Consider these insights: “If your organization doesn’t have a grand vision, you have a leadership deficiency.”  Or “Engaged employees are assets, while unengaged employees are liabilities.”  Or “Strong leadership leads to innovation, which is the cornerstone for any [high performing organization].”  Or “Successful companies don’t leave anything to chance.”  Or finally, “It takes an empowered employee to create an engaged customer.”

If you find these comments perceptive, then read on: this month’s column features dozens of insights from CEOs of today’s best organizations…

Last week I attended the “Quest for Excellence,” an annual conference that featured best practices of over a dozen high performing organizations – truly world class in their outcomes and accomplishments (all of them have received the Baldrige National Quality Award).  I believe it’s one of the best forums for learning what drives excellence in today’s organizations.

I came back with 18 pages of notes – insights as to what promotes high performance in our businesses, our schools, our hospitals, and our nonprofits.  We will make available this summer a learning session (a video, slides, and discussion groups) that delve into some of the practices shared during this conference.  And we are featuring Larry Potterfield, CEO of small business MidwayUSA – along with executives from three other Baldrige recipients – at our May 18 MN Quality Award event.

But today I want to offer some key thoughts on leadership from the introductory keynotes – insights that apply to any leader at any level in any organization of any size and in any sector.  They are universal truths.  They are simple, yet they are elegant.  They are common sense, but they are so difficult to implement. 

I invite you to read these quotes, and then maybe read them again.  Internalize them, and reflect on how they might apply to you, your situation, and your organization. 

Larry Potterfield, CEO of MidwayUSA, a small, 350-employee family-owned catalogue and Internet sporting and hunting supplies retailer from Missouri (and keynote at our May 18 MN Quality Award event).

On the importance of vision:

“Set a grand vision as the foundation of your mission statement.  Give me a vision to be the best run hospital in America – give me a vision to be the best run school district in America, or to be the best at whatever you do.  I believe that all great leaders have a grand vision.  A grand vision is clear and concise – it tells every stakeholder where the organization is going…it’s desired future state…If your organization doesn’t have a grand vision, you have a leadership deficiency.”

On strategic planning:

“Every great organization has a core competency in strategic planning…If leadership is the brains of your organization, then strategic planning must be the heart: all important innovation and change must flow through the strategic planning process.  That’s right: strategic planning is just a process.  It’s not that hard.  It has a first step and a last; it has inputs and outputs; it’s still just a process.  Actually, there are three strategic planning processes: the design process, the deployment process, and the execution process.  Great leaders excel at all three.”

On the importance of leadership on customer focus:

“Leadership is the most important driver of customer value.”

On the importance of two-way communications:

“[You need a] systematic communications plan to communicate all things important to all key stakeholders.  This communication plan informs and engages all employees.  You see: engaged employees are assets, while unengaged employees are liabilities.  Great leaders develop and deploy communications plans that help all employees become assets.”

On why MidwayUSA uses Baldrige:

“We just wanted to provide consistent, high quality service to our customers by doing a better job of managing our processes.  I’ve always loved our customers, and it’s a great dissatisifer to me personally when we let a customer down.  Sustainability was also important: the passion for excellence must reside in the in the vision, the values, and the management framework of the organization – not just in the hearts of the founders or today’s CEO.”

On the journey to performance excellence:

“Along the way, we’ve come to understand that Baldrige can be more than just a journey.  It can – and should – become a way of life.  Today, MidwayUSA thinks of the Baldrige Award as a simple – but important – milestone on the grander journey from good to great.”

On executive patience:

“Adopting the Baldrige Criteria [or any improvement method] doesn’t work like a light-switch...it’s more like pouring cold molasses.  CEO’s: you don’t have to set a goal immediately to receive your first Baldrige award in a specific year, but you gotta provide the leadership to get started.”

On the importance of the Baldrige framework and Criteria for Performance Excellence: “America needs Baldrige.  We need it in our classrooms and our boardrooms, and everywhere in between.  We need Baldrige to help America be more competitive in the global economy, and I challenge every leader…to become expert in the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and to deploy it back home where you work and where you live to help keep America the greatest nation on earth.

“I really do believe that the Baldrige Criteria can improve every organization in America, and I don’t understand why any leader would procrastinate its adoption into their organization.

