Howdy folks, here we are again on a Thursday sitting around the campfire to tell you about our week and what my team and I learned. Pull up a log and grab a cup of coffee for this weeks topic touches on what drives me and what drives my team.
This week we have seen some real changes, were they all good? For the most part yes. Were there some real challenges this we, you betcha there were some challenges this week. Being the ever vigilant and voracious reader of all things Lean, and on top of that an implementer of Lean, a champion of Lean in my organization if you will; my team and I began to look at open issues this week. What issues did you and your team of hard charging cowboys look at you are wondering, as I have drawn this intro out. Well, we were asking ourselves the question, "Why should we improve and why should we continue to drive improvements?" No we were not questioning our Lean journey, we were questioning our motives behind the actions that we take. The real fence mending portion of Lean. Before we put forth any action we were looking to see if that work we put into the improvement was worth the effort. Sure you can do this in a board room with all sorts of members of upper management there to discuss the ROI, manpower needed, raw materials and plan, etc. This is good for capital stuff, yet what we were doing at the ground level such as moving things, continuation of the ever present 6S, looking at layout, discussing how to optimize flow on a high volume mixed model line with enough sku's to feed a herd of cattle stretched from El Paso to Phoenix, and the ever present search for single piece flow with a continually evolving manufacturing line. Yeah these were actually discussions that are heartfelt and get at the true soul of what drives some people to greatness and what has others throwing their hands in the air and abandoning their journey.
Is everyone on my team a Lean zealot, of course not. We have some team members that don't care about Lean at all or the terms we use. Yes I use the Japanese terms, but also translate them to English so we get as much buy in as possible. With that being said, there are some members on my team who are early adopters. Early as in they were reading about Lean on their smartphones when we started this journey. These are the true buckaroo's who are just a joy to work with. Always driving continuous improvement ideas, their work areas are immaculate, their pride in craftsmanship and work ethic is unrivaled. The conversations with this handful of hard chargers this week really drove something back to me that Lean Leaders who have done this for 27 years constantly speak of. That is respect. These guys told me one of the reasons they follow and drive so hard is out of respect, not only for me, but for their work, their peers, the organization, and themselves. Interesting isn't it? Did I cultivate this, I'd like to think my hand was in the recipe. Though with these early adopters there is something inherently great about them. They are the force multipliers. What does that mean Cowboy? That means these guys "get it", they are students as I am a student, they help me and help the team thru driving a culture change. They are change agents in their own right. This is the group I've found that without them, things would be a lot more difficult.
The next group is the middle of the road guys, now does this mean they are average? NO WAY!!!! They just do not spend a lot of their free time reading about Lean, or "taking their work home with them". These are the work horses that come in everyday and do a great job and give their best and contribute to the cause. In speaking with these guys and gals, I found they embrace our journey yet are not driven by an undying force to be the best of the best. This is ok, you don't need a team of superstars to change a culture. Dr Deming would say, Cowboy you have "willing workers". Only with these willing workers we are a team and they know that. We either all win or we all loose. There isn't the finger pointing and "that's not my job" attitude with this crowd. These are the people that when catalyzed by your top performers and early adopters will rise to the top and perform. They are the members of a winning team and being part of a winning team gives them pride and satisfaction.
Do I have any individuals on my team that are burrs under my saddle? I have in the past yes, and thru Yoda and her superpowers, she has trained me with some quite effective skills in the art of coaching and mentoring. It helps that she is also an executive coach besides being mentioned as one of the top women in Lean today. Did these lone holdouts on the ranch decide to participate and join our transformation journey? Some did and actually one turned into a top performer and driver when it comes to ideas for continuous improvement. I am actually very proud of this guy as he is what every Lean Leader desires. He is a student the same as the teacher is a student.
In closing what did the team and I learn this week? We learned that all of us on this team have a desire to win, a desire to improve our organization, a desire to improve ourselves, a desire to be treated with respect, a desire to have a clean and safe working environment. Pretty simple isn't it. When we boil it all down it goes back to what Yoda tells me all the time, "Cowboy it is about people, processes and culture". She's right and in the true spirit of the student I too, am always trying to improve who I am and pull my people forward. That is what makes an organization tick, people, for without them you have a large vacant building with machines that sit idle, and a true static state. Without processes one has another disjointed state of chaos. Nothing falls in line, shop orders are lost, customer orders are lost, outside sourced parts never arrive. Then we touch the culture piece, the "what people do when nobody is watching" part of it. We are a learning culture, yes I'll say it again cowpokes, a Lean culture is a learning culture. We are always striving to make those improvements not only on the shop floor but with the design team as well, providing positive feedback about designing for manufacturability. This is what we learned. We are a team of guys and gals on a journey that is a marathon, not a sprint.
Thanks for stopping by my campfire folks, it was a pleasure having you here and if you have any comments don't be afraid to post them.
Cowboy
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