On My Mind
I’m always energized during and after the Annual Advanced Strategic Improvement Practices (ASIP) Conference—which was held October 19, 2023 at the Hazeltine National Golf Club—and this year was no exception. “Thank you!” to all who attended and to the following presenters (in order of their presentation): (1) Leah Voigt Potter and Kathryn Lockie of MN DHS Direct Care & Treatment; (2) Shannon Groen of New Flyer; (3) Dr. Rachna Shah of the Carlson School of Management; (4) Kurt Shaw of New Flyer; (5) Dr. Ralph Bovard – Medical Orienteer; (6) Dr. Janna Kenigsberg of MN DHS Direct Care & Treatment; (7) Ping Honzay of the MN Landscape Arboretum; (8) Adam Dickinson of IBM; (9) Dr. Erika Rivers of Wilderness Inquiry; and (10) Vern Campbell of the University of Manitoba and Process Management. Also . . . a big “Thank you!” to the Hazeltine National Golf Club staff – the service was exceptional! The 16th Annual ASIP Conference will be held October of 2024 – I hope you can attend!

Interesting Stories
My presentation at the ASIP Conference was on Dr. W. Edwards Deming who passed away thirty years ago this year. He had a profound influence on my life and career. I recently spent time reviewing my personal notes and his larger body of work in creating my conference presentation. His two classic books—“Out of the Crisis” and “The New Economics”—are must reads. Here are my favorite quotes of Dr. Deming: (1) “How do you know?” (2) “How do I know? Because I was there!” (3) “Planning requires prediction.” (4) “Where do you want to be in five years? By what method?” (5) “New knowledge modifies existing knowledge.” (6) “Everyone doing their best is not enough.” and (7) “That’ll do it!” Those quotes have resonated with me over the years and I doubt I’ll forget them. I first met Dr. Deming in 1987 when I was a Statistical Consultant for Process Management International. He inspired me to learn more theory and I sought his advice when searching for a doctoral program – he recommended that I study with Dr. George E. P. Box at the University of Wisconsin-Madison which I did. If you want to learn more about the life and work of Dr. Deming, then check out his two classic books and search for videos on YouTube.

Company News
I was honored to present on “Enhancing Horizontal Interaction for System Improvement” at the Minnesota ASQ Annual Quality Conference on October 10, 2023 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The attendance at my presentation was strong even though I was competing against the Minnesota Twins baseball playoff game. I will be presenting on the topic, “1987-1997: A Golden Age of Quality & Lessons for Today” at the ASQ Madison, WI Section meeting on Zoom on November 14, 2023. There are several public SIS learning opportunities on the horizon: the Strategy Tools Zoom webinar will be held November 21, 2023; the Strategic Improvement Yellow Belt Zoom course will be held November 28, 2023; the Performance Scorecards Zoom webinar will be held December 13, 2023; the Strategic Improvement Green Belt hybrid course starts January 9, 2024; and the Strategic Improvement Black Belt hybrid course starts January 17, 2024. The brochures are available on the PUBLIC SEMINARS page of this website.

Intriguing Reads
The book, “Kaizen Advantage: Best Practices for Competitive Companies” by Dr. Hiroshi Osada is an excellent resource for anyone tasked with improving organizational performance from a strategic perspective. I especially liked the descriptions of the two types of QC Story—Problem Solving and Task Achieving. Also, the twelve case studies were well-presented and informative.

On My Mind
AI has been on my mind and seemingly everyone else’s mind. The AI hype cycle is in full swing – it reminds me of the hype cycles for TQM, Six Sigma, the Internet, Lean, Big Data, Agile, Bitcoin, and numerous others. AI—which is not new—has reached the hype cycle stage where “every organization is doing AI” and yet there does not appear to be a commonly shared definition of AI. One unique aspect of AI relative to some of the others is the expressed potential risks of AI which include the replacement of humans with machines at work, machines taking over the world, and AI being used for sinister purposes. AI is a technology that shows much promise in making organizations more efficient and effective. There will most likely be more regulations and application restrictions in the next year. It will be fun to look back in ten years to see if AI lived up to all the promises and if some of the dire predictions came true.

