With”The Discreditor” ranking a strong #5, “The Busybody” boasting the #4 spot, “The Egomaniac” landing #3, and the “The Whiner” grabbing #2, it’s hard to imagine who could possibly hold the #1 spot. Well ponder it no more, because this week it’s right here on the Blogosphere. The #1 position on the Six Sigma Most…
With “The Discreditor” ranking a strong #5, “The Busybody” boasting the #4 spot, and “The Egomaniac” landing #3, our countdown of the Six Sigma Most Wanted List of naysayers continues this week with #2 – “The Whiner.” Mode of Operation (MO): This Naysayer complains about everything including Six Sigma. Six Sigma training is too hard or…
With “The Discreditor” ranking a strong #5 and “The Busybody” boasting the #4 spot, this week, our countdown of the Six Sigma Most Wanted List of naysayers continues with #3 – “The Egomaniac.” Mode of Operation (MO): This Naysayer has been improving things for years and has fixed everything there is to fix. They don’t need…
Last week “The Discreditor” took the #5 spot on the Six Sigma Most Wanted list of naysayers. This week, our countdown continues with # 4 – “The Busybody.” Mode of Operation (MO): Much too busy to be bothered with Six Sigma. Everyone is already working overtime just to handle the daily workload (which is probably crammed…
Ever wonder which Naysayers hold the distinction of being on the Six Sigma Most Wanted list? With so many types of naysayers to pick from, it’s tough competition. But after two years and 44 Nayisms, your time of wondering is coming to an end because the “Top 5 Countdown” is about to begin. This week,…
Last week I joined several of my colleagues in Chicago to participate in the Conference Board’s 2007 Six Sigma Leadership Conference. More than 115 Six Sigma leaders gathered to network and learn more about how companies are “Leveraging Lean and Traditional Six Sigma to Optimize Business Process Delivery.” Mike Kirby, Deputy Under Secretary of the…
Ever wonder what kind of eggs would be found in a Six Sigma easter basket? Here’s what I say . . . Eggs-ceptional teams Eggs-citing projects Eggs-ponential ROI Eggs-traordinary improvements Eggs-hilarating challenges Eggs-treme customer satisfaction Hope your Six Sigma easter basket is filled with Eggs-actly what you need. Happy Easter!
Nayism 44: “What do you mean by asking my employees to spend an hour doing online Six Sigma orientation? You must be dreaming if you think I can afford to have them away from their job for that amount of time.” Will trying to get this naysayer on board be your next nightmare? How should…
Nayism 43: Ever since we started deploying Six Sigma, everyone has been jumping around like they found the golden nugget. Don’t they know that golden nuggets don’t really exist? Hmmm. Sounds like this naysayer may have kissed the ’ole blarney stone one too many times. Believe it or not, the Six Sigma Pot O’Gold is…
Nayism 42: Why does every department have to have their own Black Belt? Let’s just pick some people to be Black Belts, give them a job title, put them in a separate department and be done with it. Sound like a good idea? Here’s what I say. . . One of the most important aspects in…
Nayism 41: “Six Sigma” is not for us. We’re past all the buzz words and latest fads. For various and sometimes unknown reasons, people shy away from Six Sigma because of the name. In fact, Six Sigma has become so popular that it could be the hype surrounding the name that turns them off. So…
Nayism 40: The year-end financials are out and Company XYZ who is using Six Sigma didn’t do well. Looks like Six Sigma is looking more like Sick Sigma. It’s that time of year when Six Sigma naysayers turn to company year-end financial performance and try to lay blame on Six Sigma for companies that may…
Nayism 39: Our organization is flat and has little turnover. There just aren’t any leadership positions available for Black Belts when they repatriate. Organizations with little movement might find themselves getting a little stale when it comes to repatriating black belts. Is there anything you can say to clear the air? Here’s what I say ….
Nayism 38: Six Sigma doesn’t work. Just look at the Fortune 500 . . . yada . . . yada . . . yada. . . blah . . . blah . . blah After reading yet another Six Sigma bashing news article, I find it interesting that intelligent people are publishing the kind of…
Believe it or not, naysayers all over the world are frantically writing letters to Santa. So what are they asking for? Here’s the top 10 list: Number 10: Two dozen “Just Say No” buttons. Number 9: Ten pounds of stinky cheese to go with their ‘whine.’ Number 8: A “Harry Potter” invisibility cloak to help…
Nayism 37: Six Sigma touts a lot of benefits for the company but what’s in it for me? The answer to this question could be the turning point for this individual. Can you give them the right answer to their WIFM (What’s In It For Me?). Where do you begin? Here’s what I say . ….
Nayism 36: “Six Sigma won’t work because. . .” As we approach Thanksgiving it is only fitting that we reflect on the things that we are thankful for. Believe it or not, I am thankful for Six Sigma naysayers. Yes – those stodgy, old school, dig in their heels, change resistant individuals who lurk the…
Nayism 35: Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble, Send me a Black Belt on the Double. I have a problem and he needs to fix it! At first, this statement may not sound like a “nayism” but beware. Something is brewing in this organization and it is definitely trouble. Why? Here’s what I say . . ….
