Hat tip to Jon Miller for first posting this video of Paul Akers preaching lean on Fox News. Yes, preaching lean on the most watched news station in the free world – Fox News. Check it out for yourself!!!
3 Life Lessons P90X Has Taught Me
February 25, 2010 By 11 Comments
I awake to the sound of my iPhone alarm clock ringing. It’s 5:15 AM. Are you kidding me?
I lay there for about a minute. Then, my dog Lexi, who is 15 years old and losing her mind, comes to my side of the bed and begins her ritualistic, and unbelievably annoying, routine of turning in a circle and barking under her breath.
It works. I crawl out of bed… walk to the kitchen and feed her.
My other dog, Buddy – who is also 15 and lost his marbles a long time ago – just lays there. I’m guessing he wonders why anyone in their right mind would get up this early.
And so it begins
My next move is to pull on some workout clothes, grab some water, and walk to my dimly lit living room.
It’s just me and my psychotic – but ever so loyal – dog Lexi.
I turn on the TV, press play on the DVD player and begin approximately 60 minutes of pure pain called P90X.
If you’ve never seen the infomercial or heard of P90X you can learn about this extreme home workout program here.
I’m several weeks into the program and am seeing results. I’ve lost around 10 pounds, I’m back a belt notch, and I feel better than I have in years.
But, equally important, P90X has awakened a part of me that has been dead for many, many years.
In fact, the things I’ve learned since starting the program are definitely applicable to all aspects of my personal and professional life. And, I contend, they’ll likely apply to you as well.
1. Stop making excuses
The hardest thing about making a change to a business or manufacturing process, or your life, or really anything for that matter is the first step.
Being honest, I bought the P90X package a few months ago and sat it in the corner of my bedroom where it commenced to collect dust.
I made every excuse I could as to why I hadn’t started to my wife, and most importantly, to myself.
Finally, enough was enough. I grabbed my drill and mounted the pull up bar above my bedroom door.
I then put on some shorts and started the journey that very day.
The Lesson: The only way to make progress of any kind – in any endeavor- is to stop making excuses and start.
2. Weakness Leaving The Body
With a tremendous amount of sweat, and definitely a few tears, I made it through that first workout.
Truthfully, it nearly killed me and I definitely hit the pause button a few times to collect myself.
A day later I felt pain throughout my body like I hadn’t felt since my days as a high school wrestler in Greenville, Ohio.
I groaned about it on Facebook looking for a little sympathy from my family and close friends.
What did I get? I’ll tell you what I got.
My big brother replied with this simple, yet profound statement, “Ronnie, that’s just weakness leaving the body… keep at it.”
The Lesson: Progress of any kind will almost always start with some type of pain – physical, psychological, or financial. Those that can persevere through the pain will have a chance to win. Those that run from the pain will almost certainly fail.
3. Progress is Contagious
I did keep at it. The first week was brutal and I did skip a few days since certain parts of my body simply wouldn’t move. But I didn’t quit.
Instead, I kept at and slowly began to get the hang of it. And now that I’m seeing results I’m starving for more.
I can honestly say that I’m looking forward to the workout tomorrow morning since, I know with 100% certainty, my getting out of bed each morning at 5:15 and bringing it as P90X apologists like to say is making me a healthier, happier, and more productive person. And, you know what? That totally motivates me.
The Lesson: Progress is contagious. Once you get past the initial pain and begin to taste success, even just a little, you’ll want more. So, assuming you’re venturing towards something worthy and feasible, this motivation is nothing but good.
To Be Continued
Obviously, this story has just begun. Stay tuned as I’ll share my thoughts and progress over the coming months.
Oh, and for the record, please don’t expect any “before” and “after” pictures. Don’t get me wrong… you’re the best readers of the entire blogosphere… but posting shirtless pictures of myself on this blog is really pushing our relationship to a level I am not certain I’m comfortable with just yet!
What do you think?
What do you think? Do any of the 3 points above resonate true for you? Why? Why not?
The Rolling Tool Cart
February 24, 2010 By 9 Comments
I recently came across the video below and was intrigued by many aspects of this “rolling tool cart.”
Here are some of the things I liked.
- It was made for around $50 according to this article.
- It’s on wheels
- It can be moved to point of use eliminating motion
- It seems to be relatively safe to use
- It doesn’t take up much space
Here are some things I think could be improved.
- Do we really need that many tools on one cart or should we only focus on the tools we use most?
- If something was missing would we know?
- While labels are not everything… I’d at least like to see the drawers labeled.
