WEBVTT 00:01:05.327 --> 00:01:09.693 Let's take a minute and talk about what our options are at this point. Okay? 00:01:11.888 --> 00:01:15.725 What are some more ideas? Anything is fair game at this point. 00:01:17.209 --> 00:01:21.641 Even if it's not the "best" wayit’s one we can all get behind and support. 00:01:55.805 --> 00:01:59.912 Morning. Be ready in just a minute, here. 00:02:17.276 --> 00:02:20.896 Got to find a drop cord. I’ll be right back. 00:02:23.854 --> 00:02:26.059 Can you do me a favor? Yeah, sure. 00:02:26.060 --> 00:02:28.471 Plug this in for me? Yeah, no problem. 00:02:28.473 --> 00:02:31.638 I’ve got to get you a couple chairs. 00:02:34.850 --> 00:02:40.608 There you go, Donna. What happened to Neal? 00:02:40.637 --> 00:02:43.105 Oh, he got a call; something he had to take care of. 00:02:43.106 --> 00:02:45.498 But he said to go ahead and go on without him. 00:02:45.537 --> 00:02:49.456 But we're talking about stuff that impacts his area. 00:02:49.868 --> 00:02:54.392 I'm just the messenger. Ah, Great. 00:02:55.844 --> 00:02:59.468 All right. Did everybody bring their agendas? I e-mailed them this morning. 00:02:59.493 --> 00:03:03.502 I came right from another meeting. I haven't been back to my desk. 00:03:03.592 --> 00:03:07.144 Okay, I guess I'll just write it on the board, then. 00:03:07.169 --> 00:03:11.042 Not like it will help. We never stick to it anyway. 00:03:13.431 --> 00:03:17.368 And, as you can see, we're a little under our second quarter projections 00:03:17.393 --> 00:03:21.142 but I think we can make it up without too much problem. 00:03:21.167 --> 00:03:23.592 Does anybody have any questions? 00:03:23.830 --> 00:03:24.972 Excuse me. 00:03:25.060 --> 00:03:29.179 Uh, excuse me; I think we're getting a little off track here. 00:03:29.925 --> 00:03:32.452 Now, let’s move on to the third quarter… 00:03:32.477 --> 00:03:35.619 I hate these meetings. Yeah, no kidding. 00:03:35.625 --> 00:03:38.604 Never get anything done and always take twice as long as we should. 00:03:38.605 --> 00:03:39.754 I know. 00:03:55.002 --> 00:03:58.845 Okay, so the last time we met we agreed that the best course of action 00:03:58.846 --> 00:04:01.185 was to make sure to find a way to get more buy-in 00:04:01.210 --> 00:04:03.778 from sales and distribution on the front end. 00:04:03.803 --> 00:04:05.444 Today, we're going to talk about the 00:04:05.469 --> 00:04:08.629 actual execution and implementation of that plan. 00:04:08.656 --> 00:04:11.201 Right. Sorry? 00:04:11.226 --> 00:04:12.930 Nothing. Go ahead. 00:04:12.972 --> 00:04:15.299 Okay. Let's start with sales. 00:04:16.590 --> 00:04:19.305 I think if we give them enough lead-time that should work. 00:04:19.330 --> 00:04:21.158 More lead-time. Good idea. 00:04:21.482 --> 00:04:24.267 Any other thoughts before we move on to distribution? 00:04:25.049 --> 00:04:28.166 Frank? What do you think? Sure. Whatever. 00:04:28.539 --> 00:04:31.293 All right. Let's talk about distribution. 00:04:32.390 --> 00:04:35.898 I guess my question is, what kind of information does distribution 00:04:35.899 --> 00:04:38.178 need upfront for them to give us an answer? 00:04:38.203 --> 00:04:40.109 Good question. Any ideas? 00:04:41.189 --> 00:04:44.318 Frank, you’ve probably worked with distribution more than the rest of us. 00:04:44.343 --> 00:04:49.789 Yeah, I do. And I told you before this isn't going to work. But, what do I know... 00:04:56.935 --> 00:05:01.027 We all come into a meeting with our own ideas, filters and perceptions. 00:05:01.052 --> 00:05:04.600 And there are going to be times when you run into an honest difference of opinion. 00:05:04.625 --> 00:05:08.436 So, how do you manage those kinds of discussions and still keep things on track? 00:05:08.461 --> 00:05:10.796 Well, you want to acknowledge the concern. 00:05:10.821 --> 00:05:13.588 Ask clarifying questions to make sure everyone understands 00:05:13.613 --> 00:05:15.318 where the person is coming from. 00:05:15.343 --> 00:05:17.759 And then get a commitment to move forward. 