Even in retirement with its “alternate universe” lifestyle, I could not forget about Lean Six Sigma and the TQM Network.

Many of you know that I officially retired from the TQM Network on December 31, 2006. I am, of course, pleased that Craig, Jamie and the board have asked me to continue my involvement with the network on a part-time basis. But I did retire, and one of our first “retirement” activities was to spend some extended time in our 5th wheel in Florida and southern Alabama.

I have some observations/confessions to make:

• Even in our RV, we did have high-speed internet connectivity, two computers and a laser printer. We were also able to conduct video chats and see our one-year-old granddaughter back in Fort Wayne. Who said that camping had to be “rough.”
• We spent much time with other friends from Fort Wayne, and family in the area – eating, playing golf and playing other games.
• We also made many new friends from Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, New York and Ontario, etc.
• After checking email and eating breakfast each morning, we had to answer the question, “What do we want to do today?” Actually, that is not quite true – we did have plans on many days for the items mentioned above. We did manage to take long walks each day. No, I have not taken up shuffleboard or horseshoes yet!
• Sometime during the second week, I commented on the weather – “Just another beautiful day in Florida!” During our five weeks, we experienced one day of rain and two days that were overcast – not too bad!

After the first week or so, I commented to Mary Kay that this lifestyle seemed like an “alternate universe.” It was different that a traditional vacation where it usually seemed like there were so many things that we needed to do/see/experience in a limited time. And it was certainly different than the Fort Wayne lifestyle – we decided that we could adjust to this new “normal.”

One of the enjoyable experiences was the opportunity to spend more time with my brother, Don, who lives in the Clearwater area. Don, who is also an engineer, retired from Honeywell Aerospace several years ago after serving as program manger on their Shuttle program. In addition to playing golf together, we also like to talk about business. For the last several years, Don has served on the board of directors for a small, privately-held, design and manufacturing firm. Although you probably would not recognize the firm by name, you probably have used their products. They manufacture the “electric eyes” used with most grocery store check-out belts. They manufacture similar devices for elevator doors.

One morning I had the opportunity to tour this facility with Don. Being a visual learner, I have always enjoyed the opportunity to visit any manufacturing facility. I always learn something new, and through the TQM Network and Lean Six Sigma, I have had the opportunity to visit many facilities and am able to recognize both strengths and weaknesses. This organization has many positives. The employees are skilled and take advantage of many well-designed processes and fixtures. Turnover is extremely low. Communication among leaders, managers and front-line employees appears to be very effective. The plant was clean and exhibited evidence of a “5S” program.

I was able to ask questions about a few areas where I sensed some improvement might be possible. I will not elaborate on those issues here, but they acknowledged these areas as potential for improvement.

I did have my laptop with me, loaded with PowerPoint presentations about the TQM Network and Lean Six Sigma. Unfortunately, time did not permit me to share any of these presentations. However, I did have a few minutes at the end of our visit to describe the network and to explain what it offers through the Lean Six Sigma Enterprise Institute. Some in their leadership had already been researching Lean and Six Sigma. I shared how Scott Lasater, during his last years at GE, had researched the background and successful implementations of both initiatives and had led GE into a unified Lean Six Sigma implementation. I also explained that because he has worked with so many organizations, he had been able to identify the key elements of success… and failure.

My hosts asked the question I have often been asked when I travel outside the Northeast Indiana area – “Is there anything like the TQM Network in this area?” Unfortunately, I have to answer that we are aware of only one or two other entities that offer opportunities similar to TQM, and none that offer the caliber of Lean Six Sigma training that we do.

I invited them to bring their leadership team to one of our 2-day Lean Six Sigma leadership training sessions. They expressed initial interest in attending the June 14 & 15 session. A recent email indicates that they are still interested and hope to attend that session. I sincerely hope they do come and have the opportunity to learn from Scott’s world-class experience and instruction.

Following this very interesting visit, we headed back for a round of golf.

Can it get any better than this? Touring a very interesting facility… getting to talk about the TQM Network and Lean Six Sigma… and then go play golf!

Dale Siegelin

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