May 23, 2014 | Posted by Matt Elson
Some light reading for this Friday, but still relevant. Yoda was a Jedi Master for over 900 years, so he saw a few things, made some mistakes and had his failures. The most important thing about Yoda was that he never gave up. Ever. Yoda was also constantly learning and reflecting. It could be argued that true wisdom comes with experience, both positive and negative.
(BTW, I realize that Yoda and Jedi’s are fiction. I realize there is no such thing as the Force. TPS Practitioners are NOT Jedi’s. TPS is NOT the force. Just bear with me…)
TPS (at times) seems to contradict many “traditional” operations management practices:
Simple, manual systems may be better than complicated & technical systems and processes.
TPS is learned by doing, under the guidance of a mentor, not in a classroom, seminar or though a PPT presentation or SlideShare.
You must take action to move forward. Go try something. Go do something.
Teaching and developing others is the most important role that a leader has.
“Pass on what you have learned.”
Ever after 900 years of training, don’t pat yourself on the back. There’s always many more problems and much learning ahead.
The journey to true north is NEVER over.
Learn from your experiences, contemplate and reflect on them. Then continue the journey.
“Much to learn you still have.”
TPS is about building the capacity in people to solve problems and make improvements. The target condition is: Everybody, everyday doing kaizen.
Never underestimate the power and abilities of people to make positive changes. Never underestimate the limitless potential in everyone.
The experts that do the work every day have the ideas and answers. Our task is to pass on our own experiences so that they can make changes. Changes that improve the safety, quality, quantity and cost.
“Difficult to see. Always in motion, the future is.”
Don’t follow your assumptions. Always “go & see” for yourself to develop a deep understanding. Take action. Teach others.
By following TPS techniques and thinking way you CAN successfully navigate through anything!