Beware Prizes, Belts & Self-appointed Experts

By Pascal Dennis (bio)

I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.

Sir Isaac Newton

Indeed, who cares if Joe Schmoe is a Master Lean Sensei (MLS) and a Super-Duper Advanced Black Belt (SDABB)?

Or if Questionable Financial has received the Mortimer Snerd Prize for RGQ (Really Great Quality)?

Ever known a chest-thumper who is also a sensei? What happens to chest-thumping companies? Jim Collins has written a fine book about it: How the Mighty Fall.

What’s the most common quality of all great senseis – and great companies?

Humility, no? A deep understanding that the world is much bigger than we are, so well expressed by Sir Isaac.

Don’t want to be misunderstood. Building a career sometimes entails achieving certain professional degrees and certifications.

And plenty of fine organizations have committed themselves to achieving some prize or other.

The best ones recognize that the prize or certificate is nothing more than a kick-start, a proxy for the hard work of building a management system & getting results.

And some awards are worth pursuing, but these are almost always based are on detailed feedback from the customer.

At TMMC, our old Toyota Cambridge site, we were lucky enough to have Mr. Hayashi, a venerable sensei from Operations Management Consulting Division (OMCD).

Hayashi-san and his small team would visit a few times per year. He’d give us homework, check on previous homework, and provide very tough feedback, (often very funny, in retrospect,).

(“You have learned nothing since my last visit, Pascal-san…”)

I remember one time, Hayashi-san standing by himself by the Final Assembly line, taking notes. I asked the great sensei how his visit was going.

He smiled, “After many years, I finally understand this important assembly problem.” He went on to explain in great depth to this lowly, not-so-bright manager.

Always practicing, always teaching.

Best regards,

Pascal



In case you missed our last few blogs... please feel free to have another look…

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On Labels – ‘Expert, Master, Sensei’ and the like

By Pascal Dennis (bio)

My friend and colleague Mark Graban, always astute, has highlighted an important issue for Lean thinkers.

Is it right and proper to call one’s self an ‘expert, master or sensei’?

In a word – no.

It's important in my view to recognize that we humans are sly, lazy, imperfect beings. (At least this one is.)

Granting one's self such a label usually means we've stopped learning.

My best Toyota senseis had no trouble saying, "I don't know." They'd run experiments and study the results to fill in their knowledge gaps, of course.

But they never put on airs, and never granted themselves lofty titles.

I remember Mr. Hayashi, our TMMC OMCD sensei, sitting at the picnic tables by the production line, quietly doodling in his notebook.

He was 75 years old at the time, and one of Toyota’s most senior and respected senseis.

"What are you doing, sensei?" I asked.

"Working on a problem,” he smiled. “It's eluded me for a long time. But I think I’m getting somewhere!”

Still humble and open at the age of 75.

Needless to say, Mr. Hayashi would never dream of calling himself an expert!

Best regards,

Pascal




In case you missed our last few blogs... please feel free to have another look…

Fred Taylor & the Illusion of Top-Down Control - Part 2
Fred Taylor & Illusion of Top-Down Control - Part I
Jackie Fisher – Transforming the Royal Navy
Confronting the Business Haters

Beware Prizes, Belts & Self-appointed Experts

By Pascal Dennis (bio)

I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.

Sir Isaac Newton

My corresponding tweet has had a lively time – thanks. Seems like you all are as tired of this as I am.

Indeed, who cares if Joe Schmoe is a Master Lean Sensei (MLS) and a Super-Duper Advanced Black Belt (SDABB)?

Or if Questionable Financial has received the Mortimer Snerd Prize for RGQ (Really Great Quality)?

Ever known a chest-thumper who is also a sensei? What happens to chest-thumping companies? Jim Collins has written a fine book about it: How the Mighty Fall.

What’s the most common quality of all great senseis – and great companies?

Humility, no? A deep understanding that the world is much bigger than we are, so well expressed by Sir Isaac.

Don’t want to be misunderstood. Building a career sometimes entails achieving certain professional degrees and certifications.

And plenty of fine organizations have committed themselves to achieving some prize or other.