Nayism 34: Every year our company sets unreasonable Six Sigma financial goals and we have to scurry around to find projects to meet them. It’s just too much for our organization to cope with. This is a common nayism heard in organizations with a culture of “business as usual.” Should they back off a bit…
Nayism 33: Our department has had several Black Belts who completed projects that drove positive change but since they have been repatriated, it’s been business as usual. If this Six Sigma stuff was that good, why don’t the Black Belts keep doing projects once they return to the organization? Here’s a perfect example of how…
Nayism 32: We’ve learned the tools, trained folks and made good progress with our projects but somehow Six Sigma hasn’t become the “way we work.” Exactly when, if ever, will the cultural transformation thing happen? Sounds like this organization is having a tough time changing old habits. Much like the latest weight loss fad, short-term…
Nayism 31: “Of course I’m on board with Six Sigma. What’s not to like about it?” Fact or Fiction? Is this leader a genuine believer or a shrouded figure from the “dark side”? How can you tell? Here’s what I say . . . As spoken by the true master Yoda, “Find the answer to the…
Nayism 30: The action taken as a result of the Six Sigma project has no basis. Looks like this Six Sigma stuff is a scam for doing whatever management wants to do. There is nothing worse than a good project gone bad. How do you identify them and what do you do? Here’s what I…
Nayism 29: I’ve been to Green Belt training, passed my test, completed my project and have been certified. Now can I get back to doing my real job? This naysayer has obviously gotten lost but has not realized that he is not in Kansas anymore. In his view, he has ‘punched his ticket’ and now…
Nayism 28: So much analysis, so little time. The project needs to get moving – I need a fix now. Ah yes, the analysis paralysis phase of projects can haunt even the best of black belts. Is there ever a time to throw in the belt and call it “enough?” Here’s what I say ….
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 27: Six Sigma is so structured that it stifles innovation and creative thinking. This is a classic nayism which deserves a classic response. So, here’s what I say . ….
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 26: There are so many Six Sigma projects going on that we are getting distracted from core business. This nayism is frequently heard when Six Sigma gets into full swing…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 25: For the past three years our product has been ranked ‘world-class.’ What can Six Sigma possibly do for us? Sometimes having a world class product or operation makes it…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 24: Six Sigma sounds great but we’re swamped with work and I don’t see how we can take on one more thing. Being too swamped with work is often heard…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 23: I can’t put a production worker on a team.I need them out in the field working – not attending a meeting. Production quotas and productivity are frequently used as…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 22: In lieu of an enterprise-wide Six Sigma deployment, let’s start with a couple of departments and see how it works. On the surface, this may seem like a reasonable…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 21: If a Black Belt likes what he or she does, why rotate them back into the organization? Why not let Black Belt positions be permanent positions instead of just…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 20: Why are black belts getting monetary rewards? The rest of us are working just as hard. Why should they be treated “special?” The topic of monetary incentives and rewards…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 19: Our department is getting overwhelmed by all the Six Sigma training. I’m afraid that if you don’t back down, it will spark a “mutiny.” Sounds like this “crew” has…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 18: I don’t see how Six Sigma will help the Communications Department. They need to know how to write, not how to do statistics! At first this might make sense…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 17: “You can say that Six Sigma improved production but we were going to make those changes anyway.” If you hear this, then you’re probably dealing with a “Hard Core…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 16: We’ve been working projects on the same processes for the past 5 years. Just how many times are we going to reinvent the wheel? This type of statement is…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 15: Black Belts, Green Belts, Yellow Belts, how many different colored belts does it take to change a process? If an organization is planning to engrain Six Sigma as a…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 14: Although we’ve had successful Six Sigma projects for over two years, the organization is still resistant. I don’t think Six Sigma will ever be accepted. In some organizations, even…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 13: We’ve been working Six Sigma projects for over four years. We’ve run out of project ideas. If your organization is telling you this, then running out of projects is…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 12: Are Black Belt and Green Belt exams really necessary? It’s not like we’re getting a college degree. This is a common question, especially from those who may have attended…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 11:If Six Sigma is truly supposed to be embedded in the business, why do you need to have a separate Six Sigma financial goal? Good question. The answer depends on…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 10: Why can’t we just have part-time Black Belts. I can’t afford to have a full time resource dedicated to Six Sigma project work. When someone asks this question they…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 9: Six Sigma won’t work for my department because we really don’t have standard ’processes’ and every client, customer or situation is different. Process thinking is a new way of…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 8: I know that leadership needs to understand Six Sigma but is learning all these statistics really necessary? We’re not all statisticians nor do we want to be. When leadership…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 7: Six Sigma looks like repackaged TQM.What makes you think its ‘staying power’ is going to be any different? When people first hear about Six Sigma, some may see it…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 6: I already know how to fix the problem. I really don’t need a Six Sigma project to tell me what I already know. Sometimes people get confused between what’s…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 5: If Six Sigma helps businesses be successful then why have some businesses that have implemented Six Sigma not done well? This question is quite typical of questions you get…
Benchmarking results consistently identify examples of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 4: Six Sigma projects take too long to complete. I need to get this fixed now. Actually, they should have probably had the problem fixed 3 years ago. And maybe…
Benchmarking results consistently identify critical factors that are needed to increase the probability of Six Sigma success. Even so, getting “naysayers” on board is a continuous challenge. What do you tell them? Nayism 3: When picking a Black Belt, I can’t afford to let one of my best people go. Open any book about Six…