Better Operations with Gordon James Millar

Welcome to a unique perspective on manufacturing excellence, operational leadership, and systems thinking. Here you’ll find insights drawn from over a decade of hands-on experience in engineering, manufacturing operations, real estate professional practice, and culinary arts.

A Polymathic Approach to Operations

These articles explore the fascinating connections between seemingly unrelated fields—discovering how principles from professional kitchens enhance manufacturing flow, how real estate market dynamics inform operational strategy, and how systems thinking transforms everything from product development to team leadership.

Each piece combines technical depth with engaging storytelling, offering practical strategies you can implement whether you’re optimizing a factory floor, leading a technical team, or building operational excellence in any complex organization.

What You’ll Discover

• Manufacturing & Engineering Insights: Practical approaches to lean operations, quality systems, and process optimization
• Cross-Disciplinary Connections: How principles from culinary arts, real estate, and other fields enhance technical operations
• Leadership & Systems Thinking: Strategies for building resilient teams and organizations that adapt and thrive
• Seasonal Perspectives: Timely insights that connect operational challenges to broader patterns and cycles

Published every Sunday, these articles maintain a consistent schedule while diving deep into the complexities and opportunities of modern technical leadership.

Posts

• The Equipment Failure That Taught Me About Cross-Training (And Why Your Best Backup Plan Is People, Not Systems)
• The Saturday Night Rush That Taught Me About Flow State Manufacturing (And Why Your Production Line Should Think Like a Jazz Kitchen)
• The Property Walk-Through That Changed How I Think About Manufacturing Quality (And Why Details Matter More Than Systems)
• The Menu Tasting That Revealed Hidden Customer Intelligence (And Why Your Quality Control Should Talk Back)
• The Night Maintenance Taught Me About Graceful Failure (And Why Your Backup Systems Should Break Better Than Your Main Ones)
• The Operations Director Who Changed Everything I Knew About Leadership Philosophy
• The Training Director Who Redefined My Understanding of Organizational Learning
• The Quality Director Who Transformed My Understanding of Excellence Standards
• The Service Manager Who Revolutionized My Understanding of Customer Retention
• The Project Manager Who Changed My Understanding of Stakeholder Alignment
• The Operations Manager Who Redefined My Understanding of Continuous Improvement
• The Sous Chef Who Transformed My Understanding of Knowledge Management
• The Facilities Director Who Revolutionized My Approach to Strategic Planning
• The Production Scheduler Who Changed My Understanding of Operational Flow
• The Leasing Director Who Redefined My Understanding of Market Adaptation
• The Executive Chef Who Transformed My Understanding of Performance Measurement
• The Property Manager Who Revolutionized My Understanding of Customer Experience Design
• The Manufacturing Engineer Who Changed How I Think About Innovation Implementation
• The Catering Director Who Redefined My Understanding of Scalable Operations
• The Property Maintenance Director Who Transformed My Approach to Preventive Strategy
• The Construction Foreman Who Changed My Understanding of Team Coordination
• What the Head Chef Taught Me About Crisis Response and Operational Resilience
• The Facilities Manager Who Revolutionized My Thinking About System Integration
• The Sommelier Who Changed Everything I Knew About Quality Standards
• How the Property Developer Taught Me About Risk Management Through Uncertainty
• The Line Supervisor Who Redefined My Understanding of Workforce Development
• The Real Estate Agent Who Transformed My Approach to Customer Requirements
• When the Maintenance Supervisor Changed Everything I Knew About Resource Optimization
• The Pastry Chef Who Revolutionized My Understanding of Process Control
• What the Property Inspector Taught Me About Root Cause Analysis
• The Foreman Who Taught Me About Precision Timing
• The Year That Transformed How I Think About Operational Excellence
• The General Contractor Who Showed Me the Value of Integration Thinking
• The Operations Manager Who Taught Me About Sustainable Performance
• The Head Chef Who Revealed the Secrets of Scalable Excellence
• The Property Investment Analyst Who Changed How I Evaluate Opportunities
• The Facility Director Who Revealed the Power of Preventive Thinking
• The Restaurant Owner Who Taught Me About Customer Loyalty Systems
