Lean For Everyone

Is the English language suffering from process blindness?

English is one of the hardest languages to learn to read...maybe it's time to switch to Italian.

No, I'm not really saying we should change our language but you have to admit that the rules for English grammar take a long time to learn.

According to Stanislas Dehaene, author of Reading in the Brain it takes about 2 years to grasp reading and pronouncing English as opposed to Italian which takes only a few months to master.

In Italian the pronounciation of letters is much more straightforward....more like a say what you see type of system

French is almost as hard as English but Chinese is probably the worst.   A Chinese student needs to learn thousands of characters and is usually studying well into their teens learning them.

 

Being an expert is not always beneficial.

We speak and communicate in a language that is more difficult than it needs to be.  More importantly we forget how hard it is for others to communicate with us because we are suffering from what I call process blindness.

We have become experts who no longer see how difficult something is because we do it without concious effort.  At the same time we also don't try to improve the system becuase we are blind to its complexity.

 

I tried my tongue at Japanese once.

I recall back to my college days learning Japanese which has 3 alphabets - hiragana, katakana and kanji. 

I learned hiragana (46 characters) and katakana (5o characters) but stopped at kanji (6000 characters)  You need to know about 1900 just to read a newspaper fluently

I decided that honing my Spanish was probably a better choice for me.

Message to Stanislas

I did read your entire book and found it very compelling.  It has already changed how I interact with my 2.5 year old.  Downside is that I'm seeing proto-letters in everything. LOL

For something a little more humorous on the subject of learning English ..

Gallagher on Language-

   

 

 

Lean Healthcare : Teaching an old dog new tricks

The nurse told me she had just learned a new trick to giving an injection

My wife and I went to get our flu shots at Costco when the nurse did something I hadn't seen before.

She put the band-aid on my wife before she gave the injection.

She peeled off one half of the protective backing on the band-aid and then stuck it on my wifes arm.

She said this allowed her to know exactly where she was going to place the injection and cleaned only that area with the alcohol swab. (Photoshopped in red by me)

 

She then gave the injection and pulled the other half of the band-aid off and stuck it in place.

She said that having the band-aid already in place made it much easier.  She didn't have to fumble with it after the shot while the person was bleeding.

I asked her "Where did you learn how to do that".

Her reply "I saw a nurse do it this way last week and realized that it was a much better way of doing things,  see  you can teach an old dog new tricks"

 

It's nice to see small incremental improvements being adopted in the healthcare industry.  Now if we can just improve medical billing I would be much happier.

 

 



 


 

I just got my flu shot at COSTCO and the process was virtually painless

I was very pleased at how quickly both my wife and I got our shots and still had time to finish our shopping.
 

 

The benefits of getting a flu shot at the store far outweigh the cost

Best case scenario is that your health benefits cover 100% of the shot and you have no co-pay.

 

 

Now let's add in the cost of

1. Requesting time off from your boss
2. Getting approval
3. Calling the doctors office to schedule when you can come in
4. Travel
5. Sitting at the doctors office in a room solely dedicated to waiting!!
6. Getting your shot
7. Travel home or back to work
8. Catching up on all the work that didn't get done while you were getting your shot

 

What I experienced at Costco was perfect:

1. Went to Costco to go shopping
2. Walked to the back of the store
3. The RN had us fill out a form (about 15 questions) that took 2 minutes
4. We both received our shots (no line so no waiting)
5. We paid $40 ($20 / shot)
   

It was so quick we didn't even need to distract our 2.5 yr old.

We then went right back to shopping, had lunch at the store and went home.

Thank you COSTCO!!

Lean for Home: Using visual controls when loading the dishwasher

You have to make thousands of decisions each day so why not simplify as many as possible.

I watched another video from FastCap called "Learn to See - Lean Tour"  and found something new.

The video has more than a dozen ideas on how Fast Cap employees have simplified their daily jobs with small innovations. 

In this one I saw an example that was perfect for me to use in the home.

 

 

 

 

The employees used zip ties to lash spoons, forks and knives to the utensil holder in the dishwasher.

