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September 2007

Genchi Genbutsu and Tipping Point Leadership

by Pete Abilla on September 24, 2007

I recently finished reading a few articles in Harvard Business Review on Leading Through Change.  In that series is an excellent article on Tipping Point Leadership.  Tipping Point, essentially, is an idea that Malcolm Gladwell popularized, but is a term that comes from epidemiology.  It is a business term that aims to study or explain [...]

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She Needs a Car

by Pete Abilla on September 22, 2007

how to restore a car

This post is very different than what you would normally find on Shmula. At present, my wife and I are trying to raise some funds for my Son’s birthmom. You may or may not remember that we adopted the most wonderful and beautiful baby boy last November.It has been almost a year since we adopted [...]

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Speaking at WCBF Lean Six Sigma Summit 2008

by Pete Abilla on September 19, 2007

lean six sigma summit, wcbf

I’ve been invited to speak at WCBF’s 2008 Lean Six Sigma Summit.  It should be a fun event.  The confirmed speakers include heavyweights from Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Medtronic, etc.  In the grand scheme of things — okay, fine, outside my immediate family, I’m really a nobody, but I was invited anyway — I’m not [...]

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Flow: Economy of Motion and Thought

by Pete Abilla on September 18, 2007

physics of flow

There is a phrase at Toyota, which goes like this: “Smooth Flow, Memory Simple, Motion Simple”.  We can learn much from Toyota’s relentless emphasis on economy of thought, economy of motion, and simplicity in its processes. All three — flow, motion, and memory are related.  Simple processes prevent complexity (yes, a tautology) and simplicity prevents [...]

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On Leadership and Horses

by Pete Abilla on September 17, 2007

Every Sunday, I engage in a lively conversation with a fellow Church-goer about his employment.  My friend works with troubled youth but he does it with horses, something he calls equine therapy.  I’m fascinated with horses and really enjoy speaking with my friend about his experiences with the youth, leadership, and what horses can teach [...]

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Barack Obama on Linkedin — The Unwisdom of Crowds

by Pete Abilla on September 14, 2007

I’m not really a person interested in politics, but I have to say that I like Barack Obama’ style.  I don’t know much about his political beliefs or, really, any of the presidential candidates beliefs, but Obama’s style is pretty cool.   He asked a question on Linkedin Answers and, so far, there are 1459 responses.  [...]

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Colin Powell on Leadership

by Pete Abilla on September 11, 2007

I have been a long-time fan of General Colin Powell.  I find his approach to be honest, courageous, and humane.  He is very clear about his frailties and emphasizes the fact that leaders and decision makers need to make decisions in a world with less-than-perfect information and in a world where we will not have [...]

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Perceived Value versus Actual Value

by Pete Abilla on September 2, 2007

Later this week I’ll be traveling to Berlin, Germany and then to Dublin, Ireland.  I used to travel a lot, so that’s not the exciting part — in addition to being excited about meeting co-workers and being together to work as a team, I’m also looking forward to racking up points on my Marriott Card [...]

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