Can't Read the Label From Inside the Jar

By definition it is impossible for any of us to know what we don’t know.

D. Brown Management

July 2, 2018 2 minute read

Quote: You can't read the label from inside the jar.

We could be in the top 5% inside our domain and better off spending time scaling the machine rather than perfecting it.
We could be missing something major and not be able to see it.
We could be in a very high-leverage position where even a small improvement could have a huge impact.
We could be missing so much context for the model that we have difficulty seeing how new information fits in thereby limiting our Situational Awareness.

Who are the top 5 people inside your organization that help each other refine your models of projects, your company and the industry?

Who are the top 5 people you are mentoring and coaching to help them refine their models?

Who do you turn to on the outside of your organization that is experienced and unbiased to help give you perspective?

Time-on-Tools and Minimum Required Installation

Labor productivity IS NOT the biggest problem with field productivity. Under similar conditions the variation in how fast two crafts people actually “turn wrenches” is about 2X but there are far bigger problems to tackle. Focus on these three areas.

field productivity foreman training labor productivity

The Journey (Length, Complexity, Ambiguity, and Guardrails)

Nearly everyone can get in their vehicle and drive to a destination at the end of a two-lane road. No single person can look at open land, select a place to build a city, build that city, build the infrastructure including roads, and build the vehicles.

Talent

First of a Kind: Managing to Accelerate Outcomes and Mitigate Risks

Special attention is required for all "First of a Kind" projects, job roles, processes, and tools. This is often overlooked, slowing down progress and creating unnecessary risks for contractors.

management risk