Anthony Carra

Dream big, start small. It would be cliché at this point to mention the multi-day building process Rome underwent before it became Rome, but it’s cliché for a reason. It is true; Rome was not built in a day. Neither were any of the most successful businesses that are here today.

Too many people all over the world have big dreams but cannot (or will not) act on them because they want to start big as well. Google, Apple, Microsoft – the giants that entrepreneurs all long for their companies to become started off most modestly in their founder’s garage. How many Facebooks will never reach the cradle because those in possession of the idea want to start in a mansion?

[Read more…] about Dream BIG, Start Small

Different people in different situations require different leadership approaches. This is about as radical as saying that the sun rises in the East, and yet it is one of the most overlooked aspects of management in corporate America. The adaptability required of an effective manager is too often stifled by apathy, bureaucracy, or office politics. Those that truly want to inspire do their best with the cards they hold, but often it is not enough. With poor leadership employee morale suffers, turnover increases, and the corporate culture decays. [Read more…] about Leaders Developing Leaders

In between the layers of tortilla, there’s more than just black beans, cheese, chicken, and guac ($0.50 extra!) on your Chipotle burrito. That simple burrito also holds the culmination of years of research and practice into Standard Work, manufacturing techniques, and assembly line management. [Read more…] about What’s in your Burrito?

“We don’t reject for ugly.” The look on the line operator’s face when our associate told him this quickly went from stunned to a hearty laugh and shared understanding.  Talking it through with the line operator, our associate explained how the customer was more interested in the integrity of the device and not the appearance, so the assembly in question was actually an acceptable part.  This collaborative approach to coaching led the line operator to recognize the need to alter his inspection criteria, and he easily made the changes. Just as a small computer case fan can be worth millions of dollars to an organization, this seemingly minor change resulted in a significant increase in this organization’s productivity. [Read more…] about The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

When is a small computer case fan worth millions of dollars? When the lack of one is the bottleneck, limiting the factory’s ability to meet customer demand. This is exactly the problem one of our associates was facing when working with a major medical device manufacturer. The management team was at a total loss to understand how to keep up, with the bottleneck seeming to move whenever they thought it was resolved. They were focusing on the symptoms and not so much the actual cause, bailing water out of the boat without plugging the leak. [Read more…] about The Million Dollar Fan Or Your Biggest Fan?