See
Develop systems and processes that make problems immediately obvious.
Developing people.
Building dynamic organisations.
Cordell helps leaders and teams build the knowledge, confidence and capability to make improvement last.
His approach draws on experience in US Marine Corps aviation, Toyota and PepsiCo — and a conviction that people make the difference.
Talk to Cordell
Lasting improvement depends on the people doing the work.
Cordell’s career has taken him from military aviation to automotive and food manufacturing, and into coaching and consulting. Along the way, he saw how clear standards, teamwork and the freedom to improve can change the way an organisation performs.
He also saw why improvement can lose momentum: introducing tools is only part of the work. People need to understand the purpose, develop their skills and have the opportunity to use them.
That experience shapes his work today: helping organisations develop their own capability to learn, solve problems and keep improving.
Cordell began his career in US Marine Corps aviation, learning about leadership, teamwork, motivation and discipline.
Visual management, documented standards and regular reviews made the work clear. Problem-solving and learning were part of how the team operated.
After leaving the Marines, Cordell returned to the UK and joined Toyota. He improved processes while learning how the organisation’s systems and culture worked together.
Subsequent roles in manufacturing showed him the challenge of transferring those practices without the same engagement and development of people.
At PepsiCo, Cordell experienced a culture in which people were encouraged to improve processes and make a difference to their own work.
It reinforced an important lesson: the tools matter, but an engaged team with the capability to act is what makes improvement sustainable.
Cordell moved into consulting to share his experience with other organisations, later establishing his independent practice.
His focus is on helping leaders and teams understand both what to do and why, so that improvement continues through their own knowledge and confidence.
Four connected principles sit at the heart of a dynamic organisation. Practised together, they build the capability to keep learning and adapting.
Develop systems and processes that make problems immediately obvious.
Address problems as they arise, with the people who understand the work.
Share the knowledge gained. Learn once and apply it in many places.
Leaders coach and develop people to see, solve and share for themselves.
Cover concept for review
A new edition.
A continued focus on people.
Cordell is developing a second edition of Lean Misconceptions. The book provides a place to explore his thinking on Lean, leadership and building organisations that keep improving.
See, Solve, Share and Show connect that thinking to everyday work: recognise problems, address their causes, share the learning and develop others.
Second edition in developmentAsk about the book“Cordell’s understanding and enthusiastic delivery of the subject matter makes our training workshops highly effective, efficient and fun.”
Engineering ManagerGlobal Manufacturing Organisation
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