Puppies, Lean & Kaizen

Returning to service after a break for family duties, it seems obligatory for consultants to link key concepts of their practice to what we learned and applied in our personal journey. Or vice versa. In our case, rearing and homing 20 puppies (!!!!)

I’m sorry to say the puppies weren’t interested in Lean principles. They took no notice of the Toyota House diagrams. I tried some simulations, but they chewed up the handouts.

Puppies were only interested in being fed, drinking water, playing and exploring the world. Then sleeping in clean, comfortable and warm bedding. And waking up to do it again the next day. They just wanted to be puppies.

From a management point of view, puppies made a mess of the workplace. Their regular loud demands for entitlements - food, water - took no account of the challenges we faced in the marketplace.

But then I figured out this is a lot like most peoples’ workplaces. They do what needs to be done, do what customers want, and do what their manager asks. Consultants like me just get in the way of the day-to-day work.

So we have made a promise to all future clients. We will help you improve the day-to-day.
We will focus on doing the things that need to be done, and help you do them better.

And if you want to see cute puppies, go to our Swashbuckle Schnauzer page at https://www.swashbuckle.online/