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Mitchell Ditkoff: Awake At The Wheel - Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling - Blog Business Success Radio

Idea Champions President Mitchell Ditkoff, and best selling author of the thought provoking book Awake at the Wheel: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an uphill world), talks about creating great ideas and creative thinking, and turning those new ideas into businesses, products and services, to help build your business success.

Mitchell Ditkoff is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on Blog Talk Radio.

The show airs live on Thursday, May 1, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Idea Champions President Mitchell Ditkoff, author of the thought provoking book Awake at the Wheel: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an uphill world), talks about creating great ideas and creative thinking. You will learn:

* How to create great innovative and life changing ideas

* How to help your new ideas grow and develop and turn into success stories

* The steps to creative thinking and its empowerment

* Many creative thinking techniques that you can apply today

Mitchell Lewis Ditkoff (photo left) is the co-founder and President of Idea Champions. He specializes in leading highly engaging creative thinking and teambuilding sessions that enable individuals, teams and entire organizations to develop new products, services, and breakthrough ways of doing business.

Educated at Lafayette College and Brown University, Mitch Ditkoff has worked with a wide variety of Fortune 500 and mid-sized companies who have realized the need to do something different in order to succeed in today's rapidly changing marketplace. These clients include: GE, Merck, Allianz, Lucent Technologies, NBC Universal, AT&T, Goodyear, Pfizer, A&E Television Networks, General Mills, MTV Networks, Duke Corporate Education, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

At the heart of his work lies the fundamental belief that a company's most important capital asset is the collective brain power, creativity and commitment of its work force and that this asset can be significantly leveraged when people are provided with the appropriate setting, systems, tools and techniques to think (and act) out of the box.

Prior to his work with Idea Champions, Mitch Ditkoff was a principal in Ki Learning Systems and a Senior Consultant with the Inner Game Corporation — both organizational development firms dedicated to catalyzing superior performance in the workplace.

In addition to his consulting work, Mitch Ditkoff is also an accomplished public speaker and writer. Author of Banking on Innovation, Free the Genie and the forthcoming Awake at the Wheel, Mitch Ditkoff has appeared on numerous radio and television talk shows. Additionally, he is the founder of Face the Music, the world's only interactive business blues band. He lives in Woodstock, New York, with his wife, Evelyne, and their two children, Jesse (13) and Emilia (11).

My book review of Awake at the Wheel: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an uphill world) by Mitchell Lewis Ditkoff

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with Mitchell Ditkoff, and best selling author of the thought provoking book Awake at the Wheel: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an uphill world), as he talks about creating great ideas and creative thinking, and turning those new ideas into businesses, products and services, to help build your business success on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: Mitchell Ditkoff, Awake At The Wheel, creative thinking, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

Awake At The Wheel by Mitchell Ditkoff - Book review

Awake at the Wheel

Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an uphill world)

By: Mitchell Lewis Ditkoff

Published: May 1, 2008
ISBN: 9781600372957
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Ingram Pub Services

Everything begins with an idea writes Mitchell Lewis Ditkoff in his thought provoking book Awake at the Wheel: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an uphill world). Part parable, part discussion of creative thinking, the book is an enlightening tour of the landscape of idea creation and development.

Mitchell Ditkoff examines the process of idea creation, and the locations in the mind from whence those creative thoughts originate. Whether the ideas spring forth from the rational thought process or from the subconscious mind, a concept must be valued, developed further, and then turned into a fully developed form. The author believes that all too often, ideas are dismissed by their creator long before they have the opportunity to be examined by others. Creative thinking requires that all ideas receive consideration, but that also they must be formulated in a way that articulates their value to others.

Mitchell Lewis Ditkoff (photo left) uses the clever device of translating cave art into a parable for the invention of the wheel. The caveman Og has the idea of the wheel find him, and as a result, he is obsessed with the idea of creation. Unable to fully articulate his wheel idea to the rest of the cave community, Og journeys outward for advice, and inward for further insights. Like all good parables, the truths reveal themselves at many levels from a simple narrative, to insights into the creative thinking process, to the very nature of thought and idea creation themselves.

