Deming is know for droping a number of big truths when it comes to quality, leadership and lean. This is no exception, always get your facts straight.
“Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.”
W. Edwards Deming
“You can’t manage what you can’t measure.”
W. Edwards Deming
Quality is at the core of everything we do within Lean. When looking at waste within a process the internal cost of quality touches many of the classic 7+1 wastes. W. Edwards Deming aslo point out the hidden cost that we can never truly calculate.
“No one knows the cost of a defective product – don’t tell me you do. You know the cost of replacing it, but not the cost of a dissatisfied customer.”
W. Edwards Deming
“Quality is everyone’s responsibility.”
W. Edwards Deming
It is interesting to find two quotes that are separated by time and from completely different origins and still come together as a powerful statement, recognized as the simple truth.
“It is not the strongest that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
Charles Darwin, 1859
“It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.”
W. Edwards Deming
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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“If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.”
– Zig Ziglar
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
– Mark Twain
