You can be the CORE or the OUTLIER...but can you be both?

Monday, 15 August 2016 by Madelaine Hallman-Kenner
You can be the CORE or you can be the OUTLIER…can you be both? You can either be one or the other…which one would you choose? Trust me, there are perks to both. Hear me out: The vast majority of the workforce are considered the core of any organization. Core people know the roles and responsibilities and do not shy away from the status quo. They are programmed accordingly and go through the...

Five questions you have to answer before your next change initiative.

Monday, 01 August 2016 by Shon Isenhour

We all are part of change initiatives and interestingly the majority of them fail to deliver the results expected or projected. When we look back at the ones that failed to deliver, we find many that were destined to fail from the beginning because of the way the change was unveiled and communicated to the affected individuals. Below are five question that are crucial to answer upfront,...

The Lost Art of the Smile

Monday, 25 July 2016 by Madelaine Hallman-Kenner

My grandmother had this saying about storms that really stuck with me. She used to always tell me, “If there is enough blue in the sky to patch a Dutchman’s britches, then it will clear up.” I used to think it was a silly saying until I thought of it in another light; everyday connections with people. Let me ask you this; when a storm is coming…do you ever see just one little dark cloud? I highly...

Four -isms That Might Be Killing Your Reliability

Monday, 27 June 2016 by Shon Isenhour

Lets talk today about the four -isms that may be running around in your plant and limiting your ability to improve up-time, quality and reliability. The first step is to recognize that they exist and then we can determine a plan to mitigate or eliminate it. Below I have given you the four as well as a sound bite and possible mitigation strategies. It is best if you can prevent them from rearing...

Stop Corrective Maintenance Repairs on Preventive Maintenance Work Orders.

Tuesday, 14 June 2016 by Shon Isenhour
Today's guest post by Blended Learning student Rick Clonan of Nissan is a sample of a communication to his organization to explain a problem that they had been facing. Interestingly enough it is a problem that many of us face in our sites. Thanks to Rick's willingness to share, you might be able to craft a similar example and share with your organization.  There has been a lot of discussion as...

4 Simple Steps to Start Creating a Learning Culture in Your Organization

Thursday, 09 June 2016 by Shon Isenhour

Is training a drudgery endured once or twice a year or is it a part of daily life enjoyed by all? Many companies and sites are missing the boat by not having a culture of continuous learning. One where new knowledge is constantly entering the "collective" and finding its way into use. If you can create this culture then you will keep your organization competitive while improving morale according...

Six Steps for Learning New Passions

Wednesday, 01 June 2016 by Shon Isenhour

I don't know about you but I find that I really enjoy learning new things and therefor I put myself in situations to do it a lot. Based on that, I have collected a few points from my experiences and placed them carefully in this blog for safe keeping. You may find them interesting to consider both when teaching and when learning new things. First, watch the passionate and become them... They...

What is flipped classroom?

Tuesday, 24 May 2016 by Shon Isenhour

The flipped classroom is a what is known in education as a pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed. Short video lectures are viewed by students at home or work before the face to face class session, while in-class time is devoted to application exercises, projects work, or group discussions. The video lecture or elearning is often seen as the...

Paying for the Sins of the Past: Your Improvement Initiative is Not Magical.

Friday, 08 April 2016 by Shon Isenhour

Today is a dose of reality, a tantalizing tenet of truth, a point to ponder, if you will. The point is you have to pay for the sins of the past whether you are talking about your health or the reliability of your facility. Said differently, you can't smoke for 25 years and expect to have the lungs of a track star the day you quit. Now I know this seems obvious, but if it truly were obvious then...

Piloting Your Way Through The Danger Zone: A Look at Learning to be a Jedi

Monday, 04 April 2016 by Shon Isenhour

Learning has many variables and paths that you might follow as you travel to mastery of a skill. The skill could be one of mathematics, problem solving, or even being a pilot or a Jedi. As you learn the new activity or skill you travel about the graphic above.While this graphic is only a learning model, we can see three distinct zones that could yield interesting thoughts as one analyzes the...

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