by Lee Fried, on 05 Jul 2006 09:21 am
The Journey
What is it that I do?
On Monday I went on a walk with the physician co-author of this blog and he asked me an interesting question: ‘how would you describe what you do to someone you don’t know?’ It surprised me how difficult it was to answer this question. My business card lists my title as a “Process Improvement Consultant” and based on this title I could easily give a canned answer about ‘streamlining processes and leveling work.’ While this answer may satisfy my job description it is only partly complete. In truth, the technical piece of my work focused on process improvement is probably less then half of what I do. Most of my time is dedicated to mentoring, and guiding leaders so that they see their work in new, more effective ways. This is at the heart of what is called “LEAN Thinking”; it is more then just a set of tools, but a way of approaching everything we do for our patients. To come in and just fix the process would not only be unsustainable, but I would also be ignoring the greatest opportunity in transferring my knowledge to them so that they can continue to make improvements long after I am gone. So in retrospect the answer to the question is simple, I provide leadership development services.
I wonder if other LEAN consultants see their role in a similar way?
on 05 Jul 2006 at 2:28 pm 1.Karl McCracken said …
This is a really thorny issue, and one that after six years as a Lean Consultant, I’m still struggling with.
I don’t think that “Leadership development services” really sums it up thought. It doesn’t answer the “what’s in it for me” question that most people you talk to are asking in their heads - there’s no connection to a feeling of “that’s just what I need - some leadership development”. And I don’t think it encapsulates the breadth or simplicity of Lean Thinking.
It’s almost as if what we do is just not meant to be conveyed in a nice simple strapline! So when I meet people at networking events, I usually try to tell them a story about what we do - a real, specific example of work we’ve done with a company that I hope they’ll recognise.
This doesn’t always work though - I’m an engineer at heart, so I tend to get bogged down in the details, igniring the fact that their eyes have glazed over!
So if anyone out there’s got a neatly packaged way of explaining exactly what it is that we all do, I’d be very appreciative!
on 06 Jul 2006 at 7:13 am 2.Mark Graban said …
I transitioned from traditional lean factory work to lean healthcare about a year ago. I try to have the elevator speech, I guess what I try to say now is:
“I teach and coach people on using lean methods to improve healthcare for patients, employees, and the long-term good of the hospital.”
The longer version includes something like, “for patients, lean reduces waiting time and errors, for employees, it reduces stress and those every-day problems that always pop up, and for the organization, it allows growth, financial stability, and the ability to serve more patients.”
It’s not always easy to boil lean down into a quick summary.
on 06 Jul 2006 at 11:28 am 3.Jon Miller said …
Personally I like to think we teach people how to do more with less.
To do this we are either solving problems, helping people solve problems, or teaching people problem solving skills and habits.
Depending on the person who is asking, I would continue “for instance…” and give a practical example from their industry.
on 06 Jul 2006 at 6:58 pm 4.Mark Graban said …
I think the “with less” scares people. How about we teach people to do more with “the same”? It’s always easier to do lean in a growth mode environment, to avoid hiring people but still being able to grow.
“Doing more with less” is such a common phrase, maybe “doing more with the same” stands out because it sounds different?
on 07 Jul 2006 at 5:58 am 5.Karl McCracken said …
Hi. Me again. I like the ‘More with less’. One of the ‘elevator pitches’ (or if you read Robert Middleton, ‘Audio Logos’) that I’ve tried is,
“We help people tap into resources they never knew they had”
So perhaps adding in the element of getting more done might work:
“We help people in [manufacturing / healthcare / accountancy firms / etc get more done, in less time, by tapping into resources they never knew they had”.
Hmmmm.
Karl.