Lisa Sharp

New Challenge!

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:11:31 +0000

One of the fun things about being an Army Family is that you get to move – a LOT! And, in our case, you get to move all over the place. Every house is a new organizational challenge.

This house is no exception. The problem is, as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, I really have no excuse other than the children. So I’ll be taking on a new challenge over the next few days (with! pictures!). I’m going to organize my house by applying Lean Six Sigma Methods – 5S, Visual Controls, etc.

My goal is to spend 60-90 minutes in one area every day on a 5S activity and photograph it when I am done as the visual control piece. The visual controls will hopefully serve as checks for the children on whether their chores are done well enough. Wish me Luck!

LEAN Warriors

admin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:45:58 +0000

Just finished up Villanova’s excellent Lean Six Sigma Black Belt course. One of the things, though, that mystifies me about the whole Lean Six Sigma movement is its partial deference to Japanese tradition. Adopting the Green Belt/ Black Belt titles and, more recently, I’ve seen the title Lean Sensei. Sensei means “teacher”. My belief is that those of us with Lean Six Sigma expertise must also be doers and leaders. For me, I’m going with Lean Warrior. I’m choosing to start today to strap on the waste cutting sword and focus on true value creation not only professionally but personally. Who’s in?

Get Creative

admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:47:34 +0000

I have been put in charge (again, like always) of the Family Readiness Group for 1SG’s Reserve unit. Actually, the entire battalion, not just HHD. Nice huh?

Maybe you don’t know what FRGs do but in a nutshell they’re designed to get families connected and provide resources and information related to the Army, Army Reserve, Benefits, Entitlements, blah, blah blah… It’s a great concept. I think an FRG can be a very good thing. I’ve just never seen it. Hopefully this one will break the mold.

Part of our task as an FRG is to stage events like a Christmas Party and a summer family picnic which takes money. Potentially, it takes lots of money. The problem lies in our fundraising constraints. The rule says that any and all FRG fundraising must be within and among the members of the FRG. We have to keep putting our hand in the same set of pockets if you will. We can’t do bake sales or soup lunches either unless the food is all cooked in the Reserve Center. Asking for outside donations is also out. We can accept them, but we can’t ask for them. Makes total sense, right? Because we all know donors crawl out of the woodwork ALL THE TIME.

So what I am asking from you is for some unique, fun and successful fundraising suggestions. What have groups you’ve been involved with done in the past? I will reward any suggestions we actually use with a $5.00 Starbucks card.

The Lost Art of Customer Service

admin — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 17:10:15 +0000

In spite of all the books, blogs, seminars, think tanks, etc., good customer service is a dying art. Internal and external customers everywhere lament the prevalence of poor customer service and yet, it never seems to change. In the face of economic pressures, the mom and pops known for service and knowledge fall by the wayside in favor of the big box, low think, no service retailer, restaurant, etc. Every kind of business has a giant but how many of those giants are known for price, selection AND service? I can’t think of one.

Service businesses are surprisingly the worst. Public services in particular. I can’t help but wonder how efficiencies could be improved and funds stretched further with some common sense approaches and some customer-focused process redesign. That, dear friends, is the focus of this blog for the next few posts. Join me won’t you?

Welcome!

admin — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:41:56 +0000

My name is Lisa Sharp and I’m really excited to be launching this website. My background is in marketing, technology and developing simple solutions for individuals and for businesses of all sizes that help them succeed. This site will feature my portfolio and various tips to help you with your branding and business problems. It’s not just another marketing advice blog. I’m here for you. Ask and you shall receive information that is beneficial to you. I promise to respond to e-mails and questions posted in the comments. Thanks for reading!