Interesting Stories
One of the highlights of my trip to Alaska was a whale sightseeing excursion out of Juneau on Captain Graham’s new boat. The key is to spot a whale’s spout (exhaling of air) or fluke (two lobes of a whale’s tail). We spotted humpback whales within 30 minutes of leaving the marina. The fluke of each humpback whale is unique and they are recorded in a central registry. If you see a fluke, then the whale is most likely going to do a deep dive. We were standing in the back of the boat when we heard a spout immediately behind us – it was from a humpback whale that was right next to our boat. It was unnerving and surreal at the same time. If you are ever in Juneau, then consider spending some time searching for humpback whales. You won’t be disappointed.

Company News
I have two presentations on the horizon – the first will be a presentation on “Enhancing Horizontal Interaction for System Improvement” at the Minnesota ASQ Annual Quality Conference on October 10, 2023 and the second presentation will be on “1987-1997: A Golden Age of Quality & Lessons for Today” for the ASQ Madison, WI Section on Zoom on November 14, 2023. There are several public learning opportunities on the horizon: the Strategic Improvement Black Belt course starts August 29, 2023 and the next Strategic Improvement Green Belt course starts in January of 2024 (dates TBD). Several 60-minute Zoom webinars have also been scheduled: Performance Scorecards on July 18, 2023; Customer Segmentation on August 22, 2023; Analytics Strategy on September 25, 2023; and Scenario Analysis on October 17, 2023. The brochures are available on the PUBLIC SEMINARS page of this website.

Intriguing Reads
The Robb Report publishes a Best of the Best issue each year and this year was the 35th Edition of the Best of the Best. I enjoy this issue each year because it features ultra high-quality items. The featured categories in the 35th Edition include Auto, Style, Watches, Water, Travel, Wine, Jewelry, Dining, Art, Spirits, Real Estate, and Wings. I found the following three items very interesting: (1) the Blue yacht by Lürssen, (2) the Bombardier Global 8000 ultra long-range business jet, and (3) the Artura sports car by McLaren. If you want to see a sampling of ultra high-quality items and want to be inspired, then checkout this Best of the Best issue.

On My Mind
COVID-19 and other emergent events such as supply chain disruptions, the invasion of Ukraine, the collapse of FTX, the rapid rise in inflation, the rapid rise in interest rates, and bank failures have reminded senior executives about the fragility of systems and the importance of risk management. Some risks are known while other risks are unknown—lurking in the background waiting to emerge from the shadows. Leaders of organizations now have a renewed interest in getting better at identifying and evaluating risks and then developing and implementing countermeasures. I recently reread the book The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. If you’d like to learn more about unknown risks, then that is a good book to read.

Interesting Stories
Warren Buffett (age 92) is the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange as BRK.A and BRK.B. His long-time business partner Charlie Munger (99) is the Vice Chairman of the Board of Berkshire Hathaway. Together they have “run” Berkshire Hathaway for several decades. Berkshire Hathaway has its Headquarters in Omaha, NE and has roughly 382,000 employees. I will be attending the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting in Omaha on May 6, 2023. People come from all over the world to learn from Warren and Charlie. It will be held at the CHI Health Center and it will probably be another full-house event again this year. Many of the Berkshire Hathaway operating companies will be showcasing their products and services in the adjoining Exhibit Hall. Warren and Charlie will conduct a Q&A session for several hours on May 6. The questions will be wide-ranging and they will not know the questions in advance. This is quite a phenomenon given their ages. The Annual Meeting will be exclusively livestreamed by CNBC if you would like to watch.

Company News
I started work as an Independent Management Consultant 34 years ago—prior to that I worked for Process Management International as a Statistical Consultant and prior to that I worked as a Regulatory Specialist for Citibank. Time flies! I’ll be an Exhibitor again this year at PENworks 2023 on May 4, 2023. Stop by my table if you are attending the event. There are several public learning opportunities on the horizon: the Basic Data Analysis course will be held on June 28, 2023; the Strategic Improvement Green Belt course starts July 11, 2023; the Strategic Improvement Yellow Belt course will be held on July 20 2023; and the Strategic Improvement Black Belt course starts August 29, 2023. Several 60-minute Zoom webinars have also been scheduled: Visions & Visioning on May 24, 2023; Shaping Organizational Culture on June 20, 2023; Performance Scorecards on July 18, 2023; Customer Segmentation on August 22, 2023; Analytics Strategy on September 25, 2023; and Scenario Analysis on October 17, 2023. The brochures are available on the PUBLIC SEMINARS page of this website.

