Lean Six Sigma training must focus on competency in applying it, if it is to avoid the demise of TQM.

Suppose I took you aside for one or two weeks and taught you how to use every single tool in a motor mechanic’s toolkit. As a tradesman I could show you how to use a torque wrench so you correctly tension bolts and nuts, how to use ring spanners so you don’t skin your knuckles or round off the heads of different bolts and even how to use a reaming tool to safely and effectively polish a steel brake cylinder. Would you consider yourself a motor mechanic after that experience? Of course not, you and I both know it would be ridiculous to make such a claim.

What would it take before you would be considered competent enough to be able to use the qualification?

A Motor Mechanic qualification is only given after a person has learnt not only how to use each tool, but when they demonstrate the ability to: (1) Make decisions about which tools to use when confronted with different mechanical problems; (2) Apply the tools and processes in the dynamics of an actual work environment; and (3) Achieve and maintain new levels of performance as a result of their work.

Would you consider yourself a doctor after learning how to use each of the tools used in surgery? Would you consider someone to be a dentist after they learn how to use the tools of dentistry? More importantly, would you go to a dentist who had just learnt how to operate dentistry implements? Of course we wouldn’t for the same reasons.

It seems to me that in the world of business improvement, in particular Lean Six Sigma Training, there has been a shift in some quarters away from this competency based thinking. There are so many providers of Lean Six Sigma Training these days that we are overwhelmed with offerings. It seems like every consulting company has got on the band wagon. Correspondingly, the duration of Lean Six Sigma Training offered for project team leaders varies greatly. For example, advertised Black Belt training can range from as long as six weeks of face-to-face delivery to as short as five days to get a certificate as a qualified Black Belt. I still struggle to work out how the latter can be genuinely achieved!

Learning to become a competent Black Belt or Green Belt is like learning a trade. When we had our Lean Six Sigma Training programs accredited with the national training body in Australia that certifies all formal tertiary qualifications, I was not surprised that the Black Belt program met the requirements for an Advanced Diploma qualification.

We all must recognise that competency in the tools is not what was intended with these qualifications. Someone who does a bit of online learning and few days of face-to-face training in the tools and key concepts may end up with an understanding of Lean Six Sigma and its tools. That does not set them up to be a qualified practitioner. Learning the tools does not make the Black Belt or Green Belt.

Competent Black or Green Belts are people who can describe and use the tools relevant to their level of qualification in the context of the processes that are core to their business. They can also effectively facilitate an improvement project within the challenges of working with a project team, generate and analyse data using advanced statistical methods appropriate to the outcome they are seeking, facilitate the generation of creative solutions from those who work with the process, and manage the challenges of building sustainable commitment to change in a dynamic environment.

To be able to demonstrate this type of competency requires hands on training in an environment where they have to work with other people. It requires a good deal of coaching, mentoring and application of the tools and concepts under the constraints and limitations of day-to-day business.

The goal of any Lean Six Sigma Training must be the achievement of results and that only comes through competent application of the methodology. World-class providers of Lean Six Sigma Training do not issue certificates or qualifications without competency or results, so be cautious of anyone claiming to be able to accelerate the issuing of qualifications in Six Sigma. They may be teaching people some tools, but if you are considering buying their product take the time to assess whether or not they are teaching people to become competent practitioners.

‘Just as a toolkit does not maketh the motor mechanic, the Lean Six Sigma process and tools do not maketh a Six Sigma practitioner.’’

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Visit Soarent Vision’s website to learn more about how that company is raising the bar with competency based Lean Six Sigma Training – http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma-training

It’s finally here … Lean Six Sigma Training that results in a qualification the equivalent of TWO THIRDS OF A BACHELOR DEGREE.

Did you know there are no real standards applied to Lean Six Sigma training today? Well at Soarent Vision, we’ve done something about that.

I am so pleased to announce the formal accreditation of our Lean Six Sigma training program within the Australian national training body (Australian Qualifications Framework).

Not only does this course offer a complete package of Lean Six Sigma training, it also offers what are arguably the highest level qualifications available for Lean Six Sigma practitioners in the world today.

(a) Advanced Diploma in Business Improvement Leadership

(b) Diploma in Business Improvement Leadership

This competency based certification course is:

(a) governed within the same framework as a bachelor degree, masters degree and doctorate qualification

(b) designed to produce value for any company hosting a course participant

(c) intended to give the holder due recognition of their level of competence

Commonly Asked Questions

Q. How do I obtain one of these qualifications?

Q. Do I have to complete Soarent Vision’s training program to get one of these qualifications?

Q. How is the training structured?

Q. How much does the training cost?

Q. What does it cost to just get the qualification based on my past training and experience?

To find the answers to those questions, scroll down to the bottom of this blog.

Access to Training

Our next cycle of training begins in July in Brisbane (Qld) and in September in Perth (WA).

If you would like to discuss how you can utilise or access these qualifications within your organisation, please contact us at home@soarent.com.au or call us on 61-7-3279 3070.

I’ll update you again very soon.

George Lee Sye

————-  COMMON QUESTIONS  ————-

Q1. How are these qualifications different from the rest of the industry?

