Toyota Kata Starter: What are the main management aspects you should consider when implementing this methodology?

I’m starting a new series on manufacturing and operations management. In this first episode of the series, we will talk about some management aspects of implementing Toyota Kata Starter.

We will discuss:

• What you should consider when implementing any methodology in your organization
• From a senior management perspective, what to do before pursuing an implementation
• I’ll describe the main aspects of Toyota Kata Starter
• I’ll briefly explain it’s components and the famous five questions
• I’ll close with a case study of an implementation in a manufacturing company

THE ONE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE

• Learn the main considerations you should have if you decide to implement Toyota Kata Starter.

LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE

Interesting articles and background story about Toyota Kata Starter

• Introduction to Toyota Kata - Mike Rother
• The Toyota Kata Practice Guide by Mike Rother
• Four Valuable Lessons from GM’s Failed Experiment by Nadeem Haidary
• This American Life Podcast: Episode 403 Nummi (2010)
• This American Life Podcast: Episode 561 Nummi (2015)

Also:

Listen to more episodes: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast

Send me a message: podcast@rodrigocaetano.com

Schedule a Mentoring Session with Rodrigo: https://rodrigocaetano.com/schedule-session/

What’s the best way to make a presentation to executive management?

You frustrated you are dragging your feet to prepare presentations to upper management, even though you never procrastinate anything else in your to do list. You hate PowerPoint, and is sure everyone else does the same.

I’m here to provide you some tips on what to consider when creating your presentations, even if you are not offering value. And you don’t even need to use power point, if you don’t want to. Listen to some insights and make your executive presentations more meaningful to you and to your audience.

Consider if your presentation is really necessary or you can communicate the same message without using PowerPoint. Understand the causes you are dragging your feet, like not scheduling enough time to prepare it, or collecting data. Think about the purpose of your presentation, who should be attending it and what’s the outcome you want when people leave the room. Have a few things at hand to help you during the delivery of the presentation. Finally, keep it short and sweet, make it meaningful.

THE ONE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE 

Presenting to executive management has very little to do with a beautiful PowerPoint. It’s all about succinctness and clarity of the message you want to came across.

LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE

• Listen to more episodes: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast
• Send me a message: podcast@rodrigocaetano.com
• Schedule a Mentoring Session with Rodrigo: https://rodrigocaetano.com/schedule-session/

In this episode, we'll be talking about how hard is to change. We always want to change something in our lives, to get to a new place. But from the point of view of where we currently are, any change seems impossible.

Sometimes it's just easier to think about quitting and just give up. We are at the top of a mountain looking away to the distance, to an even higher mountain where we want to go. In front of us we find the reality of an enormous abyss, which seems to grow ever larger the more we look into it.

However, change itself is only one part of a larger process. We may become obsessed with the abyss ahead of us and we forget that change is part of something bigger and more comprehensive, the true transformation. And in fact, how often we don't know where we want to go… We don't have a clear destination.

We neglect the fact that we can do things in stages, and go one step at the time. In practical terms, consider the following:

• Ask yourself if the change really needs to be made. Also, ask yourself if you really want this change. Wanting something will bring control back to you.
• Think about whether there is a path, and if that path can have several intermediate stages. Remember, Rome wasn't made in a day.
• Assess the impact of the change not only on you, but also on the people around you. There's nothing more frustrating than achieving your end goal, reaching the higher mountain and forgetting to consider the impact this will have in your other goals and in the meaningful people around you.

Remember, there are changes that are really worth making. These are changes that, once made, you will forget the past in the past, so you can move to the future and evolve as a person.

THE ONE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE

• look at changes as isolated events, but see them as part of as broad transitions with several stages over longer periods of time.

LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE

• Listen to more episodes: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast

• Send me a message: podcast@rodrigocaetano.com

• Schedule a Mentoring Session with Rodrigo: https://rodrigocaetano.com/schedule-session/

In this episode, we discuss how to deal with an extremely appeasing boss, often called overly democratic or even conflict adverse leader.

This is the boss who struggles with conflict and often tries to manipulates his team to achieve his own objectives. This type of manager believes that they need to have approval and consensus of their team to implement any changes. However, they use “consensus” as a way to achieve their own goals, manipulating the team until they reach his desired outcomes.

Usually, this type of manager has some very interesting characteristics. First, they need to be on good terms with everyone, and don't accept confrontations and fights, being extremely averse to conflict.