• The Manufacturing Engineer Who Changed My Perspective on Continuous Improvement
• The Kitchen Manager Who Revolutionized My Understanding of Resource Efficiency
• The Commercial Landlord Who Taught Me About Long-Term Value Creation
• The Pastry Chef Who Revealed the Art of Precision Under Constraints
• The Building Engineer Who Changed How I Approach System Integration
• The Executive Chef Who Transformed My Understanding of Leadership Under Pressure
• The Property Developer Who Revealed the Secrets of Value Creation
• The Equipment Technician Who Changed My Perspective on Problem-Solving Methods
• The Real Estate Investor Who Taught Me About Market Intelligence
• The Line Cook Who Showed Me the Power of Adaptive Systems
• The Facilities Manager Who Revolutionized My Understanding of Asset Optimization
• The Tenant Who Taught Me About Customer Experience Design
• The Sous Chef Who Changed How I Think About Quality Standards
• The Production Supervisor Who Revolutionized My Approach to Team Coordination
• The Property Manager Who Taught Me About Resource Optimization
• The Restaurant Kitchen That Changed How I Think About Workflow Optimization
• The Commercial Real Estate Deal That Taught Me About Risk Assessment
• The Maintenance Engineer Who Revolutionized My Understanding of Preventive Systems
• The Line Cook Who Changed How I Think About Manufacturing Efficiency
• The Property Investment That Taught Me About Systems Thinking
• The Chef's Secret That Transformed My Understanding of Team Coordination
• The Manufacturing Process That Changed How I Renovate Properties
• The Kitchen Mistake That Revolutionized My Approach to Risk Management
• What Real Estate Due Diligence Taught Me About Customer Requirements
• The Night Shift That Revealed Hidden Manufacturing Genius
• The Property Manager Who Changed How I Think About Quality Control
• When Every System Failed Except the One That Mattered Most
• The Recipe That Taught Me About Operational Excellence
• How Manufacturing Precision Transformed My Property Investment Strategy
• The Night the Kitchen Taught Me About Supply Chain Resilience
• Why the Best Property Deals Come from the Worst Property Stories
• The Lesson from the Broken Machine That Saved Our Quarter
• The Question Every Property Manager Should Ask (But Most Are Too Afraid to Find Out)
• The Day I Learned That Perfect Timing Beats Perfect Planning (Lessons from a Dinner Service Disaster)
• The Property That Broke Every Rule (And Why Sometimes You Need to Trust Your Engineering Instincts)
• When the Chef Taught Me About Manufacturing Precision (And Why Your Production Line Needs a Mise en Place)
• Hospitality-Driven Real Estate: Applying Restaurant Service Excellence to Property Management
• From Kitchen to Factory Floor: How Culinary Operations Inform Manufacturing Excellence
• Real Estate Risk Management: Industrial Safety Systems Applied to Property Investment
• Real Estate Capital Allocation: Manufacturing Finance Principles for Property Investment
• PropTech Revolution: Applying Manufacturing Automation Principles to Property Management
• Real Estate Development: Project Management Lessons from Complex Manufacturing Systems
• Real Estate Market Analysis: Applying Operations Intelligence to Investment Decisions
• Real Estate Investment and Property Management: An Operations Professional's Perspective
• What Honeybees Taught Me About Manufacturing Efficiency (And Why Your Factory Should Study Swarm Intelligence)
• Year-End Operations Review and Strategic Planning
• Maintenance Strategy Development for Critical Assets
• Engineering Leadership Development in Technical Organizations
• Continuous Improvement Culture in Manufacturing Operations
• Regulatory Compliance Strategies for Engineering Organizations
• Implementing Digital Transformation in Traditional Manufacturing
• Cost Engineering and Budget Management for Technical Projects
• Safety Management Systems in Industrial Operations
• Manufacturing Process Optimization Through Data Analytics
• Project Management Fundamentals for Engineering Organizations
• Advanced Materials Testing and Validation in Manufacturing
• Supply Chain Risk Management in Critical Manufacturing
• The Engineer's Paradox: Why Technical Minds Resist Change (And How to Turn Resistance Into Innovation)
• Quality Control Systems for High-Stakes Manufacturing Environments
• The Aerospace Paradox: How Ancient Samurai Wisdom Transforms Modern Aircraft Production
• Rapid Prototyping and Collaborating with Engineering as a Technician
• Tooling for Composites Manufacturing - Types and Applications
• The Dangers of Overhiring on the Production Floor
• What to Expect When Working for a Defense Contractor as a Technician