Intriguing Reads
The Harvard Business Review (HBR) continues to be one of the leading business periodicals. It has a nice balance of theoretical and practical content. The May-June 2023 issue of the HBR has several great articles including How to Create a Stakeholder Strategy by Darrell Rigby, Zach First, and Dunigan O’keeffe; Innovation Doesn’t Have to Be Disruptive by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne; and Analytics for Marketers by Fabrizio Fantini and Das Narayandas. The most recent HBR Special Issue (Spring 2023) on How to Think More Strategically has several great articles including Stress-Test Your Strategy: The 7 Questions to Ask by Robert Simons and How to Make the Most of Your Company’s Strategy by Stephen Bungay.

On My Mind
I’m often asked by young professionals in the Quality Management field which “classic” books I’d recommend they read. My response is typically in the form of my “Mount Rushmore” of four classic Quality Management books: Economic Control of Quality of Manufactured Product by Dr. Walter A. Shewhart; Out of the Crisis by Dr. W. Edwards Deming; Introduction to Quality Control by Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa; and Statistical Methods for Quality Improvement by Dr. Hitoshi Kume (Editor). There are many other books worth the time . . . but those are four excellent books to start. If you are interested in strengthening your Quality Management foundation, then give those books a try.

Interesting Stories
The Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2023 will be held again in Wijk aan Zee (“Vike On Zay”)—a coastal village in the Netherlands—from January 13, 2023 (opening ceremonies) to January 29, 2023. It is the 85th year of the tournament and this annual event typically “kicks-off” the chess world for the new calendar year. I follow the Masters Category every year which this year is comprised of fourteen Grandmasters including Magnus Carlsen of Norway who is the current World Chess Champion. Here are the competitors in the Masters Category in order of ranking: Magnus Carlsen (Norway); Ding Liren (China); Fabiano Caruana (USA); Anish Giri (Netherlands); Wesley So (USA); Richard Rapport (Romania); Levon Aronian (USA); Dommaraju Gukesh (India); Arjun Erigaisi (India); Parham Maghsoodloo (Iran); Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan); Vincent Keymer (Germany); Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (India); and Jorden van Foreest (Netherlands). Each player will play a classical chess game against every other player over thirteen rounds. A classical chess game can last several hours and is often an exhausting ordeal. If you are interested in following the tournament, then watch the live broadcast on Chess.com.

Company News
There are several public learning opportunities on the horizon: the Strategic Improvement Black Belt course starts January 18, 2023; the Strategic Improvement Green Belt course starts February 14, 2023; the Strategic Improvement Master Black Belt course starts March 7, 2023; and the next Analytics Strategy course is scheduled for April 17, 2023. The course brochures are available on the PUBLIC SEMINARS page of this website.

Intriguing Reads
The Deming Prize and Deming Grand Prize are administered by the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) which is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Those awards are recognized as the most prestigious Quality awards in the world. The Deming Prize is the first of the two Quality awards. An organization can apply for the Deming Grand Prize three or more years after it has received the Deming Prize. The Deming Prize and Deming Grand Prize winners are announced by JUSE in the Fall each year. There were three Deming Prize winners in 2022: Aso Iizuka Hospital (Japan); Apollo Tyres Limited, Chennai Plant (India); and Cataler (Wuxi) Automotive Environment Technology Co., Ltd. (China). I’ve been analyzing the case study for Apollo Tyres Limited, Chennai Plant. I was especially impressed with the unwavering commitment of Apollo Tyres to world class quality; its House of TQM; how Apollo Tyres deploys business objectives; and its Policy Management Flow Chart. If you want to learn more about world class organizations, then you might visit the JUSE website.

