Recently, our marketing system faced a challenge when one of our interns accidentally sent over a thousand emails to customers when he only intended to send one. This mistake could have resulted in significant damage to our company's reputation and customer trust. However, instead of simply blaming the intern for the mistake, we took a step back and examined our marketing system using a combination of Deming and Lean principles.

Firstly, we identified that our instructions lacked clarity and that our software needed better safeguards. After a thorough review of the marketing system, we realized that the intern missed a critical step while sending the email, which led to the mistake. The instructions failed to mention that the intern should check if the software was set to send the email to all subscribers instead of just the intended recipient. Additionally, our software didn't have adequate safeguards in place to prevent such a mistake from happening.

Next, we applied Deming's...

Are you looking to improve your team’s productivity and achieve better results? Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) can be a powerful tool to help you align your goals and focus your efforts. However, creating effective OKRs can be challenging, especially if you’re new to the process. In this article, we’ll share our top 10 dos and don’ts for creating successful OKRs. By following these guidelines, you can create goals that are clear, specific, measurable, and motivating, and help your team achieve its full potential.

Here is a list of OKR dos and don’ts to help you create effective Objectives and Key Results: 

Dos: 

1. DO align your OKRs with your company’s mission and strategy
2. DO make sure that your Objectives are clear, specific, and challenging
3. DO ensure that your Key Results are measurable, specific, and attainable
4. DO prioritize your Objectives and Key Results based on importance and urgency
5. DO regularly track your progress and update...

You’d think with all the complaining one hears about email that someone would ask for help in managing their inbox.  But they don’t. There are several reasons why people don’t search for or are uninterested in a solution for managing their email better.  Here are five of them. 

1. Habits and Comfort: Some people may have been using Outlook for years and are comfortable with the way it works, making them resistant to change.
   
   
2. Lack of Awareness: Many people may not be aware of alternative email management methods or tools that could improve their workflow in Outlook.
   
   
3. Underestimation of the Problem: Some individuals may not fully realize the impact that poor email management can have on their productivity, so they don’t feel the need to change their approach.
   
   
4. Fear of Change: Adopting a new method for managing email can be intimidating, especially for those who are already overwhelmed by their inbox.
   
   
5. Overreliance on Default Tools:...

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that being productive means getting a lot of email done. Many of us spend hours every day responding to emails, sorting through our inbox, and sending out quick replies just to clear the backlog. But what if all that time spent on email is actually making us less productive in the long run? 

The truth is, not all emails are created equal. Some are easy to deal with and require a quick response, while others require more thought and consideration. The problem is that we often prioritize the easy emails over the important ones, thinking that we’re being productive by clearing our inbox as quickly as possible. 

The reality is that focusing on the easy emails is a form of procrastination. It’s easier to deal with the emails that require a quick response than to tackle the more complex ones that require more time and effort. But by doing so, we’re neglecting the emails that are actually important and need...