Book Review: Blind Spots

The corporate culture in American business has certainly changed in the last decade with factors like the recession. This can give you pause to all that supposed career advice. Alexandra Levit debunks those business myths we've heard repeatedly in her latest book Blind Spots: The 10 Business Myths You Can't Afford to Believe on Your New Path to Success.

In her book, Levit documents how some of these long held beliefs have become myths. She explores why holding on to these myths can be detrimental to business and career success.

Here’s what she says in her introduction to the book:

“I wrote it because I was tired of reading silly theories and platitudes dispensed by business and career authors who sell their work by giving these myths credibility and by telling readers what they want to hear. Here is one thing you can count on: I will tell it like it is. I will be honest with you about what will render you successful in today’s business world, not yesterday’s. I refuse to give you overly provocative advice that hasn’t worked for anyone I know, like quitting your job tomorrow and starting your own business the next day, or marching into your boss’s office and announcing that he should appreciate your individuality.”

She explores the 10 biggest myths of business success that people believe to be true even though they don't work for 98 percent of all truly accomplished people. They are:

Myth #1: Overnight success is possible.

Myth #2: Controversy will propel your career.

Myth #3: Employers want you to be yourself.

Myth #4: Being good at your job trumps everything.

Myth #5: It’s best to climb the ladder as fast as possible.

Myth #6: You’ll get more money because you’ve earned it.

Myth #7: The problem isn’t you, it’s the organization.

Myth #8: You won’t get laid off, you’re too essential.

Myth #9: If only you could break out of Corporate America, everything would be perfect.

Myth #10: Do what you love and the money will follow.

For each topic, she covers how the myth was established, giving a short discourse on it. She then explains why the belief is no longer valid in today’s business environment. She gives examples of people who followed the myths and were not successful. But, she provides more than anecdotal evidence. She follows up with data and studies to validate her claims. She then offers suggestions on what works today. She uncovers the myth and gives solutions to move forward.

Alexandra has written a very useful book that speaks to both new and experienced workers, whether in management or not, whether private sector or government. Her book is well written, concise and thought provoking. Each of her 10 myths are supported by relevant anecdotes, including what’s happening currently in the workplace.

I believe you will find this an enjoyable, informative, and valuable resource in moving forward successfully. When you read Blind Spots you'll have a lot fewer of them in your career and business.

Alexandra Levit is a former nationally syndicated columnist for the Wall Street Journal and frequent national media spokesperson. She was recently named Money Magazine's Online Career Expert of the Year and the author of one of Forbes' best websites for women. Alexandra‘s goal is to help people find meaningful jobs - quickly and simply - and to succeed beyond measure once they get there. You can see more from her online at Alexandra Levit’s Water Cooler Wisdom.

Note: Alexandra and I have connected online a number of times over the last several years. She graciously shared a copy of her book for my review.

New Product: WeekDate Simplifies Planning

WeekDate provides one dedicated area for monthly events and one for weekly events that never change. This clever calendar is split into 3 sections:

Top - Monthlies
Monthlies are activites that occur every month on the same day. For example, your book club is the fourth Thursday of every month.
Bottom - Weeklies
Weeklies are events that occur every week such as yoga class that is every Tuesday morning or your Weekly Status Meeting on Wednesday afternoons.
Middle - Specifics
Specifics are everyday things that need to go specifically on a date, such as a doctor's appointment, lunch with a friend, or a business meeting.These specific pages are color coded so you know where you are in the month at all times. (1st week, 2nd week, etc.)

Check out this video demonstrating how this calendar works:



What do you think? Is this product one that cuts down wasted entries in a planner by putting meetings where they belong? Now you only have to write it once.

New Blog Feature - ASQ's Influential Voices

I was invited to participate in ASQ’s Influential Voices blogging community. ASQ, American Society of Quality, is a global community of experts and the leading authority on quality in all fields, organizations, and industries. As a professional association, ASQ advances the professional development, credentials, knowledge and information services, membership community, and advocacy on behalf of its more than 85,000 members worldwide. As champion of the quality movement, ASQ members are driven by a sense of responsibility to enrich their lives, to improve their workplaces and communities, and to make the world a better place by applying quality tools, techniques, and systems.

Last year, ASQ invited quality professionals from around the world to engage with ASQ in an online conversation—a conversation about quality, about the future of the field, about what makes them and the quality community tick.  They called this program ASQ's Influential Voices. 

Each month, ASQ’s CEO, Paul Borawski will select a topic that the Influential Voices will respond to with their own thoughts. Discussion topics include different aspects of quality, special events, interviews and quality’s impact and role across industries. You to take a look at Paul Borawksi’s blog and the Influential Voices blogroll.