On My Mind
The Deming Prize and Deming Grand Prize are administered by the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE). They are widely recognized as the most prestigious Quality awards in the world. The Deming Prize is the first of the two Quality awards. An organization can apply for the Deming Grand Prize three or more years after it has received the Deming Prize. The Deming Prize and Deming Grand Prize winners are announced in the Fall each year. There were three Deming Prize winners in 2022: Aso Iizuka Hospital (Japan); Apollo Tyres Limited, Chennai Plant (India); and Cataler (Wuxi) Automotive Environment Technology Co., Ltd. (China). If you want to learn more about world class organizations, then you should visit the JUSE website and research Deming Prize and Deming Grand Prize-winning organizations.

Interesting Stories
I’ve been following the FIFA World Cup 2022 Soccer tournament held in Qatar. Thirty-two teams qualified for the tournament and they were organized into eight groups of four teams. Each team will play each of the other teams in their group during Group Play—three matches per team in Group Play. Two teams from each of the eight groups will advance to the “Round of Sixteen.” The “Round of Sixteen” games follow the “win or go home” format. “Round of Sixteen” winners advance to the Quarterfinals – those winners advance to the Semi-Finals – those winners advance to the Championship Match on December 18, 2022. France won the tournament in 2018 and has a good chance to win again in 2022. Game on!

Company News
I presented on Superior Quality as a Competitive Advantage on November 2, 2022 at the Minnesota American Society for Quality (MN ASQ) Annual Quality Conference at the Minneapolis Convention Center. There are several public learning opportunities on the horizon: the Strategic Improvement Black Belt course starts January 18, 2023; the Strategic Improvement Green Belt course starts February 14, 2023; the Analytics Strategy course will be held February 16, 2023; and the Strategic Improvement Master Black Belt course starts March 7, 2023. The course brochures are available on the PUBLIC SEMINARS page of this website.

Intriguing Reads
I purchased the August of 1962 edition of Fortune Magazine at a used bookstore while on a trip to Madison, Wisconsin earlier this year. The August of 1962 edition was 13.0” by 10.5” which is larger than the contemporary editions. I gained a deep appreciation for everything about that edition – content, advertising, photographs, graphics, etc. The one-year subscription cost back then was $10. The following companies advertised in that edition (partial list): Western Union, Texas Instruments, Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, Mobil, FMC Corporation, Youngstown Steel, Mitsubishi Zosen, Remington Rand Office Systems, Toshiba, and ITT. There was an excellent article on the America’s Cup. Also, there was a list of the “Top 100” foreign companies. The “Top 5” foreign companies were Royal Dutch/Shell, Unilever, British Petroleum, Nestle, and ICI. I especially liked the advertisement by Manufacturers Hanover Trust titled “Theseus and the Labyrinth” which effectively uses one of the most famous stories in Greek mythology in which Theseus fights the Minotaur in the labyrinth aided by a ball of string. Learning about the past always informs my view of our current times and the future – I highly recommend it!

On My Mind
Product and service quality were both adversely affected the past two-plus years for many organizations due to disrupted operations, dispersed workforces, supply chain issues, and global conflicts. The Health &Safety performance category has understandably been receiving much of the attention of senior executives for organizational survival—sometimes at the expense of product and service quality. Now is an opportune time for senior executives to declare superior quality a strategic intent and develop the organizational capabilities to achieve it. Achieving superior product and service quality in the marketplace—without adversely affecting health and safety—will require an investment of time and money. Those organizations who focus on achieving superior product and service quality without adversely affecting health and safety will create a competitive advantage and/or core competence.

Interesting Stories
The Ford Motor Company (“Ford”) has once again placed “Quality” as a top priority. This reminds me of what Ford did in the 1980s under Don Petersen who was the CEO of Ford from 1985 to 1990. You might recall the Ford slogan “Quality is Job One” which the company used in the 1980s and 1990s. I’ve seen many organizations “start and stop” their Quality initiatives several times over the years. It runs contrary to the philosophy of continuous improvement. Leaders of organizations should keep in mind at least two of Dr. W. Edwards Deming’s Fourteen Points: Point #1 – Create constancy of purpose for improvement of product and service and Point #5 – Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service. While difficult – it is worth it

Company News
I’ll be presenting on Superior Quality as a Competitive Advantage on November 2, 2022 at the Minnesota American Society for Quality Annual Conference at the Minneapolis Convention Center. My next public Strategic Improvement Black Belt course starts January 18, 2023 and my next public Strategic Improvement Green Belt course starts February 14, 2023. The course brochures are available on the PUBLIC SEMINARS page of this website. The full public Winter 2022 / Spring 2023 schedule will be available November 18, 2022 on the same website page.

