Articles by Jim L. Smith

In the early stages of my career, conflict resolution was direct and forceful, often involving blunt criticism and harsh language. However, a key learning experience came when my manager confronted me about a mistake, followed by supportive dialogue, teaching me the value of constructive criticism.

Change management is a process for ensuring that the people affected by change understand the nature of the change and the reasons for it. Successful change management is an all-hands-on-deck activity.

As many manufacturers realize, a forecast is always a gamble. At best, it is an educated guess.

This column continues the discussion on delivering the best effort to break through roadblocks as we journey through life. If you haven’t had the chance to read my previous column, I would encourage you to do so.

Few things are as frustrating as knowing someone has more to give in their job, to their family, or to society, but he or she routinely withholds their best efforts. How do you contend with this condition?

Not long ago, I had a conversation with a senior quality manager at a large manufacturing operation about the future of the quality profession.

For many successful men and women in all walks of life, the key to success was that they were motivated more, at least in the beginning, by what was needed, or by what they felt they had to do, than thought of financial gain.

Recently I had a discussion with a quality manager concerning the focus of quality and what skills are important to success. It centered on the degree of focus which should be placed on the quality tools versus people and teams.

Although personal attitudes are influenced by core values, it is greatly influenced by management. Employee attitude about the product, about their work, about their managers, and about the organization will ultimately determine the quality of their work.