AME Milwaukee 2026 International Conference
Workshops
Workshop
Leader Standard Work that creates capacity
Creating focus without micromanagement
OVERVIEW
Leader Standard Work (LSW) is often introduced with good intent but mixed results. Leaders are given routines or checklists, only to find them difficult to sustain or disconnected from the realities of their day. When this happens, LSW either becomes another administrative task — or disappears altogether. When designed and practiced well, however, Leader Standard Work creates capacity by helping leaders focus their time, reinforce priorities and support teams without micromanaging.
This workshop focuses on how leaders can design Leader Standard Work as a practical leadership system rather than a static list of tasks. Participants will explore how intentional routines shape leader behavior, influence team performance and reduce reactive work. The session emphasizes designing Leader Standard Work that reflects real leadership responsibilities, competing demands and organizational priorities — while remaining flexible enough to evolve over time.
Through real-world examples and interactive exercises, participants will reflect on how they currently spend their time, identify patterns that limit effectiveness and begin designing a Leader Standard Work draft they can immediately test in their role. The workshop emphasizes clarity, focus and follow-through, helping leaders move from feeling busy to leading with intention.
Participants will leave with a practical Leader Standard Work draft, along with guidance on how to test, adjust and sustain it in a way that supports both leaders and their teams.
This workshop focuses on how leaders can design Leader Standard Work as a practical leadership system rather than a static list of tasks. Participants will explore how intentional routines shape leader behavior, influence team performance and reduce reactive work. The session emphasizes designing Leader Standard Work that reflects real leadership responsibilities, competing demands and organizational priorities — while remaining flexible enough to evolve over time.
Through real-world examples and interactive exercises, participants will reflect on how they currently spend their time, identify patterns that limit effectiveness and begin designing a Leader Standard Work draft they can immediately test in their role. The workshop emphasizes clarity, focus and follow-through, helping leaders move from feeling busy to leading with intention.
Participants will leave with a practical Leader Standard Work draft, along with guidance on how to test, adjust and sustain it in a way that supports both leaders and their teams.
Key Learning Objectives
1. Explain Leader Standard Work as a leadership system that creates capacity, not a checklist.
2. Identify leadership routines and behaviors that reduce reactivity and improve follow through.
3. Design a practical Leader Standard Work draft aligned to their role and priorities.
4. Apply strategies to test, adapt and sustain Leader Standard Work over time.
2. Identify leadership routines and behaviors that reduce reactivity and improve follow through.
3. Design a practical Leader Standard Work draft aligned to their role and priorities.
4. Apply strategies to test, adapt and sustain Leader Standard Work over time.
Presenter
Mary Akella
Founder & Chief Transformation Officer
Harmony Consulting Solutions
Mary Akella has nearly 20 years of experience driving operational transformation, leadership development and cultural change across manufacturing, healthcare and service industries. She is known for combining rigorous analytical thinking with a deeply people-first leadership approach, grounded in her background as an industrial engineer and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
Founder & Chief Transformation Officer
Harmony Consulting Solutions
Mary Akella has nearly 20 years of experience driving operational transformation, leadership development and cultural change across manufacturing, healthcare and service industries. She is known for combining rigorous analytical thinking with a deeply people-first leadership approach, grounded in her background as an industrial engineer and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
Akella has led enterprise strategy deployment, built leadership development programs from the ground up and driven improvement initiatives at every organizational level to solve complex, meaningful problems. Her work at GE Healthcare embedded lean principles into her core methodology, while her experience at Mount Sinai Health System further deepened her expertise in transforming complex healthcare environments.
Akella founded Harmony on the belief that lasting success comes from truly understanding people’s challenges and partnering with them to solve the right problems. She is known for her collaborative style, ensuring every voice is heard and translating insight into practical, sustainable solutions teams are motivated to own.As a continuous improvement champion, Mentzer has helped numerous organizations adopt organizational high velocity learning capabilities, gain strategic advantage and sustain operational excellence. Mentzer holds an MBA and a S.M. in civil engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both degrees as a fellow of MIT’s Leaders for Global Operations Program (formerly Leaders for Manufacturing). She also holds a M.S. in material science and engineering from North Carolina State University and a B.S. in civil and environmental engineering from the University of South Florida.
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Akella founded Harmony on the belief that lasting success comes from truly understanding people’s challenges and partnering with them to solve the right problems. She is known for her collaborative style, ensuring every voice is heard and translating insight into practical, sustainable solutions teams are motivated to own.As a continuous improvement champion, Mentzer has helped numerous organizations adopt organizational high velocity learning capabilities, gain strategic advantage and sustain operational excellence. Mentzer holds an MBA and a S.M. in civil engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both degrees as a fellow of MIT’s Leaders for Global Operations Program (formerly Leaders for Manufacturing). She also holds a M.S. in material science and engineering from North Carolina State University and a B.S. in civil and environmental engineering from the University of South Florida.
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Tools that empower
Management systems
Level: Intermediate
