“Healthcare Black Belt seeks long-distance relationship with diverse group of process improvers willing to share opinions and experiences about the challenges of getting the right people to do the right things right.”

First order of business: Who am I? I ask myself this question frequently. Every time I change jobs, it’s an opportunity to reinvent myself. Currently, I’m a Six Sigma Black Belt with three years of experience with Six Sigma and Lean in healthcare. I’ve enjoyed the structure and rigor of Six Sigma, while being challenged by individuals who don’t think in terms of process. I’ve been humbled – and reinvigorated – by my transformation from being an expert in my previous area, the clinical laboratory, to becoming a “newbie” at process improvement. I’m an optimist by nature, teacher by outlook, psychologist by necessity, and an INTP to boot.

Second order of business: Why am I here? I’ll use this space to share my opinions about the “A” side of the equation – where Q (the quality of the solution) x A (the acceptance of the stakeholders) = E (the effectiveness of the solution). I’m fascinated by the “people side” of this work – how to get buy-in; why some of us would rather develop work-arounds than follow a standard process; the all-pervasive “That will never work!” and my favorite, “You’ll NEVER get the doctors to go along with that!” From a team perspective, what’s the best way to turn nay-sayers and eye-rollers into converts? What’s the change that has to take place in order to build a true Six Sigma organization?

I really look forward to our conversations together. Let me leave you with a question, to start: If you’re involved in a Six Sigma effort, what’s the ONE THING you wish you’d been told when you started? Here’s what I was actually told – it only took my 2 years to really believe it: “Six Sigma is not only about the data. Six Sigma success is based on relationship-building bound to a common philosphy.” What should someone have told you, at the beginning of your journey?

Let the blogging begin!