I was at a balloon jam the other day and someone asked me if I also did magic or face painting. I said "no..I don't incorporate that into my show"…the reply I got was oh …"you just do balloons". Ouch! That hurt.
She meant no offence but I suddenly remembered how terrible of a word "just" really is when used in describing a person.
Try an exercise with me.
- Pick your profession "manager, waitress, mom, dad, gas station attendant, nurse"
- Now add the sentence…"Oh, you're just a.." in front of it.
Now think about how that word minimizes what you can really do and how it limits your future possibilities?
Lean thinking requires you to eliminate the "just" in describing your life and others. After removing that word from your vocabulary the future becomes wide open where creativity and innovation can flourish.
I've seen managers use this word constantly…."he just does the prep….she's just a histotech." It's that type of thought process that will limit your staff and drive them away from your company.
A growing company looks to its employees as thinkers and not "just" a pair of hands or a warm body to do the work.
Next time you go to say the word "just", make sure it's the correct fit…as in "Just In Time (JIT)" processing.
For me….I'm just:
- the inventor of the scented pen
- a balloon artist
- a lean consultant
- a biotech geek
- a husband
- a dad
- whatever I choose to be
In this clip from the movie Finding Neverland Johnny Depp sums up why "Just" is ..well just wrong.