00:05:17.784 --> 00:05:19.629 Good question. Any ideas? 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:24.056 Frank, you’ve probably worked with distribution more than the rest of us. 00:05:24.081 --> 00:05:30.202 Yeah, I do. And ah, I told you this is not going to work. But, what do I know... 00:05:31.090 --> 00:05:34.088 I realize that you didn't come into this meeting thinking 00:05:34.089 --> 00:05:35.456 that this was the best approach. 00:05:35.481 --> 00:05:37.548 But last time, you agreed to give it a try. 00:05:37.549 --> 00:05:41.399 You're right, I did. But something about it still bugs me. 00:05:41.761 --> 00:05:44.934 Has something changed between now and our last meeting? 00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:48.054 No! I just don’t think it’s going to fly. 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:52.790 Can you be more specific? Is there a way we can tweak this so it will work. 00:05:53.908 --> 00:05:56.002 So, just to make sure I understand... 00:05:56.027 --> 00:06:00.589 if we increase lead-time to four weeks instead of three - that will work? 00:06:00.722 --> 00:06:01.593 It helps. 00:06:02.182 --> 00:06:05.761 Listen, I can see why you'd still have some reservations about this. 00:06:05.786 --> 00:06:08.568 But, today we really need to stay focused on figuring out 00:06:08.569 --> 00:06:10.030 how to get this implemented. 00:06:10.055 --> 00:06:13.235 So, are you okay with moving forward? Sure. 00:06:13.934 --> 00:06:18.256 Great. All right. We were talking about distribution. 00:06:18.281 --> 00:06:22.166 So, what do you think is the best way to keep them in the loop? 00:06:41.301 --> 00:06:44.817 If you turn the page, you can see the CAR numbers for the last six months. 00:06:44.842 --> 00:06:47.530 I put them into a pie chart so you can get a clearer idea 00:06:47.555 --> 00:06:49.955 about which areas are giving us the most problems. 00:06:49.980 --> 00:06:52.042 Thanks, Grace. This really helps. 00:06:52.067 --> 00:06:54.944 You know, not to change the subject, but while I'm thinking about it. 00:06:54.969 --> 00:06:58.528 Did anyone ever get a hold of IT about getting our portable projector fixed? 00:06:58.553 --> 00:07:00.083 I didn't call anybody. Did you? 00:07:00.108 --> 00:07:02.144 No. I thought you were going to. 00:07:02.169 --> 00:07:04.378 Well, you know, I'm going to need that next week. 00:07:04.379 --> 00:07:07.809 I mean, what are our options? Can I rent one? Or what? 00:07:14.646 --> 00:07:18.218 There are going to be times in a meeting when somebody jumps in with an idea 00:07:18.219 --> 00:07:20.895 or comment that threatens to take things off track. 00:07:21.173 --> 00:07:24.238 And while you want to make sure people know you think the idea is important, 00:07:24.263 --> 00:07:26.931 you don't want to derail the focus of your meeting. 00:07:26.956 --> 00:07:30.124 One of the best ways to do that is to use a "parking lot." 00:07:30.149 --> 00:07:33.694 Basically, that's just a sheet of paper or a space on a white board 00:07:33.719 --> 00:07:37.669 where you can quickly capture those ideas for follow-up at a more appropriate time. 00:07:37.694 --> 00:07:40.268 You know, not to change the subject, but while I'm thinking about it. 00:07:40.269 --> 00:07:43.934 Did anyone ever get a hold of IT about getting our portable projector fixed? 00:07:43.959 --> 00:07:45.548 I didn't call anybody. Did you? 00:07:45.549 --> 00:07:47.779 Hang on. Hang on. That is something we need to check on. 00:07:47.780 --> 00:07:49.518 But, I don't want us to get off track here. 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:56.675 So, let me just make a quick note on that - "check on projector". 00:07:56.700 --> 00:07:59.758 And then you and I can talk off-line about it after this meeting, okay? 00:07:59.783 --> 00:08:01.914 Sure. Works for me. Just want to make sure it's available. 