try to get to the bottom of things with “What is her added secret?”
The last question is our favorite question because we have a stock answer.
“Love, she adds an extra touch of love.” Most of the kid’s friends add this line for us. It’s legend among their friends they have heard it so often.
You might be wondering what is the real deal and why I’m I writing about it.
I have an even easier answer for that question.
Execution. She follows the recipe.
When I say “she follows the recipe” I mean exactly that. She doesn’t use it as a guideline, she follows it exactly. No substitutions. No rough estimates on amounts. The measuring cup is level. The oven temp is exact. She uses butter, not margarine.
Her execution is perfect.
She executes the plan. She plans for perfection and then gets perfection every time. She has practiced literally hundreds of times. (At least twice a month for over 25 years!!) On the rare occasion they don’t turn out to her standards she starts over again. She doesn’t settle for ok or second best. (But if you know me you already assumed, she clearly wouldn’t settle for second best.)
I don’t know who said it first but you often hear how in football even if the other team knew what play you are going to run you will succeed if execute the play properly.
(I can’t resist throwing in my favorite football quote on execution. When in the middle of a 26 game losing streak to start the franchise a reporter asked Tampa Bay Buccaneer’s Head Coach John McKay “what he thought of his teams execution?” He replied he was in favor of it. McKay and I are talking about a different kind of execution).
Take a good plan, practice your craft and execute the plan and you will have success. Is a very simple recipe for success. It works just like recipe on the bag of chips.
Again, make sure you follow the steps correctly.
Step one, buy the right brand of chips. The recipe is on the bag. From there it is all about execution.
(((Bonus secret. Don’t bake the cookies. Most of the time we just eat the dough. Don’t worry you’re not going to get sick or die. Live life on the edge, eat raw cookie dough. The Chapins have never used a sick day and we eat cookie dough at least once a month))).
Friday, December 21, 2018
Merry Christmas to everybody else in the room.
It's Christmas time and tis the season to ask people what they are planning to do for the holidays.
You get a wide range of answers. The answers are all over the map.
Some of the answers I've gotten lately are sad, for example for some people, it is the first Christmas since a loved one died. Another person said they had no plans because the kids are going to be with their dad.
Some people's plan seems crazy to me, but normal to them. One person told me "First we go to my wife's parents, then we go to my Dad's and finish at Mom's. So we will drive about 150 during the day". They even admit to "wore out the kids." I hope they get an oil change for their car because they head out. Another told me they "have about 30 people over. The beer is in the fridge and whiskey is in the freezer. Stop by if you like." I'll pass, this party would seem to solve boredom but I don't think I've gotten to this level of boredom, ever.
Of course, most answers are happy and people are looking forward to the day, weekend and in some cases the entire week. One person told me they "don't really care what happens as long as we are together, Christmas season seems to be the only time we are all together." Another said, "it is the first time my son will be home in 4 years." Others have said it is their last Christmas it will be just them and the kids before some big event coming up in their lives such as a wedding or kids moving out of state.
Still, others are a mix of sad, crazy and/or happy. Because somebody has to work or is deployed overseas the timing of Christmas had to be moved. I have even had a couple of people tell me Christmas their plans are still up in the air until they know if the effects a recent surgery are gone or "if my parents recover from the flu."
Other people's traditions can seem scary, boring, fun or many other things it might be offensive to list off on a blog so I won't.
I will leave you with a plea. No matter what you are doing for Christmas or what your normal traditions are please consider borrowing Willmar Electric's purpose statement, People making a difference for People, this Christmas. Be a light in the life the somebody. Bring joy, lighten the load or do a favor for somebody.
Different people need and want different things. Find out what the people around need and try to make it possible. It might be as simple as a phone call, help with the dishes or break from the normal routine. (In my case the person might just need me to leave the room).
I don't know who to give the credit for the following advice but some of the best advice I ever got was "if everybody in the room worried about what is best for everybody else in the room, everybody in the room would be better off." you might need to read it twice because the advice uses the same words over and over and is kind of confusing. It is a great motto if you want to make a difference for people.
