Alan Culler Blog

A fun and fascinating read on early psychedelic research · “My book about Tim is up on Amazon. I hope you’ll read it and if you like it tell some other people about it. He was an important person in my life and it was an important time. Psychedelics took on a different meaning la ...

Janus, the two-faced god of gateways, beginnings and transitions was often found above the Roman villa lintel, a blessing on all those who entered and departed. Julius Caesar made Janus the symbol of the New Year in 46 B.C.E. when he instituted the Julian calendar and named the f ...

https://www.freeimages.com/photo/candles-1161780 @korionovThe cold sun sets earlier and rises later each day. Daylight hours are sparse and the night is long and frigid. The green has long departed from the hardwood leaves which now brown-rustle and skitter around the doorway in ...

I had been an aspiring actor, waiting tables and diving a taxi for a couple of years. Then I decided to become a booking agent for speakers like Dick Gregory, Erica Jong and H. Ross Perot for nine years. Then I went to business school · to become a management consultant. · I lik ...

“What problem are we trying to solve?” is a question that can be delivered dripping with withering Middle School English teacher sarcasm, communicating the message that “the status quo is just fine, thank you very much.” Or it can be delivered gently, inquisitively, encouraging p ...

“The wise man doesn’t give the right answers, he poses the right questions.” · Claude Levi-Strauss · I have written elsewhere of my view that the goal of leadership is attract followers to go in the direction you are leading and that the secret of leadership is the art of aski ...

“But we just redid our comp ratios.” · “Look, I don’t care when you did them, I’m telling you your comp ratios are wrong! My mortgage processors are leaving in droves and the reason they give in exit interviews is compensation. They can make more money doing the same work at othe ...

Image: Construction of the Steve Jobs Theater, Apple "Mothership," new headquarters Cupertino, California · I was talking with Bill, an executive at a construction firm. “I’ve been reading about continuous improvement,” Bill said, “how would you implement something like that here ...

Continuous Improvement Project Management tools · Metrics and measurement, root causes not symptoms, design of experiments, analysis systems . . . it is all so complex and overwhelming how do you pick what to improve? · My friend and Results-Alliance colleague, Dr. Richard Taylo ...

Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Paul Bethany, Laura Fraser, and Alan Tudyk in the 2001 Columbia Pictures Film, A Knight’s Tale · “You have been weighed. You have been measured. And you have been found wanting.” · This line from the 2001 film A Knight’s Tale, brings back how I always f ...

“Leadership!” “Those at the top must lead the parade!” “Can’t do anything without the leaders.” · Ask anyone, what is the most critical success factor in a company’s drive to be innovative or to continuously improve? “Leadership support!” Without hesitation, these are the kind o ...

The late, great Jerry Lewis as a young comedian · “You are only young once, Alan, but you can be immature forever.” I’m not sure who first said this to me, probably some elementary school teacher upset by my constant “cutting up” in class. I’ve heard it from several managers over ...

The late, great Jerry Lewis as a young comedian · “You are only young once, Alan, but you can be immature forever.” I’m not sure who first said this to me, probably some elementary school teacher upset by my constant “cutting up” in class. I’ve heard it from several managers over ...

"Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!" Jack Haley, Jody Garland, and Ray Bolger in the 1939 MGM film "The Wizard of Oz" · Gotta love acronyms. Corporations can’t seem to stay away from these shorthand communications devices. I once tried to convince a client not to shorten their Co ...

First, a shout-out to Kelly Eager, who put Dr. Richard Taylor and I together to deliver 4 weeks of continuous improvement (CI) training to a group of operations common process specialists. · It was an unlikely collaboration. Ric is a professional engineer, a statistician, a Lean ...

The late Keye Luke as blind Master Po in the 1970s ABC-TV series "Kung Fu" · A Master Black Belt is the senior most role in the Six Sigma or Lean Six Sigma “brand” of continuous improvement initiative. · First, let me apologize to readers who are already acolytes of Six Sigma; t ...

Continuous Improvement (CI) is a discipline that has been around in the United States (at least) since the turn of the twentieth century. Frederic Taylor published The Principles of Scientific Management (planned and measured activities and workflow) in 1911. Walter Shewhart, a s ...

“‘I need your help,’ the blond whispered in my ear as she took me by the arm and started fast-walking me towards Boylston Street. Before I knew it, she pulled me into a taxi and barked ‘Copley Square’ at the driver. As we sped off, I noticed two men in dark overcoats and Homburg ...