Sheboygan, WI -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/04/2014 -- Dr. Tom DePaoli isn’t afraid of looking stupid, and as he tells other business leaders – “you shouldn’t be afraid of it either!”

In his new advice book, ‘Kaizen Kreativity (Oops!)’, Dr. DePaoli outlines an unorthodox but effective way of using Kaizen tools to further improvement and make significant gains.

‘Kaizen’ is Japanese for “improvement” or “change for the best” and refers to the philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement of processes in business management. (Source: Dictionary). A tried-and-true business philosophy, Kaizen can nonetheless be intimidating to business executives or workers, who may feel self-conscious or silly while participating in Kaizen events. Dr. DePaoli’s book is the first of its kind to address these concerns and encourage participants to shed their reserve and get the most out of the training exercises.

Synopsis
In his new fun and creative book Kaizen Kreativity (Oops) or Don't Be Afraid of Looking Stupid. I'm an Expert at It! author Dr. Tom DePaoli offers an entertaining and creative approach to improving work design and work processes.

Dr. DePaoli uses a variety of techniques including story telling, imaginative training exercises and ready to go outlines of PowerPoints on Kaizens. Dr. DePaoli uses self-deprecating humor to recall the many times when he stumbled, when trying to implement Kaizen events. The reader can gain much from these lessons. The book also serves as a good desktop guide to Kaizens with a wealth of information on how to organize for Kaizen events. This is not a dogmatic book that insists on a rigid methodology for Kaizens. Dr. DePaoli often shows that just using a few Kaizen tools can often result in significant gains.

The book will help both the novice and the experienced Kaizen leader. He uses real life examples of Kaizen tools to show how work groups can make great gains. By following these stories the reader can gain a career's worth of experience in Kaizen events. Dr. DePaoli's lessons are practical, to the point and enjoyable.

Like many good business leaders, the author places getting the trust of the Kaizen work team first and foremost in his book. He emphasizes the intense preparations for the Kaizen event and overcoming the fear of asking stupid questions and conquering any trepidation of looking foolish. His book advances to tackle common mistakes in the Kaizen event, dealing with Kaizen team bad actors and building a strong relationship with the Kaizen champion. He provides an excellent workbook outline for a Kaizen event along with a strong glossary of Kaizen terms. The book provides solid elements of a desktop guide for conducting a Kaizen along with suggestions on how to make the Kaizen tools exciting. Dr. DePaoli asserts, "Above all don't be afraid of looking stupid! I'm an expert at it! And it has served me very well."

To Dr. DePaoli, recognizing imperfections or flaws are an essential part of the Kaizen process.

“I tell participants constantly – lose your fears,” says the author. “Often, people are frightened of knowing what their weaknesses are in a business environment, but how else can they improve? They may be afraid of looking stupid, but that impedes progress – and only when they truly open themselves up to the experience can change happen.”

Continuing: “Kaizen events are never going to go perfectly, but that’s the beauty of it. In those moments when we stumble – that’s when we realize our true potential. If you get up again and make a joke, or learn from it – that’s when you prove your worth to the team and to the company.”

‘Kaizen Kreativity (Oops!): Don’t Be Afraid of Looking Stupid. I’m an Expert at It’ is available now in both paperback and Kindle formats: http://amzn.to/1dgm8hf

About Tom DePaoli
Tom DePaoli is currently the Management Program Director at Marian University in Fond du Lac Wisconsin. He is the Principal of Apollo Solutions (www.apollosolutions.us), which does general business consulting in the human resources, supply chain and lean six sigma areas. The company was founded in 1995.

Recently he retired from the Navy Reserve after over 30 years of service. In other civilian careers, he was a supply chain and human resources executive with corporate purchasing turnaround experience and Lean Six Sigma deployments. He has worked for over 10 major companies and consulted for over 50 organizations throughout his career. Some of his consulting projects included: information systems projects, re-engineering organizations, transformation, e-procurement, e-commerce, change management, global sourcing and negotiating. His industry experience is in the chemical, paper, pharmaceutical, IT, automotive, government, consumer, equipment, services and consulting industries.

He has been published extensively in journals, magazines and books. He has been involved in many forms of communications including website design, marketing campaigns, political campaigns, radio advertisements, and scripts. He is also the author of Common Sense Purchasing, Common Sense Supply Management and Growing up Italian in the 50s. They are available on Amazon.com

Visit his website: www.apollosolutions.us