BlogS

A Leadership Reflection on Flux and Change By Larry Ramirez Introduction – The Comfort of Standing Still Organizations talk about change as if it were an event. Something announced, managed, endured, and eventually completed. Leaders roll out initiatives, teams adjust their workflows, the dust settles, and the organization returns to normal—at least that’s the story we like to tell ourselves....

How Organizations Build Inefficiency by Protecting Against What Rarely Happens By Larry Ramirez Introduction – “Yeah, But What About…” Every leader who studies processes long enough encounters the same moment. A workflow is mapped. Waste becomes visible. Hand-offs look heavier than they need to be. Delays appear where none seem justified. An opportunity for improvement emerges—clear, logical,...

Why the Best Leaders Absorb Pressure So Their Teams Can Perform By Larry Ramirez Introduction – The Mess We Pretend Isn’t There Organizations like to present themselves as rational systems. We draw clean boxes on org charts, define crisp roles, document tidy processes, and talk confidently about accountability. From a distance, it all looks orderly—almost mechanical. But anyone who has lived...

By Larry Ramirez Introduction – The First Time You Open the Hood Every mechanic remembers the first time they opened the hood of a machine they didn’t yet understand. The components are familiar in name—belts, hoses, fasteners, systems—but unfamiliar in arrangement. Some parts are worn smooth by time and use. Others are new, shiny, recently replaced. There are signs of past repairs: mismatched...

By Larry Ramirez Introduction – Seeing What Others Cannot One of the most difficult moments in leadership is not making a decision.It is realizing that you see something others do not—and knowing that convincing them may be harder than acting on it yourself. Leaders regularly encounter this moment when they challenge long-standing processes, question familiar explanations, or point out...

By Larry Ramirez Introduction – The Comfort of the Known Every organization has them. The veterans. The fixers. The people who have “seen everything” and can solve problems no system, SOP, or engineering package ever anticipated. Their instincts are sharp, their experience is vast, and their ability to improvise under pressure often feels indispensable. When something goes wrong, these...

By Larry Ramirez Introduction – When Change Feels Personal Organizations often assume that resistance to standardization is a matter of attitude: some people resist because they are stubborn, set in their ways, or uncomfortable with new technology. But the reasons run much deeper. Standardization doesn’t merely change how work is done—it changes how people see themselves in the workplace. It...

Why the buyer of the future will need to think less about price and more about possibility By Larry Ramirez Introduction – The Turning Point Every so often, an industry reaches an inflection point so profound that it forces a redefinition of its own identity. For procurement, that moment has arrived. Artificial intelligence is not merely a tool to automate the routine; it is a force that will...

By Larry Ramirez Introduction – The Flicker Before the Fade It begins the same way every time.A skilled change manager is brought in — someone with energy, vision, and a toolbox full of improvement methods. Teams are engaged, meetings buzz with new ideas, and for a while, the organization feels alive again. Metrics move. Culture shifts. Momentum builds. And then, just as quickly, it fades.The...

By Larry Ramirez Introduction – The Invisible Pull Every leader has felt it.A new initiative launches with energy and clarity — a bold strategic plan, a reorganization, a digital transformation. Early enthusiasm builds momentum, but within months, the progress slows. Meetings fill with familiar objections, departments revert to old habits, and once again, the company settles into its old orbit....

By Larry Ramirez Operations & Supply Chain ExecutiveLean Six Sigma Black Belt | Doctoral Candidate in Business Leadership Introduction – The Uncomfortable Pattern Every seasoned leader has seen it happen.A struggling process is mapped, measured, and methodically improved through Lean Six Sigma or another continuous improvement initiative. The team celebrates, the metrics climb, and the...