What do you think?
What do you think of this? Thumbs up or thumbs down?
5 Questions to Ask Before You Attempt to Implement Kanban
February 18, 2010 By 7 Comments
My first manufacturing experiences were with two different multi-billion dollar manufacturing companies who happened to run massive ERP systems meaning we had massive MRP systems running the shop floor. Sound familiar?
Anyhow, as a young lad out of college I just assumed this was how everyone operated. I also assumed everyone dealt with the issues of the “system” saying there were 150 widgets on the shop floor when, in fact, there were only 78.
As an aside, I once remember a conversation I had with a production control manager who assured me we had enough parts to complete a particular job. In fact he vehemently pointed to his monitor and said, “Look, we have over 300 parts!”
I was younger then, and less politically correct than I probably should have been, and went on to explain that I didn’t give two you know what’s what his computer said… I was just down on the floor and saw with my own eyes that we had less than 100 parts!
Go to Gemba
Well, after convincing him to get up out of his chair we went to the floor together and he saw that I was right.
I wish I could say we turned MRP off and implemented heijunka and world class kanban loops… but, alas, we didn’t.
It wasn’t until later in my career at another company that I saw how well kanban can work when implemented properly – the key words being implemented properly.
You see, I have also witnessed kanban failures and it’s not pretty. Not pretty at all.
5 Things to Verify Before Implementing Kanban
With this said, here are a five questions I would strongly encourage you and your organization ask before attempting to implement kanban.
- Do you have the necessary in house expertise? In other words, do you have someone on your team that has worked with kanban before? If not, I would encourage you to seek help from outside resources. Hire some help or go visit some companies that are successful and do some intense benchmarking.
- Do you even need kanban? Here’s a dirty little secret… kanban is not the end all, be all to a lean system. In fact, if your company’s information and material flows smoothly from the moment you take the order until you ship and collect cash… rock on with your bad self! You probably don’t need kanban. Continue to focus on improving flow and reducing lead-time.
- Do you understand what heijunka is and why it’s closely connected to kanban? Attempting to implement kanban without first leveling and smoothing production is absolute suicide. It’s like trying to run a marathon with a clamp on your nose and duct tape over most of your mouth.
- Is your production process stable? If you are producing defect after defect or your machines are constantly breaking down you must address this first.
- How are your changeovers? If you are to level and smooth production via heijunka (see above) quick and efficient machine changeovers are highly recommended. So start here if needed.
Now, these are just 5 questions to consider. I am not pretending to assume this list covers everything… but it does include 5 questions you should definitely contemplate before attempting to implement kanban into your production system.
What do you think?
Do you agree with my list? Would you add anything? Do you have any kanban success stories or, gasp, horror stories? If so, what went right? What went wrong?
The Ultimate Sacrifice: Serving Others
February 16, 2010 By 4 Comments
Note from Ron: This might be the most significant article I have ever written on this blog. Please read it all the way through as I need your help.
Someone close to me and my family has recently re-deployed to Afghanistan… for the fifth time. Yes, 5.
When I think of how brave this person is I’m left feeling a bit unworthy.
I mean I do work hard for my family and try to be a good citizen… but I’ve never purposely put my life on the line in order to protect the freedom of people I don’t even know.
My Selfishness
In fact, if I’m being honest, I rarely think of the brave men and women who leave their wives, husbands, and children for months upon months in order to serve.
You see, I’m too busy worrying about stupid ass TV shows like Undercover Boss or whether there will be a new Criminal Minds episode this week or whether that stud offensive lineman will commit to Ohio State over USC.
Yeah, for the most part, I’m about as selfish as they come. That’s the bad news.
The good news is I’ve recognized this flaw and intend to do something about it.
Lenten Offering
For many Christians, Lent begins tomorrow. Some people use this time as a way to cut down on their sweets intake or to go on some other type of whiz bang diet.
Well, I plan to take a different approach. You see, I’m going on a mission to do whatever I can for the brave men and women protecting our freedom.
Specifically, I’m going to really step up in the way I remember these brave soldiers each and every day. And I am also going to step up financially.
Option 1: Purchase LSS Academy Guide to Lean
And the way I intend to do this is to use 100% of the profits I make from the sale of my LSS Academy Guide to Lean Audio Book for the purchase of care packages that will be sent to the men and women serving our countries in the military.
This promotion, for lack of a better word, starts today and will last until Easter Sunday.
I still need to do some research on which care packages I will buy but probably something like this. If you have any suggestions please let me know.
