The origin of the phrase, “the dog days of summer”, actually has nothing to do with the notion that dogs (and most people) are really lazy when it’s especially hot during the summer months. The ancient Romans associated the hottest days of the year with the star Sirius, which is known as the “dog star” and located in the constellation Canis Major (meaning “Large Dog). It is one of the brightest stars in the summer night sky. This led to the Romans referring to this period of the year as “Dies Caniculares”, meaning “Dog Days”.
But it is a fact that people do take time off this time of year and we could not get enough new content to share with you completed by the various authors in time. So we are sharing some of the best content from our archives for your reading pleasure.
We all hope you have the opportunity to share some quality time during the remaining of the summer with those nearest and dearest. And we won’t blame you a bit if you unplug and use some of the time to dedicate to your personal rejuvenation.
Founder’s Corner
The “Green Fairy” and Operational Excellence
by Joseph Paris
This article tells the bittersweet tale of our founder’s near imprisonment by U.S Customs Control, following the completely unexcellent manner in which they decided to seize his previously beloved bottle of Absinthe, brought back from Amsterdam…
Join us for this unique 2-day workshop in Kuala Lampur,
as based on the groundbreaking book on Operational Excellence by our founder, Joseph Paris,
entitled “State of Readiness”.
Global Business Readiness & Culture of Leadership Summit
November 7 – 9 | Barcelona, Spain
Join global heads in Barcelona, Spain to hear Joseph Paris speak about Process Improvement, Lean Six Sigma – and how to reach a State of Readiness.
Operational Excellence
CEO’s and their Sausages
Here’s an OpEx inference worth your read: If CEO’s love their sausages, and you work for the CEO, then you are the sausage maker. Similarly, if you’re a businessman, then the CEO becomes your customer. Hence, learn to appreciate the sausage like they do…
Officially dubbed the official and ultimate OpEx Maturity Model for companies wanting to become High Performance Organizations, featured here is
the three maturity levels of Operational Excellence efforts and some of their characteristics.
What is the relevance of Lean Six Sigma in the 21st Century business landscape? Our founder means it is necessary to go beyond the foundations of Process Excellence – and towards
achieving a mature level of operational excellence.
Healthcare in the United States: Poor Value at Unsustainable Costs
Based on the premises that the healthcare system as a whole in the United States is corrupt, dysfunctional, ineffective and inefficient, t his article shares anecdotes of JP’s personal experiences as a recipient of healthcare in the United States versus Germany .
In sharing another personal anecdote related to the US’s unsustainable healthcare system, Joseph Paris tells the tale of his
son, himself, the waste-can, and the attendant sitting at reception…
Topic: What do charities, companies, public sector bodies and management consultants have in common? No, that’s not the start of a joke. In this podcast, JP and Benjamin.
Welcome to this inaugural episode of “State of Readiness”, a podcast devoted to sharing knowledge of how companies can become high-performance organizations and hosted by Joseph Paris. Our first guest is Brent Gleeson; a Navy SEAL combat veteran with multiple tours to Iraq and Africa.
From the publicly-traded, multi-national conglomerates, to Girl Scouts selling their cookies (Thin-Mints rule), to the budding entrepreneur who opens a lemonade stand – and everything in between – there are all manner of companies and individuals offering a near infinite variety of products and services…
Thank you for being a valued reader. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments related to this publication – or if you might be interested in submitting an article for consideration in our eNewsletter