“If I were in charge of the world (audience chuckles), we’d introduce the Baldrige Criteria to our first graders, and the letters ‘MBA’ would stand for Masters in Baldrige Administration, because every grad school in America would teach Baldrige.”

~~~~~~

David Tilton, President and CEO of AtlantiCare, a 5000-employee health system in southern New Jersey.

On creating a culture that supports improvement:

“The culture of any organization is formed by its traditions, its customs, its practices, and its shared attitudes, and I think culture is critically important to creating an environment where performance can improve.  What we as leaders do is create the conditions…that tap the human spirit by encouraging individual and team acts of kindness.”

On workforce engagement:

“We work deliberately to engage our staff and our physicians – it’s a process that has produced a very supportive work environment at AtlantiCare, where our staff can contribute to our planning process, have a voice in how their work is accomplished, and understand their role in accomplishing our vision.”

On why AtlantiCare uses Baldrige:

“Our goal was never about winning a crystal trophy.  Our goal was to become a high performing organization that could achieve outstanding and sustainable results for our patients, our customers, and for the people who work and practice at AtlantiCare.

“Our quality journey began decades ago…as new leadership came in and found an organization that had a poor reputation in our community and a declining market share.  It was an organization that was ready for change, and a new course for the future was set.  This new direction demanded an intense focus on the wants and needs of our customers, and a discipline to continuously learn and improve our quality – always working towards higher and higher levels of performance.  The [Baldrige] Criteria became our common language – today it’s how we work, how we practice, and how we engage our patients and staff.  There is no doubt that the journey is worth the effort: there is nothing more impressive or professionally rewarding than achieving excellent results in all aspects of your work for the benefit of those you serve.  And that is what the Baldrige program has meant to our organization.”

~~~~~~

Anthony Brancato, President Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technology, a Kansas City-based internal manufacturing unit of Honeywell International .

On leadership’s role in innovation:

“Strong leadership leads to innovation, which is the cornerstone for any Baldrige recipient [and any high performing organization].  Innovation comes in many different shapes at Honeywell FM&T: it’s in our way of thinking; it’s in our approach to challenges; and it’s applied to our products and processes.  Our innovation is reflected best in these areas: our vision, values, mission, communications, governance, ethics, and our involvement in communities.”

On developing leaders:

“Successful companies don’t leave anything to chance.  We have processes and cycles of learning.  Building strong leadership is no different: it must be integrated into the overall framework of any business.”

On organizational alignment:

“The fact that we have a vision and strategic plan does not make us unique from anyone in this room.  [But] it’s how we integrate them within the business; it’s how our day-to-day actions align with them; it’s how we engage our employees to have line of sight to our goals and how their align with our business strategy.”

On organizational change:

“We are never satisfied with the status quo – all things can be continuously improved.  Today, our Six Sigma tools accelerate our continuous improvement.  Challenges are not obstacles; they are stepping stones.  One of the most difficult hurdles [in our organization’s efforts to change] was passive resistance [of other senior leaders].  [My advice to senior leaders]: don’t give up…”

On the importance of communication:

“Communication is always important, and there is never enough of it.”

On why Honeywell FM&G uses Baldrige:

“Applying for he Baldrige Award was an opportunity to examine our organization critically, and identify strengths and opportunities to improve.  It has been an effective way to gain an outside perspective on our organization …My advice is to embark on the journey and focus on the feedback, because the Criteria is focused on what best-in-class companies do.   Measuring ourselves against them has helped us strive to be the best we can be.”

~~~~~~

Mike Sather, Center Director, VA Cooperative Studies Program, a non-profit 200-person unit that supports clinical trials and medical research for the VA system.

On customer focus:

“An organization cannot serve its external customers in an exemplary fashion unless its infrastructure serves its internal customers in the same manner.

On leadership:

“We expect everyone to be a leader.”

On why the VA CSP uses Baldrige:

“The Baldrige Criteria has made us go from a good organization to a great organization.”

~~~~~~

Mark Laney, CEO and President of Heartland Health, a regional healthcare system in St. Joseph, Missouri that serves four states.

On the importance of customer focus:

“Our leadership model is centered around one thing: who we serve.  Our vision, mission, and strategies are guided by the voice of the customer…Everything that we do involves listening to our customers – both internally with our caregivers and externally with the community we serve…Our voice of the customer tools are the foundation for performance improvement, and are used in our strategic planning process.”

On workforce engagement:

“One thing holds true, no matter what: nothing is possible without the right people.  At Heartland, you don’t have to be nurse or a physician to provide the best and safest care, because it takes every department, every employee, every board member, every volunteer – at Heartland, everyone is a caregiver.”

On a leader’s role:

“As a leader, I clearly define my expectations; I ensure our caregivers have the tools to be successful; and I encourage everyone who works at Heartland to be an innovative problem solver.  That goes way beyond just being a hospital.  Heartland Health is truly revolutionizing the way we do healthcare.  We believe that an organization can only be as strong as the community…so we are finding unique, innovative ways to achieve our ultimate goal: to improve the health of the community.”

