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
Are you feeling overwhelmed managing your team? In this episode I'll give you some things you should considered when you feel overwhelmed at work. IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN The paradox of competency Reorganizing your team Resetting your expectations as a manager THE ONE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE Feeling overloaded and overwhelmed could be a sign you need to step back and act more strategically. 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 Lead Through Layoffs? Recently, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta announced the layoff of tens of thousands of technology workers. Now you are the one who should deal with the mess created by these changes. You need to motivate a team deeply affected by the cuts, left behind without direction and overwhelm with work... The bucket stops there, at your cubicle. Now you are feeling the heat and trying to make sense of this difficult situation. Listen to this episode to get some fresh ideas. IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN How to regroup and check who and what's left after the cuts; How to stabilize your team so they can overcame the impact; What to pay attention when reorganizing your physical environment; How to become a positive influence and avoid increasing the toxicity of your work environment; Why you should trust that others can do their work; How and what to communicate transparently; How to align yourself to upper management; Why you should show your best side during these difficult times; And finally, how to deal with your own anxiety. THE ONE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE You can't control the world. The sun will rise tomorrow regardless and there will be better days. LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE Listen to more episodes: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast Contact me: https://rodrigocaetano.com/schedule-session/
Many times we set objectives and forget about them. We end up never doing them, but we start to feel frustrated we can't get anything accomplished. In this episode, I discuss three different things you should know about dealing with objectives that will help you overcome this feeling of frustration. IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN What happens when you don't decide what you will do with your objectives; Objectives can be changed; Objectives are not set in stone; It's OK to not have any objectives How to overcome the frustration of not getting your objectives accomplished; THE ONE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE Instead of fighting the feeling of frustration of not accomplishing your objectives, embrace it and decide what to do with your objectives. LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE Listen to more episodes: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast Schedule a Mentoring Session with Rodrigo: Schedule a Session
In this episode I provide you a way to develop a repository of processes in your organization. I discuss what I would do specifically if I were to start from scratch creating processes in a new organization. IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN - The difference between policies, processes and procedures; - Categories of processes you can create and examples for each one of them; - The culture and mindset you need to foster to succeed, creating and documenting new processes in your organization. - Not everything should be done in one go. Pick your battles; - How to start and what to consider; THE ONE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE - A step-by-step approach on how to create and document processes in your organization. LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE - Listen to more episodes: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast - Schedule a Mentoring Session with Rodrigo: Schedule a Session
What should you about quiet quitting in your organization? In this Monday's brief, I provide you some quick tips on how to deal with the quiet quitting trend, when people are silently quitting their work in your organization. Listen to learn why they do so and how to avoit this situation. Schedule a mentoring session with me: https://rodrigocaetano.com/schedule-session/ IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN - Quiet quitting is a new label to an old concept; - Internal and external factors why someone decides to quiet quit; - What can you do when it looks like someone in your team is silent quitting their job; - How to re-establish momentum in your organization; THE ONE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE Quiet quitting is a new name for an old phenomenon. LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE WAPO Article: 'Quiet quitting' isn't really about quitting. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/08/21/quiet-quitting-what-to-know/ HBR Article: Quiet Quitting Is About Bad Bosses https://hbr.org/2022/08/quiet-quitting-is-about-bad-bosses-not-bad-employees Schedule a mentoring session with me: https://rodrigocaetano.com/schedule-session/
Looking for a way to create a skill development plan to further develop competencies in your organization? In this episode, I discuss the big myths about developing skills and provide a step-by-step approach on how to create a comprehensive skill development strategy. Remeber to download the template below! Download my Skill Development Plan template: https://rodrigocaetano.com/sdp-template Schedule a mentoring session with me: https://rodrigocaetano.com/schedule-session/
How to reframe difficult situations? Reframing is changing an experience by putting another frame around it. It's like seeing things from a different perspective. As a manager, you will need to lead through difficult situations. You can use reframing as a tool to help you overcome difficulties and overcame obstacles. In this episode you will learn: What is reframing? Why reframing matters? Some reframing examples. Using reframing to deal with a very difficult situation; How to use reframing in your day-to-day work; You always have the option of reframing your experience and lead your team through difficult times. The one take away from this episode: When your team faces an incredibly difficult situation, try reframing it see different perspectives so you can get better results. Links & Tools from this episode: Listen to more episodes: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast Connect with Rodrigo Caetano: Contact me! Subscribe and Get my best work: Practical Management Tips
