Kaizen -- Our first building block for success.

I try to learn something new every day. During my daily adventures I often find new things that are important to me even when I am trying to find something else. Several years ago I was involved in a project with the University of North Carolina called the LEAD1 project. Leadership Effectiveness And Development, Class Number 1. About thirty supervisors from all over Mecklenburg County got together once a month for a good portion of a year to discuss leadership and supervisory skills and techniques. While a lot of those ideas presented were useful to me as a supervisor, none were more important than the Japanese concept of Kaizen which was presented on the last day that we met. That concept was so simple and yet so profound that it has stuck with me and has been the foundation of many projects in my professional and personal life.

Kaizen -- Small improvements, micro-successes, a continual search for ways to be better than we are and to make our work processes better than they are.

While such a simple statement, the concept of Kaizen has made tremendous profits for many small startup companies such as Toyota and Honda. You have heard of those, haven't you? Kaizen is one of the secrets behind the success of Japan moving from a feudal warlord system into the industrial giant it is today.

Most of you have probably seen the wrist bands and bumper stickers with W.W.J.D? Let me start another one, W. W. G. D? What Would Grandpa Do? I can walk into a hardware store today with $100 and walk out with and handful of tools and supplies. The sad reality is that my Grandpa could have walked into the same hardware store and bought those same tools and supplies for just four dollars. What happened? What went wrong? More importantly, what can we do to fix it? Yes, WE! Don't look to our government to fix this mess. They may have created this financial mess, but WE allowed them the free reins to do it. It is the responsibility of each and every one of US to fix it. We need a starting point and a plan. The starting point is here. Right here, right now. I am encouraging everyone I know to take back control of their lives and their destiny. Make positive changes in your life to make your life happier. Make positive changes in your life that will make you more successful. Make positive changes in your life that will make your family more self sufficient and less reliant flimsy government promises.

In my next post I want to put into place the next building block of financial and personal independence. We need a plan to guide us towards success. Planning is the first step, that first small improvement, the production of that first micro-success, as we begin our continual search for ways to be better than we are and to make the processes of our reach for success better than they are. Kaizen.

Your feedback is important to me. Let me know what you think of my blog. You can email me at larrygriffin@carolina.rr.com or drop in for a visit on Facebook. I am always happy to share ideas with others and hopefully answer some of your questions. By working together we can build happier, more secure, and more self sufficient lives for our families.