Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Bremer.
Michael, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have had many helpers over the years who mentored an immature, naive young man and guided me to learn and grow. I can now share what I’ve learned with others. It has been a very exciting run….so far.
I started my career with a brief stint in Public Accounting. And then went to work for Beatrice Foods (a Fortune 30 Company at the time). Beatrice owned over 440 businesses spread all over the globe (Samsonite, Tropicana, Culligan, Avis….and many others). One of my assignments was to create an initiative to stimulate productivity improvement. I learned tons implementing that activity and it provides the foundation for the work I do today.
Since 1991, my business partner Brian McKibben and I have led The Cumberland Group. A boutique consulting practice focused on helping organizations to ‘improve the way the improve.’ The work has been exciting and an on-going learning journey for us. Being highly effective at improving 10 years ago, would not meet today’s standard for being leading edge at improvement. Organizations need to continue getting better at getting better, but few seem to have a deep understanding of this conundrum.
We work in the world of business performance improvement. You could not name a three letter improvement program (TQM, LSS, VSM, etc.) that we have not done over the last 30 years. The improvement methodology is really not all that important. What is key is a willingness to act humble (even when you are not a humble person). Humility creates space for other people to contribute and to say what is on their mind. It allows everyone to learn and to change their perspective.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’ve been promoted, fired, moved laterally and felt I was not progressing fast enough. Followed by, “Oh my gosh! I’m moving too fast!!!” All of it was a learning experience. There was nothing that was insurmountable, although sometimes (at that exact moment) it felt overwhelming. I’ve learned to be patient, to not take things personally and to become more observant, trying to change my perspective as I learned. I’m much better at doing this today in my 60s than I was in my 20s.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Intellectually, I’ve always known that people are important to a company’s success. Unfortunately, most leaders do not truly treat their people in a respectful way. A number of years ago, I ran a one-week improvement project. We had successfully implemented a number of improvements to the process and had a great presentation to the leadership team. After this was all over, I asked everyone on the team, “So what did you get out of this one week investment of your life?” Most people politely responded to the question. When it was Pearlie’s turn to speak she said, “I’ve worked for this company for 25 years. And it is the first time they ever asked me to think.” She paused and then finished with, “And I really liked it!”
That was the first time I ever fully realized how much untapped human potential exist in most organizations. This was not a bad company, they were doing an Ok job, they treated their people in a reasonable way…. but clearly, they did not fully respect them. Nor did they feel a responsibility to change people’s lives for the better. That experience changed my life and changed the way I worked moving forward. There is so much untapped talent in most companies. A leader’s primary goal should be to develop people’s talents and capabilities where the people who work in the company and the organization can indeed accomplish great things. It’s quite awesome when this happens!
Basically, I’m a doorman. I open doors for company leaders and people interested in improvement – to see what is on the other side. Then they need to decide if they wish to walk through the doorway. Some do, some do not. I know I cannot force them to go through the doorway (one of my many learnings). If they elect to proceed than many interesting things can happen.
I have had an opportunity to write and co-author several business books. The last one. “How to Do a Gemba Walk” is a Shingo Research Award recipient.
Gemba walks provide an opportunity of discovery for walkers to change the way they lead as they learn. The end result is a leader more in touch with reality, with a higher degree of humility and a leader who more effectively coaches team members to elevate the effectiveness of performance improvement activities. It is one of the few improvement tools that can directly change an organization’s culture, if done well.
My personal goal is to have more leaders practice and use those behaviors. Much of this can be learned by simply taking a walk…. isn’t that sort of amazing?
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I have lived in Chicago since graduating from the University of Missouri, many years ago. I have also been fortunate enough to travel all over the globe. Chicago is definitely one of the world’s great cities! The State of Illinois on the other hand is quite problematic.
There are many talented people in the city and its surrounding suburbs. If you travel for a living there is no greater place to live because you can go anywhere from here. Most of the time on a direct flight.
Our business incubators (like mHub and Catapult, 1821, etc.) are awesome. The Universities are world class and the business community is quite strong.
Contact Info:
- Address: 312 W. Hickory St.,
Hinsdale, IL 60521 - Website: www.cumberlandchicago.com
- Phone: 630-789-8262
- Twitter: @michaelbremer
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=Jqw7UOZuRGUvOhJyepQgFQ
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-bremer-25712b/
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