00:08:01.939 --> 00:08:05.001 Oh, I understand. Now, back to the CAR report. 00:08:05.026 --> 00:08:07.859 I think it's telling that 40% of our problems are coming from 00:08:07.860 --> 00:08:11.191 our international customers. Any thoughts on why? 00:08:29.734 --> 00:08:31.633 So these are the things we came up with 00:08:31.658 --> 00:08:34.388 about getting distribution in the loop faster... 00:08:34.413 --> 00:08:42.350 Sorry. This is Al. Yeah. Okay. I’ll be there in a minute. 00:08:42.444 --> 00:08:44.531 I'll give you a call this afternoon. 00:08:45.352 --> 00:08:50.756 Oh, great! We need his input on this stuff. What are we supposed to do now? 00:08:56.932 --> 00:08:59.987 Most of us are trying to juggle multiple competing priorities. 00:08:59.988 --> 00:09:02.901 So, it's not uncommon for someone to have to take a phone call, 00:09:02.902 --> 00:09:06.557 or leave to put out a fire, right in the middle of your meeting. 00:09:06.582 --> 00:09:10.068 In those situations, you need to do three things to stay on track. 00:09:10.369 --> 00:09:12.710 First, you need to acknowledge the disruption. 00:09:12.735 --> 00:09:16.096 Then you need to redirect the conversation away from pointing fingers 00:09:16.121 --> 00:09:19.376 or assigning blame. And then you need to refocus the group 00:09:19.401 --> 00:09:21.779 on determining the best option for moving forward. 00:09:21.804 --> 00:09:23.768 I’ll give you a call this afternoon. 00:09:26.047 --> 00:09:30.279 Oh, great! We need his input on this stuff. What are we supposed to do now? 00:09:30.304 --> 00:09:33.647 Obviously, Al leaving isn't an ideal situation. 00:09:33.672 --> 00:09:36.263 Listen, as far as I'm concerned, if he can't make this a priority, 00:09:36.288 --> 00:09:39.149 that’s just too bad. He’s gonna have to live with what the rest of us decide. 00:09:39.150 --> 00:09:41.638 Oh, come on, Frank. Do you think that's really fair? 00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:43.247 Whoa. Hang on a second. 00:09:43.272 --> 00:09:45.636 Without knowing all the details about why he had to leave, 00:09:45.661 --> 00:09:49.241 I'd hate to have us get sidetracked on a discussion about managing priorities. 00:09:49.266 --> 00:09:51.432 Yeah. Who knows what it was he had to go take care of? 00:09:51.457 --> 00:09:52.906 Maybe he had a sick kid or something. 00:09:52.931 --> 00:09:55.358 To be honest, the reason isn't important. 00:09:55.383 --> 00:09:57.782 What is important is that we need to stay focused 00:09:57.807 --> 00:09:59.500 on what we need to do to move forward. 00:09:59.525 --> 00:10:02.004 Do we have a choice? We're facing a pretty tight deadline here. 00:10:02.029 --> 00:10:05.478 Yes, we are. But Al's input is also important. 00:10:05.479 --> 00:10:10.291 So, let's take a minute and talk about what our options are at this point. Okay? 00:10:28.244 --> 00:10:32.210 Hey, I have an idea. Instead of reinventing the wheel every time, 00:10:32.235 --> 00:10:34.208 why don't we have a shell designed? 00:10:34.233 --> 00:10:37.841 You know, like a template, with space held for specific product information. 00:10:37.866 --> 00:10:39.381 That's a great idea. 00:10:39.406 --> 00:10:42.799 That reminds me. There's this guy I know. I went to school with him. 00:10:42.824 --> 00:10:45.198 He's a super graphic designer. He'd be perfect for this. 00:10:45.211 --> 00:10:48.104 Well, I don't know. Don't you think we should keep this in house? 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:51.150 Why? It'll take them forever to get to it. 00:10:51.175 --> 00:10:52.766 And besides, I don't like what they do anyway. 00:10:52.767 --> 00:10:56.461 I agree. But do we have the budget for it? 00:11:04.649 --> 00:11:07.066 The point of brainstorming is to do a brain dump 00:11:07.091 --> 00:11:09.650 get all the ideas out on the table as quickly as possible 00:11:09.651 --> 00:11:13.123 without taking the time to critique them or discuss the details. 