When it's time to unload the clean utensils all the forks can be pulled and put away at the same time, then the spoons and then the knives.

 

My wife and I tried this at home and it works great and it only took about 2 minutes to set up.

We had tried to separate them in the utensil area by paying close attention to where each type of utensil went but we kept mixing them up. 

This small visual control minimized the risk for error and now unloading the diswasher has gotten just a little easier.

FastCap: Learn to See - Lean Tour

   

Innovation and Creativity at the Balloon Twisting Holiday Jam 2010

The Michigan Twisters Group just had their holiday balloon jam and I had a blast. 

As some of you know I twist sometimes under the name Smiling Bald and have posted other twisting events on my blog in the past.

This group and their creativity help me on my journey toward to becoming a better twister through continuous incremental improvements. 

We share ideas and best practices while honing our own skills at the same time.

I've posted some of the pictures from the event and I hope you enjoy them.  They are an excellent reminder of what can be accomplished with just a little creative thinking.

 

Lean Movies: "The Untouchables" (1987) - What does it take to be a change agent?

Kevin Costner played the change agent Eliott Ness and what better champion to have at your side than Sean Connery.

 

Remember to bring your lean tools

I'm not implying that you need to get your OE team outfitted with shotguns and "gats".  All you probably need to start is some 5 Why's and a fishbone diagram.

Problem:  Just having a bunch of lean tools isn't going to achieve lasting change.  Culture, culture, culture.....it's all about company culture.

You need to eliminate a culture of fear and create a culture of change.

 

Do you have a Capone in your organization?

"Everybody knows where the booze is. The problem isn't finding it, the problem is who wants to cross Capone."- Sean Connery

Capone will act like an upstanding citizen of change in leadership meetings but behind the scenes he will try to keep the "status quo". 

He will bad mouth Continuous Improvement and tell his team to go through the motions but not to waste their time on it.  His opinion is that your just another change agent...your not "Untouchable".

 

"Those who expect moments of change to be comfortable and free of conflict have not learned their history." - Joan Wallach Scott

Are you running to first base or wasting time watching the ball fly?

A few moments can make all the difference so be sure to keep an eye on the prize!

The teams dilemma

My company’s softball team was comprised of employees and their family members with a skill level ranging from inexperienced to home run expert.

While I never played on the team I was an avid supporter and attended most of the games. 

Week after week I watched my co-workers being thrown out at first base one after another. 

The first base man would consistently get the throw only moments before the runner touched the bag.

 

If only there was a way to speed up the runner going from home plate to first base by a few seconds we’d have it made.

I didn't realize the solution until Amanda, age 16, took a turn at bat.  After a hit she ran straight to first base and kept her eye on the first base coach the entire time.

She didn’t need to know where the ball was, the first base coach knew and would signal her if she should round to second or stay at first.

Amanda had learned on her high school team to trust the first base coach and avoid watching the ball.  She got on base almost every time at bat.

I spoke to the team after the game and gave them my observations.  We agreed that If everyone stopped watching the ball in flight and only focused on the coach we’d be certain to win the next game.

 

The following week, we didn’t win. 

While the team was aware that they watched the ball in flight and that it was a waste of time, it had become instinctive.  Changing the bad habit was going to take more than a week but now we knew where the change needed to occur.

We got better and made it to first base a little more often.  We even won a few more games than expected.

 

The important thing was that we kept focus on our true goal which was to have fun.  While I personally wasn't part of the actual team I was part of the team culture and proud to play my position as well.

How to manage Mr. Pita.

Effectively dealing with a negative person in a meeting can put your management skills to the test so here are a couple of tips.

This person may fall under Robert I Sutton's definition of an asshole however let's just call him Mr. Pita (Pain In The Ass) for short.

 

Identifying Mr. Pita

Mr. Pita is your co-worker who comes to each brainstorming session and says "That won't work because….".  

Mr. Pita is your typical "been there done that" person.

He's had a lot of experience and thinks he has all the answers.

