improved results Archives

Relying on Feedback

August 13, 2021June 16, 2021 by Bob Schultek

All automated systems rely on feedback loops to sustain accuracy and repeatability. These loops compare results against system settings, and adjust variables to ensure alignment and expected performance. Then, when change compels a system’s performance to improve, there’s a ready baseline of consistent data against which to measure and generate improved results. It’s a logical, unemotional process that delivers higher performance. The performance of people is similarly subject to unrelenting change that disrupts their status quo. And because the …

How Do You Make Things Better?

June 10, 2020 by Bob Schultek

The objective of change is improvement. Making a product, service or process better creates value. The products and services we use, our food, our environment, our communication tools, the number of options we have, and many other things have improved because someone decided to challenge the status quo and take on the risk of making them better. Surviving in a competitive world demands that improvements continue, but overcoming the barriers built to sustain the status quo is always …

Practicing Productive Conflict

January 22, 2020 by Bob Schultek

The quest for improved results dictates the need for change. It’s a journey filled with conflicting opinions that require resolution before commitment to the change can be secured. In his latest book, “Thriving in Conflict,” Doug Johnston presents his definition of conflict as “a gap between what we expect and what we experience that leads to deeper understanding and better results. The “deeper understanding” described in Doug’s definition is enabled by ensuring that the exchange of differing opinions remains …