by Jill Johnson, president, Johnson Consulting Services

Our economic, political and social environment is exceptionally volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. It has become increasingly difficult to develop strategies for success when every time you turn around there is another challenge that threatens your enterprise survival.

One of the most effective methods you can employ to navigate in this unstable business climate is to take a B.O.L.D. approach. This four-point framework will focus your strategic mindset on gaining the insight and critical skills you need to thrive.

Business strategy – Grow your organization with purpose and prosperity.

Rethink your approach to planning. Stop engaging in strategic planning focused on fun and/or bonding events where you vision-quest about idealistic wishes for your future, resulting in ineffective plans and written reports that collect dust.

Focus instead on grounding your planning efforts by gaining the information and insight you need to develop effective business strategies. Leverage the emerging opportunities available to you and minimize the risks that an uncertain business landscape creates for your enterprise.

Those who thrive in an unstable environment focus on understanding the potential future of evolving trends. So what do you do now? Let go of old ideas. Coalesce your business strategies around innovation and adaption.

Build your sustainable success on a viable future that is grounded in a full understanding of your situation, not on wishful thinking. Manage your transitions effectively by hiring more sophisticated talent to match your evolving needs. Consider how you can leverage new opportunities to enhance your operation and profitability.

Opportunities – Uncover the potential in your market to achieve sales results.

Effective strategic planning in turbulent times requires a deep assessment of your market opportunities. This environment is driven by significant market forces influencing your enterprise success and long-term potential. These market forces impact your business lifecycle and the on-going value of your product or service offerings to your consumers. You must fully understand the impact of the market forces determining your ability to survive and thrive.

Staying close to your target market is crucial to your long-term success. But market needs, wants and desires change over time. You must understand how your market is changing and why. To remain feasible, you need to determine what you need to change to meet those evolving market needs.

There are nine key market forces impacting most businesses today: shifting demographics, competitive actions, fluid economic conditions, unstable capital markets, governmental interference impacting regulations and reimbursement, technology evolution, workforce skills and capabilities, and industry changes as organizations adapt to these forces and generational shifts.

You have no control over these market forces. Yet you continually have to adapt and adjust your strategies to respond to them.

Leadership – Lead with confidence and effectiveness.

It takes many, many hours to master a skill or hone your expertise. Don’t expect to be an effective leader in the beginning. It takes time. Building your insight to effectively navigate stormy strategic waters will take time too.

Asking the right questions is the foundation of an effective strategic mindset. Yet learning to ask the right questions is extremely difficult because most people only ask superficial questions that have easy answers. Asking challenging questions allows you to deepen your understanding of the impact of each market force and their influence on your long-term potential for success.

Effective leaders in turbulent times are not afraid to listen to divergent perspectives. They understand that their ability to take corrective action before things go completely haywire requires candor from their teams and a full understanding of the market forces.

Confident leaders use objective advisors to get to the truth and to push their teams. Look for real expertise that has proven results. Stay away from advisors offering strong sales hype and marketing sizzle. They can do lasting damage to your enterprise.

Decision making – Gain the clarity you need to thrive.

Effective decision-making in an uncertain and unstable world begins with a desire for clarity. Gaining clarity requires a complete and candid understanding of your situation. Truth gives you information. Well-researched information gives you insight. Insight gives you the clarity you need to set the right priorities and focus your team on the most critical activities impacting your success.

Make sure you are not operating under a false set of assumptions that were correct at one time but have not been updated to reflect your current situation. If your assumptions are wrong, your ability to make good decisions will be severely limited by your skewed viewpoint.

It is critical that you reassess your assumptions about the future. Getting the right information for effective decision-making is essential. Look for more than superficial answers to the critical issues you face. Be willing to invest the time and money to bring in a fresh and different point of view to discover the truth.

The value of taking a B.O.L.D. Approach?

