Performance Improvement: Solving problems by looking at Organizations from both the employer's and the employee's perspective
My strength is in identifying challenges, bottlenecks, and barriers to efficient operations. I have been successful at interviewing small business owners and within an hour being able to help them articulate their current challenges, and formulate a framework of how much time and effort it would take to research the problem and suggest possible remedies. I look at the problems systematically and systemically - I have no preconceptions about where the answers will be found, and what types of solutions will be required. My favorite part of the process is the implementation because of the extreme challenge it poses, and the wonderful rewards of working with employees and managers to solve long-standing problems in as painless a way as possible.
So what have I actually done?
My largest project involved managing 14 employees, including field staff. I was hired to manage the operations of a 5-person operation, and then asked to step in and help with a larger operation, that included 8 employees. From managing the operations I ended up identifying procedural issues that were an impediment to productivity.
I then talked to people in the field in order to figure out how we could improve our operation. Once I identified specific activities we could modify, I worked with management to plan out the best solution, and with the staff to understand that change was coming, and why.
Much of my solution included outsourcing because of the economies of scale that allowed us to gain more expertise and quality control by handing over parts of the operation. This required me to work with the vendor to chart the goals and what would be required from our operation in order to achieve them. Once we prepared our operation to change to adapt to these needs, we moved on to implementation.
This was a great success, not the least due to the fact that we maintained open communications with the employees. At the end, many found more suitable positions, and those who were transferred to the contractor actually thanked us for making their job more workable.
Then I knew that I should pursue Organizational Development. In the end, it turns out that Performance Improvement is actually an offshoot of training, as demonstrated on the ISPI web site.
Like the virtual assistant, the virtual Manager is there to make your operation work with minimal involvement from you, leaving you to concentrate on generating more income and doing the things you love. On site or out of sight - the Virtual Manager is the way to achieve your goals without spending your own time.Find out for yourself how wonderful effective management help can be!
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Scanner: Plate spinner and Wanderer
"Scanner" is a term coined by Barbara Sher to describe a personality type that is extremely curious, loves to learn and do new things, and is usually a generalist. This goes along with an extraordinary propensity for learning new things and modifying your world view appropriately. There are many subtypes, and through reading her book "Refuse to Choose" I have identified myself as a "Plate Spinner" and a "Wanderer."
As a plate spinner I have multiple interests and I keep coming back to them again and again, to keep all the plates in the air simultaneously. The most clear manifestation of this is that I am currently (Nov. 2008) involved in a job search, a quest to chart an educational path to my ultimate career (the one I will have when I grow up), I have been studying to read torah on Nov. 29th (the scroll has neither vowels, nor punctuation, so you have to memorize the music), and of course I have been knitting, working on many different projects, and even occasionally finishing one. As I write this I am preparing to go to weekly Israeli Folk dancing, and this weekend I will usher at the Aurora Theatre. Did I mention I have been enjoying networking and spending time with my two teens? OK, call me hyperactive, but it is the only way I know to live. And if you made it this far down the page - you must be interested.
I started getting interested in business and management immediately after I completed my masters in Biochemistry. Then I took a class in Microeconomics and one in Social Psychology with the thought of one day getting a business degree. I learned things in Social Psychology that I still use today. I also looked for work managing staff but apparently I was too young or inexperienced. After I worked at a couple medical device companies (at the second one the staff was mentioned during the interview as an aside to the main activity, which was making the studies compliant with international standards), I started thinking about it in terms of business decision making, which I learned about in another context at the Breast Care Center at UCSF. I also looked at team building as it pertained to managing a staff.
Recently I have been exploring Management Consulting, Organizational Development and Performance Improvement, and they tie into business as well. While each of these terms has different meanings to different people, I have found at least one for each that resonates with what I would like to do.
Another topic I come back to over and over is knitting. I have projects I started 10 years ago and haven't finished yet, mostly because I don't enjoy that last part of sewing the pieces together, so if there are any snags (this one had a problem with the sleeves) I will put it down, and it will take some other motivator to get me back into it.
Being a Wanderer is about being interested in a specific aspect of everything. For me it is: what is the challenge? So, for instance, I discovered that the challenge in sign language is developing the dexterity to move your hands fast enough to be fluent. I just discovered that you can have an accent in sign language, too, which I think is fascinating. While I am not interested in mastering that, when it relates to business and people, I tend to be interested in possible solutions, all the way through implementation. When I performed a traditional job analysis for the Educational Director at my synagogue, and discovered that the position includes 130% effort, using 3 distinct skills sets - educational, managerial and administrative - my immediate reaction was to try to carve it up so that we could end up with manageable effort, for which we could find a mere mortal who could successfully perform the 100% position we could afford.
To summarize, almost any topic can pique my interest. Once I understand what the challenges are, I will either address them with skills I enjoy using, or be thankful for the knowledge and move on.
A classic demonstration of my outstanding learning ability, is the "I have, I need" statement. I went to an IMC meeting in November of 2008. One of their networking exercises was to write such a statement and use it with people at the meeting. I found it helpful to articulate my networking goals, and I promptly used it the very next day in my networking at Mt. Diablo ASTD:
I have experience in:
- administrative and employee management
- organizational work
- performing research, analysis, data gathering
- computer applications
- many other skills - just ask!
I currently need employment. It could take the form of full time or contract work providing support services to consultants, full time work managing an office or an operation, or even an entry level SAS programming job. I am very effective at figuring things out, and therefore need minimum direction. I am sensitive to priorities and know when to ask questions to make sure I am always on the same page with my client/employer. You can always view my online resume.
My ultimate goal is to work in Performance Improvement (see ISPI.org) either formally or as a manager who spends 2-4 years improving a single operation. I am seeking help in charting an educational path, and adding to the 3 operations I have already improved. My biggest achievement in this area was re-structuring a survey research project to complete more surveys with tighter quality control for half the cost.
I will be revising this statement as I learn new information and as I change my perspective and my goals. Email me yours or send comments to this one.
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