Intriguing Reads
I recently studied Volume 1 Number 1 of the Harvard Business Review (HBR) which was published in October of 1922. It is hard to believe the HBR is 100 years old! Some of the content in that first publication is still relevant today. Here are the topics in the first HBR: Essential Groundwork for a Broad Executive Theory; The Taxation of Capital Gains; Bank Management and the Business Cycle; The Future of American Export Trade; Creditors’ Committee Receiverships; Bank Reserves under the Federal Reserve System; The Railroad Consolidation Plan; The Effect of Hedging Upon Flour Mill Control; The Use and Limitations of Psychological Tests; Some Relations between Technical and Business Training; Significance of Stock-turn in Retail and Wholesale Merchandising; Department Contents; Summaries of Business Research; Case Studies in Business; Reviews of Business Literature; and Book Notices. What will they say one hundred years from now about the contents of the October of 2022 HBR?

On My Mind
Each year I leave my Annual Conference energized and filled with optimism. This year was no exception. It was great to be in-person again after hosting the conference the past two years on Zoom. Both formal and informal learning always occur during my annual conference – the formal learning from the presentations and the informal learning during the conversations at breaks, lunch, and networking sessions. I’m always delighted to see a group of attendees from different organizations discussing the presentations and sharing ideas.

Interesting Stories
My latest research report on Advances in Horizontal Interaction involved a lot of reflection in the form of a “look back” over the past twenty-five years which is how long it has been since the publication of my doctoral dissertation on Horizontal Interaction During Strategic Improvement Initiatives. Here is the Executive Summary from that research report: “Horizontal interaction occurs when a member of one organizational unit communicates with a member of another organizational unit located on the same level of an organizational hierarchy or on a different main branch of an organizational hierarchy. Those interactions are different than the vertical supervisor-to-supervisee interactions that routinely occur during day-to-day operations. Horizontal interactions are often necessary during strategic improvement initiatives to improve organizational performance in such areas as safety, quality, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, productivity, growth, and cost. Organizations that develop strong horizontal interaction capabilities have a potential new source of competitive advantage and/or a new core competence. My doctoral dissertation was published in 1997 and it is titled, “Horizontal Interaction During Strategic Improvement Initiatives: A Study Involving Six Quality-Oriented Organizations.” That research (1) confirmed the importance of horizontal interaction during strategic improvement initiatives, (2) revealed new insights into the nature of horizontal interactions, and (3) identified organizational best practices. This research report explains the need for horizontal interaction; summarizes the primary findings from the 1997 dissertation; discusses three advances in horizontal interaction since 1997; discusses three current horizontal interaction challenges; and discusses the future of horizontal interaction.”

Company News
My new research report on Advances in Horizontal Interaction was published on September 22, 2022 in conjunction with the 14th Annual Advanced Strategic Improvement Practices Conference which was held September 22, 2022 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West in Plymouth, MN. There were ten presentations in addition to mine: Lisa Dejoras – MN DHS Direct Care & Treatment; Gene Dankbar – Mayo Clinic (retired); Dr. Mary Zellmer-Bruhn – University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management; Mike Oachs & Ryan Walberg – New Flyer; Nancy Freeman – MN DHS Direct Care & Treatment; Jeff Ziegler – Mayo Clinic; Michael Rockhold & Emily Magnan – University of Minnesota Physicians; Justin Gilbert – IBM; Katherine Kreager-Pieper – Dakota County Community Living Services; and Vern Campbell – Process Management & University of Manitoba. I presented on Superior Quality as a Competitive Advantage at the Madison, Wisconsin American Society for Quality Session on October 11, 2022. My Visions & Visioning Workshop will be held November 9, 2022 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West and my next public Strategic Improvement Black Belt course starts January 18, 2023.

