Tag: ancient wisdom

Jan 02 2019 2019-01-02 2019-01-02 NoComment by Andreas

Some inspiration for the new year!

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I have recently had a passage of rough times in my life and this help me focus and move on.

“Try and fail, but don’t fail to try.” – John Quincy Adams

Also, as I get on with my journey I strive to grow and learn, to take the next step on my journey. This have become my passion. As part of this I am experiencing that coaching other is an excellent way to develop my own skills.

“The one exclusive sign of thorough knowledge is the power of teaching.” – Aristotle

Happy New Year to you all!
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Sep 13 2018 2018-09-13 2018-09-14 NoComment by Andreas

Words to live by

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After a long summer it is time to get back in the habit. Work started a few weeks ago and my inspiration for continuous improvement is as intense as ever. To focus this energy we a have a few new quotes. We often talk about the importance of bias for action. Few quotes catch this meaning as plainly as this.

“Well begun is half done.” – Aristotle

Within Lean we often try to bring out problems to the forefront, showcase our opportunities for improvement and illustrate the bottlenecks of our processes. This is important, but how we move on from these discoveries is where we find success.

“It is of no use to discover out own faults and infirmities unless the discovery prompts up to amendment.” – John Quincy Adams

It is easy to get stuck in one mode of thinking. With the myriad different challenges it is important to be flexible and to adapt thinking to the problem and not trying to adapt the problem to the solutions you prefer.

“We can’t solve the problem by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein

The more I know, the more I stand by the creed of Plan, Do, Check and Act. Preparation is the key for a successful execution.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Abraham Lincoln

Always stay curious!
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Jul 21 2018 2018-07-21 2018-07-21 NoComment by Andreas

Some summer inspiration

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I am on my second week of summer vacation, being away from work sets your mind free to wander. To focus my mind I go back to some inspirational quotes of ancient and recent wisdom.

First we have something from antiquity that I truly live by and have most of my life.

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotele

Next we have two Deming quotes. Quite different but very important when it comes to leadership and Lean. The first one is straight forward, if people fear showing results they think will displease their managers they will find a way to make the numbers more pleasing.

“Whenever there is fear, you will get wrong figures.” – W. Edwards Deming

Then we have the role of a leader, some think it is important to have all the answers and stand tall with having all the facts. You can never have all the facts and if you think you do you will close your mind from further expansion from learning more. One very important role of the leader is to ask the right questions but also to coach the people in your charge to ask the right questions thenselves.

“If you do not know how to ask the right questions, you discover nothing.” – W. Edwards Deming

And the last one today is something I struggle with but something I strive to improve every day.

“Follow effective action with quiet reflection, and then from the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.” – Peter Drucker

I hope you all are having a good summer!


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Jun 26 2018 2018-06-26 2018-06-26 NoComment by Andreas

Some ancient wisdom

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Whether something is old or new says nothing of its value to us today. Among quotes from ancient thinkers this become very self-evident. Today I present three quotes that I find very inspiring.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotele

For me this is the essence of Lean. If we create good habits with respects to the work of continuous improvement it will become a natural part of our lives and it will feel less like chore.

“Do nothing that is of no use” – Musashi, Miyamoto, 1645

This quote really made me laugh, it is so direct but through the veils of time we have the reduction of waste, muda, in a nutshell. The less you do of that of no use the more focused you become on what is important.

“You can only fight the way you practice” – Musashi, Miyamoto, 1645

Not that we should see every day as a struggle or a battle. But this is really the Aristotele quote above from the viewpoint of a samurai. The modern truism we hear to this effect would be “Practice makes perfect”.


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