NO PLANE, NO GAIN
4 BENEFITS OF TRAVELING FOR BUSINESS
EXPANDING YOUR NETWORK Once you know everyone at your workplace, meeting new people becomes less likely. Business trips, and travel in general, are great ways to make new connections. A survey done by Virgin Atlantic in 2015 estimated that 1 in 5 people have done business with someone they met on a plane. There’s potential to build social relationships too. Don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation with someone new! predisposes your mind to think differently than it normally does. Therefore, business trips are beneficial for brainstorming new strategies. You can’t just rely on what you know; you have to innovate and experiment. Once you’re back in the office, your newfound creativity will help you tackle challenges more effectively. IMPROVING YOUR CREATIVITY Being in a new environment naturally
We don’t normally think of business trips as the most relaxing way to spend our time. Unlike vacations, the schedules are rigid, the mornings are early, and the conference rooms never seem to be a comfortable temperature. However, here are four benefits to going on business trips, both for your employer and yourself. ENHANCING YOUR ADAPTABILITY International business trips can be especially nerve-wracking. You might have to interact with people who speak a different language, figure out how to get to your hotel or conference center by yourself, or try a new restaurant out of your comfort zone. (Not every city has a Starbucks — at least, not yet.) While these may seem like negatives, they are actually opportunities to become more adaptable in everyday life. If you can roll with the punches in a new environment, you’ll be able to do it so much better during the daily grind.
a lot of business travel, sign up for a frequent flyer program and get points on your company’s dime. Put them toward that vacation you’ve been saving for without spending any of your own money. Of course, if your business trip leaves any room for R&R, take advantage of it. You might be there for work, but you’re in a new city with tons of opportunities to learn and explore. Just because you’re there on business doesn’t mean fun is out of the question.
RACKING UP THOSE FREQUENT FLYER MILES This benefit is more for you than for your
job. If you anticipate
HOW TPM KEEPS EQUIPMENT RUNNING
If there’s one mindset change John Kravontka, continuous-improvement consultant and president of TPM Unlimited LLC, wants to encourage, it’s getting out of breakdown mode. With 45 years of experience, John knows the value of maintaining machinery and the role lean management plays.
John recalls one of many scenarios that demonstrates the effectiveness of TPM. A piece of equipment had auto lubrication with a visible reservoir to see if the lubricant was low. The reservoir hadn’t moved for a week. During their daily PM check, the operator noticed and reported it. “The week before, there had been an electrical storm that caused a power outage,” John says. “We rebooted the equipment, but the loop wasn’t pumping anymore. It turned out this was a common problem, and we caught it in other places. It was huge.” With TPM, teams identify what needs to be checked daily. Operators have input into the solution, and everything is labeled with visual cues and instructions. Inspections are
John’s lean management journey started
reversal of the way you typically think about equipment. The standard is to come to equipment when it’s broken down and figure out what went wrong. TPM looks at it from a different direction: It’s running, so what do I have to do to keep it running?” It’s clear to John that TPM provides a better way to recognize when something isn’t working. “TPM is a way of standardizing. It became part of our daily operation and made our process much more visual.” John adds, “That’s where 5S comes in with visuals, so you can tell immediately. If the needle is outside of the green, you’ve got a problem.”
at the beginning of his career, when he was an apprentice at an aerospace company. As a maintenance tech, John says he “learned a lot, made mistakes, and got paired with experienced mechanics.” The company began to implement TPM, and when John was offered the opportunity to learn more, he jumped at it. John quickly recognized that TPM’s principles aligned with his work as a maintenance tech.
“I got excited about what it could do for equipment,” John says. “It’s a 180-degree
standardized, and equipment is maintained. In short, everyone benefits.
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