Intriguing Reads
I gained a new appreciation for some of the early experts on horizontal interaction by going back through their classic works. In particular, Fayol (1916), Barnard (1938), and Galbraith (1994). Few people take the time to study the literature anymore – Why do that when a “search” is at your fingertips? That is one of the differences between deep and shallow research. Deep research is necessary to develop expertise in many areas and although it is time consuming, it is worth the investment of time. Here are three references in case you want to do some deep research on horizontal interaction: (1) Fayol, H., (1949), General and Industrial Management (C. Storrs, Translator), Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, London, England (Originally Published in French, 1916); (2) Barnard, C. I., (1938), The Functions of the Executive (13th Anniversary Edition), Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.; and (3) Galbraith, J. R., (1994), Competing with Flexible Lateral Organizations (2nd Ed.), Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA.

On My Mind
As they say, timing is everything. I departed London on September 4, 2022 . . . the new Prime Minister Liz Truss was appointed on September 5, 2022 and Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022. London changed dramatically from one week to the next and the changes continue as the Queen is mourned. Her son, King Charles III, has assumed the throne. I knew the first event was going to happen, but the passing of the Queen was a sad surprise. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of the United Kingdom.

Interesting Stories
I’ve been to London many times and so I avoided most of the tourist activities this trip. My favorite experiences this time were visits to the Churchill War Rooms, Temple Church, King’s College, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese (centuries-old tavern), a day trip to Oxford University, and a lunch on the Thames River with friends. London was bustling, intriguing, and as cosmopolitan as ever. Like my other international trips over the years . . . I arrived home exhausted . . . and energized!

Company News
The 14th Annual Advanced Strategic Improvement Practices Conference will be held September 22, 2022 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West in Plymouth, MN. There will be ten presentations in addition to mine: Lisa Dejoras – MN DHS Direct Care & Treatment; Gene Dankbar – Mayo Clinic (retired); Dr. Mary Zellmer-Bruhn – University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management; Mike Oachs & Ryan Walberg – New Flyer; Nancy Freeman – MN DHS Direct Care & Treatment; Jeff Ziegler – Mayo Clinic; Michael Rockhold & Emily Magnan – University of Minnesota Physicians; Justin Gilbert – IBM; Katherine Kreager-Pieper – Dakota County Community Living Services; and Vern Campbell – Process Management & University of Manitoba. My next public Strategic Improvement Green Belt course will be on Zoom and starts September 13, 2022.

Intriguing Reads
My plan was to spend quite a bit of time in London bookstores, but they were hard to find. I was actually quite surprised and disappointed at the small number of bookstores. Times have changed! I found out that one of the better bookstores in London today is Foyles on Charing Cross Road. It has several floors with a great selection of books in each of the standard categories. I also stumbled upon an excellent antiquarian bookshop. Amazingly – I left the bookshop without buying a book. I did manage to visit the King’s College Library and a library at one of the Oxford University colleges – both of those libraries were outstanding and inspiring.

On My Mind
Horizontal interaction occurs when a member of one organizational unit communicates with a member of another organizational unit located on the same level of an organizational hierarchy. For example, when a member of the Engineering Department communicates with a member of the Marketing Department. Those interactions are different than the vertical interactions supervisor-to-supervisee that routinely occur during normal operations. Horizontal interactions are often necessary to improve organizational performance in areas like safety, quality, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and productivity. Organizations that develop strong horizontal interaction abilities can potentially create a new source of competitive advantage and/or core competence. I published my doctoral dissertation in 1997 titled, “Horizontal Interaction During Strategic Improvement Initiatives: A Study Involving Six Quality-Oriented Organizations.” That study confirmed the importance of horizontal interaction during strategic improvement initiatives and revealed new insights into the nature of horizontal interactions and organizational practices. My current paper on Advances in Horizontal Interaction involves a look back on horizontal interaction over the past twenty-five years; discusses three advances in horizontal interaction since 1997; discusses three horizontal interaction challenges; and finally, I’ll discuss the future of horizontal interaction. The paper will be published at the 14th Annual Advanced Strategic Improvement Practices Conference on September 22, 2022.

Interesting Stories
On the great plains of North America in 1823 . . . mauled by a mother grizzly bear . . . left for dead . . . two hundred miles from the nearest settlement . . . with only a bearskin . . . such was the situation confronting frontiersman Hugh Glass. The actual site of the grizzly attack is roughly ten miles south of present-day Lemmon, South Dakota in the Shadehill Dam area. Amazingly, Glass crawled to the Cheyenne River and then he floated on part of a fallen tree to Fort Kiowa. He lived until 1833. The almost unbelievable story is true and was written about in the classic book Lord Grizzly by Frederick Manfred and more recently it was the inspiration for the movie The Revenant. If you are ever finding yourself in an extremely difficult situation, then just think of Hugh Glass.