Then, they tend to be very confused when delegating work to his team. "Do this, but also do that" - they say, giving conflicting instructions to his subordinates.

Finally, they have difficulty managing team work, ending up with enormous to-do lists that keep growing, but never get resolved. This is because of their enormous difficulty to say “no”, making impossible to prioritize, classify and plan their team work.

But, how do you deal with this manager? Here are a few pointers:

• Understand and accept that that it's their way of operating in the world. It’s not your job to change their behavior.
• Understand that this is a person who deals well with relationships, but has enormous difficulty saying “no” and dealing with details.
• Understand that this person constantly struggles to manage the expectations of their executive and is always under pressure for their inability to deliver what is important.
• Learn to limit your availability and identify what is really important from your own point of view. So, you can build your own track record.
• In the end, what counts are the results you are bringing to the company and your team.

THE ONE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE

• How to identify and deal with conflict adverse managers. 

LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE

• Listen to more episodes: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast
• Send me a message: podcast@rodrigocaetano.com
• Schedule a Mentoring Session with Rodrigo: https://rodrigocaetano.com/schedule-session/

In this episode, we're going to talk about the need to know that the things you do can be achieved in different ways. In the technical field, there is a great tendency towards perfectionism when trying to find solutions. It's as if there's only one solution to be found on anything we do.

It also seems that we can't afford to make mistakes and learn from our mistakes. Everything makes us think that this "one" solution will be easy and quick, without being aware that other approaches could lead us to the same result more quickly and effectively.

But in reality, things are more complex than we think. Our flexibility in executing solutions can become a major differentiator in the way we manage our team.

So, remember that things can be done in different ways. 

THE ONE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE

• Don’t limit yourself trying to find the single, right solution. Remember: anything you want to accomplish can be done in many different ways.

LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE

• Listen to more episodes: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast
• Schedule a Mentoring Session with Rodrigo: https://rodrigocaetano.com/schedule-session/

In this episode, I’ll discuss three productivity books I read recently and my opinion about them.

Here it goes the good, the bad and the ugly:

1) The Only Thing– by Gary Keller e Joy Papasan. 
https://a.co/d/gbAUiVR 
5 Stars!
Highly recommended!

2) Stolen focus – by Johann Hari
https://a.co/d/1b30RB5
Average... 3 stars!

3) How to win friends and manage remotely – by McKenna Sweazey
https://a.co/d/5RvIBc6
Terrible! Zero stars.

Since we are talking about books, if you live outside North America, I strongly recommend Kindle to more easily get access to these and any other books. In case you are not sure which type of device you should get; I recommend the Kindle Paperwhite 8GB ou 16GB.
https://a.co/d/6V4Q40C

THE ONE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE

• Read the book “The Only Thing” by Gary Keller e Joy Papasan. It’s an amazing book!

LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE

• Listen to more episodes: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast
• Schedule a Mentoring Session with Rodrigo: https://rodrigocaetano.com/schedule-session/

Making everyone talk to each other is enough to coordinate your team?

A scenario that is way too common. A team doesn’t communicate internally and needs to deal with external teams in the organization.

When a client outside of your team asks you: “Are you talk to each other there?”

When you try to do some internal communication and they say: “Do I need to share everything I do with you? Are you my boss? (jokingly!)”

When you try to fix the mess and they say: “Are you not being too controlling?”

 When you get frustrated and simply give up trying to fix the issue.

What happens when your manager tries to fix the issue by asking everyone in the team to community what they are doing.

Why coordination goes beyond simply communicating what everyone is doing.

Why this is important and the impact on the team’s external credibility.

THE ONE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE

• Coordination is essential to the long-term success of your team. Letting your team communicate internally is a good start, but won’t solve the problem. You need to actively coordinate your team! 

LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE 

• Listen to more episodes: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast
• Schedule a Mentoring Session with Rodrigo: https://rodrigocaetano.com/schedule-session/

How to deal with a overwhelmed boss at work?

First things first, you can’t change anyone. Don’t try to change your manager.

Understand your objectives and what you want to take out of the situation.

Look at the situation from a broader perspective. Are you the only one who is perceiving this situation or others in the organization are being impacted?

How are you handling your productivity? Look for ways you can you avoid being interrupted by the overwhelmed manager and avoid impacting your productivity.

In the end, you still have control over your life. Take control over your future.

THE ONE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE 

• You are the one who controls your life. Take control of your future.

LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE

• Listen to more episodes: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast
• Schedule a Mentoring Session with Rodrigo:  Schedule a Session