JBS - How to To Tear Down a Lean Pillar

I've been hearing a lean term lately that I thought was mercifully dead and buried many years ago. You have seen it, heard it and probably used it. I know I did, and regretfully so. This term has been emphasized and expounded in Lean presentations by high priced Lean Senseis. The term has been codified by multi-national corporations as part of their lean curriculum and embedded within their corporate universities. Recently, looking through two published lean books, I found the term was listed, fully defined and book-ended with Japanese words and origins - a pretense used liberally in lean circles with little understanding of the history around continuous improvement  Unfortunately,  for many people the term is within our lexicon forever. Have you figured out the term yet? Be patient...

Following is a one step Job Breakdown Sheet that will reveal the term for you:

Job: How to Tear Down a Lean Pillar

Important Step: Present Lean Manufacturing concepts to a team of people who could benefit by it.

Key Point #1: Point out that the organization is made up of Lean Champions,
Key Point #2: and Lean Concrete-Heads,

Reason: Most of us want to improve and will, but there are also a few people on the team that will be an impediment to progress. They must be removed from the process.

"Concrete heads." There is nothing quite like launching a Patriot missile into the Respect for People pillar, is there?

When you act like a frustrated child and call people names - what do you suppose people are hearing?

First, you only know how to engage one type of person and not others. You have more than followers to lead, remember, even leaders sometimes resist change or resent criticism, how will you influence them?

Second, you are demonstrating your insincerity when you say that Lean is about involving everybody in the organization yet are inexplicably declaring before the world that some are to be excluded . Yes, there are people who will resist change and resent criticism, but they do change, they have changed and eventually will again when the right motivation is found.

Third, you are modeling the wrong behavior - giving up. No doubt, as a leader they will test your mettle. Will you resist the challenge and resent the criticism that you can't figure out a way to get a person's involvement - or will you seek out and develop new and creative leadership skills?