By taking a B.O.L.D. approach, you will integrate an action plan for uncertainty into every facet of your strategic mindset. By asking challenging questions to understand your current and evolving situation, you will build your confidence that you are developing the business strategies to enhance your success. You will uncover the potential in your markets. You will be a more confident and effective leader. You will make better decisions.

As a result, others will be more confident in following your lead. If you demand more of yourself and your team, they too will think more strategically, become more effective leaders, make better decisions and achieve results designed to create lasting success for your enterprise.

So take action now. What is the first B.O.L.D. approach step you will take to address the impact of uncertainty and volatility in your enterprise?

Jill Johnson is the president and founder of Johnson Consulting Services, a highly accomplished speaker and an award-winning management consultant. Johnson helps her clients make critical business decisions and develop market-based strategic plans for turnarounds or growth. Her consulting work has impacted nearly $4 billion worth of decisions. She has a proven track record of dealing with complex business issues and getting results. For more information on Jill Johnson, please visit www.jcs-usa.com.

by Brad Emerson, general manager, fixyourownbindery.com

The decision to purchase new or used bindery equipment often is driven by a desire to replace two machines with a single, higher performance machine. However, most high-performance machines have reduced flexibility or reduced size range in order to achieve a higher output. Many times, binderies then are forced to outsource perfect binding, saddlestitching or hardcover finishing work because the recently installed machine is unable to run the size or format required. Therefore, buyers must carefully evaluate and compare specifications of potential used machines against current and future finishing product mix requirements so as to ensure return on investment.

Evaluating used machinery

A big part of selecting a used machine involves understanding and planning for future sales. For example, the buyer might need to consider if the desired line – such as a perfect binder – is able to be economically expanded to produce PUR adhesive books. Can a perfect binder or saddlestitcher be upgraded with camera barcode matching systems between covers, text or personalized endsheets in hardcover books to produce personalized digital work, if applicable?

Other buyer considerations involve domestic OEM electrical parts availability. Does the buyer have a local or in-house machine shop that can economically make basic parts? What percentage of electrical parts is obsolete? Does the used machine have an electrical “black box” where only the seller’s local electrician, if still in business, can support or provide electrical service? Can a full-service bindery equipment dealer create a modern controller to eliminate the obsolete controls?

Furthermore, buyers should always, 100 percent, confirm the age of a perfect binding line, saddlestitcher, cutter, folder or hardcover line end-to-end. Unfortunately, it is a somewhat common marketing practice for dealers and brokers in the graphic arts industry to promote the age of the youngest piece of a line, while omitting the age of the older pieces, such as trimmers, stackers, add-on feeders, etc.

It also is important to understand how often the used machine being considered comes to market. This can save buyers the stress of weighing the risks of waiting for the next machine to come to market or giving in to an unknown seller’s pressure tactics and wiring a down payment before the machine can be properly evaluated.

Be sure the machinery has been inspected

In this age of camera phones and broadband, dealers and brokers will promote a “cream puff” piece of used equipment they have never personally inspected. A great slogan is: “You cannot expect what you do not inspect.” This is especially true when it comes to purchasing used machines. Buy the plane ticket and have a qualified person who is not affiliated with the seller or dealer evaluate the equipment. For buyers who do not regularly purchase used equipment, do the homework of validating the seller and transaction terms.

Often, investors will impulsively lock on to a hot deal or get caught up in the “auction adrenaline rush” and ignore basic investing steps. Old, time-tested rules like “if it is too good to be true, it probably is,” still hold true today.

Buyers should seek out dealers who deduct the inspection cost if they are provided a first/last right of refusal for the relocation. That way, as long as they provide full turnkey relocation services, including transportation, there is no finger-pointing with damages or other headaches, just one phone call to make.

Beware of unscrupulous dealers

If a dealer or seller threatens for a down payment today or tomorrow or else the buyer is out: game on. Buyers should reduce their offers if the seller comes back around with “the other buyer fell through,” even if only by $1,000. Buyers owe this to all the straight shooters out there that these unscrupulous dealers and brokers prey on every day for cash.