00:11:13.429 --> 00:11:16.223 So, when people start to hone in on one idea too quickly 00:11:16.224 --> 00:11:20.167 or take things off on a tangent, the best way to get them refocused 00:11:20.192 --> 00:11:22.848 is to put the responsibility for capturing a thought 00:11:22.849 --> 00:11:25.686 back on the person who said it. And then move on. 00:11:25.711 --> 00:11:29.319 That reminds me. There's this guy I know. I went to school with him. 00:11:29.344 --> 00:11:32.114 He's a super graphic designer. He'd be perfect for this. 00:11:32.139 --> 00:11:33.717 That's a great idea, Sheri. 00:11:33.742 --> 00:11:35.839 Why don't you write that down so we don't forget it? 00:11:35.864 --> 00:11:38.252 Let's finish getting all the ideas out on the table... 00:11:38.277 --> 00:11:39.953 Then we'll narrow the options, okay? 00:11:39.978 --> 00:11:42.578 Okay. Sure. Great. All right. 00:11:42.603 --> 00:11:46.076 So, what are some more ideas? Anything is fair game at this point. 00:12:05.418 --> 00:12:06.686 All right, just to review. 00:12:06.711 --> 00:12:09.878 We've been working on getting better buy in from sales and distribution. 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:12.307 And I think that's been going pretty well. Would you agree? 00:12:12.324 --> 00:12:15.541 Amazingly, it has. And you thought it wouldn't work. 00:12:15.566 --> 00:12:17.369 Hey, what do I know, right? 00:12:17.764 --> 00:12:21.184 But, as I explained in our last meeting, now we've got an inventory issue 00:12:21.185 --> 00:12:24.750 that needs to be fixed. And today, I'd really like us to come out of 00:12:24.751 --> 00:12:27.545 this meeting with a consensus on how we're going to do that. 00:12:27.570 --> 00:12:31.015 All of us agree on how to deal with inventory? You're kidding, right? 00:12:31.040 --> 00:12:34.128 I hope so. Because, I can tell you right now that I have got 00:12:34.153 --> 00:12:38.058 no more space in the warehouse to hold raw stock. So, don't even ask. 00:12:38.083 --> 00:12:40.111 Oh, come on. It can’t be that bad. 00:12:40.136 --> 00:12:44.490 Oh, really? And when was the last time you were down on that end of the plant? 00:12:44.515 --> 00:12:48.415 I don't know. A while. I rest my case. 00:12:48.440 --> 00:12:51.961 Consensus, huh? Good luck, man. We're all counting on you. 00:12:58.260 --> 00:13:02.581 Of all the different kinds of decision making, one of the most powerful is consensus building 00:13:02.630 --> 00:13:06.747 because it gives you the chance to get everyone's perspectives and needs out on the table. 00:13:06.772 --> 00:13:10.388 But it can also be a very frustrating process because most people equate 00:13:10.389 --> 00:13:15.182 consensus with "unanimous agreement." In fact, that isn't what you're going for. 00:13:15.207 --> 00:13:18.755 In a consensus, you don't all need to agree it's the "best" decision. 00:13:18.780 --> 00:13:23.063 But you all do need to agree that you can get behind and "support" the decision. 00:13:23.319 --> 00:13:24.633 How do you do that? 00:13:24.839 --> 00:13:28.369 Start by making sure everyone knows what "consensus" really means. 00:13:28.394 --> 00:13:31.828 Then allow everyone an opportunity to share their perspective. 00:13:31.923 --> 00:13:34.294 And finally, once all the ideas are on the table, 00:13:34.319 --> 00:13:37.746 summarize what you do agree on and what you still need to work on. 00:13:37.771 --> 00:13:41.043 And then focus the rest of the discussion on those points of difference. 00:13:41.068 --> 00:13:45.161 Oh, really? When was the last time you were down on that end of the plant? 00:13:45.186 --> 00:13:48.626 I don't know. A while. I rest my case. 00:13:48.651 --> 00:13:51.758 Consensus, huh? Good luck, man. We're all counting on you. 00:13:51.783 --> 00:13:54.512 Okay. First of all, when I say consensus, 00:13:54.537 --> 00:13:58.643 I'm not saying that we need to agree on one "best" way to do this. 00:13:59.047 --> 00:14:03.274 I am saying that we need to agree on a way that even if it's not the "best" way 00:14:03.299 --> 00:14:06.992 it’s one we can all get behind and support. Does that make sense? 