Short answer: Don't try! That's the advice anyway from the people at The Four Seasons hotel chain. Instead, they hire for attitude. US News goes on to report in Four Seasons Service Is Unstinting, "…then train them thoroughly and treat them with the same respect (management) expects them to show hotel guests." When scanning resumes and interviewing candidates the question they try to answer is, "Are you an innately happy person?" They understand how to teach people to be a bellman or a deskclerk, but "If your momma didn't teach you to be nice, then (they) can't either."

What would be the equivalent attitudes for people who work on projects?

Ask Fluor. They did that by cutting their injury rate from 100 to 9 in one year. Let's not settle for less.

Rosie the Riveter put TWI on the map. Toyota Talent explains how standard work, TWI-style, set Toyota apart. There are still spots available to attend the TWI Summit on June 5-6. Use "lci" as the promo code to save $300.

Opinions…everyone has one…including me. Industry Week quoted Marshall Fisher, a Wharton School professor on When Not to Go Lean, by David Blanchard. The professor said you might be better off carrying excess inventories based on the nature of your product and the marketplace. Specifically, he spoke about supply and demand mismatches indicating that running out of a high margin item in a fashion market would result in lost profits for good. I wonder how he would reconcile that with Zara. This fashion clothing company intentionally runs out. And then they replace it with the next fashion item. They do that in very short design and production cycles. I wonder how the good professor would explain that? Read the rest of this entry ¶

Hard to imagine in the world of projects that anyone would ask the question "Why do deadlines matter?" However, in the world of politics and world conflicts the argument is front and center. We learned this week, President Bush just won his battle with the Democrats in Congress. There will be no deadlines in the funding bill for the war in Iraq. To my surprise, I opened the June issue of Business 2.0 turning to Jeffrey Pfeffer, Professor, Stanford University, to see his essay Why Deadlines Matter. Read the rest of this entry ¶

I couldn't let this one pass. The folk at Trizle (that's the name) bring a wonderful writing style with their strong opinions. Here's the latest: How to Finish Big Projects

1. Last Planner System

The Last Planner System® is a lean approach to planning and delivering projects. It is based on a hierarchy of planning: should, can, will, and did. LPS is not a computer system. It is a set of protocols corresponding with the four above items: pull planning, look-ahead planning, task planning, and daily coordination. The Last Planner System is a registered trademark of the Lean Construction Institute.

2. LPS

The Last Planner System® is a lean approach to planning and delivering projects. It is based on a hierarchy of planning: should, can, will, and did. LPS is not a computer system. It is a set of protocols corresponding with the four above items: pull planning, look-ahead planning, task planning, and daily coordination. The Last Planner System is a registered trademark of the Lean Construction Institute.

I frequently say to myself, "I've got to read this book again." But I usually don't make the time to do it. That's not the case with The Dip, by Seth Godin. I have to admit that not only have I been waiting for the book, I would be anticipating any book by Seth. Call me a groupie. I'm ok with that. This guy has an uncanny way of bringing an idea from the edge to mainstream. But still I was surprised. While Seth promoted his book about quitting, the book is really about mastery.

For my money, there's no better book about mastery than George Leonard's Mastery. He describes both his journey to embracing mastery and the nature and practices of mastery. However, Seth presents the choice we have of mastery. You can quit or you can stick, it's your choice. The earlier you decide the better.

Seth's examples are palpable. Read the rest of this entry ¶

I had the chance to speak with Seth about Toyota. He's quite interested in the idea of "stopping the line to fix the problem." He says it's one reason why Toyota is the best in the world. He took a moment to quote me, Jidoka.

Seth advises new grads either to take the entrepreneurial route or to join a company committed to mastery. Both routes will produce skills for facing The Dip.

Vince Lombardi was wrong when he said, "Winners never quit and quitters never win." Do I have your attention? That's how Seth Godin opened his presentation this morning in Philadelphia. It's the first stop on his book tour to promote The Dip. I've been asked many times, "Why does a project management guy write about a marketing guy." Seth is not just a marketing guy. He's strung together one best-selling book on marketing one-after-another. Seth describes himself as a guy committed to spreading the best ideas. His book Purple Cow on doing work that stands out is great advice for individuals and teams.

Read the rest of this entry ¶

Jeffrey Liker has a new book on Toyota, Toyota Talent, Developing Your People the Toyota Way. I've got my copy. I'll be reading it closely this week while traveling to SFO.

But Gianna Clark takes them on one at a time. Whether it's Lean or Six Sigma, there are people who will get in the way. Gianna offers advice on what to do about them.

One of the reasons for trouble on projects is that people say Yes when asked to take on a task when they really should be saying No. This results in others who depend on the completion of that task to start their task failing to do so. Like dominoes toppling, the project schedule falls apart.

The Power of a Positive No, by William Ury is a primer in how to have a positive conversation where the result is No. In Ury's essay How I Got to No, he recounts his insight after meeting with Warren Buffett. The Oracle of Omaha said he says NO to a thousand investment opportunities before finding just the right one to say Yes to. Read the rest of this entry ¶

Toyota's website has a 10-question quiz on TPS basics. How smart are you?

The latest issue has just been published. Have a look.

Time to get writing again. I've been gone for way to long. All good things happening. Just busy with work. I've been re-reading a great book on Toyota's approach to improvement and innovation. I'll let you guess the book title from the anagram below. Here's a few hints: I've written about it before; referenced another writer's review; and pointed you to a special document that introduces the book.

	SATIN ELL ONE GOUT
	TOGA NEON USE TILL
	NATION LET USE LOG
	TAIL GOOSE LET NUN
	ANTI LOSE TUNE LOG
	GOAT NINE SELL OUT
	TAINT EEL LOG ONUS

Leave a comment with your guess. You'll catch more of my writing this week.