On the journey to performance excellence:

“My philosophy is this is just the beginning, because the journey is never over.  We constantly shoot for the top decile in performance.  In order to achieve this goal, we aggressive use benchmarking as the foundation of our improvement…if you stand still, competitors will pass you by…Success comes from having deep passion with outstanding processes.”

On balancing stakeholder needs:

“Balance process and customer relationships.  Process plus passion equals a champion.  Seek first to understand; listen and learn.  It will keep you focused on doing the right thing at the right time.”

On being transparent:

“Relentless pursuit of transparency builds trust and loyalty – be open and be honest.”

On the importance of collaboration:

“It takes a team.  No organization can survive without its partners; executives cannot survive without staff; physicians cannot survive without nurses; hospitals cannot survive without physicians; and communities cannot survive without healthcare providers.  Work together for a common goal.  All great things are accomplished by a team.”

~~~~~~

I couldn’t have said it better myself…

Yours in Improvement,

Brian S. Lassiter

President, Minnesota Council for Quality

Are you interested in learning from and networking with organizations on the journey to performance excellence?  Would your organization benefit from hearing how businesses, healthcare providers, schools, and governmental agencies are integrating Baldrige, Six Sigma, Lean, Scorecard, and other tools to improve outcomes and results during these tough times?

You are cordially invited to the 19th Annual Minnesota Quality Award recognition, celebration, and learning event Tuesday, May 18.  Come learn and network with organizations on their journey to excellence -- organizations from all sectors and of all sizes.  Hear from 13 organizations how they use a variety of improvement techniques to improve customer satisfaction, workforce engagement, financial/budgetary results, product/service/academic/healthcare outcomes, and process/operations results. 

The evening celebration will recognize the Minnesota Quality Award recipient organizations, thank our volunteers, and facilitate networking with leaders interested in continuous improvement, sustainability, and performance excellence.  The program will also feature Craig Luzinski, Chief Nursing Officer at Poudre Valley Health System (Colorado) and Brenda Clark, Associate Superintendent of Learning at Iredell Statesville Schools (N Carolina), both 2008 recipients of the Baldrige Award.

The half-day event will include the following:

• a luncheon, featuring a keynote address by Larry Potterfield, CEO of MidwayUSA (a small manufacturer from Missouri and recipient of the 2009 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award).  Governor Pawlenty also invited.
• an afternoon of four tracks of break-out workshops, featuring 12 organizations focusing on some aspect of how they improve outcomes and processes.  Organizational presenters include Albert Lea Medical Center, Austin Medical Center, Benedictine Health System, Cardinal of Minnesota, Dover-Eyota Schools, Iredell Statesville Schools (N. Carolina), MidwayUSA (Missouri), Minneapolis VA Medical Center, Rochester Community & Technical College, State of Minnesota’s Dept of Human Services (Chemical & Mental Health Services), University of Wisconsin at Stout, and Workforce Development Inc.; and
• an evening reception and celebration, featuring keynote addresses by Craig Luzinski, Chief Nursing Officer at Poudre Valley Health System (Colorado) and Brenda Clark, Associate Superintendent of Learning at Iredell Statesville Schools (North Carolina), both 2008 recipients of the Baldrige Award.  The evening will also recognize the nine 2009 MN Quality Award recipient organizations, will thank our Board of Evaluators and other key volunteers, and will promote networking with leaders and professionals interested in performance excellence.

The event will be held at Landmark Center in St. Paul, and we expect 300+ leaders and professionals to attend.  The event is open to the public – to anyone interested in continuous improvement and performance excellence.

Register today and spread the word within your organization!

The Council would like to thank its sponsors for this event: 3M, Segate, and University of Phoenix (all Gold); Aveda Corp, Children’s Hospitals & Clinics of Minnesota, Mayo Health System, Olmsted Medical Center, Padilla Speer Beardsley, and Strategic Improvement Systems (all Silver); Cargill Business Excellence, Cargill Kitchen Solutions, CCStpa, Hoglund Coaching, Manpower, Memorial Blood Centers, Minnesota Healthcare Quality Professionals, Pillsbury United Communities, Satisfaction Management Systems, Stratis Health, UW-Stout (all Bronze) for their generous contribution to our mission of advancing excellence in Minnesota.  If your organization is interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities, please email brian.lassiter@councilforquality.org.

Are you interested in learning more about what makes organizations successful?  Are you interested in helping other organizations -- such as schools, hospitals, non-profits, and businesses -- around the state improve their performance?  Would you be interested in networking, learning, and sharing with others who feel the same way?

The Minnesota Council for Quality is seeking candidates for the 2010 Minnesota Quality Award Board of Evaluators.  The second of three training sessions in 2010 is June 22-24 in Rochester.