Be cautious of online auctions; they are not all created equally. Unsellable, obsolete surplus equipment often is rounded up from multiple sources to look like a brand-new auction or company closure. Some auction dealers hide in the fine print that an auction is not an “absolute auction,” meaning they are just collecting potential buyers as leads for their buyer database. The shady auction dealer then gets busy offering unsuspecting buyers other equipment and negotiating them to a much higher price for what they originally bid on. They also might partner with other dealers who have what the buyer wanted, so that buyer then ends up paying two or three commissions instead of one.

Seek dealers who allow for purchases directly from sellers or end users if they do not already own the equipment. That way there is no middle man for title or lien transfer problems. Buyers also should request a sentence or two on the seller’s letterhead, invoice or sales contract indicating the seller fully owns and has the legal right to sell said equipment free of any liens, encumbrances or partner agreements. This simple verbiage significantly accelerates legal proceedings should problems arise.

Financing considerations

For buyers who are 100-percent financing new equipment, it is mathematically impossible to avoid being upside down on a loan or lease. However, careful investing in used equipment can help keep the balance sheets in the black. It is possible to purchase the right machine at the right price and still have it be worth something close to what was paid or more. This will further optimize the investment. Banks, leasing companies and equity partners will never agree with, “We don’t care about the resale value, because we’re not selling the machine.”

It can be difficult to assess the actual value of an 18-month-old “like new” piece of used equipment. When the auction excitement kicks in, there seems to be no time to develop a capex (capital expenditure), which in most cases, properly executed, protects buyers from purchasing mistakes. For example, the “like new” piece of used machinery: Brand new, the same machine’s purchase price would be $100,000 after whatever “best show customer” discounts are factored in. In an auction setting, the 18-month-old like new machine bids get up to $75,000. The buyer has lost money at this point. First, the buyer also must pay the auction premium of 15 to 18 percent ($13,500). Then, there is the unbudgeted removal plan where the buyers will probably have to use the auction company rigger. Keep in mind, the rigger is not responsible if the line ever runs again and there was no time to get a turnkey quote from a specialized bindery equipment professional. Everything must be out in a few days, and the auction rigger with the big forklift is not responsible for damage during transportation the buyer must arrange. The machine can arrive incomplete or missing original factory manuals or special machine tools, parts, etc. because the auction rigger did not know what to look for before transportation.

The buyer now has a machine that typically included some level of installation, training and warranty if purchased new, but these costs must be added on top of the auction premium for relocation. If the installers find parts broken or that need to be replaced, the 18-month-old machine is no longer under warranty or the warranty is void due to the rigger who did not know or care about OEM moving procedures. All of this adds up to money lost for the buyer.

When it comes to preparing a plant for machine utilities (electrical power, high pressure air, trim waste systems, relocating other existing equipment, pouring concrete pads, etc.), these costs can exceed the initial equipment investment, especially if rushed and the “OT floodgates” are opened. For those considering a used machine currently under power, try to negotiate for transformers or entire electrical panels off the seller’s wall if they are surplus for the seller and match the buyer’s needs. If a perfect binder or saddlestitcher has web press log feeders, maybe there is an overhead gantry crane system that would no longer be needed by the seller and could easily be negotiated into the purchase package?

Typically, surplus budget funds saved investing in pre-owned equipment vs. new equipment go toward additional equipment purchased; however, depending on the skill level of existing or new machine operators, strategic longer-term training programs can be tailored to ultimately achieve the highest production goals, including difficult-to-run gimmick products. During initial machine training immediately following equipment installation, it is impossible for operators to foresee the problems, including computer errors where applicable, that they will have after the initial training session ends.

