“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” ~Mother Teresa

As I mentioned last week, my Dad is now recovering in a superbly run stroke rehab hospital.

This particular hospital has many wonderful attributes. It’s clean, organized, and actually feels more like a country club than a place of healing.

But the thing that really makes me rest well at night is the memory of one person. His name is Benny.

Benny works as a health care aid which means he, and his fellow aids, wear many hats.

Now I won’t pretend to act as if I know what a heath care aid is supposed to do because honestly, I haven’t a clue.

But what I do know is Benny truly inspired me with the way he performs his job.

Why? Where shall I start?

He Makes People Smile

Benny, who is pictured above with my Dad, is the type of fellow who immediately elevates the mood of a room with his presence.

The patients gravitate to him and Benny knows how to make each of them smile.

For some he sings the first line of a song allowing the patient to finish it. For others he jokes about the “steak and lobster” dinner they are about to enjoy.

No matter what it takes… Benny makes people smile and feel better about where they are.

He’s Compassionate

Benny is also extremely compassionate.

The last night of my visit was very hard. There were so many emotions stirring inside of me. I was crying. My Dad was crying. My siblings were crying.

And as I left my Dad’s room and walked down the hall there was one person I sought out – Benny.

Being the ultimate professional, it didn’t take long for Benny to see how upset we all were.

Benny has this way of looking you in the eye with extreme compassion when needed. And while I never saw Benny cry… it did seem his eyes glistened a bit as if to say, I understand your pain.

My last words to Benny were to please check on my Dad in a few minutes and then I thanked him for all he’s doing for my father.  I left knowing my Dad was in great hands which in turn gave me an incredible amount of peace.

Benny is Good at His Job

With all of this said, there are obviously many technical aspects to Benny’s job. And, to be sure, Benny is great at this phase of the game as well.

While he is a friend to his patients he is also in charge. As such, things are done right and done well.

Be Like Benny

Listen, folks. I’ve met many powerful business leaders including CEO’s of multi-billion dollar companies. Sure these folks can inspire with their charisma and charm.  Earlier in my career it was people like this that inspired me.

Not anymore. Instead, it’s people like Benny that inspire me at this phase of my life.

You see, I want to make people smile like Benny. I want to be as compassionate as Benny. I want to be as good at my work as Benny is at his.

I’m not sure I ever will be… but, God willing, I’ll die trying. I welcome you to do the same.  If we all do this… the world will be a much better place.

Thank you Benny

Thank you for what you do, Benny. I, and I know I am speaking for my family, appreciate you more than you know.

Balaji, a reader of LSS Academy, recently sent me the following question/comment via email:

Toyota, GM, and Ford are experts in state of the art assembly technology and in implementing Lean and Six Sigma process improvement methods and so on. Then why have GM & Ford failed? Even Toyota closed its branch production units in Japan? Though I’m also one Lean Six Sigma Black Belt I too lost the confidence that Six Sigma or Lean or TPS can’t do anything in this recession period.

Regards,
Balaji.

Correcting Misconceptions

Before getting started, let me first say that I’ve done some research and don’t believe Toyota has closed any production units in Japan. If I am wrong here feel free to comment below with a correction.

Also, before the lean purists get too excited Toyota does not practice “six sigma” the same way companies like GE and Allied Signal do.

With all of this said, Toyota is still struggling these days just like many other companies.

The company is still deep in the red, logging a net loss of 77.82 billion yen (US$817 million) for the April-June quarter.

How can this be?

So the million dollar question is how did this happen? How could the mighty Toyota, the company that “changed the world” with their production and management system, lose money like this?

The Reality of Running a Business

Well, here’s my take on it.

No matter how amazing your production or management systems are or how well you respect people or how conscious you are of the environment… if no one is buying your product or service problems are coming.

You don’t need to be a CPA to figure this out… if your expenses are greater than your sales you’re in for some trouble.