There are many benefits to becoming an Evaluator, such as:

• strengthening your understanding of what drives organizational excellence (the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence represent a validated set of best practices for organizational excellence, and can be useful for improving any organization’s performance) – and the 2010 Criteria represent significant changes, especially in terms of customer focus/engagement, core competencies, and sustainability/social responsibility;
• networking with influential leaders and professionals (this year’s Board of Evaluators will include about 150 leaders from around the state – executives, middle managers, surgeons and physicians, superintendents and school teachers, non-profit and public sector leaders, quality professionals, and consultants);
• seeing “best practices” deployed within another organization – knowledge that you could use back at your organization and/or in your career, helping organizations throughout the state – many of them schools, health care providers, non-profits, public sector agencies, and certainly businesses – improve their performance…simply get better at what they do; and
• developing a set of other professional skills that may help you advance your career – skills such as consensus- and team-building, written communication, verbal communication and interpersonal skills, interviewing, analysis, and systems thinking.

Most Evaluators consider the experience to be among the most valuable of their careers.  In fact, many have claimed that the experience and knowledge gained from this process rivals getting an MBA or advanced business degree.

Furthermore, Evaluators can earn college (undergrad and post-grad) credit for participating in training.  For interested Evaluators, the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin-Stout both offer three (3) hours of credit in partnership with the Minnesota Council for Quality.

Applications for new Evaluators are due May 28.  Applications for returning Evaluators (which only require updates from your most recent application) are due June 11.

In addition to the full training June 22-24, new Evaluators are also required to attend a one-day orientation (either June 3, 8, or 9 – you choose, and all in the Rochester).

“We would like to recognize 68 members who have become or renewed their membership in the first quarter of 2010,” says Brian Lassiter, president of the Council.  “As we begin to emerge from this recession, organizations and individuals are growing more serious about continuous improvement and performance excellence.  Their contributions support our mission of excellence in Minnesota, and are an investment in their own futures because of the resources and support we provide for those interested in improvement.”

In particular, the Council would like to recognize Fairview Health System and the Minneapolis VA Medical Center for renewing their Sponsoring Membership.  “As our largest members,” says Lassiter, “Sponsoring Members not only receive the same benefits as all members, but their contribution also helps support the work we do with K-12 school districts, non-profits, and other organizations who do not have as many resources to invest in their improvement efforts.  We thank these organizations for their contribution and support.”

These individuals and organizations became members last quarter (asterisks indicate renewal members):

Ability Building Center, Inc., Rochester, MN*

Acceleren Consulting, Minneapolis, MN*

Alvin E. Benike, Inc., Rochester, MN*

Andrews, Tim, Apple Valley, MN*

Ball, Chene, Woodbury, MN

Beacon Quality Services LLC, Faribault, MN

Bear, Bruce, St. Paul, MN

Bellcomb, New Hope, MN*

Better Business Results LLC, Minneapolis, MN*

Business Architecture, Inc., Stillwater, MN*

Cardinal of Minnesota, Rochester, MN*

Clear Vision Consulting, Inc., Rochester, MN*

éclat, Duluth, MN

ELCA Board of Pensions, Minneapolis, MN*

Express Employment Professions (Express Personnel), Rochester, MN*

Fairview Health Services, Minneapolis, MN*

Forthright, St. Louis Park, MN*

Gauthier Industries, Rochester, MN*

Goulet, Gerard, Rochester, MN*

Gromala, Karen, St. Paul, MN*

Hampton Inn Rochester, Rochester, MN*

Hitachi, Rochester, MN*

Hoisington, Steve, Willowbrook, IL*

Holden, Janel, Edina, MN

Ikonics Corporation, Duluth, MN*

Insight Fusion, Inc., Minneapolis, MN*

Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI), Bloomington, MN*

Ladwig, Patrick, Minneapolis, MN*

Lanz, Mark, Edina, MN*

Lifeworks Services, Inc., Eagan, MN*

Link, Sue, Mounds View, MN*

Makela Performance Inc., Bloomington, MN*

Mate Precision Tooling, Anoka, MN*

Mazzuco, Linda, Andover, MN*

ME Elecmetal Duluth, Duluth, MN

Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Workforce Development, Cont Ed, Cust Training (MCTC), Minneapolis, MN*

Minneapolis Veteran's Administration (VA) Medical Center & Clinics, Minneapolis, MN*

Minnesota VHA, Edina MN

Murphy Warehouse Co., Minneapolis, MN*

Nelson, Mary Ann, Minneapolis, MN*

Normandale Community College, Center for Applied Learning, Bloomington, MN*

Novus Via Consulting, St. Paul, MN*

Olmsted County, Rochester, MN

Olmsted Medical Center, Rochester, MN*

Out of the Woods Consulting, Sartell, MN

Peterson, Nancy, Dodge Center, MN*

Robertson, Scott, Rochester, MN*

Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce, Rochester, MN*

Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC), Rochester, MN*

Rochester Post-Bulletin, Rochester, MN*

Rochester Public Utilities (RPU), Rochester, MN*

Satisfaction Management Systems, Inc., Eden Prairie, MN*

Siiro, Craig, Bloomington, MN

Solutia Consulting, Stillwater, MN*

Sommer, Robin, Rochester, MN*

State of Minnesota, Dept of Administration Commissioner's Office, St. Paul, MN*

Strategy Management, Park Rapids, MN*

Tiny Green Cabins

TruthPoint, Eden Prairie, MN*

University of Minnesota, Facilities Management, Minneapolis, MN*

University of Phoenix, St. Louis Park, MN*

University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI*

US Bank, Client Services Group, St. Paul, MN*

Visuell, LLC, Minneapolis, MN*

Wiseleader, Minneapolis MN*

Woodburn Group, Minneapolis, MN*

Workforce Development, Inc., Rochester, MN*

We thank all members for their support.  As of December 31, the Council represents a growing community of nearly 325 members representing over 150,000 employees.  A complete list of members is available at http://www.councilforquality.org/member.cfm.

Why should you or your organization consider membership?  There are many reasons. Your or your organization receives:

* recognition (in this newsletter, in press releases, on the website, and with a certificate/letter);

* discounts to Council services (Evaluator training, organization assessments);

* access to Council services (Clearinghouse, Consultant Referral Network, and free admission to Performance Improvement Network discussions); and

* discounts to our partners’ services (other improvement-related non-profits, universities/colleges, and professional/trade associations).

Imagination and curiosity leads to innovation and creativity, which then leads to organizational success and profitability.  Businesses oftentimes fail not because of a lack of resources, but because of a lack of resourcefulness -- and imagination is at the heart of resourcefulness, creativity and innovation. 

The Minnesota Council for Quality is pleased to welcome Dr. John Persico and Peg Peck-Chapman, both partners of the MN Consulting Alliance, to our May 6 program: "Strategic Imagination: From Imagination to Success."  John and Peg will discuss the value of imagination in the workplace, will offer methods to enhance imaginative ability, will share tools for innovation and creativity, will discuss roadblocks and barriers of imagination and curiosity, and will explore how to match strategic imagination to concrete projects and problems that we all face.

Most employees learned to be productive, and to follow rules, policies and procedures.  However, imagination is unfettered by rules, policies and procedures.  An organization who wants to excel in productivity will help its employees be more imaginative and creative.

We thank our partner, TeamWorks International, for their support of this session, helping us to keep it free for members.

The discussion is from 8:00-9:00 a.m. on May 6 (networking and continental breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m.) at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC), 1501 Hennepin (15th and Hennepin), downtown Minneapolis, Room L3000 (Wheelock-Whitney Library). 

Admission to PIN is FREE for Council members; $15 for partner organizations; $30 for the public.

Many know that 3M's success was based on systematically generating innovative ideas that bring customer solutions.  Several years ago, 3M began using process tools -- first Six Sigma, then Lean Six Sigma -- to optimize process performance.  Today, 3M is attempting to blend its innovative strength with its process management strength; specifically, 3M is now integrating Value Stream Mapping with its Six Sigma effort.  The result is hoped to accelerate the value 3M brings to its customers.

The Minnesota Council for Quality is pleased to welcome Bob Mitchell, 3M Corporate Quality Lean Six Sigma Ops Manager, to our May 12 program: "Getting Results Faster: 3M's Lean Six Sigma Effort."

Bob will discuss 3M Corporate Quality's goals around accelerating healthy growth, achieving operational excellence, and promoting engaged employees.  He will show how their various quality methods -- Lean Enterprise, Quality Management Systems, Design for Six Sigma, and Six Sigma DMAIC fit together into a comprehensive improvement system at 3M.  And specifically, he will show how Value Stream Mapping -- a key component of Lean -- aligns with 3M's Six Sigma effort.

We thank our partner, Metropolitan State University, for their support of this session, helping us to keep it free for members.

The discussion is from 8:00-9:00 a.m. on May 12 (networking and continental breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m.) at Metro State University, 700 E 7th Street, downtown St. Paul. 

Admission to PIN is FREE for Council members; $15 for partner organizations; $30 for the public.

What would be the impact on your time, focus, and productivity if your best employees decided to leave tomorrow? Today, the best and brightest workers are looking for organizations that know how to support and nurture highly engaged, fully committed workers. In fact, recent surveys have found that over 50% of highly engaged workers will be looking for new positions after the current recession lifts. The reality is that most managers spend over 80% of their time with the least engaged employees while their most engaged people are left alone to do the bulk of the work. Engaged workers need engaged managers.

