SME

Clarity is Key to Culture

December 5, 2022

When I get asked what are the some of the most common issues that affect the performance of a small and medium business (SME) in New Zealand, the two of the most common challenges I respond are: Lack of Clarity Culture of apathy (amongst others) Luckily there are action...

What an SME can learn from a BBQ Competition

November 10, 2022

Occasionally you get an opportunity that you can’t say no to. This was the case for me recently when I was asked if I was interested in being a judge at a BBQ competition. This wasn’t any old local fry up, but a collection of the very best BBQ experts from Ne...

Is Lean Just A Bunch Of Tools?

September 15, 2022

When I was just starting out as a consultant, doing my own thing I was at a family wedding chatting to a friend who was asking me what I was up to. After explaining my new business, the reply was “Oh yes Lean, but you know there are many other approaches”. I ...

How do you start a Lean Thinking journey

August 9, 2022

My experience with companies motivation to start a Lean journey is one of two reasons:They are smashing it and are starting to get some speed wobbles so they are needing to bring back some structure and organisation back into the workplace.They have realised after one too ma...

What is a Smart SME?

January 18, 2022

Two things are going to dominate my conversation during 2022. For me they come hand in hand. The first and main theme is Smart SMEs (small & medium businesses). Personally I don’t like the term 'enterprises' but hey the acronym sticks!! In New...

Strategy and Tactics

November 23, 2021

Strategy and tactics - two critical elements of executing your plan and being a successful business. The great news is that one feeds into the other, they do and should relate to each other. The strategy is your true north - the vision you, your leadership team and possibly ...

How Does Lean Improve Productivity?

September 16, 2021

Improving the Productivity in Small and Medium Businesses (SME’s) is what gets me out of bed every day. In New Zealand, SMEs have some of the world's worst productivity statistics in the OECD. There are many factors that impact productivity, therefore there is no sil...

Can Lean work for single (small) business owners?

July 30, 2021

I get asked all the time if Lean is just for manufacturing or can it be applied to any type of business. Of course the answer is yes! Less often a question arises - Lean might be all very well for a decent size business, but what about the solopreneur? Or even the Mum ...

The four challenges you need to take business improvement seriously!

February 1, 2021

There are many aspects to managing or owning a business. Finance, people, supply chain, sales, marketing, training, quality management - the list goes on. Over the years I have heard many leaders describing their situation as unique or complex. Well today I...

Leading for change is hard

November 20, 2020

Why do many small and medium businesses (SMEs) fail when they try and change something or begin something new? Where do they go wrong when they want to bring something such as Lean Thinking into the business? In my space as a consultant I see and hear these stories all...