Little Things

Posted by stephens on Sep 3, 2009 in Events, Tips & Techniques | 0 comments

It is the little things that make a difference. I am generally critical about how to manage people. Most get it wrong. Day in and day out, people crave leadership. People crave appreciation for their efforts. Even respect without appreciation leaves one feeling empty. Generally speaking, people in a position of leadership need to do more to inspire people. Take...

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Pepsi for a New Generation

Posted by stephens on Jun 8, 2009 in Automated Transactions, Events, Rants, Web Technologies | 0 comments

Overnight successes do not happen overnight and new ideas are sometimes not so new. While employed by an automotive OEM company in 1993, I was recruited to assist with a business process reengineering effort conducted by an outside consulting firm. My contribution to the endeavor at a macro level was to stop doing what Alfred Sloan created and do what Billy...

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When We Were Young

Posted by stephens on Jun 1, 2009 in About, Tips & Techniques | 0 comments

When I hired into General Motors as a die design apprentice in 1986, we were bred to be contractors from the moment we walked into the K-1 Lobby at CPC Headquarters, the former Fisher Body building. Within weeks of completing our 1,500 hour basic training, many of us in the group of 12 were moonlighting die design work. My design company was called Stamping...

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Among Legends of the Game

Posted by stephens on May 19, 2009 in Events | 0 comments

I had the pleasure of spending some time with my former colleauges at GM Die Engineering yesterday. As I pass through the main work area to a conference room for a meeting, I see die standards books I contributed to 18 years ago. I grin, thinking back to those days. They were good times. I see an apprentice training manual I wrote 15 years ago. My grin widens as...

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