The best ones recognize that the prize or certificate is nothing more than a kick-start, a proxy for the hard work of building a management system & getting results.

And some awards are worth pursuing, but these are almost always based are on detailed feedback from the customer.

At TMMC, our old Toyota Cambridge site, we were lucky enough to have Mr. Hayashi, a venerable sensei from Operations Management Consulting Division (OMCD).

Hayashi-san and his small team would visit a few times per year. He’d give us homework, check on previous homework, and provide very tough feedback, (often very funny, in retrospect,).

(“You have learned nothing since my last visit, Pascal-san…”)

I remember one time, Hayashi-san standing by himself by the Final Assembly line, taking notes. I asked the great sensei how his visit was going.

He smiled, “After many years, I finally understand this important assembly problem.” He went on to explain in great depth to this lowly, not-so-bright manager.

Always practicing, always teaching.

Best regards,

Pascal




In case you missed our last few blogs... please feel free to have another look…

Big Data & PDCA
PDCA - the Pounding Heart Muscle of Life
Yokoten, Meta-cognition and Leadership
Caffé Macaroni and Italian Design?

Beware Prizes, Belts & Self-appointed Experts

By Pascal Dennis (bio)

I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.

Sir Isaac Newton

My corresponding tweet has had a lively time – thanks. Seems like you all are as tired of this as I am.

Indeed, who cares if Joe Schmoe is a Master Lean Sensei (MLS) and a Super-Duper Advanced Black Belt (SDABB)?

Or if Questionable Financial has received the Mortimer Snerd Prize for RGQ (Really Great Quality)?

Ever known a chest-thumper who is also a sensei? What happens to chest-thumping companies? Jim Collins has written a fine book about it: How the Mighty Fall.

What’s the most common quality of all great senseis – and great companies?

Humility, no? A deep understanding that the world is much bigger than we are, so well expressed by Sir Isaac.

Don’t want to be misunderstood. Building a career sometimes entails achieving certain professional degrees and certifications.

And plenty of fine organizations have committed themselves to achieving some prize or other.

The best ones recognize that the prize or certificate is nothing more than a kick-start, a proxy for the hard work of building a management system & getting results.

And some awards are worth pursuing, but these are almost always based are on detailed feedback from the customer.

At TMMC, our old Toyota Cambridge site, we were lucky enough to have Mr. Hayashi, a venerable sensei from Operations Management Consulting Division (OMCD).

Hayashi-san and his small team would visit a few times per year. He’d give us homework, check on previous homework, and provide very tough feedback, (often very funny, in retrospect,).

(“You have learned nothing since my last visit, Pascal-san…”)

I remember one time, Hayashi-san standing by himself by the Final Assembly line, taking notes. I asked the great sensei how his visit was going.

He smiled, “After many years, I finally understand this important assembly problem.” He went on to explain in great depth to this lowly, not-so-bright manager.

Always practicing, always teaching.

Best regards,

Pascal

On Labels – ‘Expert, Master, Sensei’ and the like

By Pascal Dennis

My friend and colleague Mark Graban, always astute, has highlighted an important issue for Lean thinkers.

Is it right and proper to call one’s self an ‘expert, master or sensei’?

In a word – no.

It's important in my view to recognize that we humans are sly, lazy, imperfect beings. (At least this one is.)

Granting one's self such a label usually means we've stopped learning.

My best Toyota senseis had no trouble saying, "I don't know." They'd run experiments and study the results to fill in their knowledge gaps, of course.

But they never put on airs, and never granted themselves lofty titles.

I remember Mr. Hayashi, our TMMC OMCD sensei, sitting at the picnic tables by the production line, quietly doodling in his notebook.

He was 75 years old at the time, and one of Toyota’s most senior and respected senseis.

"What are you doing, sensei?" I asked.

"Working on a problem,” he smiled. “It's eluded me for a long time. But I think I’m getting somewhere!”

Still humble and open at the age of 75.

Needless to say, Mr. Hayashi would never dream of calling himself an expert!

Best regards,

Pascal

Pascal Dennis Bio