The Cranky Middle Manager #92 Productivity with Tor Dahl

Posted on 24. Apr, 2007 by Wayne in Podcast

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The Cranky Middle Manager Show #092

Back in Episode 87, we spoke to Joel Barker, and he talked about someone we needed to speak to- Dr. Tor Dahl. He put him up there with Demming and Drucker. Who could resist THAT conversation? So here we are. At the end of the show, Tor offers his white paper on productivity to anyone who drops me a line and asks for it. How cool is that?

Warning, this show has lots of heavy numbers but it’s worth the work.

Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to episode 92. This is not one of those light, breezy shows, so be prepared to put some work in but it’ll be worth it, I promise. Don’t forget to sign up for the Cranky Middle Manager Newsletter…just email me and put the world Subscribe in the subject line.

1:38 Since the subject today is productivity (however you pronounce it) the show is dedicated to the Egyptian Imam Suyuti. Not only was he one of the most prolific writers in history, but he makes a good point. People who write about religion and people who write about business have much in common:

• The truth hasn’t changed much since Day 1, they just put a fresh spin on it
• They get way more credit than they deserve
• Their readers pretty much pick and choose the parts they listen to and which parts they’ll ignore.

3:26 The quote of the week is from Charles Caleb Colton: Productivity comes from the hardest times…. if you live long enough to enjoy it.

4:15 Welcome Tor Dahl (with apologies for the tinniness of the sound- the bigger the guest the more likely Skype will act up). We start by defining the terms…what is productivity and how do we measure it? Productivity is Output divided by Input. Write it down Wayne.
10:15 Is increased productivity good for the worker or just for the boss. How much work can you squeeze out of an already dry stone? Turns out Marx was wrong…you not only OWN the means of production, you ARE the means of production.

13:00 Why are we so fascinated with productivity? The only way to create new wealth is through increased productivity. China is up 11.1% and their purchasing power will surpass the US in 10 years. Please note, the editing software got glitchy.. I’m really not trying to talk over Dr. Dahl

15:15 Here’s where things get interesting… and all you Six Sigmas Blackbelts and TQM managers listen up: Productivity was down to less than 1% until recently. Why? Because we became concerned about quality. Quality is about reducing variations, but variations are what cause increases in productivity. Neat paradox huh?

18:19 The principles of productivity: Screen what nobody should be doing, figure out what somebody should do but not you, and finally what you should be doing. THEN figure out how to do it more efficiently. You’ll free up 2/3 of your resources.

News Flash: don’t fire people who’ve helped you free up those resources- reinvest in them.

22:19 Tor gives us a case study of a company that almost went out of business and in three years turned into a 300/1 return on investment.

23:00 We spend almost a day a week in wasted time: bad meetings, unnecessary rework and waiting- lots of waiting. Outsourcing does not necessarily mean you lose your job but it’s a balancing act.

27:00 You have to identify key logs in the log jam… once you identify the log jam everyone will tell you when you have it….the team knows where the strengths and weaknesses are. There are 23 logs, it seems.

31:00 After all that science and economics, this is the part of the story you have to hear. the 40 most productive people in the world got together in England to find out why they were so productive… and the results are surprising, but no surprise at all.

Tor’s Resources

Most of Tor’s papers are by his own admission unreadable, but there’s one paper (even I understood it) that you can get by emailing me and asking for it.

There’s his newsletter…

Thanks gang…. as always, don’t let the weasels get you down.

Are You LinkedIn? Wanna Be?

Posted on 22. Apr, 2007 by Wayne in General

Networking is a vital function for any manager. You have to know what the people in your company are doing, where your industry is going, and what’s going on behind the ever-isolating burlap-covered walls of your cubicle.

One thing I’ve heard from you all is that you’re looking for ways to network with other CMM listeners…here’s one way.
There are a million “social networking” tools out there.

If you use My Space, you’re more likely to encounter my 14 year old daughter (and if you do I’ll hunt you down like a dog, you’ve been warned) than you will someone who knows about CRM systems. It’s really not made for work.

Twitter has everyone ,well, all atwitter but I don’t CARE when you go for coffee and I refuse to spend my life glued to my phone.

The best tool I’ve found is LinkedIn. If you are already on LinkedIn, invite me to join your network. If you’re not, check it out. I already know a number of listeners are on it, so for now let’s use this to network with each other and get answers when we need them.

Thanks everyone. It’s all about building a supportive community of Weasel-avoiders!

Results of Our Listener Survey

Posted on 22. Apr, 2007 by Wayne in General

Thanks To Everyone Who Posts, Writes and Nags!
Folks, for the last 5 weeks or so I’ve been conducting a listener survey, and the results have been fascinating. Yes, it’s a little self-werving-I’m trying to find ways to make the shift to CMM as my primary living (struggling there). it’s also finding ways to make the show better (and I hope you’re seeing the results over the next few weeks).

In the spirit of continuous improvement, I thought I’d share the results with you and if you have anything to add, feel free to post away.

By the way, some answers allowed for more than one response, which leads to the funky math…..

