Lean/Six Sigma: Successful implementation can lead to rapid ROI…
if you have the right talent in the driver’s seat.

Recruiting top lean/six sigma leaders into entrepreneurial companies can drive
substantial ROI results

Topic
Hiring the best demands targeting, sourcing and pitching your opportunities to top notch talent – requiring expertise, resources, and time. And, in the world of Lean/Six Sigma, it takes knowledge of process improvement techniques, a network of qualified professionals, and a knack for honing in on what will ultimately entice the perfect candidate to say “yes” to your opportunity.

Frequent Challenge
Entrepreneurs have expertise in offering a solid vision for their company – providing solutions and fulfilling needs through the creation of products and services. Though they recognize the critical need for operational and functional leadership talent, and the benefits of integrating Lean/Six Sigma practices, entrepreneurs oftentimes have limited experience in workforce planning. Nor do they have the time or recruiting resources necessary to effectively target, source, pitch and hire high level, seasoned executives. The challenge for the entrepreneur is, in its simplest terms, “how will I hire a leadership team that has the appropriate experience in Lean/Six Sigma to impact my business quickly?”

Why Lean/Six Sigma?
Many successful companies today have incorporated Lean/Six Sigma (LSS) initiatives into their organizations as a means to improve their operations and processes.

A significant return on investment can be realized from a systematic approach to LSS and an understanding of what areas within the business are less than optimal in meeting performance goals, i.e. cost, capacity and customer service. Richard “Dick” Booton, DuffyGroup Vice President has been a partner to organizations deploying Lean/Six Sigma for decades. Dick comments, “When a company deploys Lean/Six Sigma, its improvements can be measured by substantial customer value, functional value, quality, and exceptional product/service delivery.”

It is not uncommon to achieve overall performance improvements such as 50-90% reduction in administrative cycle time, 90+% improvement in on-time delivery, 75% reduction in new product development times, and 50% reduction in capitalization costs.

The key elements to a powerful Lean/Six Sigma transformation process include:

• Leadership Commitment
• Strategic Approach tied to Long Term Business Objectives
• Integration into the Company Culture

Effective deployments start from the top, with champions from executive management leading the initiatives, providing incentive for mid-management to develop projects aligned with the organization’s strategic objectives. Projects must be lead by well-trained and experienced professionals and supported with technical resources to review and monitor the project in order to achieve the highest results.

Finding Talent
Identifying and screening process improvement professionals with Lean and/or Six Sigma expertise can be a daunting task, especially if you are not an expert yourself. And, therein lies the opportunity for external partnerships – finding the experts to help you efficiently and effectively bring this specialized talent into your leadership team.

Ann Sylvia, DuffyGroup Vice President, Practice Leader has a clear understanding of the talent pool and what is required of Lean/Six Sigma companies. She states, “Lean/Six Sigma leaders coming into an organization must be able to achieve double digit improvements in order to claim success.” Finding the right person for the job, especially if they are in a leadership role, is crucial to make or break your Lean/Six Sigma initiatives.

Our experience in sourcing and recruiting Lean/Six Sigma and other process improvement professionals comes from working with some of the most well respected leaders in the industry. We have learned from partnerships and experience, how to identify those who have truly mastered Lean/Six Sigma tools and concepts and applied them successfully. This expertise uniquely positions us to provide our clients with qualified, top-notch process improvement candidates.

We follow a customer-focused, results-driven methodology throughout the entire sourcing/recruiting process. During our initial client consultation phase, we listen to the needs and requirements of our client's search scenario, and together we determine the most efficient and effective sourcing model/approach. With this customer-centric philosophy and succinct process, regardless of the model applied, our focus is on delivering the highest level of results.

The Value of a Network
An expansive database of professionals from which to recruit is important as well as knowledge of the leading companies and organizations in the marketplace today. We have successfully provided sourcing solutions for clients in a variety of industries including: automotive; aerospace; high tech; service; retail; pharmaceutical; healthcare; insurance; management consulting; manufacturing; and distribution. Our sourcing experience spans a wide range of positions including:

• Corporate and Executive Leaders
• General & Plant Managers
• Site-Level Directors, Managers & Engineers
• Master Black Belts
• Lean/Six Sigma Consultants

With this type of a network, we are positioned to work faster and more efficiently than our competitors. One of our clients, a large Lean/Six Sigma consulting firm needed a skill set of experts that were willing to leave their jobs in management and operations and use their leadership expertise as consultants. The client did not want an executive search firm to bring them people that all they had to do was make them an offer and sign on the dotted line. Utilizing our research model saved the company time and money. The client stated that the Duffy research team was better at generating candidates than they were. The essential factor was to let Duffy do the digging and networking to find qualified candidates and convincing them to consider the opportunity. Bottom line: they hired three out of every four candidates we presented.

Conclusion
Implementing Lean/Six Sigma into your organization can have tremendous return on investment. Finding the talent to help your organization transform is an art and a science in itself. Don’t let your organization achieve less than optimal results because you don’t have the right leader in the driver’s seat. There are organizations out there that can help. It’s worth your time and investment to partner with them.

DuffyGroup, Inc.
DuffyGroup, Inc. provides recruiting services and customized solutions that go far beyond the norm in creativity, strategy and results. For almost two decades, we have successfully provided sourcing solutions and recruiting support to companies across North America and throughout the world. We recruit the right people...you grow profit and brand.

Our Lean/Six Sigma specialty service is led by two industry professionals with over 40 years combined experience in the process improvement arena. They have worked with and for some of the country’s premier companies which contributes greatly to the vast network of contacts they have established and continue to build on a daily basis. Their work has tied them directly to the original pioneers of lean and process improvement.

Ann Sylvia, Practice Leader
mailto:asylvia@duffygroup.com
Ann joined DuffyGroup in 1999. Prior to that, she held a variety of roles in Marketing, Sales Operations, and Marketing Communications across multiple business units at Eastman Kodak Company. Ann's expertise is in the process improvement arena, and she applies these concepts to lead a team of recruiters for DuffyGroup, predominantly utilizing our recruiting research model. Her clients include some of the country’s premier manufacturers and consulting companies.

Richard “Dick” Booton
mailto:dbooton@duffygroup.com Prior to joining DuffyGroup in 2004, Dick gained considerable expertise in Lean/Six Sigma practices working as a Client Development and Recruiting Manager for the Six Sigma Academy. This is in addition to his 24 years as an executive search consultant where he completed search assignments for Fortune 100 and privately held firms. With Dick's wide range of search expertise, he can integrate a variety of search/fee models depending on client requirements.

We’d like the opportunity to demonstrate first- hand how our experienced team, proven process, and dedication to customer service can provide you with exceptional results. For more information, visit us on the web, give us a call at 602.861.5840, or email our practice area experts directly.