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What happens when leaders trust the method more than the people closest to the work? In this story from the heyday of Six Sigma, a simple frontline insight could have solved a life-saving drug shortage in weeks. Instead, the project dragged on for months, costing millions—and putting patients at risk.
In this issue of the Ideas-to-Action Video Newsletter, author Rick Tucci revisits the rise and decline of Six Sigma to highlight a common leadership pitfall he calls the Frontline Change Trap. It’s what happens when methods become doctrine, overshadow frontline wisdom, and slow down progress. Drawing on stories from the heyday of Lean Six Sigma, Rick explains why methods must remain tools—not goals—and why frontline experience is often the fastest, most reliable form of data for accelerating change.
Many leaders turn to proven methods like Lean and Six Sigma to drive change. But when methods become doctrine, they can overshadow the wisdom of employees and stall progress. In this post, author Rick Tucci explains the Frontline Change Trap—and how leaders can avoid elevating process over results by balancing tools with frontline experience through the Ideas-to-Action Process™.
For decades, leaders have been told “change is hard” and fed a steady diet of conventional change management. But the track record speaks for itself: most initiatives stall, fade, or backfire. What if the problem isn’t employees resisting change, but leaders relying on the wrong playbook?
We’ve all heard it: “Change is hard.” But is it really? In this episode of the Ideas-to-Action Video Newsletter, Rick Tucci explains why traditional change management makes change harder than it needs to be—and how the Ideas-to-Action Process™ helps leaders break through the Psychological Impasse to Change by turning engagement into ownership.
Most leaders say they want employee engagement, but too often change efforts stall. Why? Because engagement without ownership creates a cycle of frustration. In this post, author Rick Tucci explains the Psychological Impasse to Change—and how leaders can move beyond persuasion and the illusion of engagement to achieve real results with the Ideas-to-Action Process™. ________________________________________
A national food distribution company faced a $22 million profit gap with just six months to turn things around. Using the Ideas-to-Action Process™, they closed $11 million of that gap through frontline-driven improvements across 45 locations. The secret? A five-step, 60-day sprint that transforms enthusiasm into execution—mixing the structure of proven improvement disciplines with the ownership and energy of frontline engagement
In this third edition of the Ideas to Action Video Newsletter, Rick Tucci introduces the five-step Ideas-to-Action Process™—a proven, sprint-based approach for turning employee ideas into measurable results in 60 days or less. Discover how leaders can align priorities, unleash frontline ideas, and drive faster execution without top-down mandates or lengthy delays.
Most improvement efforts drag on for months—failing to energize the people closest to the work and often deliver disappointing results. In this post, author Rick Tucci introduces the five-step Ideas-to-Action Process™—a sprint-based approach that empowers frontline teams to move from ideas to measurable results in 60 days or less.