00:14:07.258 --> 00:14:09.420 So, the first thing I want to do is go around the table 00:14:09.445 --> 00:14:12.480 and get everybody’s perspective. Tammi... Let's start with you. 00:14:12.505 --> 00:14:17.692 Well, um I appreciate what Gayle said about her space issues, but... 00:14:18.089 --> 00:14:23.538 The fact is, if I have to order smaller lots more often our costs are gonna go up... 00:14:23.563 --> 00:14:27.251 A lot. I mean, it could be as much as 25%. 00:14:27.276 --> 00:14:30.215 So, I'd rather... 25%? I find that really hard to believe. 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:33.685 Wait a minute. Let's everybody hold their questions and thoughts until 00:14:33.710 --> 00:14:38.086 everybody has a chance to say what they have to say. Okay? Go ahead, Tammi. 00:14:38.111 --> 00:14:39.631 Well, as I was saying... 00:14:39.711 --> 00:14:41.613 Anyway, that's my perspective. 00:14:41.981 --> 00:14:44.048 So, it sounds like we're all in agreement that 00:14:44.073 --> 00:14:47.324 we need to get the guys from Process Engineering involved. 00:14:47.398 --> 00:14:48.771 And we agree that 00:14:48.796 --> 00:14:51.857 probably the best thing to do is get Richardson's buy-in from the get-go. 00:14:51.882 --> 00:14:54.716 Oh, yeah. If we don't get that, it's going nowhere. 00:14:54.741 --> 00:14:58.286 And we agree that we need to get this wrapped up by the end of the month. 00:14:58.311 --> 00:15:01.911 So, what I suggest we do now is spend the remainder of the time 00:15:01.936 --> 00:15:05.222 talking over the two issues that we're not all on the same page on. 00:15:05.247 --> 00:15:06.812 Sounds like a plan to me. 00:15:06.995 --> 00:15:10.334 The rest of you okay with that? Great. 00:15:10.813 --> 00:15:13.015 All right, so let's hammer on the issue that Al brought up. 00:15:13.016 --> 00:15:16.956 What's the best way to streamline the re-tool process on the MA5? 00:15:16.981 --> 00:15:18.979 All right. Let's take a straw poll. 00:15:19.004 --> 00:15:21.704 Is this something that we can all get behind? 00:15:21.729 --> 00:15:25.018 You know. I don't mean to throw a wrench into things here. 00:15:25.019 --> 00:15:29.402 But I've got to be honest. I can’t really get behind it yet. 00:15:29.427 --> 00:15:30.320 Why's that? 00:15:30.769 --> 00:15:33.017 Well, I'm just looking down the road at 00:15:33.042 --> 00:15:36.251 all the possible ramifications I talked about before. 00:15:36.276 --> 00:15:37.916 And it could get ugly. 00:15:37.995 --> 00:15:42.920 I mean, I'm with you on what you're trying to do here. But... I don't know. 00:15:42.945 --> 00:15:44.179 Okay. Let me ask you this. 00:15:44.180 --> 00:15:47.394 If we could find a way to address those down-the-road issues, 00:15:47.419 --> 00:15:50.212 would you be comfortable supporting this idea? 00:15:50.936 --> 00:15:52.437 It’s worth exploring. 00:15:52.657 --> 00:15:54.345 Now, what would be a contingency? 00:15:54.346 --> 00:15:57.278 Uh, what are the chances that what Gayle is saying would happen? 00:15:57.279 --> 00:15:59.748 Not much. It’s possible, but... 00:15:59.900 --> 00:16:02.463 So if it does, what's our back-up plan? 00:16:04.026 --> 00:16:05.851 Gayle? How do you feel about that now? 00:16:05.876 --> 00:16:08.077 Well, as long as we're prepared to spend the bucks 00:16:08.102 --> 00:16:11.842 on the off-site warehouse space... I can live with it. 00:16:11.867 --> 00:16:14.848 Are we all okay with that? Yeah. I am good. 00:16:15.488 --> 00:16:19.260 Gayle, I know you're still uncomfortable with this, so I want to make sure. 00:16:19.285 --> 00:16:23.867 As long as we're prepared with this backup plan, can you support moving forward? 00:16:24.182 --> 00:16:26.317 Yeah. I'm good to go. 00:16:26.342 --> 00:16:29.622 Great. I think we've got our consensus then. 00:16:29.646 --> 00:16:32.709 I appreciate all your help on this it will kicking the future.