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate example of servant leadership. Hopefully this Christmas I can follow his lead and be a servant.
Merry Christmas!!!
You get a wide range of answers. The answers are all over the map.
Some of the answers I've gotten lately are sad, for example for some people, it is the first Christmas since a loved one died. Another person said they had no plans because the kids are going to be with their dad.
Some people's plan seems crazy to me, but normal to them. One person told me "First we go to my wife's parents, then we go to my Dad's and finish at Mom's. So we will drive about 150 during the day". They even admit to "wore out the kids." I hope they get an oil change for their car because they head out. Another told me they "have about 30 people over. The beer is in the fridge and whiskey is in the freezer. Stop by if you like." I'll pass, this party would seem to solve boredom but I don't think I've gotten to this level of boredom, ever.
Of course, most answers are happy and people are looking forward to the day, weekend and in some cases the entire week. One person told me they "don't really care what happens as long as we are together, Christmas season seems to be the only time we are all together." Another said, "it is the first time my son will be home in 4 years." Others have said it is their last Christmas it will be just them and the kids before some big event coming up in their lives such as a wedding or kids moving out of state.
Still, others are a mix of sad, crazy and/or happy. Because somebody has to work or is deployed overseas the timing of Christmas had to be moved. I have even had a couple of people tell me Christmas their plans are still up in the air until they know if the effects a recent surgery are gone or "if my parents recover from the flu."
Other people's traditions can seem scary, boring, fun or many other things it might be offensive to list off on a blog so I won't.
I will leave you with a plea. No matter what you are doing for Christmas or what your normal traditions are please consider borrowing Willmar Electric's purpose statement, People making a difference for People, this Christmas. Be a light in the life the somebody. Bring joy, lighten the load or do a favor for somebody.
Different people need and want different things. Find out what the people around need and try to make it possible. It might be as simple as a phone call, help with the dishes or break from the normal routine. (In my case the person might just need me to leave the room).
I don't know who to give the credit for the following advice but some of the best advice I ever got was "if everybody in the room worried about what is best for everybody else in the room, everybody in the room would be better off." you might need to read it twice because the advice uses the same words over and over and is kind of confusing. It is a great motto if you want to make a difference for people.
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate example of servant leadership. Hopefully this Christmas I can follow his lead and be a servant.
Merry Christmas!!!
Thursday, July 12, 2018
Do You See What I See?
Every day at Willmar Electric we start our day off with a huddle. Immediately after the huddle, we break out into a time of what we call “Lean and Clean.” The huddles typically last about 10 minutes, and the Lean and Clean is about 20 minutes
During Lean and Clean, everyone is expected to either clean up an area within our projects or offices or work on “leaning” a process within our work area. You might be asking, what is “leaning a process.”
In simple terms lean is a process of eliminating waste. At Willmar Electric we look for what we call 2 Second Leans. The concept of a 2 Second Lean is to look for waste no matter how small and fix it. Even if you only save 2 seconds, the improvement will multiply and compound over time, saving potentially hours and days. Also saving headaches and stress. The end result is a more fun workplace.
At first glance, our workspaces look pretty lean. Things are neat and orderly. People have even walked through and said: “wow this place is organized.”
Most of the time I work in our Lincoln, NE office. But this Tuesday morning my day started in our Willmar, MN office. I would say the two offices are very similar on the lean scale.
But when I’m in the Lincoln office sometime, I struggle to see waste and find things to improve every day. But in Willmar it was easy. Almost comical how easily I found things. I found and fixed 3 things within 10 minutes.
Let me give you some examples.
I found 2 checklists in need of lamination. I pulled out the laminator which was easy for me to spot because I bought it about 20 years ago. While I waited for the machine to warm up, 3 different people walked by at 3 different times and said: “Why aren’t you using the other laminator?”