Option 2: Donate to a Charity
Alternatively, if you would be more comfortable supporting a charity directly, no problem. Here are a few great organizations to choose from (among many):
Option 3: Donate via PayPal
Finally, if you’d like to donate money via PayPal please follow this link. No donation is too small. If all you’re able to offer is $1… that is $1 more than we had!
Will You Help?
So, to wrap this article up, here is how you can help.
- Please keep the men and women of the military in your thoughts and prayers each and every day.
- Please purchase the LSS Academy Guide to Lean Audio Book if you feel it would add value to you. And remember, 100% of the profits from any sale before Easter Sunday will go towards purchasing care packages; or:
- If you’d prefer, please donate directly to a charitable organization such Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund and the Wounded Warrior Project; or:
- If you’d prefer to donate an amount of your choosing to this cause please click here to donate via PayPal (thanks for the idea, Matt).
- If you are a blogger or are on Twitter or are on Facebook or are on LinkedIn or simply have an email account… PLEASE let others know about this project by sharing a link to this article.
Please Share Your Thoughts
I know for a fact that many men and women in the military read this blog. To you, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart.
So, if you are active military would you please leave a comment below, even anonymously, letting us know what you’re doing and how long you’ve been at it?
And if you have served, or know someone that is serving, please feel free to share a few thoughts as well in the comments.
Updates
Thanks to all of you that have supported financially, left comments, emailed me, and helped me promote this effort via blog postings, Tweets, etc. including but not necessarily limited to:
Subsidiarity: A (Medieval) Lean Principle
February 14, 2010 By 5 Comments
Guest Post by Mark R. Hamel of Gemba Tales
OK, there probably weren’t many lean practitioners in the Middle Ages, but Thomas Aquinas, the 13th century theologian, philosopher and all around brainiac did play a significant role in developing the concept of subsidiarity.
So, what the heck is subsidiarity?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, subsidiarity is the notion that a central authority should have a subsidiary function, performing only those tasks which cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or local level. This principle should be applied within government, the military, business and the gemba.
Now this does not mean that the plant floor, office, lab, field, clinic, etc. becomes a venue for democratic rule (Hey, let’s take a vote. Should we adhere to this standard work today?). No, properly applied subsidiarity IS a lean principle. It facilitates a bunch of things, including:
- Developing, involving and empowering the workforce. For example, natural work teams, whether they are comprised of manufacturing leads and operators or a physician, nurse and medical assistant, need to feel that they own the process and its performance. They also need to feel, in the context of standard work, that they can and must identify issues and opportunities and apply daily kaizen.
- Ensuring that the right people make the right decisions at the right time in the right place. We all know how central planning worked for the Soviet Union. Why let people who are not at the gemba tell those who are what to do (tactically speaking)? The worker-executed standard work, worker-managed visual controls and the worker’s immediate proximity to the process mean that they should be able to identify abnormal conditions before anybody else and then respond within the structure of a certain escalation protocol (think jidoka). Those at the local level also do not need a “middle man.” For example, on more than a few occasions when I was helping people develop production kanban systems, the planning guys wanted the kanban card to come to them, so that they could then schedule the line! HUH?! Why don’t we just give you planning guys the wristwatches of the guys running the line, so you can tell them what time it is as well?
- Keeping leaders focused on the right stuff. Lean leaders should be focused on the system and the related process adherence/performance, while also coaching others and providing necessary resources (think lean management systems). By staying within their bailiwick, they can better attend to the breakthrough objectives of the value stream, business unit, etc. and help develop a lean culture. Lean leaders should not be micro-managers and they should not be a barrier to continuous flow, especially the flow of information and ideas.
What do you think?
So, what do you think? Do you have an example of effective or ineffective applications of the principal of subsidiarity?
Mark R. Hamel, a senior lean six sigma implementation consultant, shares his humble insights on lean at Gemba Tales and is the author of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers published Kaizen Event Fieldbook: Foundation, Framework, and Standard Work for Effective Events. He can be reached at mark, over at kaizenfieldbook dot com.
Gemba Tales: Lean stories, lessons and reflections
February 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Over the last year several new lean and six sigma related blogs have appeared. I follow most of them. Some I like more than others… which is to be expected I guess.
Anyhow, one of the newer blogs that has definitely caught my attention is Gemba Tales, written by Mark R. Hamel.
Mark is a lean six sigma consultant, as well as author. He definitely seems to know his stuff and I have learned a lot from him already. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that I have enjoyed his blog more than any other over the past month.