So, how do you stop your top performers from leaving? And more importantly, how do you support their desire to have an impassioned work life that has meaning and purpose?

The Rochester Area Quality Council, an affiliate of the Minnesota Council for Quality, is pleased to announce their May 4 program “How to Lead Engaged Workers."  The session will be led by Jack Mateffy, principal of PassionWerx, a Twin Cities-based company that has developed a unique way of helping leaders and professionals (and individuals in general) find their passion.

Jack will show you how to keep and support your best and brightest people -- the people you can’t afford to lose.  PassionWerx has unique process -- involving playing cards that include dozens of factors that drive professional and personal passion -- which helps people identify what really gives them passion.  This session will help participants identify their own passions, which can lead to increased engagement at work, at home, and in everyday life.  It can also lead to insights that improve your workers' engagement.  

We thank our session sponsor, Rochester Community & Technical College, for their support of this session, helping us to keep it free for members.

The session is scheduled for May 4.  The session is May 4 from 7:30-9:00 AM at RCTC.

The Minnesota Council for Quality is pleased to welcome Nathan Bentley of Bentleyville Tour of Lights to our May 25 (note fourth Tuesday!) Twin Ports Performance Excellence Network.  Nathan will share how he manages the complexity of putting on the annual Bentleyville Tour of Lights display in downtown Duluth.

Once started at Bentley’s Cloquet-area home, the non-profit Bentleyville now draws between 150,000-200,000 visitors over 36 days between Thanksgiving and New Years.   The community mission of this event is to raise non-perishable food items and new unwrapped toys for families in need. Bentleyville Tour of Lights is an official drop off site for the Salvation Army.  But pulling off this annual event – complete with thousands of lights and displays, Santa, a Polar Popcorn Igloo, a Cookie House, Marshmallow Station, Gumdrop Station, and entertainment, hundreds of volunteers, and hundreds of thousands of guests – is complex to manage.  Come hear how Nathan and his team manage this project every year – insights that could apply to any organization.

The session is from 7:30-9:00 a.m. on May 25 (networking and continental breakfast begin at 7:00 a.m.) at a place TBD.  Admission to TPPEN is FREE for Council members and guests ($20 for non-members).

All Council members are invited to a luncheon information session to learn more about our newest service in 2010: professional roundtables.  An information luncheon will be May 10 in St. Louis Park.

Last year based on Council member suggestions, we began exploring the possibility of creating some affinity groups to help improvement-related leaders and professionals learn from their peers.  After focus groups, we have designed a service that will facilitate actual peer problem solving, the exchange of ideas and best practices, and deep networking (much deeper than our PIN format).  These small, invitation-only forums are designed for leaders who are short on time but long on experience.  The purpose is to accelerate performance and improvement within participants’ organizations and to facilitate professional and personal growth in a safe, open, confidential environment. Specifically, the goals of these roundtables are to:

• Share ideas, solutions across organizations
• Solve real business problems in a collaborative format
• Explore best practices from regional and national experts
• Enhance leadership skills and build long-term relationships with like-minded individuals
• Promote value beyond your investment of time/money: provide a measurable ROI

There are similar roundtable concepts for business owners and CEOs; however, there are not many that focus on quality leaders and/or middle management.  We believe that this concept will have deep value for many Minnesota organizations, and we invite you to learn more about the concept.

The Minnesota Business Ethics Award recognizes Minnesota businesses that have exemplified and promoted ethical conduct for the benefit of the workplace, the marketplace, the environment and the community.  It was founded in 1999, by the Center for Ethical Business Cultures and the Minnesota Chapters of the Society of Financial Service Professionals.

Come hear the stories of Minnesota organizations that are promoting ethical behavior in their cultures.  Attend the 2010 MBEA recognition lunch May 19.  Check in at 11:30, luncheon/awards from 12:00-1:30 at the Doubletree Hotel Minneapolis Park Place, 1500 Park Place Boulevard, St. Louis Park.  Cost is $45.

This conference will provide keen insight on the critical qualities of an effective performance management program – employee engagement and effective use of measurement.  Done well, organizations enhance their ability to deliver positive results to the bottom line or demonstrate positive outcomes to constituents and taxpayers.

According to the American Strategic Management Institute, “In this challenging economic landscape, organizations must develop and execute innovative strategies to survive and thrive.”  By instituting a performance management program, companies and organizations become more agile. Three nationally renowned keynote speakers will deliver high-impact knowledge on organizational performance management strategy for leaders from all industry sectors including nonprofits, governmental entities and for-profit companies.