Company News
My recent Vision Quest 2022 in Western South Dakota was another profound experience. These always allow me the time to pause from the busy demands of life, reflect on the past, and make decisions about the future. I can’t wait for Vision Quest 2023. The 14th Annual Advanced Strategic Improvement Practices Conference will be held September 22, 2022 at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West in Plymouth, MN. There will be ten presentations in addition to mine: Lisa Dejoras – MN DHS Direct Care & Treatment; Gene Dankbar – Mayo Clinic (retired); Dr. Mary Zellmer-Bruhn – University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management; Kurt Shaw, Mike Oachs, & Ryan Walberg – New Flyer; Nancy Freeman – MN DHS Direct Care & Treatment; Jeff Ziegler – Mayo Clinic; Michael Rockhold & Emily Magnan – University of Minnesota Physicians; Justin Gilbert – IBM; Katherine Kreager-Pieper – Dakota County Community Living Services; and Vern Campbell – Process Management & University of Manitoba. My next public Strategic Improvement Green Belt course will be on Zoom and starts September 13, 2022.

Intriguing Reads
Chess is considered one of the ultimate games of strategy. The Chess Informant is a quarterly chess publication that was established in 1966. It is considered one of the “must read” chess publications and many elite Grandmasters study each volume. I started collecting the Chess Informant with Volume #119 and I just received Volume #152 in the mail. There are three interesting sections each quarter: Chess Symbols; The Best Game of the Preceding Volume; and The Most Important Theoretical Novelty of the Preceding Volume. If you are interested in strategy and want to get serious about chess, then try Chess Informant.

On My Mind
Warren Buffett (age 91) is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Berkshire Hathaway. Charlie Munger (age 98) is the Vice Chairman of the Board of Berkshire Hathaway. Together, they commanded the stage for several hours at the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting at the CHI Health Center in downtown Omaha, NE on April 30, 2022. The first item on the meeting agenda at 8:30 a.m. was an entertaining company movie. Warren and Charlie then conducted a Q&A session from 9:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and then a second Q&A session from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Warren then chaired the actual Annual Meeting. Berkshire Hathaway is a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (symbols BRK-A and BRK-B). The company has over 371,000 employees and yet the corporate headquarters in Omaha has only 26 employees. The company is highly decentralized composed of numerous operating companies. This decentralized organizational structure has been successful in part because of the effectiveness of the operating company management teams. You can visit the Berkshire Hathaway website for more information.

Interesting Stories
I have some sad news to report . . . Dr. Andy Van de Ven (1945-2022) passed away recently at the age of 76. Andy was the ultimate scholar and professional – he was widely recognized as one of the world’s leading scholars on Innovation and Organizational Change. I served with Andy for three years on a Research Team at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and he presented several times at my Annual Advanced Strategic Improvement Practices Conference. Most recently . . . Andy served as the Co-Editor and contributing author for The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Change & Innovation (2nd Edition). The obituary for Andy can be found in the Star Tribune. I’ll always be grateful for his guidance and friendship.

Company News
The next public Strategic Improvement Green Belt course starts May 18, 2022. The brochure is available on the PUBLIC SEMINARS page of this website. The next public Strategic Improvement Black Belt course will start in August of 2022 (dates TBD). I’ll be conducting several in-person one-day workshops this summer and fall: Leaning Operations (June 23, 2022); Project Portfolio Management (July of 2022); Leading Strategic Improvement (August of 2022); Visions & Visioning (September of 2022); and Advances in Hoshin Kanri (October of 2022).

Intriguing Reads
I recently read the book titled, Trillion Dollar Triage: How Jay Powell and the Fed Battled a President and a Pandemic – and Prevented Economic Disaster by Nick Timiraos. The author provides a detailed account of the pandemic-era financial crisis and how key players in government and the private sector worked together to successfully address the existential issues. I especially enjoyed learning about the history and inner workings of the Federal Reserve Board.