Amanda Parker
Mechanical Engineering from Kansas State University
Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh
Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Qualified Administrator
Project Management Professional, PMI
Hey there! I’m Amanda, always in pursuit of the finely-tuned machine…my teams, work processes, and management of my life. I grew up in the Flint Hills of Kansas juxtaposed between art shows and engineering labs, where I dreamed of designing systems to be elegant and supremely functional…and still do.
I help Team Leaders find a pathway to realizing the improvements they want to see happen in their work processes. I get a rush when a client gives me that look…the one of “A-HA!, I finally see how we can do this!” and “We were able to see so much progress!” and “You got a lot out of my team in a short amount of time!” It is the sense of calm confidence, almost relief, that we’ve used the time together to change our corner of the world, and we’ve thought through how to make it happen. And then we do it together.
You say…I’ve tried to do that before, but life always gets in the way. My planning efforts get overcome by the daily emergency. Then the firefighting turns from days to weeks or months. How will it get done??
Been there. (Confession: Sometimes still there.) You need someone that understands what you want to do, can bring the improvement tools to Git.R.Done., and then encourage your team to keep going.
I’m a process improvement engineer who walks with Team Leaders to bring about the improvement they want to see happen.
Here’s the street cred to go with it…
- Mechanical Engineering from Kansas State University
- Industrial Engineering from University of Pittsburgh
- Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma
I came out of engineering school into process improvement, doing Six Sigma process improvement. I quickly learned that you can analyze inefficiencies for the highest quality standards, but unless the team came together, nothing got done. I found ways to help teams be more effective together.
I went and did a few things that helped me do that…
- Third River Consultant in Serving Leadership
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Qualified Administrator
- Project Management Professional, PMI
With all these dreams of efficiency and elegance, I keep learning that I am a recovering perfectionist. My preschooler and toddler help me embrace the mess of life and enjoy life daily.
I work with my clients as I endeavor to be a leader to my boys, striving to improve processes to make life more elegant and supremely functional in both arenas. Just like there’s no perfect family photo with a toddler, there’s no perfect path to improvement in your team. You just need a guide to help navigate the terrain as things come to keep you going.
Want to see some of this Team Leader improvement stuff in action?
Check out my blog for Team Leaders
Ready to get started improving your processes, Team Leader?