Conclusion

The best advice I can give when investing in pre-owned equipment is that the investment does not have to be a complete leap of faith. Reputable, full-service bindery equipment companies exist, offering consultation, CAD layouts, full-time technicians, rigging crews, semi-truck transportation, rebuild centers with complete machine shops, experienced trainers and warranties for the work and services they perform. The more services purchased as a package from a single source provider, the less finger-pointing and responsibility loop-holes buyers will get caught up in when startup issues inevitably arise. If the idea of doing homework on used equipment is not necessary in the buyer’s mind, the buyer should buy new equipment as long as the cost is justified. The number of used sellers who do not care about the buyer’s long-term success on a piece of used bindery equipment far outnumbers the ones who do!

Brad Emerson is the general manager of fixyourownbindery.com, a company specializing in consultation, turnkey used equipment, automation, equipment fabrication and training. Emerson’s bindery background includes bindery supervision, as well as marketing and consultation with a global bindery equipment leader. For more information, comments, questions or criticism, email brad@fixyourownbindery.com.

by Dianna Brodine, managing editor, PostPress

Henry Ford may have been the first in US manufacturing to implement lean production when he simplified processes on the assembly line by creating an assembly line in 1913. Driven by a desire to make the automobile affordable for everyone, the workers laboring on the Ford Model T were divided by tasks into separate locations in an effort to reduce unnecessary movement. Rather than hauling parts and tools to an area where the vehicle would be built, Ford implemented a system of pulleys to move the car from one work station to another.

Ford realized stunning time savings with this production change. Cost savings followed as labor was utilized more efficiently, and Ford soon was selling more cars than ever before.

The principles of the assembly line – elimination of waste, specialization of tasks and increased production – evolved into the modern day “lean manufacturing.”

What?

Ford’s production model worked well when the exact same product was produced each time, but when variety was needed the system fell into chaos. Lean manufacturing evolved from the assembly line to address product complexity. At its most simple level, lean is about finding waste in a production environment and removing it. The Japanese word “Kaizen” also is commonly heard in discussions about lean – meaning “change for better” or continuous improvement. Taken together, the lean manufacturing process encourages those in a production environment to find waste and work to improve or eliminate it.

Waste can take a variety of forms, including wasted steps in a production process, wasted labor hours or wasted movement of materials. Poor quality and excess inventory also are forms of waste. In view of managing that waste, the process has been distilled to five steps, namely the following:

1. Specify the value. Find what creates value in the product/process from the customer’s viewpoint.
2. Map the process. List each step in the process of creation.
3. Flow the product. Simplify the steps so the product flows through production.
4. Pull the product. Produce only what is required when the customer needs it, also known as just-in-time production.
5. Work toward perfection. Continually evaluate the process to find other examples of waste that can be removed.

Who?

Toyota may be the most widely known implementer of lean manufacturing, having modified the reduction of waste mantra into the Toyota Production System (TPS) that has been adopted across the world. However, manufacturing facilities across a wide range of industries and serving a range of end markets have added lean manufacturing concepts.

From the big names – Caterpillar, John Deere and Nike – to the small, lean manufacturing can positively impact any company involved in a physical product creation process. Developing a culture of continuous improvement, however, involves more than a management-level understanding of lean principles.

Kelly Goodsel is the owner and CEO of Viking Plastics, a Corry, Pennsylvania injection molding company serving the automotive and HVAC industries. “As an automotive supplier, I’ve been involved in the Toyota Production System, which emphasizes lean production, for about 15 years,” said Goodsel. “However, I’ve realized the tools employed with the Toyota Production System are only part of the toolbox. Without also building a team that searches for continuous improvement opportunities, it’s like teaching somebody how to use a hammer or a saw without then teaching them how to build a house.”

Goodsel heard Paul Akers, a lean expert and author of 2-Second Lean, speak at a conference in 2012. Revolving around recognizing and eliminating eight forms of waste, 2-Second Lean gives employees the tools to recognize opportunities for improvement and implement solutions immediately. However, empowerment can’t occur without education, and Goodsel understood what was missing from his company.

