Time travel. Sing-a-longs. Discomfort. Psychology. Julius Caesar.
These are all elements that Michael Carroll will incorporate into his presentation on modern approaches to manufacturing at Smart Industry Base Camp in March 2020. (We don’t fully understand either, but we’re excited to see how it all fits together.)
We chatted with the VP of innovation for Georgia-Pacific, which manufactures everything from Brawny paper towels to Dixie Cups, to get a preview of his presentation and these two things became evident:
- Michael’s presentation is going to cover a lot of ground
- Michael’s presentation is going to be different than anything you’ve seen
Some highlights from our chat…
“I try to make everybody uncomfortable.”
“We have to change how leadership thinks—my presentation largely focuses on the fact that if you want to make changes you have to change you first. It is all psychology.”
“Don’t let what you know be the enemy of what you’re about to learn.”
“There is a risk in saying that you can sing. You might get asked to prove it. That risk is so small compared to the risks you take in transforming your company.”
“Most of us make decisions based on short-term comfort. That’s the #1 indication that you are in a lifestyle business—running to protect your lifestyle. Is that what shareholders are paying you for?”
“The entire reason we do this is for the customer. You are trying to overhaul your industry to be more efficient but none of it matters if the customer is not in your ecosystem.”
“I don’t use slides with a lot of words. I use pictures that connect to a story people will remember.”