Firstly, these qualifications are governed by an independent, professional training body; the same body that governs the issue of bachelor degrees, masters degrees and doctorates. As such the process of certification ensures the competency of those seeking qualifications, not just regurgitation of information.

Secondly, the quality of the course structure and delivery of the content has never been compromised in order to offer a shorter, cheaper training option. The courses have been structured in such a way that core skills and knowledge are layered in and then embedded through workplace application, and genuine value is created for both the participant and the sponsor company.

Thirdly, the program was not developed to train people and issue certificates. It was designed to develop practitioners who can enter any industry and successfully lead a value adding improvement project using whatever improvement methodology is relevant – lean or six sigma or problem solving methods or even just facilitation.

Q2. How do I obtain one of these qualifications?

Option 1: You attend and complete the Soarent Vision Lean Six Sigma Training Program to the level desired (Diploma or Advanced Diploma). You then demonstrate competency against all certification criteria through workplace application.

Option 2: If you have already completed some formal training in Lean Six Sigma and have industry experience, you can pursue certification under a process called Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). It requires that you provide evidence of competency against all certification criteria.

Q3. Do I have to complete Soarent Vision’s training program to get certified?

No. You can pursue competency certification under a the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process. It will require that you have participated in formal training in the methodologies of Lean and Six Sigma.

Q4. How is the training structured?

The program is comprised of 6 individual courses. These are layered in such a way that the most learning can be taken away from the course and applied immediately in the workplace. For detailed information go to THIS PAGE where you can get access to the course handbook.

Q5. How much does the training cost?

Soarent Vision offers both early bird rates for individual courses and full qualification package specials (Diploma and Advanced Diploma). For detailed information go to THIS PAGE where you can get access to the course pricing schedule.

Q6. What will my investment be to just get the qualification based on my past training and experience?

RPL packages will be made available to lean six sigma practitioners who have not been trained by Soarent Vision. These can be accessed directly from our online shop as soon as the packages have been updated.  CLICK HERE to view any RPL packages available now.

Q7. What are my next steps?

Download the course handbook and pricing schedule (utilise the links above) so you understand the content and investment required. We will circulate information via email as we update the certification handbook and finalise the packages.

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Using an accelerated approach, projects can take as little as one week to complete. This requires good planning, participation by the key stakeholders and a commitment to rapidly working through the DMAIC logic to make sustainable improvements to process performance.

For many middle and senior managers who are considering business improvement initiatives, the thought of committing resources to a three- or four-month Six Sigma project can be a daunting. Many managers feel they are already working “flat out” and don’t have the people to spare.

Others understand the reality that projects can sometimes stretch out to eight or 12 months, as team members are periodically withdrawn from project work to take on other tasks within the organization. As projects take longer and longer to complete, the credibility of the improvement initiative begins to erode, and even the project team leaders themselves can start to lose their desire to finish the project work.

However, something can be done to minimize the chance of this occurring. By following an accelerated approach, involving highly structured and dedicated team meetings, practitioners can work to keep their projects within a reasonable time frame, and in turn build support for their Six Sigma deployment.

Read the rest of this article here.

I’m very excited to reveal we are in the process of finalising the delivery of our Lean Six Sigma Training program in Perth, Western Australia. The reputation of our Academy of Process Mastery has grown to the point where this education program and our Lean Six Sigma qualifications are now sought out by practitioners all over the country, and it now makes sense to position it on the west coast of Australia.

To learn more about soarent Vision’s Lean Six Sigma Training program, visit the website here – http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma-training

The most important skill you will ever develop as a leader is the ability to elicit empowering emotional states in other people, and then link those states to the behaviours you wish them to engage in. You do that; you will become a force to be reckoned with.

After ten years of special operations and working with some of the highest performing people [in their field] in the world, I am convinced of one thing ….. you will never reach your potential in this regard unless you first have mastery over your own thinking and emotional states; no way. Why? Because self mastery precedes mastery of others; the ability to consciously direct your own focus and alter and shift your own emotional states is the foundation for consciously and consistently achieve the same with others.

How do you actually achieve that?

Click here to read more.

Did you read the March 2010, Australian Financial Review’s Boss Magazine which focused on REINVENTING LEADERSHIP ?  The magazine published an amazing article which was an excerpt of the speech Don Argus delivered at a Leadership Victoria dinner in December 2009.

His key comments around leadership were these:

“In my experience, success goes to those enterprises whose leaders mobilize their people and unleash their competence, creativity and commitment.”

“Those people who are to expand their enterprises were the ones who understood human nature and how to tap the best in people – they understood that the bottom line is ultimately the result of human endeavour.”

“The skill to make things happen comes directly from blending two sides of the leader’s personality: the tough, competitive side that demands winning performance and loves to win; and the softer, compassionate side that is caring and understanding of others.”

In reference to Marius Kloppers, the CEO of BHP BIlliton, he made the following statement:

“Marius quickly realised many organisations smother the potential of their employees under layer upon layer of control and bureaucracy. As a result, their human assets are painfully underused ….