Willmar Electric doesn’t do so much lamination we need two machines. In fact, we hardly need
1. Both machines took different materials to make them work. We had two brand new supplies for each!!!
What is my point? Am I saying I’m a master at leaning things and the Willmar office is full of fools?
Nope.
In May the people in each office teamed up with a partner and analyzed what waste we each could help the other person find in their office. All the groups came up with about 12-20 ideas and stopped finding ideas not because they ran out of ideas but because they ran out of time.
My point is I think I have discovered people are often too comfortable with their current surroundings and are unable to see the waste sitting next to them.
I’m not suggesting outsiders have a better handle our own waste. I’m suggesting each of us shouldn’t be afraid to get an outsiders opinion or advice. Using our coworkers as another set of eyes potentially could help make improvements that could be missed.
Who knows in the end in your mom might get a “new” laminator complete with a fresh stock of supplies.
During Lean and Clean, everyone is expected to either clean up an area within our projects or offices or work on “leaning” a process within our work area. You might be asking, what is “leaning a process.”
In simple terms lean is a process of eliminating waste. At Willmar Electric we look for what we call 2 Second Leans. The concept of a 2 Second Lean is to look for waste no matter how small and fix it. Even if you only save 2 seconds, the improvement will multiply and compound over time, saving potentially hours and days. Also saving headaches and stress. The end result is a more fun workplace.
At first glance, our workspaces look pretty lean. Things are neat and orderly. People have even walked through and said: “wow this place is organized.”
Most of the time I work in our Lincoln, NE office. But this Tuesday morning my day started in our Willmar, MN office. I would say the two offices are very similar on the lean scale.
But when I’m in the Lincoln office sometime, I struggle to see waste and find things to improve every day. But in Willmar it was easy. Almost comical how easily I found things. I found and fixed 3 things within 10 minutes.
Let me give you some examples.
I found 2 checklists in need of lamination. I pulled out the laminator which was easy for me to spot because I bought it about 20 years ago. While I waited for the machine to warm up, 3 different people walked by at 3 different times and said: “Why aren’t you using the other laminator?”
Willmar Electric doesn’t do so much lamination we need two machines. In fact, we hardly need
1. Both machines took different materials to make them work. We had two brand new supplies for each!!!
What is my point? Am I saying I’m a master at leaning things and the Willmar office is full of fools?
Nope.
In May the people in each office teamed up with a partner and analyzed what waste we each could help the other person find in their office. All the groups came up with about 12-20 ideas and stopped finding ideas not because they ran out of ideas but because they ran out of time.
My point is I think I have discovered people are often too comfortable with their current surroundings and are unable to see the waste sitting next to them.
I’m not suggesting outsiders have a better handle our own waste. I’m suggesting each of us shouldn’t be afraid to get an outsiders opinion or advice. Using our coworkers as another set of eyes potentially could help make improvements that could be missed.
Who knows in the end in your mom might get a “new” laminator complete with a fresh stock of supplies.
Thursday, May 3, 2018
May Day?
May 1st is May Day. I thought everybody knew this simple fact.
What is May Day you might ask? You make up a basket of goodies, candy, popcorn balls, or other fun things, you set the basket on a neighbor’s doorstep and ring the doorbell. Then you run. Your hope is you have left an anonymous gift for a friend. Granted in 2018 you could ring a doorbell and not need to run because all of America would hear the doorbell and assume it was just Amazon delivering the latest online order of dog food or laundry soap. No need to rush to the sound of the doorbell in 2018 America, if we were actually out of something we do the old fashion thing and go directly to the store.
To put it more simply. It is the reverse of Halloween. You go door to door leaving gifts instead of begging for things.
As a kid, I was introduced to the May Day holiday in Willmar, MN. I got married to a wonderful girl who grows up in Austin, MN. She knew what it was and in fact, she loved the idea so much she taught our 3 children about the special day. When we moved to Lincoln, NE and most of our neighbors celebrated the fun day. This year on May 1 I walked into Willmar Electric’s education center to see Happy May Day written on the whiteboard. At lunch, with my Nebraska born and raised co-workers, we discussed what everybody put in his or her baskets as kids.
