In a meeting the other day, an individual mentioned getting a supplier to manage their margins. In business, margin management can mean different things to different functions. To a program manager it is the process of looking at risk from a margin perspective, addressing costs and revenues together as a single unit of risk. Looking… Read More
Managing Our Time and Distractions
The internet is an amazing invention born out of the minds of millions of people. It’s an pattern of our collective minds. When I was a Large Scale Information Space Research Engineer, we found the internet is strewn with all kinds of off topic information intended to draw us to websites. In creating a topically constrained… Read More
What’s your intention?
The word intention has it’s roots in the Latin Intendere (intend). To intend something is to ‘direct the attention to.’ Our attention is directed by both our conscious and unconscious minds. Unconsciously, our drives, instincts and impulses have a direction with some rooted deep in our psyche’s and part of our genetic programming. Sometimes we… Read More
Issues Arise out of not Managing Our Business.
Looking at my recent posts, I find I’ve had the opportunity to work and befriend some excellent people. However, things are not as rosy as I write it. I also work and know people who are on the other end of the spectrum. There are those who don’t manage their business and complain about what’s… Read More
Managing Our Spirit
This week a colleague and friend of mine came back to work after being out on FMLA for cancer. He shared stories of his trials and tribulations over the last couple of months. He’s been to hell and back again and not done with his journey. The thing is he has maintained his spirit throughout… Read More
Igniting Our Fire to Create
In the aerospace industry, reactive problem solving is the norm. Satellite programs start with a schedule behind where it is supposed to be. A launch window has already been acquired or the alignment of celestial bodies give only a two week period in order for a mission to proceed. We attempt to build in schedule… Read More
Quality of Life Emerges Out of Our Decisions
Recently, an auditor evaluated the company I work for to approve us to perform work to their workmanship processes. During the close out session, the auditor made a comment the struck a chord. “I let go of the quality in my life 15 years ago.” He went on to talk about working overtime and dedicating… Read More
Managing Expectations Yields Opportunity
There are many organizations, especially in the aerospace industry, that struggle with perpetual reaction mode. Unfortunately it starts with the contract award. When we plan for being proactive including adequate margin, we are told by our customers our schedule or cost does not meet their expectations. What do we do? We capitulate. We cut out… Read More
Our Primary Resource, Time
The first resource we all have some measure of control over is time. As Dr. Tolian Soran said in the movie Star Trek Generations, “Time is the fire in which we burn.” This is a common sentiment especially when we do not use that fire to accomplish what we choose. When others choose the objectives… Read More
Embracing Confrontation
My wife and I were discussing having leadership roles at work. Confrontation is unavoidable. Trust issues come up. People want to be seen as powerful or experienced and thus show themselves like a bird of paradise or peacock. When issues and confrontations do arise, the leader has a choice to make. As in the wild,… Read More
Business of You 