What is really being underused is what might be called “peoples’ discretionary effort”, that is, performance above and beyond the expected minimum. It is their initiative, creativity, motivation and loyalty. This discretionary effort is the part of a person’s performance that is liberated or shutdown by the way their leaders treat them and the quality of their work environment.”

So what is the real message we should take away from this?

Exceptional leadership education, relevant to the needs of the modern business world, must focus on the behavioural elements of an organisation.  It must educate business leaders in new and more effective ways to:

1. Unleash competence, not manage behaviour – soft skills are critical in this pursuit;
2. Enhance individual performance, at home and work, as a foundation to realising bottom line potential – we must acknowledge the inter-dependence between employees personal and professional lives; and
3. Simplify the way leaders execute their business plans and manage their organisations.

Are you ready to step up and make the shift ?

Here’s something that might absolutely astound you … it has been predicted that there will be a leadership shortage in the very near future. A study by Egon Zehnder International predicts a 36 percent shortfall in the number of managers ready for leadership roles by 2015.

Teleo Research also found that the most successful leadership development programs (a) recognised the type of leadership style needed for a company’s culture and (b) aligned leadership development with corporate strategy.

Its amazing that these concepts are now emerging quite strongly in the corporate world, because at Soarent Vision, we have been working on addressing this for almost a decade now. Through Soarent Vision’s Academy of Business Leadership the shift to more influential and persuasive leadership can be addressed as this is the style of leadership the shifting demographics of business is demanding today.

The only question that remains is are we ready to fill the void?

Anybody familiar with my work will realise that i use a mind mapping process to design the content of my books and even our training courses. More recently we have been using mind mapping to bring clarity to our business strategy. So mind mapping has been a part of my life for quite some time now.

I recently purchased a license for Tony Buzan’s iMindMap Software. And to put it bluntly I was blown away with how good that software is. Anybody who has ever used a mind map knows the simplicity and power of the process. And now to have software to generate mind maps that can be used in presentations or exported into different file formats … amazing.

If you want to try it, go ahead and download and trial the software from Tony Buzan’s website by Clicking HERE.

Enjoy

The business improvement industry is not governed and is so fragmented it’s creating the situation where anybody can enter it as a consultant and even trainer … regardless of qualifications, experience and competency.

What I am really concerned about is the fact that approximately 80 percent of companies that implement a formal business improvement initiative do not succeed and end up shutting it down. Lots of people are being trained, large numbers of independent consultants are offering business improvement expertise, and consulting companies are offering business improvement packages to their clients …. and yet the failure rate remains high. So what’s wrong?

One of the contributing factors is the lack of standards for training and certification. And I think its about time we did something to change that. So let’s talk about something I believe we do very well - competency certification for Lean Six Sigma practitioners.

For any certification process to be worthwhile and serve clients and the industry in the long-term, it should have these characteristics.

1. A qualification is only issued when COMPETENCY is evident (as opposed to just course participation)
2. Participants MUST APPLY KNOWLEDGE in industry and in a workplace context
3. Participants MUST GENERATE A RETURN because of their application of learnings for their sponsoring company
4. The BODY OF KNOWLEDGE for certification is drawn from a credible source
5. The BODY OF KNOWLEDGE for certification is current and relevant
6. ASSESSORS have demonstrated at least the same level of competency as that being assessed
7. The process of certification is regularly AUDITED by a credible third party or governing body

What are the benefits of formal Lean Six Sigma competency certification?

When competency certification is formalised and has the characteristics listed above, the benefits may include:

• The participant is able to GENERATE RESULTS consistently regardless of industry or context (not just use tools)
• The company concerned realises a benefit and training becomes an INVESTMENT, not a cost
• The business improvement program of the company concerned has greater CREDIBILITY for investors
• If it is a nationally recognised level of award, it could be used in application for higher TERTIARY LEVEL EDUCATION
• A formal process provides much greater CREDIBILITY for the individual’s Lean Six Sigma qualification
• The participant experiences increased EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS
• They stand out amongst their improvement INDUSTRY PEERS
• Any GAPS in existing business improvement education can be filled

At Soarent Vision we take the certification process very seriously.

We now offer Lean Six Sigma qualifications up to and including the level of Advanced Diploma in Business Quality Improvement under the Australian Qualifications Framework.

Click HERE if you would like to know more about Soarent Vision’s Lean Six Sigma Certification program.

Click HERE if you would like to know more about the Master Black Belt certification process.

Until next time, take care

George Lee Sye

Do you realise that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids? If you’re less than 10 years old, you’re so excited about ageing that you think in fractions.

‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m four and a half!’ You’re never thirty-six and a half. You’re four and a half, going on five! That’s the key

You get into your teens, now they can’t hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m gonna be 16!’ You could be 13, but hey, you’re gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life ….. You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME  21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There’s no fun now, you’re Just a sour-dumpling. What’s wrong? What’s changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you’re PUSHING 40 …. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it’s all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn’t think you would!

So you BECOME 21,TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You’ve built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it’s a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80′s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn’t end there Into the 90s, you start going backwards; ‘I Was JUST 92.’

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. ‘I’m 100 and a half!’

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

Not my words … but certainly words to ponder are they not.

These are the words of George Carlin, may he rest in peace.

GEORGE LEE SYE