El Camino: The Road

About the Book

This book provides the reader the opportunity to review real-world experiences solved by some rather creative methods, reflect on their own organizations, and think about ideas for improvement. The book is formatted for “an easy read” in only a couple hours. The bulleted format follows: 1. Setting up the situation 2. Reviewing the actions taken 3. Inviting the reader to predict the possible consequences of the outcome 4. Revealing the actual results 5. And finally, a self-assessment that stimulates the reader to conduct an introspective look at their own organization I wrote this book for the intended benefit of plant managers, especially those in the maquiladora industry. I believe one can benefit from the experiences that are related throughout the book; some of the actions and results may not be so predictable. As you may already know and will further see, there are so many angles from where something can become an instant risk to your organization; it really is a challenge to be aware of them all. Every celebrity in sports, entertainment, business, etc., seems to have a special trainer/mentor/coach that can help provide guidance, advice, and collaboration. They help make the pros to be the best they can be. During my own career, it seemed to me there should also be such a coach for plant managers, not just celebrities. The self-assessment portion presented in each chapter is intended for you to reflect upon yourself and your organization and to explore some areas that maybe haven’t presented themselves as problems yet. The reason I turned to consulting was for the specific reason that when I was a plant general manager, I would really have benefited from having someone like a coach working with me. If areas of risk can be assessed and addressed to avoid crises or disasters and/or realize significant performance improvements, as a result of my book and/or my consulting efforts, then I feel my experience and knowledge have been successfully passed on. Michael Cochrane

About the Author