The creative thinking successes and failures of Og are discussed in the remainder of the book, in the form of creative thinking techniques. Moving beyond mainstream brainstorming session, the author describes numerous ways to jump start your own creative thinking machinery. The author points out that not all of the techniques presented for consideration are for everyone, and that is a powerful insight as well. Mitchell Ditkoff understands that people vary in their thought creation impulses, and a powerful technique for one person may be of little value to another individual.

For me, the power of the book is the overall embrace of creative thinking as a way of life. The very act of giving people permission to daydream, think outside the cave, and to formulate concepts beyond the here and now, is empowering for everyone. Most people in organizations large and small, and in their daily lives, have experienced the rejection and ridicule of their new ideas. As a result, the creative process within them was stifled or snuffed out forever.

Mitchell Lewis Ditkoff provides the necessary framework for taking new ideas and turning them into workable principles, prototypes, and systems. The nuts and bolts of creative thinking are essential for idea originators to articulate their ideas to others around them. Even more important than the opinions of others, is the acceptance that ideas can arrive unexpected for the individual. Taking ownership of one's own thoughts and creativity gives a person the freedom to grow and develop those ideas into products, services, and systems that can help others live better lives.

I highly recommend the best selling Awake at the Wheel: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an uphill world) by Mitchell Lewis Ditkoff for anyone seeking new ideas and the techniques for their development and manifestation. For free thinkers everywhere, and for brain storming facilitation within organizations, the methods presented are practical and useful, as well as empowering for one's own life.

Read Awake at the Wheel: Getting Your Great Ideas Rolling (in an uphill world) by Mitchell Lewis Ditkoff, and let the inspiration reach out and grab you. Treat those concepts as gifts, nurture those ideas like children, and watch as they grow into action.

Tags: Mitchell Lewis Ditkoff, Awake at the Wheel, creative thinking, business book reviews.

Forrest Breyfogle: Integrated Enterprise Excellence System - Blog Business Success Radio

Forrest Breyfogle III, CEO of Smarter Solutions Inc., and author of the definitive textbook The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System: An Enhanced, Unified Approach to Balanced Scorecards, Strategic Planning, and Business Improvement, and also the author of the business novel Integrated Enterprise Excellence - The Basics: Golfing Buddies Go Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard describes the Integrated Enterprise Excellence System and how to apply it to measurement data, goal setting, work activities and overall strategy, to help build your business success.

Forrest Breyfogle III is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on Blog Talk Radio.

The show airs live on Thursday, April 24, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Forrest Breyfogle III, CEO of Smarter Solutions Inc., discusses the Integrated Enterprise Excellence System and how to apply it to measurement data, goal setting, work activities and overall strategy. You will learn:

* The strengths and weaknesses of Lean, Six Sigma, and other management tools

* How to choose the right metrics to measure the right things

* How to establish the right goals and strategies for your company

* How to integrate change on a system wide basis in a holistic approach

Forrest Breyfogle (photo left) is a Professional Engineer and ASQ Fellow who founded Smarter Solutions Inc.in 1992. As a management thought leader and innovator, he is completing a four-volume set of books that provides radical management advancements in the utilization and integration of scorecards, strategic planning, and process improvement.

The first book, The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System: An Enhanced, Unified Approach to Balanced Scorecards, Strategic Planning, and Business Improvement, introduces new perspectives on what to measure and report; when and how to report it; how to interpret the results; and how to use the results to establish goals, prioritize work efforts, and continuously enhance organizational focus and success. The system helps organizations improve their bottom-line and competitiveness through the integration of analytics with innovation.

