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May 2009

The Source of Dirt

by Pete Abilla on May 26, 2009

types of dirt, types of soil

In Amazon’s 2008 letter to shareholders, Jeff Bezos shares about a Kaizen event he participated in: At a fulfillment center recently, one of our Kaizen experts asked me, “I’m in favor of a clean fulfillment center, but why are you cleaning? Why don’t you eliminate the source of dirt?” I’ve spoken numerous times about Bezos [...]

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Total Company Involvement

by Pete Abilla on May 12, 2009

total company involvement

Most vision or mission statements are hollow, uninspirational artifacts.  Sloganeering, as it were: they sound good, but fail to mobilize a team or company.  To illustrate my point, let me share a great story — the opposite of what I have just described: The NASA Janitor. This story, I’m sure, is part legend, part folklore, [...]

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