He took the information shared by Akers to his team and started asking his employees to make improvements to the things in their areas that were causing daily frustrations. “We started with teaching the eight forms of waste to our employees, because knowing and seeing the forms of waste is the first of three pillars in our 2-Second Lean process,” he explained. “The second pillar asks employees to fix what bugs them, and the third asks them to share what they fixed.”

Viking began holding what it refers to as “daily drumbeat meetings” during each shift change. At each meeting, the oncoming shift meets with the outgoing shift to discuss how things are running and any troubles the previous shift might have come across. Additionally, data is reviewed on the prior day’s sales volume, on-time delivery statistics, customer complaints and safety points/regulations.

In keeping with its culture of continuous improvements, Viking employees seek to accomplish three things every day: identify waste, fix/improve the waste and share those improvements. Daily drumbeats offer the perfect opportunity for employees to explore and share ideas for improvement. “Just as machines require maintenance, setup, inspections and upgrades, so do people,” explained Goodsel. “Spending 20 minutes communicating between shifts provides employees with the information needed to better prepare them for the workday ahead.”

The results have been so stunning that Goodsel has become a bit of a spokesman for 2-Second Lean. In 2016, Goodsel and Engineering Manager Shawn Gross spoke at the Printing Industries of America (PIA) Continuous Improvement Conference to evangelize to a new group of converts.

“The level of interaction, employee engagement and relationships that are built in a 15- to 20-minute daily meeting is incredible,” noted Goodsel. “It breaks down barriers between employees and management, between departments, even between shifts – and that makes people more comfortable doing their job on a daily basis.”

Why?

In addition to the cultural changes resulting from implementing a continuous improvement mindset, removing waste from the manufacturing process saves time, money and resources. One of the key benefits is an improvement in quality. When processes are standardized and unnecessary steps eliminated from a production environment, the product created typically has fewer errors – reducing defects and rework. Improvements also can be found in employee satisfaction as those repetitive tasks that cause job frustration are eliminated.

Less space often is required as unnecessary steps – and sometimes equipment – are eliminated on the production floor and just-in-time production reduces the amount of excess inventory on-site. This can allow for expansion of services or future growth – or facility reduction, if that step makes more financial sense. Most importantly, the implementation of lean manufacturing and its related continuous improvement efforts often lead to increased profit levels and higher customer satisfaction, which can lead to additional business.

Adding lean manufacturing and continuous improvement concepts to any production environment isn’t an instant cure-all, and the process itself can be messy and frustrating. It requires a culture shift and a team effort that starts at the top, but the rewards can be great.

“Management needs to approach it from a position of respect for the individual, respect for the people. Part of the challenge occurs when people ask ‘why’ – and we don’t always have an easy answer,” Goodsel acknowledged. “It’s important to let people know that this is a journey. We don’t have an exact map, and we’re going to make some wrong turns. When we do make those wrong turns, everyone has to contribute to getting us all going in the right direction.”

Viking Plastics is on a steep upward trajectory marked by record profits, and culture has played an important role. “Clearly, the 2-Second Lean culture has led to significant change for our company,” said Goodsel, “and it’s driven improvements that have meant the world to our employees, our management team and our customers.”

by Jeff Peterson, editor-in-chief, PostPress

This section of PostPress examines common challenges readers may have on the shop floor and in day-to-day business operations. Professionals from leading print finishing and bindery companies share ideas and discuss solutions to those common challenges, demonstrating how specific companies work through these issues to improve throughput and the bottom line.

Spoilage Reduction Incentive Program

Anyone who has been involved with any type of lean manufacturing program (see article in this issue on page 60) probably knows the eight sources of waste. One of those eight sources is defects, more commonly referred to as spoilage.