An additional three-volume series, Integrated Enterprise Excellence: Going Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard, provides further elaboration on the shortcomings of traditional systems and the details of an Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) implementation. This series of volumes describes IEE’s set of management techniques that enhance an organization’s measurement and improvement system to increase predictable and sustainable bottom-line results. The system embeds a set of best practices derived from the strengths of past systems, applying structured metrics and a no-nonsense road map to initiate process improvement and achieve substantial benefits. IEE takes Lean Six Sigma and the balanced scorecard to the next level in the pursuit of enterprise excellence.

Mr. Breyfogle received the prestigious Crosby Medal from the American Society for Quality in 2004 for an earlier book, Implementing Six Sigma (second edition). He serves on the Board of Advisors for the University of Texas Center for Performing Excellence.

Mr. Breyfogle began his career with IBM in development and later transferred to the product test organization. Within these organizations he became very interested in the benefits derived from the wise use of statistical techniques. From 1980 to 1992 he served IBM in applying Six Sigma methodology" to testing, development, manufacturing, and service organizations.

Mr. Breyfogle has conducted numerous Lean Six Sigma workshop sessions as well as Master Black Belt, Black Belt, Green Belt, Champion, and Executive training sessions throughout the world. He has coached an array of individuals and organizations on the wise application of Lean and Six Sigma techniques. Smarter Solutions Inc. has had the honour of serving a distinguished group of Fortune 100 clients and many others in a wide variety of industries.

Forrest has authored or co-authored eleven books, published over 70 technical articles for a wide range of publications, and has been interviewed by television, radio, and publication editors about managing the dynamics of organizations and the application of all forms of enterprise improvement methodologies.

Forrest Breyfogle has an MSME degree from the University of Texas and a BSME from the University of Missouri at Rolla.

My book review of The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System: An Enhanced, Unified Approach to Balanced Scorecards, Strategic Planning, and Business Improvement by Forrest W. Breyfogle III

My book review of Integrated Enterprise Excellence - The Basics: Golfing Buddies Go Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard by Forrest W. Breyfogle III.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with Forrest Breyfogle III, CEO of Smarter Solutions Inc., author of the definitive textbook The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System: An Enhanced, Unified Approach to Balanced Scorecards, Strategic Planning, and Business Improvement, and author of the business novel Integrated Enterprise Excellence - The Basics: Golfing Buddies Go Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard as he describes the Integrated Enterprise Excellence System and how to apply it to measurement data, goal setting, work activities and overall strategy, to help build your business success on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: Forrest W. Breyfogle III, Integrated Enterprise Excellence - The Basics, business management, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System by Forrest Breyfogle III - Book review

The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System

An Enhanced, Unified Approach to Balanced Scorecards, Strategic Planning, and Business Improvement

By: Forrest W. Breyfogle III

Published: Feb 1, 2008
ISBN: 9781934454114
Format: Paperback, 216pp
Publisher: Bridgeway Books

Conventional strategic planning can lead to activities that are not in the best interest of the organization as a whole, writes Forrest W. Breyfogle III in the definitive textbook The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System: An Enhanced, Unified Approach to Balanced Scorecards, Strategic Planning, and Business Improvement. The book describes in detail how to create a culture, that changes from one of firefighting problems to an orchestrated system, where everyone does the Right thing the Right way at the Right time.

The author demonstrates clearly how to create an organization where the system encourages the right behaviour from everyone. All too often, in many companies, the metrics chosen for measurement are the wrong ones. Instead of providing information that is beneficial to the overall system, the incorrect metrics are detrimental to the organization as a whole. Data collected without an eye to the entire system is often flawed, and sometimes invalid statistically. The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System (IEE) replaces these flawed project based metrics with system wide strategies that work together, and not as is so often seen, against one another.

Forrest Breyfogle (photo left) provides a detailed textbook for changing the strategy of an organization to a system based enterprise. He describes in detail how to set overall organizational goals using the right metrics for measuring results. Creating and developing the right measurement tools encourages employees to take the correct course of action.

The removal of flawed metrics, that encourage staff to embark upon counter-productive activities to make the numbers look good, is a powerful first step toward viewing the company as an overall system. Instead of putting out fires, the employees can get on with the work of helping the company grow and create profit.

