Articles

As we consider today’s economic landscape, the need for lean leadership has never been more pronounced. In recent conversations with many of our member organizations, we’ve heard time and again of cost-cutting measures, far-reaching impacts of the pandemic, and ongoing hiring and restructuring challenges that have resulted in smaller workforces. Leaders are being challenged to do more with less.

Kelly Smith drew from her aviation experience to develop the Four Forces of Behavior model, which she presented at the 2023 COE Summit. During Kelly’s breakout session, participants were inspired to identify the forces of their own behavior in order to avoid professional landmines and achieve leadership goals. In this blog, Kelly addresses questions inspired by the stories and strategies shared in her Summit breakout session.

In the post-pandemic workplace, organizations are facing a flurry of changes. As the time available to implement change initiatives shrinks, key success factors for sustainable change are often cut based on the belief that they are an optional luxury or will slow things down. This can result in anxiety, confusion, low morale, and potential turnover of high performing employees.

The Center for Operational Excellence Summit 2023 will focus on reimagining the possibilities of operational excellence to change, adapt, and excel during times of disruption and uncertainty. This year’s Summit will feature four keynote presentations you won't want to miss.

Jessica Malagisi, Shauna Durant, & Kevin Yania, from Grange Insurance, were recently featured in COE's webinar series. Their session called "Using a Continuous Improvement Mindset to Reimagine the Office & Hybrid Culture" was so popular that we asked them to address some of the unanswered questions. Here's a continuation of that session's discussion.

Angus Fletcher recently had the opportunity to present on the science of peak operational performance -- and the role that story plays -- at the 2022 COE Summit. In this blog, Dr. Fletcher will address some of the unanswered questions from the session.  I find it hard to capture my own narrative. How can I get better and what people are best positioned to help me?

Mike Orzen recently had the opportunity to share some ideas on Connecting to Create Engagement in a Digital World at a Center for Operational Excellence event. This event was high-attended and engaging - a testament to the importance of coaching in today’s hybrid world and the challenges of engaging people authentically and effectively. Here Mike will address one of the unanswered questions from the session that we didn't have time to answer.

Corporate philanthropy is typically viewed as a mix of generosity and marketing – a way for a company to help their community while also promoting their brand. However, companies are increasingly seeing the wider role their philanthropic endeavors can play in overall strategy, including inventory management. By integrating philanthropy into stocking and product-mix choices, a company can get the best of both worlds – effective inventory control and meaningful altruism. Here are five ways:

Doug Ulman was recently featured at COE's Summit 2022 event. His session called "Leading Through Change: How to Pivot Personally & Professionally When the Unexpected Happens" was so popular that we asked him to address some of the unanswered questions. Here's a continuation of that session's discussion.