Speakers include Bob Kelleher (founder and CEO of The Employee Engagement Group), Dean Spitzer (President of Dean R. Spitzer & Associates), and Roy Barnes (Sr. Vice President of Customer Experience Development for Marriott International -Marriott Vacation Club International). 

The conference is Wednesday, May 19 at the Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato.  Early bird registration fee is $279 through April 20.  After April 20, the fee is $299.  Groups of two or more from an organization or company may receive a discount, and Council members are eligible for a 15% discount (enter code perf2010 when registering).

For more information or to register, visit http://www.organizationalperformanceconference.com/ or email Lou Dickmeyer at ldickmeyer@pdpsolutions.com.

The Association for Strategic Planning-Minnesota Chapter, an alliance partner of the MN Council for Quality, is pleased to announce its next meeting: “Manage your Mission and Grow.”  The session is facilitated by Sam Zordich, president of RAI Stone Group.

You’ve helped your clients cut the waste out of operations, brought expenses in line with sales, and refined their value proposition to meet the requirements in this new economy. They’re ready to move forward...but how? How do you help them grow if they’ve done everything they can to cut costs but sales are just not happening fast enough to generate the cash to grow?

The survivors you’re working with in this economy are between a rock and a hard spot. They have tapped their resources and are unsure of what their choices are to move forward. We will show you how to apply your strategic expertise to bring certainty back.

 In Manage Your Mission and Grow, you’ll gain these valuable insights:

* Why so many programs only reap short-term gains

* How to monetize values

* Where growth opportunities may be hidden in financial statements

* The distinction between improvement activities and growth activities

* Prioritizing payoffs and tradeoffs.

The MNODN, an affiliate partner of the MN Council for Quality, is pleased to announce a special event May 18: “10 Systems Strategies to Offset Toxic, Uncivil Behaviors: How OD Can Increase Respectful Engagement and the Bottom Line.”  The session will be facilitated by Dr. Mitchell Kusy and Dr. Elizabeth Holloway.

Control freaks, narcissists, manipulators, bullies, prima donnas, and stars who get away with tyranny. Like a disease, these individuals spread negativity throughout the workplace and rob the organization of financial resources.  Getting rid of them isn’t as easy as declaring “you’re fired.”  Often, as clever chameleons who “kiss up” and “kick down,” they can disguise their infectiously bad natures. Until now!

According to Kusy & Holloway’s massive, national two-year study of over 400 individuals from government, corporations, and the nonprofit worlds:

•       94% of us work with a toxic person!

•       92% rate their pain from 7 to 10 on a 1 to 10 scale!

•       Almost 50% said their pain was 9-10 ranging from intense irritation to full-blown cardiac arrests!

•       According to one of the respondents in their study: “The day this person left is an annual holiday!”

Other researchers have found:

•       12% of targets of incivility quit: 68% are less productive; 78% have less organizational commitment!

•       The cost of recruiting your productive staff who quit ranges from 1.5 to 3 times their salary!

Kusy & Holloway’s research found that traditional strategies for handling toxic personalities often fail.  It’s simply not enough to reduce interactions with them, take away their responsibilities, exclude them from important decision-making, restructure, or focus on giving them feedback (feedback in and of itself is largely doomed to failure!).

Consider attending the workhop May 18 8:30am to 5:00 PM at University of St. Thomas, Mpls Campus (TMH 252).  Early bird rate (May 4) is $305 for MNODN members ($345 for non).  For more information or to register, visit http://www.mnodn.org/.

Enterprise Minnesota, a partner of the MN Council for Quality, is pleased to announce their next upcoming event: “How to Plan to Export.”  The session is April 28 in the Twin Cities.

In addition, Enterprise Minnesota will host the following other programs:

April 28: How to Plan to Export, Twin Cities

May 20: The Next Generation of Lean – Business Growth, Twin Cities

June 16: Business Benefits of Quality Certification, Twin Cities

July 21: Sales Growth Solutions for Effective Business Development, Bloomington

Aug 18: Lean Office: Implemeting Efficiency Processes in Any Office, Twin Cities

Strategic Organizational Planning: Methods to Grow Your Business, Twin Cities

The Minnesota Chapter of Project Management Institute (PMI), an alliance partner of the Council, is pleased to announce its next breakfast session: “Is Your Organization Project Capable? – Assessing Organizational Readiness.”  The session will be held May 11, and will be facilitated by Stevie Peterson, PMP and an independent consultant, trainer, and speaker specializing in the areas of organizational transformation, program/project leadership, and process design/improvement..    

Strategic projects may require personnel to perform, think about, and/or measure their work differently than they do today. Therefore, strategic project success (or failure) is dependent upon the personnel and the organization's ability to change.