For me, the power of the book is its detailed explanation for application of an IEE model for any organization. The author describes the process, for systemic change in a step by step format, that turns a series of complex concepts into an understandable one. The author demonstrates how to build upon such well known tools as Lean, Six Sigma and Scorecards to create a unified whole with an IEE System in place.

With the integrated tools in hand, strategic planning becomes focussed on the entire system, and not a series of projects. Staff know the right approach to a problem and can apply it in the right way, at the the right time. The reduction of variation in results, and correctly applied and analyzed metrics, reduce the need for firefighting activities to a minimum, saving both time and money.

I highly recommend The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System: An Enhanced, Unified Approach to Balanced Scorecards, Strategic Planning, and Business Improvement by Forrest Breyfogle for anyone serious about developing a system wide approach to organizational management, strategy, and goal setting.

Read The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System: An Enhanced, Unified Approach to Balanced Scorecards, Strategic Planning, and Business Improvement by Forrest Breyfogle and stop putting out fires, and start making greater profits.

Tags: Forrest W. Breyfogle III, The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System, business management, business book reviews.

Integrated Enterprise Excellence: The Basics by Forrest Breyfogle III - Book review

Integrated Enterprise Excellence - The Basics

Golfing Buddies Go Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard

By: Forrest W. Breyfogle III

Published: Feb 1, 2008
ISBN: 9781934454121
Format: Hardcover, 144pp
Publisher: Bridgeway Books

A business system where everyone does the Right things, in the Right way, at the Right time will achieve success throughout the entire company, writes Forrest W. Breyfogle III in his business novel Integrated Enterprise Excellence - The Basics: Golfing Buddies Go Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard. Instead of fighting fires, battling ongoing daily problems, and forcing projects that yield questionable results, the book describes the power of applying a holistic system approach to an organization.

Forrest W. Breyfogle III uses the clever device of having his novel's characters discuss their business problems during their regular golf games. As they play the links, the four friends describe their current unsuccessful management solutions, as they also attempt to lower their golf handicaps. The dialog in the novel explains the benefit of a system wide overall approach to organizational problems. The book examines the strengths and weaknesses of such well known management solutions as Lean, Six Sigma, Balanced Scorecard, and Kaizen events. While these tools have their uses for management, they don't work in every business situation.

In the end, the golfing characters created by Forrest W. Breyfogle III (photo left) discover the power of the Integrated Enterprise Excellence System (IEE). Not only is the big picture system wide approach beneficial to their companies and their personal careers, but the same approach helps lower their respective golf scores.

The conversations between the golfers helps to explain the principles behind the IEE technique, and how it can be applied successfully within a company. For a reader unfamiliar with the system, the author creates an easy to understand primer on the various popular management tools, and the value of a holistic system approach.

For me, the power of the book is in its creative technique for introducing very advanced management concepts. The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System (IEE) is explained in an informal, and easily understood manner through the conversations on the golf course. The characters face very real challenges in their jobs, and try various tools to get their companies on the right track. Unfortunately, the tools they choose aren't effective in solving their organizations' systemic problems.

Instead of continuing with their previous random and ad hoc firefighting methods, the chosen tools simply create different issues. The IEE System chosen by one of the characters, uses the best parts of many different management tools, and when applied yields the desired results. The four friends teach one another the system, and along the way improve their golf game, and find more time with their families.

I recommend Integrated Enterprise Excellence - The Basics: Golfing Buddies Go Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard by Forrest W. Breyfogle III for anyone seeking an easy to understand primer in the Integrated Enterprise Excellence System (IEE). Written as a novel, the author conveys the system concepts as part of the story. The overall result is knowledge acquired by the reader in an enjoyable way.

Read Integrated Enterprise Excellence - The Basics: Golfing Buddies Go Beyond Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard and start thinking in terms of an overall system wide approach to your company's ongoing problems.

Tags: Forrest W. Breyfogle III, Integrated Enterprise Excellence - The Basics, business management, business book reviews.