First, the number one complaint about the show is: Sound quality on the interviews. That’s my complaint too. By the time I record the interview via Skype (VOIP is tricky at the best of times) record it, translate it to an MP3 file, Edit it down and then compress it to a size you can download easily, the sound has taken a beating. If anyone knows how to use Audacity to improve the quality, I’m way open. Buying a Mac is not an option, thank you.

How Long Have You Been Listening to CMM?

22% Less than one month

17.1% Less than three months

17.1% Less than six months

29.5% More than one year

14.5% Since 2005

(and may the God of your choice love each and every one of you)

My Position At Work Is

7.3% Business Owner

51.2% Experienced Manager (more than 5 years)

19.5% New Manager

22% Individual Contributor

Demographics

43.9% Male over 40

46.3% Male under 40

4.9% Female over 40

4.9% Female under 40

What am I doing to scare the women away? (A question I’ve been asking since I was 13 with no answers forthcoming, maybe you can tell me)

Which Department Do You Toil In?

31.7% IT

2.4% Human Resources

4.9% Finance

14.6% Research

19.4% Operations

26.8% Other (included Training, Sales and Students)

What Do You Like Best About CMM

17.1 % The Guests

19.5% Wayne’s Attitude

43.9% Practical Information

4.9% The Resource Links

14.6% Other (of which over half said all of the above, several the humor)

Of The Host’s Portion, The Thing I Like Best Is

37.5% The historical dedications

45% The quote of the week

22.5% Blog entries and columns

20% Other (almost all said the humor)

If There Was a Quality E-Newsletter Would You Subscribe?

82.1% Yes

17.9% No

Put up or shut up gang. Drop me a line with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line and you’ll get the first edition in May

CMM Branded Products I Would Like (And Be Willing to Pay For)

53.3% E Books (so why haven’t more people bought Meet Like You Mean It?)

40% “Real” Books

23.2% “Best of CMM” Collections on CD or for Download

36.7% Interactive Webinars or Teleconferences

46.7% E-Learning courses on various topics

4% Other (which basically meant not a darned thing, along with those who abstained out of politeness)

I’d Be Interested In Attending a Live CMM-Sponsored Event

54.5% If Wayne were the featured speaker

4% If Wayne were NOT the featured speaker

60.6% If there were multiple speakers

The laws of physics being what they are there are two things here.

First, is that I’m looking at doing an on-line meetup in Late June or Early July with the topic: What are the first things a new manager needs to do? Watch for details in the coming weeks. If we can’t get together in person… let’s meet up virtually!

Second, I have a speech built around the dedications we do on the show. If you are interested in having me speak to a group or organization about Togas Tights and Ties- 2500 Years of Management Advice, drop me a line!

The Cranky Middle Manager Show #91 Breakthroughs with Lisa Haneberg

Posted on 18. Apr, 2007 by Wayne in Podcast

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The Cranky Middle Manager Show #091

Welcome to Episode 91. We welcome Lisa Haneberg back to the show, announce some cool new stuff for the show and generally have a ball

Show Notes

0:00 Welcome to the show. Today we talk to Lisa Haneberg about her book “2 Weeks To a Breakthrough” as well as the Management Craft Blog that you know so well. First though, a whole bunch of announcements. Two in particular:

1) Starting May 1 there will be a Cranky Middle Manager Newsletter. Not only will it have new content written just for readers, but it will link to discussion forum on a brand new site that will be up in a couple of weeks (no URL yet, watch the skies). To Subscribe, just email me and put “Subscribe” in the subject line.

2) We are planning a live call-in event for you to talk to each other. Details to follow, but look for it sometime in late June. My listener survey said you’d love the chance to get together and since that ain’t easy given that you’re all over the world (check out our frappr map- heck join it since you’re signing up for stuff), well this will be the next best thing. If you think it’s a good idea, post here or email me and let me know.

7:00 According to the survey the quote is your favorite part of the show, so it wouldn’t be right to leave it out. An appropriate quote for this show on breakthroughs.

8:00 Welcome our first three time guest, Lisa Haneberg. No big surprise, the conversation has been less than civil lately. Web 2.0 is getting downright snarky- I love it.

12:02 Lisa’s new book is “2 Weeks to a Breakthrough- How to Zoom Through Your Goal in 14 Days or Less” (check out her breakthrough blog here). I go down a rabbit hole about 12 step programs. I love you too, I don’t need your supportive emails on this one.

17:14 To go through the 2-week process it starts with goals, and it’s not the usual SMART goal cliches. They ought to raise the hair on the back of your neck, darn it.

22:14 Lisa invents a new piece of jargon, but I like it. Do you ask “Provo-Evo” Questions? Are they both provocative and/or evocative?

24:25 There are two key themes to the breakthrough- Sharing and Taking Action. I admit, these have propelled me to make the changes you’ll hear about over the next few weeks. I also worry about sharing too much in advance lest I’m either bragging or lying through my teeth.

30:37 Lisa and her brother are trying new things too. She has a video on Youtube that’s worth checking out. she’s also heading out on a motorcycle book tour that sounds like way more fun that a grownup should be allowed to have.

34:30 As always, Lisa has cool resources. Check out The Zen of Groups.