In many cases he's a senior employee so you will be fully utilizing your management skill set.  Here's a quick refresher on the "Art of Managing Up" if you need it.

Key point: Mr. Pita never produces ideas on how to solve problems. If he speaks it's only to say what's wrong. "You're forgetting one thing….." is one of his favorite phrases.

 

How to diffuse Mr. Pita

Mr. Pita has more to say so help him find his words

When the "That won't work because…." reason is said, immediately say to Mr. Pita directly "That's a good point…what would you suggest?"

While he can be annoying he may also have some insight into the issue. Remember your goal here is to get at solutions and not get into a verbal conflict.

 

Give Mr. Pita a job

Quickly include him in the process of solving the issue. Put him in charge of the marker and writing things up on the board.

Make it so Mr. Pita is an active member in the discussion instead of a sniper at the far end of the conference room table shooting down ideas.

 

Mr. Pita can easily derail a good session so quickly get him back on track so you can get the most out of your next meeting.

Lean Book Review: The Great Reset by Richard Florida

The book takes a look back at the Great Depression and Long Depression and uses those to give us a look toward the future of our "Great Reset" and how it is going to change how we live and work.

 

This was such a good read I'm compelled to write a review.

I read this book some 2 months ago and am now finally getting around to writing the review. 

I thought about just skipping the review altogether but as I thought more about not doing the review, the more I realized how much I enjoyed the book. 

The dilemma is that I normally write a review directly after completing a book while it is fresh in my memory. 

In this instance I'm only going to share the quotes and notes taken during my reading.  These will give you a good insight as to why I liked the book so much.

 

Notes and Quotes

Problem solving and team building are the skills most sought after in today's economy. 

Jobs associated with these skills are increasing in number and with higher pay.

 

So what do we do about the jobs that don't currently utilize these skills?

"...we need to increase the analytical and social skills for the jobs we have....why not supplement sweeping floors and washing windows with charging custodial staff to bring about process improvements that make buildings more energy-efficient or more cost-effective."

"...because the service sector employs so many people ( 4 out of 10 workers)  and contributes so significantly to the economy, we have little choice but to make these jobs more desirable and more emotionally and financially rewarding."

"Every Great Reset has been spurred on by new infrastructure that can speed the movement of goods, people and ideas"

"Great Resets evolve organically: new innovations emerge, new systems of technology and infrastructure are put in place and new patterns of living and working gradually take shape and begin to remake the economic landscape."

 

This was a great read and I recommend it to anyone wanting to get a glimpse into the future of our nation by examining our past.

Those who expect moments of change to be comfortable and free of conflict have not learned their history. ~Joan Wallach Scott

 

Lean Grocery Shopping: Know where your food is and avoid aisle rage

Having a grocery list is great...now ....where do they keep the toothpicks?

You've made your shopping list to avoid impulse buying.  Good for you!!

Now you have to go find everything and that can be a really bad experience.

If you're like me you might have a 2.5 yr old in tow so the faster you can get in and get out the better.

 

You spend too much time walking around.

How often do you get to the end of your list and realize you have to go back and get something?

You're in aisle 7 and have to go back to aisle 2 and then aisle 8.  If you drew a spaghetti map of your path it would look like a childs scribbled drawing.

All this walking is great exercise but can be very frustrating.  Good news is there is a solution.

 

Did you ever think about making a map for yourself?

For many major store chains you can go to the customer service area and they might even have a pre-made map of their store. 

I believe in making my own.

When you go on your next shopping trip take your list and write down next to each item what aisle it was in.  When you make your list the following week use it as a guide to make sure your list is in the order that you walk the store.

Now when you're shopping you only have to go up and down the aisle once minimizing your walking.  This also minimizes you forgetting something on your list.

As you go each week and have to locate a new item, add it to your master list.  In a month your list will be almost perfect and you will only add new things every once in a while.

 

You can then use the time you save for other important tasks.  For my wife K. and daughter D.  we spend it visiting the lobsters at the store who are "vacationing" from Nova Scotia. *smile*