For companies like Trade Print Finishing, Salt Lake City, Utah, spoilage had become a large problem. Owner and President Brad Van Leeuwen began to notice an increase in spoilage and re-runs for many of the jobs running through his print finishing plant. As a result, Van Leeuwen began looking for ways to combat increasing spoilage that also would encourage all employees to get involved. He started by looking at areas that were accumulating the most defects, including the following areas:

1. Products coming unglued on the folder-gluer
2. Registration/positioning issues
3. Missing or “plugged” areas of foil or coating
4. Creasing matrix falling out during diecutting
5. UV coating adhesion problems
6. Wrong die/foil used
7. Setup sheets mixed with good sheets

To help reduce costly errors and decrease the overall spoilage rate, Van Leeuwen decided to implement a Spoilage Reduction Bonus Program. “I was seeing a continued increase in mistakes and spoilage on a variety of the jobs running through the plant and decided it was time to try something different,” stated Van Leeuwen. “Even a small reduction in defects could make a large impact on our bottom line.”

Trade Print Finishing started by creating a bulletin board that included educational information on such things as “what spoilage really is” and ” causes of spoilage.” The bulletin board also was used to explain how the Spoilage Reduction Bonus Program worked and included monthly reporting of how overall spoilage was increasing or decreasing each month using actual numbers and graphs.

Van Leeuwen calculated that, historically, the company’s spoilage rate had averaged about two percent of gross sales per year. So, he set up the program to pay out bonuses on the money saved due to reduced spoilage to those responsible for reducing it. “We track spoilage on a monthly basis and provide small, on-going monthly incentives when spoilage is less than two percent of sales,” stated Van Leeuwen. “At the end of the year, if the annual spoilage is under two percent of sales, then the difference is paid out as year-end bonuses.”

Van Leewen went on to say that regular short-term rewards are critical in making the program work. “To celebrate a low-spoilage month, we provide incentives, such as a free lunch for the employees where we raffle off some type of gift certificate,” he explained.

For Trade Print Finishing, the Spoilage Reduction Incentive Program has proven to have many benefits. This includes forcing the action of measuring performance, creating awareness of what spoilage costs, as well as the seriousness of reducing it, and showing employees that management is willing to reward them for improved performance. “The program has really helped encourage our employees to learn from their mistakes,” stated Van Leeuwen. “It has created a type of ‘peer-review’ that has helped weed out incompetency.”

However, this type of program does create unique challenges. First, even one or two bad months can blow a year-end bonus, so if this happens early in the year, a “why even try” attitude can set in. Companies also must be conscious of animosity among employees or departments, especially if they perceive that others are reducing their bonus money. Additionally, it is important to monitor the program and be careful of unreported spoilage. This can be difficult because some of the reporting is “on your honor.”

It also should be pointed out that recording all the data and keeping it up-to-date takes dedicated time by someone within the company. According to Van Leeuwen, if finishers or binders are considering implementing a spoilage reduction incentive program of some type, they must be sure that it is being accurately recorded and kept current at all times. “If there is not a dedicated person or persons assigned to keep the data legitimate and current, employees will simply not buy in or stay motivated,” he asserted. “That is a huge key to the success of the program.”

Since starting the program in 2014, Trade Print Finishing has seen it continue to be successful. “The first year was kind of a ‘fine-tuning’ process with some trial-and-error experimentation,” concluded Van Leeuwen. “In 2015, we became more defined and consistent, and the program has now reduced our spoilage rates by about 50 percent and put more money in our employees’ pockets.” The program has proven to be a win-win for both the company and the employees.

by David Waits, Waits Consulting Group, Inc.

Leadership is not a position!

A local newspaper has a daily section titled “Progressions,” allowing companies to publicly recognize employees who have been promoted to leadership positions, such as general manager. The announcement is a very nice recognition for the new leader, but the promotion, in and of itself, doesn’t make the person a powerful, productive leader. The promotion does allow the new leader to exercise the roles and responsibilities of the position, but the promotion has very little to do with the leadership effectiveness of the person who received it.

