Welcome to Amanda’s semi-regular blog, where she writes about how to improve business profitability

My journey to writing UNBLOCK
Amanda Sokell Amanda Sokell

My journey to writing UNBLOCK

Excited to share my journey to writing "UNBLOCK: Transform Your Profitability Through a Culture of Productivity in Just 100 Days."

Written during a summer holiday in Scotland, this book offers practical insights to boost organisational productivity. Join me on this journey!

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Task level improvements don’t drive productivity
Amanda Sokell Amanda Sokell

Task level improvements don’t drive productivity

In a recent Forbes.com article, Carter Busse makes the point that company productivity does not come from tasks, rather it is derived from well-structured processes.

It’s a sentiment with which I agree. There are thousands of books on personal productivity and yet we continue to suffer from poor, or stagnant productivity and have done so now for over fifteen years.

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Our productivity sucks
Amanda Sokell Amanda Sokell

Our productivity sucks

What has happened to our productivity since 2008? And why does our productivity growth remain stubbornly low?

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95% of training is a waste of money
Amanda Sokell Amanda Sokell

95% of training is a waste of money

I’ve been thinking about change. From where I’m sitting in the productivity space, change is everywhere. If we want to improve our productivity, we have to change the way we work. So, change management and productivity improvement go hand in hand.

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Make progress visible
Amanda Sokell Amanda Sokell

Make progress visible

One of the key objectives for those leading long change projects, is keeping the team motivated.

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Productivity isn’t about production
Amanda Sokell Amanda Sokell

Productivity isn’t about production

When I work with organisations, I frequently identify key areas that are having a detrimental impact on productivity, and it is rarely on the production line.

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Measuring productivity
Amanda Sokell Amanda Sokell

Measuring productivity

Productivity measurement is one of the most important factors in the success of a business. It is vital, and sadly very few people know how to do it.

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We underestimate the Knock-on effect
Amanda Sokell Amanda Sokell

We underestimate the Knock-on effect

During the last fuel strike, many fuel stations had to close completely as their pumps were completely dry. When they ran out of fuel, they had no footfall into their stores and so they were unable to sell any of their ancillary products, milk, coffee, confectionery and so on. This is a great example where having one item out of stock can result in zero sales of a range of others.

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It’s out of stock
Amanda Sokell Amanda Sokell

It’s out of stock

In a recent survey, 48% of retailers cited frequent out-of-stock situations as one of their most significant challenges.

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