Comments on: What is it that I do?

By: Karl McCracken

Karl McCracken — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 12:58:14 +0000

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.

By: Mark Graban

Mark Graban — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 01:58:59 +0000

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?

By: Jon Miller

Jon Miller — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 18:28:41 +0000

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.

By: Mark Graban

Mark Graban — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 14:13:00 +0000

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.

By: Karl McCracken

Karl McCracken — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 21:28:37 +0000

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!