The Relationship Between Lean and Safety

By Ben Hershey, President & Coach, 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC In my experience and with the work I do with hundreds of component manufacturers, I find that many companies will tell me Safety is important, but, in practice, safety is treated as a burden on the company. Good managers will always have an attitude that…

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How Does Your Company Performance Measure Up? The Importance of Benchmarking

By Ben Hershey, President & Coach, 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC I read a book recently that discussed the term “benchmark” and its origins as relates to business.  Surprisingly, the term originates within the history of guns and ammunition. In fact,  with the same aim we use it today— comparison and improved performance.    The book…

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Moving From Best to Next Practices

By Ben Hershey, President & Coach, 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC As an industry, there are many times I believe we have been behind the curve in adopting/taking on new technology or hardware in our operations.  Over the past 15 years or so, we have seen incredible growth in the use of automation, software, etc., but…

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Emerging Pillars for Business Success

By Ben Hershey, President & Coach, 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC As companies grow and change, we should ask ourselves—what are the essential pillars of support that help companies succeed? While making changes that will transform their businesses, successful companies will rely on core pillars that form the foundation of who they will be in the…

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Change Your Dynamic By Investing in Your Team

By Ben Hershey, President & Coach, 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC What is the difference between companies which are stuck in the status quo and those which are transforming themselves into the leader in their industry? One significant difference is their focus on Continuous Improvement. By focusing on making things better—People, Projects, and Process—these leading companies…

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Break Through Your Box

How many times have you seen your competitor or other businesses in your area copy what you produce or offer?  Maybe it is the kind of company that takes a photo of some trusses, puts themselves in front of it, and says, “Look at me, I am the same kind of company they  are.” Flattery…

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Why Coaching is Important to Continuous Improvement

It’s 2017, Happy New Year! If you are like me, you spend the later part of the year setting goals for the coming year and planning how to accomplish them. For those who work for me, I always set goals, metrics, and participate in a conference on how we are going to achieve what we…

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