What should you not delegate? There are situations when delegating will makes things worst. Most of the time you will be the one who will be making the call if something needs to be delegated and should know if you are getting results. In this episode you will learn: Everyone tells you should delegate, e-ve-ry-thi-ng; There are situations where delegating can make things worst; What to do when you delegate, delegate and delegate and nothing happens; When you can't figure out what needs to be delegated; What to do when delegating important stuff; News from our community; The one take away from this episode: What you should watch out, if you are delegating and things are not getting done. Links & Tools from this episode: Listen to more episodes: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast Connect with Rodrigo Caetano: Contact me! Subscribe and Get my best work: Practical Management Tips
How to deal with strategic changes in your project? The world has changed, but your plan is still the same. That's what normally happens when you came with your first strategic plan. In this episode, I'm going to discuss how to keep your plan relevant, when things in the real world change. IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: At 1:20', Here is the news: Projects change! At 4:30', Why it's important to review your plan. At 7:20', My advice on getting your project reviewed. At 8:40', Going the extra mile on managing your project. At 9:45', Intrinsic engineering bias you will find when brining changes; At 11:17', A personal example on how the context affected and changed the project we worked for; At13:34', A few takeaways when dealing with strategic changes in your project; At15:50', News from our community! THE ONE THING TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE: Take time to do a strategic reviews of your project, so you can incorporate strategic changes and adjust your plan. LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE Learn more: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast Connect with Rodrigo: Contact me! Get my best work: Practical Management Tips
How can you limit your availability to get more work done? If you are tired of being interrupted at work, learn 8 ways you can limit your availability to take control of your deliverables. IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: At 0:40', how does it feel to be the center of the universe; At 1:50', why you should limit your availability; At 4:50', 8 ways to avoid being interrupted and limit your availability; At 5:20', learn how to say no!; At 7:15', avoid time wasting meetings; At 9:17', check your emails only a couple times a day; At 11:40', turn off distracting alerts; At 13:45', stop answering your phone; At 13:45', stop answering your phone; At 15:50', wear earphones; At 17:20', work from home; Do you have a strategy to limit your availability, share that with me through the email podcast@strategciwhat.com. I'd love to hear from you. THE ONE THING TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE: Get less interrupted to get more work done. LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE Learn more: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast/ Connect with Rodrigo: Contact me! Get my best work: Practical Management Tips
Do you think these corporate confidentiality contracts can really bite you? Yes, they can and you should be aware of the implication of signing them. NDAs, employment contracts, general confidentiality agreements, you name it. Read and understand everything first, before signing them. IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: At 1:15', Street Smart considerations on signing any type of paperwork At 2:50', Mike Grella: "Stop treating the NDA you signed like a used napkin." At 3:40', The increasing requirements for secrecy in the corporate world At 7:20', Why should you care about what you sign? At 9:45', Implications of breaking contract terms At 11:40', Examples where confidential information was exposed At 14:10', Contracts that involve intellectual property can bite you At 17:35', Read what you are signing and make sure you understand what you are committing to At 18:00', My main considerations when signing paperwork THE ONE THING TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE: You may think that signing confidentiality contracts might not be a big deal... but IT IS a big deal. LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE Learn more: http://www.rodrigocaetano.com/podcast Connect with Rodrigo: Contact me! Get my best work: Practical Management Tips
How to see the big picture when things are going down the drain? Learn how you can recover when one of your most important projects is going down the drain and you are spinning your wheels. IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: At 0:44, How to see the big picture when your projects are going down the drain? At 3:30, the most important step to take when you are overwhelmed. At 5:15, finding out if what you need to do is really important. At 8:15, how to get the project unstuck. At 11:00, what is the best approach to get the planning done. At 13:50, additional advanced tips on how to see the big picture. At 19:00, the importance of your first working draft of your strategic plan. At 20:30, the big mistake people do when trying to see the big picture. THE ONE THING TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EPISODE: When your projects are getting out of your control, decide what's important and take some focused time to work on your plan. Not everything needs to be done. Not everything will get done. LINKS & TOOLS FROM THIS EPISODE Learn more: https://rodrigocaetano.com/podcast/ Connect with Rodrigo: Contact me! Get my best work: Practical Management Tips