May 22, 2024 Los Angeles, CA – Directed Action Inc. (DAI), a management consulting firm specializing in business strategy and transformation, has been honored with the prestigious Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) Supplier of the Year Award for its exceptional contributions to innovation, quality, and leadership of key organizational transformations. The annual awards program celebrates…
Driving Transformation: 5 Ways Leaders Successfully Manage M &A
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can be tumultuous waters for any organization to navigate. The complexities of combining two separate entities, aligning cultures, and ensuring operational continuity are challenges that require adept leadership. Successful leaders understand that M&A activities are not just about financial transactions; they are about managing people, processes, and strategies effectively. From the…
Tools for Transformation: The Power of Non Verbal Communication
Lyft and ASL When I was in Texas recently, I took a Lyft from the Toyota offices back to my hotel. When the app confirmed my driver, it sent me a notification that my driver was a deaf person and directed me to this link of helpful ASL phrases. This was a small moment in…
Engaging Your Employee’s for Today’s Challenges
Toyota Transformation When Toyota North America launched a strategic objective, “One Toyota” to create more unified operations in North America, they hired Directed Action, Inc. (DAI) to guide the transformation. The project brought together their quality engineering, sales, marketing, financial services, and corporate functions into one single new headquarters location in Plano, TX. TEMA merged…
The Pace of Change In Technology
At the end of last year I interviewed two business leaders, Damon Aldrich and Liz Dadanian about what they saw as the future of technology trends and innovation. One thing they mentioned was the fear around change and technology but also the opportunity – here’s an excerpt from that conversation that illustrates why the pace…
REPOST: Directed Action COO Kevin Keane in the Los Angeles Business Journal
Happy New Year! I wrote this article for the LABJ in December and am posting here in the hopes that businesses will think strategically about their advocacy in the coming year! At an event recently, I was struck by something a fellow business owner said. “If you’re in business, you have to involve yourself in…
Aligning your Values with Toyota, Jane Goodall and Directed Action
Toyota, a Directed Action client, recently published a video with the iconic Jane Goodall about her organization’s Roots and Shoots program. I recommend watching the whole video but in summary, it’s a spectacular illustration of how large companies can think about their impact and philanthropy. When a company can clearly articulate their values and their…
Resilience Planning is the Key to Thriving Through a Crisis
Resilience Planning is the Key to Thriving Through a Crisis The Fed attributes 200,000 business closures to COVID which are lower than some estimates but still quite serious to the owners and employees of those businesses. Some companies have made it through the last two years but did not soar. They are keeping afloat, but…
Do as I say, AND as I do
You may have heard the expression “The cobbler’s kids have no shoes.” It describes the phenomenon of a skilled professional with an area of deep expertise that in this case they don’t apply to their own family. Cobblers get a bad rap in this example but it applies to lots of professionals. I’ve known doctors…
Turning Your Supplier Diversity Program into a Supplier Diversity Strategy
This year we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and as a certified women’s business enterprise (WBE) we look forward to attending their conference in Atlanta next month. Our clients who have supplier diversity strategies are attending to meet new potential suppliers and connect with current suppliers. …