I think this fits well with my new career in quality and the mission of this site to share lessons and chronicle my journey in Lean Thinking. It is my belief that you will enjoy this new feature and welcome your feedback as I begin this new endeavor.


I’m part of the ASQ Influential Voices program. While I receive an honorarium from ASQ for my commitment, the thoughts and opinions expressed on my blog are my own.

Lean Quote: Our Process is Different

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

This weeks Lean Quote is brought to you by my good friend and frequent collaborator, Jeff Hajek. Jeff is a Lean consultant, award-winning author, and the founder of Velaction Continuous Improvement. He authors the blog Gotta Go Lean and has created the most comprehensive lean dictionary online. We have partnered together for the last couple of years on a number of webinars on Lean thinking.

"Our process is different..." — Common excuse from naysayers

One of the most frequent quotes I encounter when helping people improve their processes is “Our process is different.”

People who have not been exposed to continuous improvement efforts frequently believe that their process is so unusual that Lean or Six Sigma or whatever methodology you are using does not apply.

Normally this quote is verbatim, and it will be followed with a reason why it is, in fact, different.

After hearing this for a while, I started writing down the reasons. I put them on 3×5 cards, and kept them in my pocket during kaizen events. Over time, I started to hear all of the reasons start to repeat themselves. When I would start a new project, there was a good chance that someone would push back on the changes, and give me a reason. They would be convinced that they were unique in their situation. I would pull out my cards, and tell them that they just gave me #3 or #7, or whatever one it was. I had about 15 or 20 of the reasons on my list. Many times, the reason they gave me would be almost verbatim.

This allowed me to peel back one layer of the onion of their resistance to change, and let them see that they were not in this alone. Other people had felt the same way, and had figured out how to make things better. People are more at ease with change when they know that others have done what they are about to do. It takes away the fear that the task is impossible. They get a little of the feeling that if someone else can do it, then so can they. They realize that they are not entering uncharted waters as they thought they were.

Some of them reasons on the card were:

1. Our customers won’t let us do it differently.
2. Our job changes too rapidly.
3. There are too many variables to standardize this process.
4. This isn’t manufacturing. (used frequently in office settings)
5. Our demand is too unpredictable.
6. Our team is too spread out.
7. Our process is too creative to standardize.
8. Our suppliers won’t get on board.
9. The computer system won’t let us do that.
10. The boss won’t go for that.
11. There are too many unknowns.
12. Our process is too complicated.

Ironically, many of the items on this list are actually the reason that improvement is needed, not a reason that the change won’t be effective.

Seeing the Whole Value Stream Expanded Second Edition

What a difference a decade makes. It has been nearly a decade since Daniel Jones and Jim Womack wrote Seeing the Whole in which they expand on Learning to See. They created a tool to allow change-agent managers to tackle higher, more extended value streams across multiple plants and across multiple companies. Now the two have combined to make a very necessary update to Seeing the Whole Value Stream.

When the first edition of Seeing the Whole was published the world was in a mad rush to outsource and offshore in pursuit of suppliers with drastically lower piece prices. Today the situation is very different; currencies have shifted, labor costs in many low-wage countries have risen, and the potential for squeezing further price reductions from suppliers is largely exhausted. Seeing the Whole Value Stream answers this by providing a proven method for understanding and improving the value-creating process that suppliers share with customers.

The workbook goes step-by-step through an improvement process that converts the traditional supply chain of isolated, compartmentalized operations into an ideal future-state value stream in which value flows from raw materials to customer in a fraction of the time previously needed.

About 80-85% of the book remains largely unchanged from the 1st edition but the new material that is added provides examples in other sectors and answers questions about how to understand supply chain costs more accurately. The additions come in the form of 5 essays added at the end of the workbook in combination with additional contributors. The first essay extends the value stream of the wiper blade factory used in the original workbook to cover a service business with distributions centers. Next is Tesco’s candy bar value stream and Acme Alliance’s turfmower value stream which provide insight into a retail chains. Another essay looks at adding realistic costing to value streams to more accurately understand total cost by looking at the situation of a US supplier versus a Chinese supplier. The final essay covers mapping a global supply chain and understanding how to analyze whole system.

These additions demonstrate a commitment by LEI to continuous learning and improvement. They weren’t omissions from the first edition but rather reflection from a decade of massively complex value streams that come from the endless search for lower cost suppliers. I found the sections on total cost and mapping the global supply chain particularly valuable as they relate directly to the business I manage. Depending on your experience and current situation you may find other section more valuable.

