workshops

“Without Standard Work, there can be no improvement.” This statement is a central truth of the Toyota Production System. Standard work defines the current best work process. It is the baseline for continuous improvement and is a tool used in auditing processes. Therefore, conformance to standard work contributes to the results you need to stay competitive, but is something we really don’t want to do. Until you can apply repeatable standard work successfully, improvements will yield less than their full potential and backsliding will be prevalent.

Participants will learn both what gets in the way of teamwork, and what fosters teamwork. Exercises demonstrate how to align people around common goals, and clarify roles among team members. Through video, discussion and group exercises, attendees will practice team processes, communication and decision-making. Participants learn how to build an environment that fosters creativity from all team members. Tools are provided for soliciting feedback from their teams on how well they are performing, and each student is encouraged to create an Action Plan for improvement.

As a leader one needs to get work done through other people, which requires developing skills in effective delegation. This workshop provides participants with guidelines for delegation plus a worksheet for and opportunity to practice effective assignment of a task. Participants then also learn the importance of "setting others up for success" by holding and communicating expectations for high performance.

This workshop will provide the education and experience that is necessary for you to deploy rapid improvement teams at work. You will learn to measure what is important, gather the necessary resources, decide who does what, and set and accomplish a one week schedule for project completion. Most importantly, you will see how to accomplish more in less time than most teams take to agree on what they should be doing.

This is a project coaching session offered exclusively to Supervision Fundamentals Certification participants. Jeremy Blake will coach you in how to be successful from project set-up to completion.

Today’s most successful companies are those that can change quickly. Yet, overcoming people’s natural resistance to change is challenging. If your job or assignment involves getting people to accept and move ahead with something new and different, this workshop is for you.

Leadership means getting work done through other people – which  requires influence skills.  Research shows that the most effective leader-managers have developed a specific set of influence skills: skills in Style Awareness and Versatility. During the program they learn about the strengths and potential blind spots of their own style and that of others. They also learn to identify other people’s styles and how to adjust their style to relate more comfortably with others.  A focus is placed on applying understanding of style differences and versatility to issues of supervision and leadership. 

Creating a culture of continuous improvement and developing an army of problem solvers helps employees identify opportunities for improvement. Participants gain knowledge and tools required to help a critical mass of employees learn how to define value and identify and eliminate waste. Experience the difference between traditional and Lean manufacturing and its components.

This is a project coaching session offered exclusively to Lean Practitioner Certification participants. Jeremy Blake will coach you in how to be successful from project set-up to completion.

Leaders that use influence excel at attracting, developing and retaining team members. But how do you know what traits of yours are effective? This course will help you develop your own approach to positively influence others. 

This course will help you address these leadership challenges:

• You need to lead your team without just telling people what to do
• You don’t know how to drive higher levels of engagement and reduce turnover
• You’re not sure how to build rapport with a diverse workforce

Communicating and managing conflict are among the most important and challenging jobs of leaders. Participants become more aware of conflict management strategies and when each of them might be appropriate.  Participants learn techniques for effectively raising issues with others and how to respond to defensive reactions. They also have the opportunity to practice collaboration skills (i.e. win-win problem solving and principled negotiation) through one-on-one skill practices and small group exercises.

Mapping demonstrates how Lean thinking can reduce process timelines and improve quality and delivery to schedule. Participants will map out real processes and learn about pre and post mapping tools to add to their personal toolbox.  

Does the desire to act overpower the need to understand? Participants will learn to understanding the problem, the process, the people and the distinctions between the types of causes as these are stepping stones to effective root cause analysis to permanently eliminate problems from recurring. When structured methods and tools are used, this can be accomplished.

For many, the first step in creating a culture of continuous improvement and developing an army of problem solvers is to help all employees identify opportunities for improvement. Participants gain knowledge and the tools required in order to help a critical mass of employees learn how to define value and identify and eliminate waste. After completing the workshop, participants will have experienced the difference between traditional and Lean manufacturing and its components.

Leaders that know what is at stake give their team a reason to get results and don’t worry about putting posters on a wall. This course helps attendees develop priorities that have resources, scorecards that provide feedback, and accountability to reach commitments.

