What’s the meaning of life? No really: what’s the meaning of your life? It’s an age-old question, but you could argue that it’s the foundation of true life-long happiness, fulfillment, and even self-actualization. Getting there, however, may take a lifetime of work! To speed that along a bit, I offer “ikigai,” a Japanese concept […]
Continue ReadingThe Butterfly Effect: Managing Your Organization as a System – PEN July 2017
Because most things in life are part of larger systems, some seemingly trivial events can have significant impact. For example, in 1961, mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz took a shortcut in entering data in a weather prediction model. He innocently entered .506 instead of the full numeric value of.506127, and the result was a completely […]
Continue ReadingLessons from Uber: Leadership Always Beats Innovation
I love Uber. Haven’t taken a cab in about three years. The amount of innovation coming out of this entrepreneurial, rapidly growing company – and the significant and profound shift in business model for the human (and maybe non-human) transportation industry it inspired – is impressive. Much like Amazon is transforming retail, Apple is transforming […]
Continue ReadingSustaining American Greatness: Communities of Excellence 2026
A few days ago, we marked Memorial Day and in about five weeks, we’ll celebrate our 241st birthday as a nation. It’s a time for picnics with family; reflections on those who sacrificed for their country; maybe parades or cemetery visits or fireworks with friends. It’s also a time to enjoy and appreciate our freedom […]
Continue ReadingNobody Raves About Average: 52 Insights on the Road to Excellence
Last week, the Performance Excellence Network hosted our annual PENworks 2017 conference. The event featured 31 local, regional, and national speakers, each sharing best practices and insights to improve organizational performance in areas such as leadership effectiveness, customer focus, workforce engagement, and operational efficiency. Some speakers were from large, complex organizations (3M, Ecolab, Mayo […]
Continue ReadingPerformance Excellence Network Recognizes Four Organizations
Performance Excellence Network Recognizes Four Organizations 2016 Performance Excellence Awards Presented at PENworks 2017 Conference; Lt. Governor Celebrates Excellence in Minnesota ST. PAUL, Minn., April 27, 2017 – The Performance Excellence Network (PEN), formerly the Minnesota Council for Quality, today honors four recipients of the 2016 Performance Excellence Award (formerly the MN Quality Award). […]
Continue ReadingThe Path to Performance Excellence: The Real Value of Baldrige
In the wake of the last “Great Recession” in the 1980s (though we didn’t call it that back then), America was in economic trouble. The country suffered a two-phase recession in 1980-82 – one that left unemployment high and interest rates even higher (recall credit cards and mortgages well beyond 20%!). The economic challenges were […]
Continue ReadingHe Who Profits Most Serves Best: The Power of True Customer Service
Sometimes the most powerful insights come from the most disastrous experiences. This is particularly true as it relates to poor customer service – something with which, unfortunately, all of us can relate. As Bill Gates once said: “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” It was the morning of May 15, […]
Continue ReadingKeeping Score: Best Practices in Organizational Measurement
If you don’t know it, I’m a diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan. Third generation season ticket holder (yes, while living 400 miles away in Minneapolis). I was in Arrowhead last week when the Chiefs lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Divisional Playoffs – a devastating way to end the season (especially on a […]
Continue Reading14 New Year’s Resolutions for Professional & Personal Productivity, Health, Happiness
As 2016 winds down and we turn our sights to 2017, many of us will begin setting personal, professional, and organizational goals. But research shows that up to 80% of New Year’s resolutions are broken, and that the average date of breaking resolutions is about January 20 (that’s why the gym is so crowded the […]
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