With this said, I’d highly encourage you to check out Gemba Tales if you haven’t already while also subscribing to his RSS feed.
I suspect 3,000 to 4,000 people will read this article within the next 24 hours. Nothing would make me happier than each and every one of you checking out Gemba Tales while also subscribing to their RSS feed.
Also, Mark and I have exchanged some emails and I may have him convinced to do some guest blogging over here at LSS Academy! Let’s see.
So go on now, get out of here and check out Gemba Tales. But please be sure to come back soon!
5 Ways to Achieve Drew Brees Like Flow
February 8, 2010 By 3 Comments
As I watched the Super Bowl last night – where, I must admit, I was cheering for the Colts – I couldn’t help but marvel at how well Drew Brees was playing.
To be sure, he was in the zone from the 2nd quarter through the end of the game. The Colts simply couldn’t stop him.
The fact Brees seemed to be “in the zone” is actually referred to as being in the state of Flow.
Lean practitioners often speak about flow, or making material and information flow smoothly without interruption. And while this is great stuff, it’s not the same Flow Drew Brees experienced last night in the warm Miami air.
The Psychology of Flow
The phenomena we call Flow was first proposed by Hungarian psychology professor Mihály Csíkszentmihályi.
There are many formal definitions of Flow with most of them explaining that Flow is a mental state of being whereby a person is completely immersed in the task at hand. And during this immersion the person experiences a sense of laser focus, energy, and extreme satisfaction.
The question now becomes how non NFL football players of the world, like most of us, can consistently achieve this same, or similar, state of Flow in our daily life.
Here are my thoughts on 5 specific things we can all do. And, as always, I look forward to learning from your thoughts and comments.
1. Unplug From the World
In order to experience Flow you must do your best to unplug from the world. This means, gasp, closing down your email, Twitter account, Facebook page, and Internet browser in general.
It also means turning your phones (cell and landline) off since nothing will break Flow faster than either of these devices doing what they do best – make noise and distract.
2. Stand Up
There is more and more research explaining how detrimental sitting for extended periods of time is to the human body.
As such, standing is a far better option. Initially it will be hard, and finding Flow might be difficult as your legs ache for the first week or so, but eventually you’ll find yourself far more focused and productive as you stand and work.
3. Know Your Stuff
Athletes like Drew Brees are so good at what they do (since they’ve practiced for thousands of hours) they’re often able to perform on a completely different level than most.
And so it is with us. Once we become extremely good at something, by practicing, we’ll have a much better chance of finding Flow while doing this type of work, or slight variations of it.
For example, while I’m not a professional blogger by any means, I have written a few things in my life. I’m comfortable writing. And since I try to write like I talk… once I get an idea in mind I’m often able to pound out 750 words in no time at all.
Psychologists often refer to this concept of “knowing your stuff” extremely well as overlearning, meaning you’ve practiced a particular task so much it leads to something called automaticity.
4. Work on What Matters
You’ll have a much better chance of achieving Flow when you’re working on things that really matter.
While I’m sure he competes hard no matter what game he’s playing, I’m quite confident the fact Drew Brees was playing in the biggest sporting event of his life assisted him in achieving the level of Flow he experienced last night.
So, while we all have to take care of the menial tasks in life… do your best to work on the tasks that matter most to you.
5. Find Work You Love
If you hate your work it’s going to be difficult to experience Flow.
So, while it’s not always immediately possible, you should strive to find work you love and are passionate about.
When I first sat behind a Gemba Academy video camera I was a nervous wreck since I wasn’t very good at it. But there was something intriguing about it. So I persevered.
Now, after lots of practice, there are few things I love more than sitting behind those cameras while waxing poetic about all things lean.
There’s no doubt about it… I love what I do and, as such, often find myself in a state of Flow while the lights are on and camera’s rolling.
What about you?
So these are a few things you can try as you aim to find Flow in your daily work.
Do you agree with my list? Do you have any additional ideas for how you find the zone and enter into the state of Flow?
5 Ways To Become a More Productive, Healthy, and Happy Person
February 2, 2010 By 16 Comments
No matter what you do for a living one thing is certain – personal productivity matters. A lot.
My wife stays home raising our 4 kids. She does her very best to be productive.
I run a company, among other things. I do my very best to be productive.
You _________. You likely do your very best to be productive.
So what to do? How can we all be more productive citizens of this great world of ours?
Allow me to share my thoughts on the matter. And, as always, I’m anxious to hear what you think as well.
1. Get Adequate Sleep
No one really understands why this is… but we humans need to sleep. Our bodies must recover while our souls rest.