I have learned from experience that you (your business) is only as good as your last supplier. Therefore it is critical to optimize the entire value stream. I recommend you start with your own house and for that I would use Learning to See. But when you are ready to review your extended value stream I recommend you get Seeing the Whole Value Stream to guide your improvement.

Daily Lean Tips Edition #26

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips.  It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey.  Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.

Click this link for A Lean Journey's Facebook Page Notes Feed.

Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:

Lean Tip #376 – Create a culture that values direct observation.

Identify some “champions” to role model the importance of observation, teach others to do it well, and mentor others in the process. A system-wide change regarding the culture of observation can be both challenging and intimidating.

Lean Tip #377 – Build meaningful feedback into the direct observation process.

Train your staff to provide effective feedback. Particular emphasis should be placed on giving clear, timely, specific, behaviorally-based constructive feedback that focuses on a behavior that the learner has the capacity to change.

Lean Tip #378 - Require action planning after each direct observation.

After observation, the observer and learner should agree upon an action plan for the learner. An action plan that characterizes steps the learner can take to improve is crucial to the effectiveness of feedback.

Lean Tip #379 - It’s the Discussion That Counts.

The main value to be found in the observation process is actually in the discussion which takes place, not just in the observing or the paperwork (although these are both vital to the overall process). By engaging in a discussion about the process, we are not only addressing any specific issues that were observed and giving the person feedback, but we are also making a habit of thinking and talking about observation.

Lean Tip #380 - Give Praise Where It’s Due.

Make sure in your observations, that you are also looking to catch people doing the right thing. Give praise or positive feedback when you see things being done correctly and instances where people have gone beyond the procedure with ideas they’ve thought of themselves.

Lean Tip #381 - Active listening requires being observant in the signals.

Effective Active Listening requires skill in providing feedback and being observant of verbal and non-verbal signals.

NON VERBAL SIGNALS:
• Good eye contact
• Facial expressions
• Body Language
• Silence

VERBAL SIGNALS:
• “I’m listening” cues
• Validating Statements
• Statements of Support
• Reflection/Mirroring Statements

Lean Tip #382 - Good communication must be H.O.T.

I’ve been thinking a lot about employee communication lately. I’ve been thinking about what makes for good, effective communication and how it can be a powerful force within any organization. Good communication must be H.O.T.

H.O.T. stands for honest, open, and two-way.

Lean Tip #383 - Make your visualizations appealing to the eye.

While this might seem trivial, an aesthetically pleasing graphic or report will attract more attention and will generally be better understood. Limit the amount of text used for visual communications. Use key words to highlight important information. Do not use paragraphs or lengthy sentences as they weaken the message being conveyed and bore the audience.

Lean Tip #384 – Make visuals simple to understand.

Remember the old KISS method? Keep it simple: Make the communication easy and clear by avoiding unnecessary elements. The aim should be to communicate the data with as little visual "noise" as possible. However, take care not to go too far and remove meaning.

Lean Tip #385 – Prioritize communication for key messages.

It may be easy for you to know what information you need and what you can ignore. But for your workers, it may be hard to judge what’s really important and what’s extraneous. Prioritize for your workforce by aiming only to communicate key messages. This will help ensure that you’re not piling too much information on your team.

Lean Tip #386 - Communicate Regularly and Timely.

Schedule regular communication to your employees, so they can learn to expect how they will receive their information. Convey messages in a timely manner to stop the rumors before they start.

Lean Tip #387 - Communicate honestly.

Be straightforward and don’t be too entrenched in delivering the "party line", which represents management’s sometimes overly rosy view of a situation. The honesty of your communication determines the character of the company and its ethics in the minds of employees.

Lean Tip #388 - Invite questions.

Two way communications is important. Wise managers realize that they won’t have all the answers to employee questions. "I don’t know at this point" is an acceptable response to an employee question, as is "Let me check into that and get back to you." The key here, of course, is following through. If you say you’ll get back to the employee with more information, do it!

Lean Tip #389 - Communicate Clear Goals and Expectations.

Each employee needs to understand what is expected of them. They also need to know how those expectations are going to be evaluated. Without this information how can management demand results? Don’t assume they know. Involve the employee in setting the goals to ensure they are comfortable with meeting the challenges.

Lean Tip #390 - Take Time to Build Relationships.

When you understand your employees’ individual work styles, preferences and needs, you can gain their trust. You can motivate them to achieve greater productivity, more effective teamwork and higher morale. When someone joins your work team, learn about their special skills and talents. Find out about their learning style and the type of feedback they appreciate. Ask them about their previous successes and how they work best with others.