VELOCITY - DEE JACOB [30]
At every company, change worked against him. Competition, employee complacency, management lethargy, breakthrough technology, globalism – an entire range of factors undermined his security, singly or in concert. And there was not much that Ed as an individual could do about it.
“And, for me, that’s where it comes from – this drive, this passion for continuous improvement. It came from my dad,” Wayne told the employees of the Hi-T Oakton plant, wrapping up his presentation.
“I really think that every time my dad, Ed, took a new job, he expected to retire from that company. But it was never to be. Each company would have its time in the sun, but then would fall upon hard times, and everyone who worked for the company would suffer. There are many reasons why it happened, but the primary one, in my opinion, was inertia. None of the companies where my dad worked had a coherent system in place to bring about continuous improvement. They drifted along, pretending as if today was just like yesterday and tomorrow would be like today. When changes in the market, in technology, in global competition came, these companies could not adapt fast enough, and they could not survive and jobs went away.”
Wayne paced in front of them – and everyone was listening.
“So … in conclusion, in the past forty-five minutes I’ve given you some idea of what Lean and Six Sigma are about and how we’re going to be using them. Ultimately, our goal is to excite our customers with speed and quality. We want to blow them away. We want them to rave about us. And the way we’re going to do that is through value – always seen from the customer’s point of view. Whenever and wherever we can eliminate waste, we increase value. And we just keep improving and improving, striving to give the customer the perfect essence of what that customer really wants.
“But I wanted to end with that story about my dad, Ed, because right now, everyone working for Hi-T Composites has an opportunity that my dad never had. As hard as he worked at his various jobs, for all his loyalty to the various companies, he never had a chance to participate in a program that could really make a difference in the long-term success of the businesses where he earned his living. But you do. You have that opportunity with Lean Six Sigma.
“Look, I cannot predict the future, and I cannot make any guarantees or promises to you regarding what the future may or may not hold for any individual. But if you work with us to make this company the least wasteful, most flexible, fastest fulfillment, perfect quality, highest cost efficiency, precision composites provider on the planet … I think that future ought to be pretty darn good, don’t you? I urge you to get involved in Lean Six Sigma and help us make Hi-T’s future and your own a bright one. Thank you.”
The applause began without prompting, and it was loud, long, and heartfelt. Wayne looked over at Amy, and Amy gave him a clear nod of approval.
Just after 5:00 p.m., Amy and Wayne were back downtown in Highboro, both agreeing that the day had gone well. Amy headed for her office, formerly the corner office of B. Donald Williams, which she had taken. The moment Amy plopped into her chair, Linda walked in.
“You’re not going to like this,” said Linda.
“Of course not. It’s five o’clock. I’m ready to be done with making decisions and I’m actually in a good mood. What is it?”
“Your favorite airline–”
“Agony Airways. How have they screwed us now?”
“They just announced