Aug 5, 2019
In this episode, I welcome Michael Rabbitt, Head of Business Transformation, Argonne National Laboratory, a world-class research laboratory. Having a BA in Operations Management and Information Systems and earning his MBA in Human Resource Management, Michael will share his journey; how his interests evolved over time, the experiences he gained in change management, and his observations and the changes he had to make in moving from the private sector (insurance) to the public sector (research).
The passion that Michael has for operational excellence and helping others is obvious even to the casual passer-by. It is anchored by his core values and rooted in his servant leadership which he demonstrates in both his professional and personal lives – never being shy to hold himself accountable. He believes that his empathy for those he wishes to influence, and a focus on customer satisfaction are keys to his success and will result in sustainable change for the better.
Host: Joseph Paris, Founder of the; XONITEK Group of Companies, Operational Excellence Society & Readiness Institute
Guest: Michael Rabbitt
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About Michael
Rabbitt Michael is the head of the Business Transformation Office at Argonne National Laboratory. He has over 30 years of experience in business operations and IT, including process improvement, project management, business analysis, and client services. As a Six Sigma Black Belt, he also established and co-leads Argonne’s Lean Six Sigma Community of Practice. Michael formerly worked at Continental Insurance, CNA Insurance, and Sedgwick. Michael’s civic and community engagement work includes several non-profit organizations, one example being an affordable housing advocacy organization in Chicago that he co-founded. Michael is a graduate of Bradley University, and holds an MBA from DePaul University. Michael is a native of St. Louis and currently lives in Chicago with his wife and two children.“Quirky fact”: In his youth, Michael’s knowledge of sports history and statistics helped him win the grand prize of the “When Will Lou Do It?” contest sponsored by the St. Louis Cardinals (to predict when Lou Brock would break baseball’s career stolen base record). Four months in advance, he predicted the date, inning, and exact minute of Brock’s historic achievement (and as a tiebreaker, predicted the runs scored and was about 1,000 off on the attendance). About Argonne National Laboratory Website; https://www.anl.gov/ Headquarters; Lemont, IL Year founded; 1946 Company type; Research Company size; 3,000+ employees and 8,000+ users (researchers) Specialties; Argonne was initially formed to carry out Enrico Fermi's work on nuclear reactors as part of the Manhattan Project, and it was designated as the first national laboratory in the United States on July 1, 1946. Its present-day research includes; Physical, Life, Environmental, Energy, Photon, Data, and Computational Sciences, and Global Security. |