The power of the position and the potential of the leader are maximized only when the leader understands and leverages their performance, presence and profitability.

1. Performance is what you do. Like it or not, at the end of the day – or quarter, or year – leaders are evaluated by what they get done and get done through others. Leaders are paid to get results. They are not paid for their intentions or mere activity.

Intentions matter, but results rule!

“I meant to have a discussion with the underperforming team member, but I just haven’t had a chance to talk to them,” says the well-meaning leader. The question is not, “Did you talk to them?” The question is, “Did the underperforming team member’s behavior improve?” Intentions without actions create nothing. Action, such as having the talk with the underperformer, that doesn’t produce results is simply activity, not productivity. Performance is measured by results.

Aesop rightly stated, “When all is said and done, more is said than done.” Performance, measured by results, is the metric of your leadership ability.

2. Presence is who you are. You can’t be one type of person and another type of leader. Although you can try to fool people and maybe even obtain pseudo-success for a short season, time ultimately will reveal the real you. Who you are, in the core of your being, will determine your presence. How big is your presence?

Someone who is physically large is noticed when they simply walk into a room. Former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal is over seven feet tall, weighing in at over 300 pounds. Everywhere he goes, his physical presence is commanding.

When you enter a room, are you noticed? Are you respected? Do people want your input? Are you listened to? Are you commanding? Your presence is the key to positively and powerfully influencing people.

Remember, a title or position does not a leader make. A position can be conferred on you. When something is conferred, it is placed and bestowed on you by someone else. It is recognition of a position. Your position allows you to perform the roles and functions of a leader, but it is your presence that determines your effectiveness. Presence is inferred upon you. Something inferred involves a conclusion. People are concluding, “This person has a dynamic presence that makes me want to follow them.”

Are you working as hard on who you are as you are working at the job you do? Your job functions are important and your ability to be highly functional in your job as a leader is directly proportional to your presence. Your presence increases as you grow as a person. When you become great at who you are, you become remarkable at what you do! Constantly invest time and money in personal growth.

3. Profitability is the value you bring to those you lead. The bottom line number reflects profitability, but it is more than that. Is your team profitable because of you?

In the arena of interaction with those you lead, are you profiting from them? Are they better – more profitable themselves – because they are around you? Do you inspire? Do you motivate? Do you create synergy?

There are many world-class athletes playing in team sports who have tremendous individual skills, yet the team fails to obtain championship status. Michael Jordan was arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. His greatness wasn’t only measured by his ability to make baskets and his incredible desire to win, but by making others better. For many of his years in the NBA, he was surrounded by, at best, serviceable role players. Yet his presence made others profitable because he brought out the best in his other team members. He helped raise the entire team to a winning, championship level.

Your potential is maximized and your power exploited when you leverage all of the following:

• Your productivity: your effective actions, not your noble intentions.
• Your presence: constantly investing in yourself, stretching and growing to increase the size of your presence.
• Your profitability: evaluate yourself by looking to the outcome – is there profitability in your leadership in the bottom line and are people better because they have been influenced by you?

When you maximize the Three P’s – Productivity, Presence and Profitability – it is likely you will not only show up in the “Progressions” section of your local newspaper, but also make the front page headline as well. If you are not on your newspaper’s front page, you certainly will make the headlines with the most important people in your sphere of influence – those who are following you.

David Waits, founder of Waits Consulting Group, Inc., is a consultant, speaker and author. As a proven expert in developing powerful initiatives that revolutionize culture, Waits helps his clients create a thriving organizational environment that facilitates rapid growth, innovative development and on-going profitability. He has worked with clients in all 50 states, including Quest Diagnostics, General Dynamics, Major League Baseball, Walmart, Walt Disney World and numerous other world-class organizations. For more information, visit www.DavidWaits.com.