Five years and counting

Five years ago I started blogging... And owned this Buell that I bought over the net. Flew to Dallas, TX to take delivery and ride it home. What a great trip. The original post is still online. In case you don't know, Harley-Davidson owned Buell. They killed the line of bikes late last year. How sad (and stupid). Rumor has it they could have sold the line and recouped some money. But I digress. Here is that first post from May 1, 2005:

Welcome SKI Consulting and Implementation is all about throughput. Due Date performance. Achieving one's goals. Welcome to the "Throughput" blog. As David Letterman asks, "Is it anything?" Only time will tell. -ski

Well, what think you? Now that five years have elapsed from our lives? Is it anything? Better yet, If I have helped your business adventure, leave a comment. -ski ©2010 Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.

Innovation tied to Change?

How important is innovation? I love the first hand stories of managers that tell about a great book they have read and how it has opened the doors of their minds to a new vantage point, only to have their superiors "rain on their parade" and explain away the potential benefits. In 80% of the cases, their boss gave them the book! Irony? Before you quickly dismiss the irony of such occurrences, think about the ramifications. To morale for sure (and yet this is often overlooked), but also to the health of the organization. Here is a question I have asked: "Why did your boss give you the book?" Almost always, the answer is to help the organization solve a problem. Most of us have been there; trying to make a difference. Then, you hit pay dirt. You read well into the middle of night remarking to yourself (out loud), "This is exactly the answer!" Only to be put in your place the next morning at work. How sad Well, here is yet another chance to raise your blood pressure (as if we need more "at bats" at this activity!): Jack's Notebook by Gregg Fraley Studying up for my presentation at the DoD Performance Symposium on June 9, 2010 on the methodology and tools of Goldratt's Theory of Constraints (TOC), I picked this book up for insight into Innovation's role in Change Management. I have not been disappointed. In fact, I owe Fraley a new review based on this aspect of this great book. But I digress... Here is an idea Buy two copies of this book and give your boss a copy! Maybe the inverse will work? Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah Throughput.us (843) 564-4754 P.S. My presentation is on Wednesday, June 9th at 12:45 PM and is innocently {grin} titled: "System Optimization and Synchronization using TOC to Accelerate Change." If you are in the DoD space, do come up and introduce yourself. ©2010 Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.

To effect change requires energy

Albert Einstein said: E=mc²

"One of Einstein's great insights was to realize that matter and energy are really different forms of the same thing. Matter can be turned into energy, and energy into matter." —Bill Willis

I have been thinking a lot about "change" of late, in preparation for addressing the DoD Performance Symposium on June 9, 2010 at the National Conference Center in Virginia. One of the more interesting twists in my mental exercises comes from the rereading of a number of texts and articles on change and this notion that change requires energy. Framed another way, consider Newton's First Law of Motion: "An object at rest tends to stay at rest, or if it is in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by a sum of physical forces." *batteries not included One of the great marketing expressions of the last century was this classic that was so powerful it was made into a movie starring Jessica Tandy (and for which she won the 1988 Saturn Award). But I digress... If your organization (in the DoD space) seems to have trouble initiating and fully implementing the proper changes at the proper time, maybe your batteries are low! Maybe the bigger issue is how to quantify "proper" changes? Perhaps your system's boundary lines seem to shift at the most inopportune time? Join me at this year's event: 2010 DoD Performance Symposium National Conference Center, Virginia June 8-10, 2010 What: A three-day conference on performance that includes presentations by senior Defense officials, Federal Government leaders, Service leaders, Deployment leaders and Transformation leaders from all branches and agencies. Voice of the Customer: Based on attendee feedback from past events, this symposium will:

1. Feature two days of general session and daily practitioner breakouts.
2. Showcase significant business operations issues that were solved by using performance improvement methodologies resulting in positively impacting the front-line warfighter.
3. Have the last day dedicated for services and agencies to meet and discuss/grow their respective initiatives.

Where: National Conference Center, Lansdowne, Va. Link: Registration information To Register after May 25, 2010, call the National Conference Center directly at 703-729-8000.