How I got here

I’m an engineer by training. The early part of my career was spent at an aerospace manufacturer that relied heavily on continuous-improvement techniques to remain competitive and deliver exceptional products. I was hired into their continuous-improvement department and within the first six months – due to some unforeseen circumstances – found myself in a leadership role at the ripe old age of 24.

I spent the next six years applying continuous-improvement tools and techniques and developing a staff that was dedicated to driving organizational improvement. During this time, I developed an obsession – a healthy one – for business improvement. Our organization was doing great things and making some exceptionally cutting-edge products. What more could a young engineer want?

Well…

Unexpectedly, a nearby community-owned hospital with three clinic locations offered me a position to deploy a continuous-improvement program across the entire organization from the ground up. I’d develop the training courses and the deployment plan, select and train leaders and staff, coach people through their projects, and be responsible and accountable for the deployment of a program tasked at driving improvement in the delivery of care.

It was too great an opportunity to pass up. I only had one doubt.

I learned and applied all of these continuous-improvement tools and techniques in a manufacturing setting. Would I be able to translate that into a successful program at a healthcare organization? From a blank slate?

I didn’t know, but I had to try.

Over the next seven years, I trained hundreds of co-workers to lead improvement projects, participate on teams, and drive daily improvements within their span of influence.

The program was wildly successful. We completed more than 100 chartered project, saved millions of dollars, slashed turnaround times on clinical functions like ED wait times and admission and discharge times, as well as back-office processes like medical record processing and billing. Our patient satisfaction scores soared to the point of winning multiple national awards.

And then everything stopped – not intentionally, but stopped nonetheless.

We merged with a larger health system and there was a natural process of combining operations. Attention to improvement was spotty at best because people were occupied with changing roles, reporting structures, centralization/decentralization, and so on. I am sure anyone who’s been a part of a merger understands what I’m describing. It was hard to work on improvement with all the change going on.

For me, this seemed to take FOREVER. I needed to work on improvement, and the time horizon for when that was going to be possible didn’t seem to be getting closer. I had to move on.

I take great pride in knowing that healthcare system is building upon my work and leveraging that improvement model throughout their entire system. I worked with some great people who continue to do great things.

The biggest takeaway for me?

One thing that stands out in my mind ahead of everything else – and I mean waaaaay ahead of everything else: Continuous-improvement tools and techniques apply to every type of business.

Every. Single. One.

And now it’s my personal mission to provide these valuable tools and systems in a way that can get every business driving their own improvement.

Let’s do this!

Improve Constantly,
Chris