And it goes without saying that people haven’t been buying many automobiles the past few quarters and no one, including Toyota, saw it coming. Perhaps they should have… but they didn’t.

Now, to be fair, Toyota has weathered this storm about as well as any automotive company SINCE they have an amazing production and management system… but they are not infallible. Far from it.

Rise Up Continuous Improvement Practitioners!

So does this mean lean and six sigma practitioners like Balaji (or you and me) should pack up ship and run for the hills until the orders start flooding in again?

Of course not.

Your company needs you now more than ever. Specifically, they need you to:

• Attack the waste that is sucking operating income down the drain.
• Find better ways to manage the inventory that is tying up much needed cash.
• Reduce lead-times that will make you more competitive.
• Partner with your sales and marketing team to see how you can apply lean and six sigma principles.
• Stay positive while working to make things better EACH AND EVERY day even though you might feel like your boss is more focused on other things (like how to make payroll this week).

A “W” Recovery?

This market will eventually turn around. However, I’ve heard some economists claim that we might follow a “W” recovery pattern instead of the more common “V” recovery pattern we often see after recessions.

In other words, things could look better (like they seem to be now?) only to tank once more before the final recovery takes place.

But no matter how things recover one thing is for sure… the companies that work to become stronger during this recession by investing in continuous improvement will be the new winners of the post recession period. This I’m sure of.

What do you think?

Do you agree with me? Do you have any other thoughts on why lean exemplars like Toyota are losing money? Do you agree that investing in continuous improvement is more important than ever in these tough economic times?

I am the father of 4 wonderfully perfect children. I love them more than words can describe and couldn’t imagine my life without them.

And, recently, I’ve been thinking about how much having children helps me to sharpen my lean and six sigma practitioner “saw.”

Of course this isn’t to say that those without kids can’t also sharpen their lean and six sigma saws… but we parents just might have a bit of an advantage if we leverage this gift we’ve been given.

So, with this said, here are some of the ways my children help me to be better at what I do.

Commitment

Raising children takes a tremendous amount of commitment and self sacrifice. No matter what… we know at least one of our kids will be hopping on our bed by 6:00 AM each and every morning.

Likewise, anyone serious about lean or six sigma knows how important it is to stay committed to excellence. In fact, every day you should ask yourself… have I left this place better than it was when I walked in this morning?

Patience

Ah yes, patience. It goes without saying that my kids often get on my nerves and really try my patience. Especially as they learn to ‘test boundaries.’ But I know this is part of growing up so I do my best to persevere.

Likewise, continuous improvement often comes much slower than many expect or desire. In other words, patience is most definitely required!

Continuous Learning

My wife home-schools our children and I often marvel at how much my oldest (6 years old) daughter has learned.

She, if you’ll allow a proud Dad to boast for a moment, is reading at around a 3rd grade level and can work my iPhone better than most adults I know!

But the thing I am most in love with is how hungry all of my children are to learn. I pray they never lose this.

Likewise, all lean and six sigma practitioners must continue to learn. There are many ways to go about this such as reading books, or blogs, or online training that never ends.

Long-term Thinking

As parents my wife and I are constantly thinking long term with respect to our children. We are doing our very best to form their faith while teaching them to be good citizens.

Likewise, many business owners and senior executives would do well to focus on the long term and not on how to simply make Wall Street happy this week.

Why, Why, Why, Why, Why

If there is one lean principle most kids have mastered by the age of 3 or 4 it’s how to ask why over and over.

Sadly most parents – myself included from time to time – often grow tired of hearing so many questions day in and day out which often times beats this amazing gift right out of our most important assets (our kids).

So, it goes without saying that if we grown-ups all learned – or remembered – how we used to ask why over and over… well, the world might just be a better place.

Let’s Hear from More Parents

If you’re a parent or spend a lot of time around children… what have I missed? Are there other things you’ve learned from your little one’s about continuous improvement or life in general?