Safe Practice of Lean

Howdy folks, and welcome to another campfire entry into my blog post.  Grab a cup of coffee and hitch up your horse as I am going to write about something this morning that I don't see covered enough, the safe practice of Lean.

I'm sure your cowpokes are wondering what I mean when I state "safe practice of Lean".  You all may have thought..."OK, Cowboy has left the range, wandered into a patch of loco weed and started eating."  That may be a first thought yet let's walk this trail for a piece.

When we enter a new organization, how do we show up?  Do we show up with questions and smiles or do we make an assessment of a broken down building with substandard equipment knowing all the solutions to the problems that workforce faces?  How many of us have made that mistake?  I have and let me tell you what, once you insult folks with a know it all attitude it is harder to earn back than picking out prickly pear cactus spines from your backside.

Presence of an open mind, leading with questions and smiles, being open to the needs of the organization and its individuals is necessary.  Just because we may have an answer doesn't mean it is the best answer.  Just put yourself in the place of a team member.  You see a new trail boss who is married to "The Lean Lady" and you may think, "Oh he is a know it all here to change the way I work yet doesn't know anything about me."  Does that scenario or a semblance thereof sound familiar?  If not, I tip my hat to you.  Along this trail I've made errors, yet I've learned from them as opposed to continually making them.  Rolling out tool after tool, demonstrating A3's, Fishbone, 5Why's, accident maps.... That is all nice and good yet how many of us actually teach the individuals how to use them.  Giving all these tools to folks is just like giving whiskey and car keys to a group of cantankerous old cowhands on the range just raring to take that old time sedan into town to swoon all the fair maidens.

What I am getting at is this.  We are overburdening our students when we as teachers haphazardly toss tools and terms around without following thru and making sure our students understand and can demonstrate proficiency in their use.  I've seen this time and time again.  Company X wants to "do Lean", they hire a consultant, get the ball rolling and boom!!!!! Ownership thought Lean was a magic bullet and he shifts the scope of the consultants work without knowing the outcome for he doesn't think about his end customer nor the value stream.  Ownership throws a tantrum because "Lean isn't working" yet ownership doesn't take the time to slow down so the organization can speed up.  Ownership is at fault so they throw a tantrum, disguise their failed attempt at a Lean journey and continue their trail of misery and confusion.

We must be responsible when we practice and teach.  Slowing down to solicit input from the customer of our knowledge for they are the implementer and we are the advisor.  Then senior team members must drive it from the top down as the floor drives it from the bottom up meeting in the middle at the campfire where true learning takes place.  We have a responsibility to our students, the practice of Lean and to ourselves ensuring that when we roll things out people understand what is going on.  Communication is vital, visual management is vital, we as the leader must oversee and continually teach as the organization transforms piece by piece, area by area, and individual by individual.  Failing or disregarding warning signs when individuals don't understand something or are  confused is not practicing the art safely.

Safe practice requires due diligence and a thirst for what is right.  Sure we will make mistakes, yet we learn from them and remember/log the results so that others don't have to eat our dust.  We pull them forward as they pull us forward.

In closing I'd like to say thank you to those that help me and my new teams who truly are engaged at my new organization.  You are teaching me as much as I am teaching you and together we are moving that herd of cattle closer to our goal.  It's a journey folks and whether we are walking or horse or riding, we must always be aware of what we are doing for if we don't.  We could fall into the trap of leaving people behind, derailing the teams, causing undue burden on people, etc. all due to the fact we as leaders were not listening and practicing safe teaching habits.  Thank you for stopping by and reading my post this week and may you all have a Merry Christmas.  Home here in Arizona I'll be waiting for Santa to show up so he and I can discuss single piece flow at the North Pole.
--Cowboy

Riding the range

Howdy folks, it has been awhile hasn't it?  As we are Lean people we all know about change and the PDCA cycle.  Well, this cowboy collected data and looked at the grand inspired vision and had to adjust.  What does that look like you may ask?  Grab a cup of coffee, hitch up your horse and sit for a spell and I'll tell you about it in this posting.

Let's face it, there are some organizations that get it and some that do not.  Then we have the hybrid organizations where they state "we are starting on a Lean journey", toss tools at people, bring in a consultant or two, move some dirt around on the floor, put up a white board, establish some half baked metrics, hire the wrong people and bingo.... They are now a Lean company.  We have all seen it and we have all read about it and some of us may have even been subject to it.  The question is this, "What did you as an individual do?"  Did you stay the course?  Did you help teach and inspire?  Were  you inspired?  Did you upwardly lead or were you dictated to?  What was the outcome of the journey?

Yes the questions arise don't they.  You as the lone ranger in a town full of outlaws who only has a handful of allies trying to lead an organization on their Lean journey only to find out the organization decides to abandon the efforts because.... It is too much work. All your efforts and the individuals you have pulled forward coupled with the true advancements you have made are perceived as failure by you due to a shift in leadership, it happens.  

What we as Lean individuals have to remember is this, resilience.  Though the organization may have shifted and decisions are out of your direct control you have options and possibilities as Yoda tells me.  Seeking a new organization to practice in is a an option and possibility, teaching those in different areas of the organization, breaking more silos within the same organization or changing organizations entirely to one that is a better fit.

Riding for a brand that understands the People, Process, Culture piece is a wonderful thing to have as a base from which one can practice Lean.  We ride up on our horse and loping cowboy strolls in smiling and is greeted by smiles and willing minds that ask questions.  We as teachers and practitioners have an obligation to teach.  Yet on the same coin, as teachers we are also students.  The learning collective as their isn't always a true absolute in manufacturing, as I've found out the hard way on my journey.

What I'm learning on this lifelong trail is this.  There are organizations out there that welcome Lean inside their walls and truly embrace the lifestyle that it is.  They care about their workforce and it shows.  They have true employee engagement, and the employees are proud to ride for that brand.  There are organizations that say they want it, yet do not want to slow down to speed up.  They are "too busy" to improve and stifle the voices of those who question the respect for people piece of the equation.  Then there are those who pick and choose tools, roll those tools and give them to the untrained workforce while management is befuddled as to why it doesn't work.  Yet management  won't goto Gemba and truly ask "Why?".

The Range on which we ride is a huge with a vast expanse of landscapes we will encounter.  Hardship and victory along with defeat and frustration.  Yet, what separates the seasoned cowboy from the city slicker dude who is all hat and no cattle is this.  We stay the course...rain, snow sleet, hail.  We continue to learn and PDCA our skills to help bring others forward.

In closing I'd like to thank everyone for dropping by the campfire.  I know it has been quite some time since I've picked up the scribe and transposed thoughts and action to paper, yet there are times when we must slow down to speed up.  The Lean Cowboy was not gone, I was in the adjustment phase moving the standard wedge on the improvement wheel.