6 Steps to Superpower Your Career Development

Hi everyone!

As you all know, this newsletter is custom-tailored for those working in a corporate environment with aspirations to advance their careers.

In this newsletter, we're highlighting the new episode from our podcast, First WAVES.

Here is a direct link 6 Steps to Superpower Your Career Development with Juan Steigerwald

This month, we'll delve into the Customer Clarification tool.

Why Use This Tool?

Every process has an “output,” and it is crucial to identify the customer receiving these outputs. If you do not know who your customer is, you cannot determine whether you are meeting their expectations.

It is also important to clarify whether the customer is an internal customer (e.g., the next department in the value stream) or an external customer.

How to Use This Tool?

Use the template called “Internal / External Customer.”
Identify the process name and enter the internal and external customers in the table.
Specify their expectations.
You can gather this information through interviews, analyzing historical data, or creating a data collection plan to begin analysis.
Avoid relying on “gut feelings” for this step.

When to Use This Tool?

When Searching for a Project:

Use this tool to identify new project opportunities. Once you’ve identified your customer, analyze their expectations directly. If there’s a gap between their expectations and your current delivery of a service or product, you’ve found a potential project! 😊

When Starting a New Project:

This tool is essential during the project kick-off session to align with customer expectations from the beginning.

3 Do’s and 3 Don’ts

Do: Brainstorm all the potential customers receiving the process outputs.

Do: Conduct interviews with some of the customers directly.

Do: Convert high-level VOC (Voice of Customer) statements into measurable indicators.

Don’t rely on gut feelings.

Don’t skip creating a data collection plan.

Don’t forget to inform the customer about the improved process after the project is completed.

You can find additional information on how to use this tool in our tool vault. If you’re unable to access the Tool Vault, please consider registering first. Once registered, navigate to the Define phase and select the desired tool.

You’ll also find a short video where I explain the tool in more detail.

Every month, we will highlight one of the 22 training and certification programs offered by WAVE.

This month, we’re excited to spotlight the Presentation & Communication Skills course.

This training is particularly valuable for those who:

Create presentations.
Present in front of a group or in 1:1 meeting.

You will learn how to:

Enhance your speaking and presentation skills.
Apply effective techniques to improve the visual appeal of your slides.
Make it easy for your audience to follow the common thread.
Manage nervousness when delivering a presentation.
Improve your body language.
Start and end your presentation in an impactful way.
Optimize your video conferencing setup and room configuration.
Master best practices for delivering presentations via video conferencing.
Simplify the communication of key messages.

As a bonus, you'll also receive a downloadable checklist summarizing all key takeaways from this training.

Why is this training valuable?

Hands-on Learning: Engage in practical exercises to practice and self-evaluate your progress.
Skill Enhancement: Strengthen your brand image by improving presentation and communication skills.
Guidance and Support: Get access to 1:1 coaching at a 15% discount when connected to this course.
Career Development: Boost your Lean and Six Sigma certifications by becoming a more effective communicator.

Course Duration

Approximately 3.5 hours of video material, plus additional time for activities.

Get Started

Check out the agenda and watch a 3-minute video for more insights. You can also purchase this one directly from our website.

Presentation and Communication Skills Training (English)

This course serves as an important step in addressing the way you create slides and present them.

In the Projects section on the WAVE website, my team and I are engaged in 2 compelling long-term projects:

Project: Sustainability for Companies:

If your company is committed to advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and reducing its carbon footprint, or if you are looking to enhance your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, we invite you to explore our Sustainability for Companies project page. My team and I would be happy to discuss these exciting topics with you. Learn more by visiting: Sustainability for Companies.

80% of the projects we support come from customers in the financial sector, such as banks and insurance companies. We are also strongly engaged with real estate firms and IT companies. However, in this edition of our newsletter, I would like to share with you how my team and I have combined 5 Lean Six Sigma projects with sustainability topics:

Reducing Chemical Waste in Production
Problem: Excessive chemical waste generated during manufacturing.
LSS Approach: identify waste sources, optimize formulations, and reduce overuse.
Optimizing Chemical Processes for Efficiency
Problem: Inefficient chemical reactions or processes lead to unnecessary byproducts.
LSS Approach: Apply Design of Experiments (DOE) and Statistical Process Control (SPC) to optimize reaction conditions and raw material usage.
Substituting Harmful Chemicals with Safer Alternatives
Problem: Toxic chemicals used in production processes.
LSS Approach: Conduct Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to assess risks and identify safer, cost-effective alternatives.
Reducing Chemical Usage in Cleaning & Maintenance
Problem: Overuse of industrial cleaning chemicals.
LSS Approach: Implement 5S (Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) to standardize cleaning procedures and optimize chemical concentrations.
Minimizing Environmental Impact of Chemical Disposal
Problem: Inefficient disposal leading to pollution.
LSS Approach: Use Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to track chemical disposal steps, identify inefficiencies, and implement sustainable disposal methods.

Summary: The fewer chemicals we create, the healthier and more resilient our environment and physical bodies will be to thrive!

Internal WAVE Project: Health, Happiness, and Planet:

At WAVE, we're driven not just by the goal of enhancing your business performance, but also by a deep commitment to your overall well-being, happiness, and the health of our planet. That's why we've dedicated a separate project page and a podcast to these essential topics. Here, you'll discover practical tips and valuable insights on boosting your energy, improving your health, and adopting habits that contribute to a healthier environment.

Below is an overview of the episodes we featured in Q1 of 2025.