by Ted Eytan, on 13 Mar 2008 07:06 am
The Journey | Tags: California , Gemba , New York
Always go see, problems or not
The title of my post is a corollary to Lee’s previous post, which I loved, because besides talking about the issue of going to see things, it also alludes to the idea that LEAN creates leaders who are able to reflect on to themselves what they reflect onto others.
My little add is to always go see as part of what I do. Now that I’ve been working this way for 3 years now (and I can’t believe that it’s been 3 years), I realize that I am more and more uncomfortable hearing about anything in the absence of seeing.
This has really hit home in the last two weeks, actually, as I wind down some of my sabbatical work, and schedules have gotten a little tighter. I found myself about 3 weeks ago having a conversation with a great group of physicians about their launch of a patient portal….in the conference room of their headquarters. It just wasn’t the same for me, and at some level I felt I was being disrespectful by offering any advice at all in the absence of seeing the care that these physicians provide.
Last week, I spent time in California, and I was able to get close to the work, but I didn’t actually shadow the patient process of care, and that still felt a little uncomfortable. Same feeling - what do I have to offer someone who experiences a set of facts that I did not see? At the same time, I saw more than I did in the experience above, and it was very important and meaningful, judging by the fact that my blog posts on them were much richer with information.
Fortunately, no communication is ever over in life, and I asked for the chance to go back and shadow the first set of providers. They said sure, and I really want to do this.
If there is anything from this experience that I could impart, it would be that your approach to where you do your work will change with LEAN. You will feel more natural being close to the patient, and more unnatural being farther from the patient. What used to seem like the easiest, most comfortable thing, going to the same conference room watching Powerpoint slides, connected to your iPhoneBerry, will begin to seem like the hardest, least comfortable thing. And you’ll love what you do more than you ever have.