Problems have solutions. Situations are simply things we need to live with, Seth Godin writes. He goes on to say: “Once we realize that a problem we have isn’t a problem at all, but actually a situation, it’s easier to do our best to move on and thrive. Focusing on a situation is usually aContinue reading “Problems vs. Situations”
Author Archives: Ellery
Productivity: They Still Don’t Get It
Leading global consultancy McKinsey defines productivity as Gross Value Added (GVA) per work-person and reports that the world needs productivity growth on top of balance sheet profitability. McKinsey still doesn’t get it. The world doesn’t need labour productivity, it needs supply chain productivity, which is how fast and how much organisations sell merchandise and collectContinue reading “Productivity: They Still Don’t Get It”
The Marimba Player
“Maybe you should try the marimba.” It was a statement, not a question. My music teacher was exasperated with my piano lessons. The teacher believed the piano was not for me. The marimba, which is unfairly labelled as an oversized xylophone, utilises only one scale versus the piano’s two, which made it easier to teach.Continue reading “The Marimba Player”
The Good Problem
The repairman sighed. No one called; there was nothing to do. The ad said it best: we make dependable appliances. That meant that the repairmen, even though employed and salaried, had no jobs pending. They were there just in case, nothing else. It was a lonely life, and the repairmen complained about the loneliness. ForContinue reading “The Good Problem”
The Need to Change the Supply Chain
When a parcel arrives at my doorstep, I see myself at the end of a supply chain process—a process which involved multiple operations from procurement, manufacturing, to logistics. But I could care less. What mattered is I got my parcel and the items I ordered. The individuals in the respective supply chain processes which enabledContinue reading “The Need to Change the Supply Chain”
Four (4) Starting Points to Getting the Reliability You Want
MANILA, Philippines, October 3, 2019. An electrical transformer (rectifier) at the Light Rail Transit Line 2’s (LRT-2) commuter railway tripped and caught fire. The fire knocked out train service from downtown Manila to the eastern suburbs of Marikina and Cainta. Thousands of commuters from workers to students were forced to find alternative transportation. The dayContinue reading “Four (4) Starting Points to Getting the Reliability You Want”
Elements of Productivity
Our objectives stem from our business priorities, which usually consist of: How managers perform against objectives relative to meeting their business organisations’ priorities define their productivity. The mistake managers make is classifying productivity as a mere performance measure. As much as it does make visible how well the enterprise performs, productivity is more an attributeContinue reading “Elements of Productivity”
The Benefits of Management By Walking Around
Some of us may remember Management by Walking Around. It was a buzz phrase from the 1980’s, credited to Hewlett-Packard executives and made popular from the book, In Search of Excellence, by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman. Management by Walking Around (also known as Management by Wandering Around) or just MBWA for short, is essentiallyContinue reading “The Benefits of Management By Walking Around”
“Where’s My Order?”
“Where’s my order?” I heard the lady say to the server at the diner. A family of four had been waiting for their food. Their appetizers and some entrees arrived but not all. The lady who was apparently the wife and mother of the family was impatient. “Please cancel the order if you cannot serveContinue reading ““Where’s My Order?””
Pursuing Productivity Amid Adversity
The year 2025 arrived and what many businesses dreaded came true. Newly inaugurated American President Donald Trump and his economic hawks swooped and threw global trade into turmoil. Arguing unfair trade practices from many nations, President Trump imposed tariffs on billions of dollars of imports from Canada, Mexico, China, and the European Union (EU), withContinue reading “Pursuing Productivity Amid Adversity”
Ellery's Essays 