This course will help you address these leadership challenges:

• You need to lead your team without just telling people what to do
• You don’t know how to drive higher levels of engagement and reduce turnover
• You’re not sure how to build rapport with a diverse workforce

Participants are introduced to an Employee Success Assurance Model, and tools for carrying out on-the-job training with structured checklists and job aids. They will practice setting goals, communicating clear expectations and constructive feedback. Tools for recognizing high performance are provided, along with low-cost means for rewarding employees.  Participants will identify causes of performance problems and learn new coaching strategies for attendance and attitude issues. Likewise, guidance is provided for conducting coaching conversations and annual performance appraisals.

You can tell a well-run plant and office without a narrated tour. The visual clues are everywhere. This is a straight-forward approach that impacts your customer and employee image, productivity and sales. Visual management and 5S allow employees to show pride and organization in their area, give them performance feedback, provide incentive to hit their goals, illustrate what is expected of them and recognize a job well done. These techniques can help overcome language and reading barriers and boost learning retention.

Mapping demonstrates how Lean thinking can reduce process timelines and improve quality and delivery to schedule. In this session, participants will map out real processes and learn about pre and post mapping tools to add to their personal toolbox. Participants will learn a simple 3-step process for change management and leave with an entire cache of tools to assist through successful process improvement deployment and sustainment.

Leaders increase their effectiveness and serve as an example for others by being transparent, direct and collaborative. This course will help ground your communication in empathy and develop leadership presence.

This course will help you address these leadership challenges:

• You need to lead your team without just telling people what to do
• You don’t know how to drive higher levels of engagement and reduce turnover
• You’re not sure how to build rapport with a diverse workforce

Through simulations and activities, participants will learn both what gets in the way of teamwork, and what fosters teamwork.  Exercises demonstrate how to align people around common goals, and clarify roles among team members.  Through video, discussion and group exercises, attendees will practice team processes, communication and decision-making. Participants learn how to build an environment that fosters creativity from all team members. Tools are provided for soliciting feedback from their teams on how well they are performing, and each student is encouraged to create an Action Plan for improvement.

You know the basic continuous improvement tools. But, how do you use them to effectively transform the company? You need to know how to start, how much to tackle at once, who you need to involve, what results to expect, and what kind of resistance you will encounter.

Does the desire to act overpower the need to understand?  Understanding the problem, the process, the people and the distinctions between the types of causes are all stepping stones to effective root cause analysis to permanently eliminate problems from recurring. When structured methods and tools are used, this can be accomplished.

Leaders that move the business forward first need to understand the current state of the business, team dynamics, and process flow. This course will help you lead the type of change that will connect silos, remove tunnel vision and improve the way work gets done.

This course will help you address these leadership challenges:

• You need to lead your team without just telling people what to do
• You don’t know how to drive higher levels of engagement and reduce turnover
• You’re not sure how to build rapport with a diverse workforce

Customers, employees and suppliers can tell a well-run plant and office without a narrated tour. The visual clues are everywhere. This is a straight-forward approach that impacts your customer and employee image, productivity and sales. The many facets of visual management and 5S can allow employees to show pride and organization in their area, give them performance feedback, provide incentive to hit their goals, illustrate what is expected of them and recognize a job well done. These techniques can help overcome language and reading barriers and boost learning retention too.

Leaders that sustain high levels of performance know that what got them here will not bring them to the next level. This course will help you find practical ways to make sure your leadership lasts.

This course will help you address these leadership challenges:

• You need to lead your team without just telling people what to do
• You don’t know how to drive higher levels of engagement and reduce turnover
• You’re not sure how to build rapport with a diverse workforce

Standard work defines the current best work process. It is the baseline for continuous improvement and is a tool used in auditing processes. Conformance to standard work contributes to the results needed to stay competitive, but is something we really don’t want to do. Until you can apply repeatable standard work successfully, improvements will yield less than their full potential and backsliding will be prevalent.

This workshop will provide the education and experience necessary to deploy rapid improvement teams at work. Participants will learn to measure what is important, gather the necessary resources, decide who does what, and set and accomplish a one-week schedule for project completion in order to accomplish more in less time than most teams take to agree on what they should be doing.