Who is your customer?

     Howdy folks, I'm on the plane to work and it is a Sunday night.  So fetch a cup of coffee and grab a seat around the campfire.  I'm here tonight to talk about who is my customer and how do I serve them.
     We all have customers internal and external, yet do we know who they really are?  Do these customers have a voice or do we as suppliers push our solutions and goods to our customer?  Oh yes, the push vs. pull concept is rearing its head once again just like an angry rattle snake ready to strike.
    My direct customers are my guys and gals that report to me.  Yes those 42 hardy souls who have watched our transformation from a push to a pull and all the continuous improvement we have done, along with all the improvement we have to go.  These are my customers.  Yes I know what you are thinking, "Cowboy what about the individuals downstream and your external customer?"  I'll have to admit you are correct and that I am mindful of what we are doing.  Note here buckaroo's, I said "WE" that is my team and I, not a push but a pull system of thoughts and actions.  We are mindful of our internal customer in the value stream and our external customer who pays our bills.  What I'm talking about is the day to day structure of what I do listening to my team.
     There have been times in the past when I listened to an idea generated from a pick board, and discussed it with the individual who supplied the knowledge and experience along with the effort to write it on the board.  The problem with before is that I shut the idea down based on my opinion.  I was not listening to my customer.  This is true when organizations don't listen to their internal customers and disconnects occur.  Shop floor will not respond to a supplier that is unwilling to give them what they need.  They disconnect and continue to struggle with their current problems while we, the supplier thinks that "we know better".  That is far from the truth, the supplier may know the needs of his or her customer, but the customer more than likely will have a general scope of the issue and a list of resolutions at hand.  Only if you are willing to listen.
     I thought I had the answer to the worlds problems and how to cure boredom with this cart I designed and constructed for one of my guys.  Boy was I proud of myself.  Here is the catch, he didn't need that cart, the cart didn't fit the parts he was generally manufacturing, it didn't have a way for the individual to push the cart, etc...  This was just a handful of items to this solution in search of a problem.  If I would have only gone to gemba, spoken with my guys, LISTENED TO THEIR NEEDS, and collectively constructed a cart which would provide them a viable solution.  I didn't listen nor understand who the customer was in this instance.  I thought the customer was the paint department not the fabrication department.  I failed to see or ask who my customer was and induced waste into the value stream.  Ooops, you can say I left the barn door open and all the horses got out on that matter.
     In all seriousness though we as Lean leaders and managers have to understand who our customer is, and ask the questions as to their needs and desires.  Be they internal or external customers.  When we figure out what problem it is we are trying to solve with our customer vs shoving answers and solutions at them we grow as Lean leaders.  Growing also builds respect and bridges along with friendships
     I'd like to thank you for stopping by once again to hear my frontline experience in leading and implementing Lean.
Cowboy