What a happy tradition. At the risk of sounding like the Beach Boys, it was fun, fun fun.
But May Day is going away (or maybe it is already gone).
I haven’t moved, but the doorbell didn’t ring on May Day this year. (Except for the delivery of some ink refills I ordered on Amazon ☺).
My daughter, Sara, said she brought it up at a Minnesota college campus and nobody had ever heard of May Day.
Research told me May Day is downplayed because the communist use May 1st to celebrate their military strength. But I grew up during the end of the cold war, and we ignored the Commies and still had fun while they showed off their tanks. Stalin didn’t steal May Day. We gave it to Putin.
So, what? Why am I focused on May Day? What’s the big deal?
Lack of fun. I think too often we stop doing things we all enjoy. We give up on harmless goodwill for no reason. We just stop.
It happens at work as well. I believe in 100% in continuous improvement. As a company, Willmar Electric tries to improve everything we do every day. We plan to keep improving. But it isn't just changing for change sake.
If something is useful, we will continue to do it. We never just stop because we grew bored or tired of doing something.
Continuous improvement is an important part of our core value of Meeting our Customer needs. (So is having fun and giving your friends a special gift).
(Of course, it is possible May Day is dying, and Halloween is getting bigger and bigger is because our society prefers to take over giving). Because if it is, then I should have written about our core value of Treating Others the Way they want to be Treated).
What is May Day you might ask? You make up a basket of goodies, candy, popcorn balls, or other fun things, you set the basket on a neighbor’s doorstep and ring the doorbell. Then you run. Your hope is you have left an anonymous gift for a friend. Granted in 2018 you could ring a doorbell and not need to run because all of America would hear the doorbell and assume it was just Amazon delivering the latest online order of dog food or laundry soap. No need to rush to the sound of the doorbell in 2018 America, if we were actually out of something we do the old fashion thing and go directly to the store.
To put it more simply. It is the reverse of Halloween. You go door to door leaving gifts instead of begging for things.
As a kid, I was introduced to the May Day holiday in Willmar, MN. I got married to a wonderful girl who grows up in Austin, MN. She knew what it was and in fact, she loved the idea so much she taught our 3 children about the special day. When we moved to Lincoln, NE and most of our neighbors celebrated the fun day. This year on May 1 I walked into Willmar Electric’s education center to see Happy May Day written on the whiteboard. At lunch, with my Nebraska born and raised co-workers, we discussed what everybody put in his or her baskets as kids.
What a happy tradition. At the risk of sounding like the Beach Boys, it was fun, fun fun.
But May Day is going away (or maybe it is already gone).
I haven’t moved, but the doorbell didn’t ring on May Day this year. (Except for the delivery of some ink refills I ordered on Amazon ☺).
My daughter, Sara, said she brought it up at a Minnesota college campus and nobody had ever heard of May Day.
Research told me May Day is downplayed because the communist use May 1st to celebrate their military strength. But I grew up during the end of the cold war, and we ignored the Commies and still had fun while they showed off their tanks. Stalin didn’t steal May Day. We gave it to Putin.
So, what? Why am I focused on May Day? What’s the big deal?
Lack of fun. I think too often we stop doing things we all enjoy. We give up on harmless goodwill for no reason. We just stop.
It happens at work as well. I believe in 100% in continuous improvement. As a company, Willmar Electric tries to improve everything we do every day. We plan to keep improving. But it isn't just changing for change sake.
If something is useful, we will continue to do it. We never just stop because we grew bored or tired of doing something.
Continuous improvement is an important part of our core value of Meeting our Customer needs. (So is having fun and giving your friends a special gift).
(Of course, it is possible May Day is dying, and Halloween is getting bigger and bigger is because our society prefers to take over giving). Because if it is, then I should have written about our core value of Treating Others the Way they want to be Treated).
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