David Mezzapelle

I've had the privilege over the years to work with amazing people, including our Contagious Optimism team today. As a leader in any organization, there is nothing better than having people around you who understand your vision and then execute it successfully. Some call this effect "synergy" and others call it "harmony." Having the right people around you is tough to find and you should consider yourself fortunate when you experience harmony among your team — like a fine motor that is perfectly calibrated.

Colin D. Baird, Vice President, Sullivan Curtis Monroe

Gemba is a Japanese term used in the lean world to define "the place where things are happening", and genchi genbutsu means "go and see for yourself". In American terms we might refer to it as Management By Walking, or Get Your Boots On.

CBS television has a hit show in Undercover Boss. The premise is that executives visit locations away from their offices where they don a different identity.  Employees not recognizing the boss are willing to give them far more accurate information about what it's like to work for the company than the boss gets from his own leadership team.