To be sure, everyone is different, but if you don’t get adequate sleep on a regular basis I feel confident in guaranteeing you’re not as productive as you could be.
Don’t believe me? Prove me wrong and get at least 8 hours of sleep for 14 nights straight and see what happens.
2. Exercise
This is one thing I’ve put off to the side for far too long.
As a countermeasure, I’ve recently started the P90X program and it’s kicking my butt. But I am waking up at 5:15 in the morning and cranking it out in my dimly lit living room.
Recently, I almost puked at the end of a workout (legs and back) but after slugging back my recovery drink and taking a shower I felt like a million bucks – full of energy and ready to take on the day.
Like insufficient sleep, if you don’t exercise you’ll likely feel sluggish throughout the day and, I hate to break it to you, your risk of sickness is much higher than those who do exercise.
3. Eat Well
Next, eating well is extremely important. Like exercise, I was not doing well in this area for a long time. I ate bad foods more than good food and drinking several sugar filled sodas throughout the day was the norm.
Now I’m doing my very best to eat more salads, drink water instead of soda, and since my wife is an organic food fanatic evening meals are always healthy.
4. Read
As important as exercise and diet are to the body I feel reading is equally important for the health and vitality of your mind.
Since you’re reading this sentence chances are you’re doing well in this area. But this doesn’t mean you can’t do better. If you read for 15 minutes before bed crank it up to 20.
5. Pray
Finally, I’m a man of faith and find spending time in quiet prayer extremely valuable.
It helps me keep perspective while also seeking guidance as I navigate through this thing called life.
If you’re not a person of faith I’d still encourage you to take some time throughout the day to quiet your mind and reflect on the blessings and challenges of your life.
What about you?
So those are 5, albeit not simple, things any person can do to improve their personal productivity.
What do you think of the list? Do you agree with it? Do you do anything I’ve not mentioned in order to increase your personal productivity?
Don’t Let the Door Hit You in the Ass
February 2, 2010 By 11 Comments
Man, oh man. The lean and business blogosphere feels as if it’s about to explode.
Ever since everyone’s “model” of how to run a business (a.k.a. Toyota) has run into serious trouble people seem to be jumping off the TPS bandwagon faster than Brett Favre fans.
It goes something like this, and I am paraphrasing:
“Thank you Toyota for helping to get this lean thing started. We really appreciate it. But you obviously don’t follow your own system or perhaps your system actually sucks so I’m leaving you. After all, my company hasn’t recalled millions of widgets (lately). Oh, and good luck with that brake problem. It definitely sucks to be you.”
Or here’s another version of what people are saying, again paraphrased.
“I have told you all along that following Toyota was not the way. Sure they have some good tools that they stole from the Americans… but I think you’ll agree now is the time to stop following them. They’re washed up. They’re too big. I mean, come on, they can’t even design a floor mat! Let’s do this thing on our own. After all, we can design floor mats and brake pedals that don’t stick… right?”
Get Out
Again, I am paraphrasing here… but this is the general feeling I’m getting from around the web.
You know what I want to say to all these folks jumping off the Toyota bandwagon?
Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
Failure is Inevitable
You see, what people seem to be forgetting is every one of us has or will fail.
It all started with an apple a long time ago. We’ll all fail in business, in our personal lives, and in our spiritual lives.
To be sure, if there’s a certainty in life it’s that failure is indeed inevitable. The question then becomes how do we respond to this failure?
Do we say we’re sorry for our mistakes and attempt to fix it as fast as possible while implementing countermeasures so it never occurs again?
Or do we point fingers and hide like cowards praying we don’t get sued since the “cost benefit analysis” says we’re better off waiting for law suits then we are fixing all those Pintos, I mean widgets.
Toyota is Not Infallible
Toyota never promised us they wouldn’t falter… especially since they’re operated by men and women.
And Toyota never asked us to write books about them or learn about how they operate their company.
No, we did that on our own. And I, for one, am glad since I’m a better person for it.
I’m Here For the Long Haul
So am I am jumping from the TPS bandwagon or trying to “separate” myself from Toyota in these hard times? No way.
I’m here for the long journey. I still have so much to learn from them as well as from my own personal failures and successes.
And, alas, I’m prepared for all the bandwagoner’s to come crawling back on their bellies as they attempt to climb back on board the TPS wagon once things settle down. And they will settle down. This, I’m sure of.
What about you?
Where do you stand? Are you prepared to fight through this problem with Toyota or are you jumping for cover?
