Shipulski On Design

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When cars run out of gas, they can no longer get the job done until their tanks are filled up.  And it’s the same with people, except people are asked to keep on truckin’ even though their tanks are empty. When machines are used for a certain number of hours, they are supposed to be […]

To: Leaders of the Company, We’re still out of gas. Corporate initiatives and reinvention are important, but so are the fundamentals of meeting customer orders and keeping the production lines running.  And so is our emotional well-being. We cannot do it all. Our youngest children must go to daycare and elementary school, and that scares […]

We’ve heard a lot about long supply chains that have broken down, parts shortages, and long lead times.  Granted, supply chains have been stressed, but we’ve designed out any sort of resiliency.  Our supply chains are inflexible, our products are intolerant to variation and multiple sources for parts, and our organizations have lost the ability […]

This seems like a repeat of the last time we set a project launch date without regard for the work content.  Do you see it that way? This person certainly looks the part and went to the right school, but they have not done this work before.  Why do you think we should hire them […]

When the team can get things done without the leader, that’s the sign of a good leader. If the organization bypasses the leader and goes directly to the subject matter experts, that’s because the leader trusts the subject matter experts. When subject matter experts are trusted, they do amazing work.  Good leaders know that. When […]

When you try something new, check to see who has done something similar.  Decompose their design approach.  What were they trying to achieve? What outcome were they looking for? Who were their target customers? Do this for at least three existing designs – three real examples that are for sale today. Here’s a rule to […]

If you want to grow leaders, meet with them daily. If you want to grow leaders, demand that they disagree with you. If you want to grow leaders, help them with all facets of their lives. If you want to grow leaders, there is no failure, there is only learning. If you want to grow […]

Leadership development is a good idea in principle, but not in practice. Assessing a person against a list of seven standard competencies does not a leadership development plan make. Nor does a Meyers-Briggs assessment or a strengths assessment. The best way I know to describe the essence of leadership development is through a series of […]

When you go to the cinema or the playhouse you go you see a show. The show may be funny, it may be sad, it may be thought-provoking, it may be beautiful, and it may take your mind off your problems for a couple of hours; but it’s not real.  Sure, the storyline is good, […]

If you pull hard on your team, what will they do? Will they rebel? Will they push back? Will they disagree? Will they debate? And after all that, will they pull with you? Will the pull for three weeks straight? Will they pull with their whole selves? How do you feel about that? If you […]

If you see someone doing something that’s not quite right, you have a choice – call them on their behavior or let it go. In general, I have found it’s more effective to ignore behavior you deem unskillful if you can.  If no one will get hurt, say nothing. If it won’t start a trend, […]