Finding Elegance in a Handful of Nails

By Michael Tatham Jr., President, The Tatham Group

I started working in the company at what I thought was the lowest level – producing training materials and processing customer orders. What I learned in this role were the key components to the success of any company: there is no role more important than one that services the customer, the more simple a process is the more elegant and everyone plays a critical part if the company is integrated.

More importantly, I learned the critical success factor for our company over the past forty years: our human nature leads us toward complexity. It is the desire to please, challenge or prove worthiness; the creation of rules, roles and processes to make ourselves feel special; the fear of losing control that creates a convoluted path to the customer receiving what they need; inability to accept and admit failure in order to learn from it; and many more. Since birth our environment has reinforced these behaviors making it difficult for us to change to an environment of success that requires less resources to maintain.

What Do Customers Know?

By Doug Powell, Senior Vice President, Wachovia

The Customer: Part II of III

What’s your favorite product? What’s your least favorite product? Why? We’re all customers and we all like to think that we know something about something, right? In Part I: “Knowing your Limits,” I noted how important it is to talk to the customer and that if we don’t we’re liable, and likely guaranteed, to develop functions in our products that customers don’t want and miss functionality that they do want. Talking to customers is an essential part of building quality into our products and services.

“But wait,” you say. “I’m a professional in my field, have years of experience, I do talk to customers and I know the industry. I know what customers want.” Really? OK. And I’m not calling into question anyone’s experience and intelligence—the business world is full of smart, hardworking people who know their business. Besides, almost everyone at some time or another has said the phrase “Customers don’t know what they want!”

The Cycle of Hell

 

By Laurie Clarke, Chief Operating Officer, The Tatham Group

Ever wonder why? Why some problems keep coming up over and over again?  Each summer I wonder why my city, Toronto, is taken over by construction workers fixing potholes and repaving roads?  Why are those five pounds (okay ten) shed in the summer regained in the winter? Why are meetings called to discuss the same things?  Why do short-term incentive goals appear the same year after year (or maybe pop up every two to five years)? Why can’t these problems be fixed once and for all?

 Welcome to the cycle of hell. Well, ok, the cycle of hell for some people.  And that is the problem. 

Knowing Your Limits…What Do We Really Know?

By Doug Powell, Senior Vice President, Wachovia

The Customer: Part I of III

I enjoy working on my house.  This is a good thing because the person I bought it from (also the person who had it built and, I think, had a direct hand in many of the ‘finishing’ touches) only did about a C+ job on most of it.  I fully realize that this level of craftsmanship (yes, craftsmanS-H-I-P) ultimately allowed me to be able to afford my house on a new, single income, with little real equity, having just relocated after a career move.  Yet each time I get into a project, I inevitably find a lack of attention to detail that reminds me of why I have to redo the work myself, causes me to shake my head and utter the words “how in the world did he think this was quality work?”  As you have no doubt read elsewhere on this site, I have found a very stable process.

Failure IS An Option

By Laurie Clarke, Chief Operating Officer, The Tatham Group

“Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” - Cliff Bleszenski’s

 “What a good workout!  You worked every muscle in your body to failure.”  These are the words of my personal trainer.  It’s 6:30am, I’m exhausted and aching everywhere.  “Why is this a good thing?”  She then goes on to explain that it is only when our muscles fail that a signal is sent to build them so that they can be stronger for next time.  Interesting.  I need to fail so that I can grow.

(Re)Learning Habits

By Corina Wong, Order Fulfillment and Customer Service Representative, The Tatham Group

When I first started working at the Tatham Group, I didn’t really understand why everyone in this company seemed such a stickler for following process.

First, let me provide a bit of background: my job involves a variety of different tasks, including maintaining all inventory, creating sales brochures, and printing and laminating takeaway packages. So you can understand how grateful I was to have the Production Guide – a handy binder filled with detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to do each task.

My general approach to following instructions is to read it all over, understand the gist of it, and then go hands-on. I can’t speak for the wider population, but I do know that the majority of my family and friends take this approach as well, whether its setting up a new computer, building an Ikea desk, or even following a recipe.

Manage risk in any industry using one simple tool: a checklist

Great story in the Globe and Mail yesterday about how a simple checklist could save the entire Canadian health care industry billions of dollars in medical errors. While we’re pleased to see more people paying attention to this concept, these findings aren’t new. A similar study was done in the U.S. to assess and triage cardiac patients in the ER. This study found that using a checklist significantly reduced the number of patients who were improperly diagnosed, and thus increased the likelihood that those who truly were having a heart attack got treatment faster.

At The Tatham Group, we believe that using checklists to follow a process is paramount – and this concept is built directly into our method. In fact, our work with The Credit Valley Hospital points to the benefits of applying a systematic method to ambulatory care. However, there are two small details that seem to have been overlooked. The first, is that a checklist will only be successful if it’s based on a good process. What we mean by this, is that if the process itself is broken – no checklist will make things any better. And secondly, unless people are being measured by how well they can follow this checklist, it will fall by the wayside. But a well-designed process and checklist for following it, with measurable goals is the best way for hospitals to manage the risk. Or any industry for that matter.

What’s your ripple effect?

They say if a butterfly flutters its wings in Brazil, it creates a breeze, then a wind, eventually fuelling a storm on the other side of the world. Commonly known as “The Butterfly Effect”, it suggests that everything is connected to everything; where even the smallest change can have enormous consequences.

“Anyone who runs a business should see where our garbage goes,” says Remi Cormier, president of R.Environs, a sustainable landscape design company. “It will change the way you manage waste forever.” On a cold, rainy afternoon, we’re driving through mounds of debris. The smell is so putrid I clamp my nose to suppress my gag reflexes from actually doing their job.

Six months ago, the young entrepreneur challenged me to visit the city’s landfill so I could see what happens when my trash lands at the curb. He argued that, “Even though we’ve found creative ways to deal with waste, it’s not enough. Real change happens when we see how all of our actions are connected.”

The Process of Responsible Gastronomy

By Laura Malin, Executive Chef, The Tatham Group

As the executive chef for The Tatham Group, my approach to social and environmental responsibility is to trust in and respect one very special process: the process of nature. I’ve done this by believing in the following principles: consider the environment first, respect the seasons, support local and organic farmers, educate your customers and never underestimate their palates. In the end, they will know a good thing when they get it.

Doing the right thing for your business…

…MEANS DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR YOUR CUSTOMER FIRST

One of the fastest growing priorities in the business world today is how companies can be more responsible. Even though people want to produce cheaper, faster, better and more efficiently, many are also asking, but at what cost?

In fact, the world’s collective consciousness is waking up to the enormous impact that capitalism is having on the environment and society. More and more, we are choosing to support companies that reinvest in the community, rather than those who simply seek profits.