You've heard the buzz terms Organizational Transformation, Organizational Change, and Organizational Development. Research tells us that the most difficult part of realizing project and program benefits is to lessen resistance and "get the people on board." But how do you quickly and practically assess the organization's ability to change so that you can craft an effective organizational change plan?

This interactive seminar will provide practical tools to rapidly assess the organization's ability to change. Tools include:

• Impact Analysis
• Stakeholder Analysis
• Force Field Analysis
• Site/Function Surveys

Participants will receive a copy of the presentation as well as templates for the tools for reference.

The Minnesota Section of ASQ, an alliance partner of the MN Council for Quality, is pleased to announce its next monthly program: “Chairs Night” on May 11.  The evening includes a dinner cruise down the beautiful St. Croix River, while enjoying the music of The Emperors of Jazz.

Boarding starts at 5:30 and the board departs at 6:00.  Cost is $25 ($20 for MCQ members as partners).  For more information or to register, visit http://www.mnasq.org.

In addition, ASQ is pleased to announce the following certification courses:

April 28-June 2: Certified Quality Auditor, $470

May 13-June 3: Certified Quality Improvement Associate, $330

The MN Healthcare Quality Professionals, an alliance partner of the MN Council for Quality, is pleased to host a (free) monthly webinar seminar series.  The series, hosted by MHQP and HealthForce Minnesota, is a monthly "quality in the trenches" brownbag education series.  The objective of these sessions is to provide a healthcare quality "survey course" using selected materials from the National Association of Healthcare Quality (NAHQ)'s Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) preparation materials. 

Upcoming webinars include (over the lunch hour):

4/22        Panel: Rapid Cycle / Continuous Improvement

5/27        Panel: FMEA Best Practices

6/24        Panel: Hardwiring Core Measures in EHR’s

The intended audience includes healthcare quality professionals who want a re-grounding in the breadth of their profession, and clinicians who want to learn more to become champions of change.  MHQP especially wants to reach out to healthcare professionals in rural/outstate Minnesota who don't get many quality education opportunities.

South Central College is pleased to announce their fall quality and performance improvement curriculum.  Council members are entitled to a 10% discount.

The following courses will be held at the Faribault campus (prices before member discount):

4/27-5/25/10, Certified Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA) Review, 6-9p, $250

4/28-5/26/10, Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) Review, 5:30-8:30p, $250

5/4-5/5/10, Introduction to Quality, 8a-4:30p, $445

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Normandale Community College, an alliance partner of the Council, is pleased to announce upcoming winter programs.  Council members receive a 15% discount.  The programs are as follows (before discount):

5/3-5/25 Six Sigma Green Belt for Healthcare Certificate Class, $3355

The Universty of Minnesota’s College of Continuing Education, an alliance partner of the Council, is pleased to announce their winter/spring improvement and business courses.  Council members receive a 10% discount on all CCE courses.

04/27, High Impact Presentations, $395

04/30, Project Management and Chaos Theory, $395

05/01, Certified Internal Auditors (CIA) Test Prep – Part 4, $395

05/04, Performance Management Process, $395

05/04, Enterprise Process Management, $995

05/05, Managing Performance and Developing Talent, $395

05/05, Strategic Planning and Measurement, $750

05/05, Data and Process Modeling, $750

05/05, Verbal and Nonverbal Communication, $395

05/07, Project Management for IT Professionals, $395

05/11, Handling People with Tact and Diplomacy, $395

05/11, Successful Manager’s Leadership Program, $2995

05/14, Project Management and New Product Development, $395

05/18, Employee and Labor Relations, $395

05/19, Improving Work Processes, $395

05/20, Advanced Editing and Proofreading Strategies, $395

05/20, Advanced Creative Training Techniques, $495

05/20, Integrated Management, $395

05/21, Project Execution, $395

05/25, Exercising Organizational Influence, $395

06/01, Organizational Training and Development, $395

06/04, Project Control and Closure, $395

06/08, Verbal and Nonverbal Communication, $395

06/10, Legal Issues for Managers and Supervisors, $395

06/10, Coaching for Excellence, $395

06/11, Applied Project Management, $395

06/15, Business Acumen for Human Resource Professionals, $395

06/16, Creative Training Techniques, $1485

06/17, Writing for the Web, $395

06/18, Business Acumen for Technical Professionals, $395

06/22, Strategic Human Resource Planning, $395

06/23, Leading Through Change, $395

06/25, Project Procurement Management, $395

The University of St. Thomas’ Executive Education and Professional Development, a partner of the MN Council for Quality, is pleased to announce the following upcoming programs:

6/7 – 6/17/2010 Six Sigma Green Belt Certificate, $3795

6/14 – 6/18, 2010 Mini Master of the Lean Enterprise, $2,495

Also, coming in the fall of 2010: Mini MBA for Technical Professionals and Mini Master of Supply Chain Management.