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Lean Beginnings: My Journey So Far

Avatar photo By Jessica Bush Updated on June 26th, 2015

By Jessica Bush

1973271_10155369222925355_6721061362160693203_oI’ll admit, when I applied for the Marketing Specialist position at Gemba Academy, I didn’t know much about lean. I was less than a year out of college and all I had to go off of were snippets of information from one IT class and my pre-interview research. That was January 2014. Almost a year and a half later, I can now look back and reflect on the very beginning of my lean journey, and the lessons I’ve already learned since joining the Gemba Academy team.

Lean Is a Lifestyle

Given the nature of the company, it was obvious that working for Gemba Academy would involve a lot of thinking, writing, and learning about lean. What I didn’t expect was how quickly lean would saturate my personal life. While out shopping just a few weeks later, I realized how inefficient it was to make countless trips clear across a huge store to pick out items. Next time I visited that store, I had a route planned. Soon I was rearranging my kitchen and assembling thank you cards using one piece flow. Holistically, now more than ever I am empowered to make autonomous decisions and unafraid to make mistakes. I even find myself relying on the concept of “Respect for People” to guide me in my treatment of others, whether coworkers, friends, family members, or complete strangers.

Perspective Adds Value

Part of what makes lean so powerful is the diversity of its practitioners. We share a common interest in continuous improvement, but our unique backgrounds, skill sets, and personalities are what form the lenses through which we view and solve problems. Working for Gemba Academy means I am often surrounded by expert lean thinkers, which can be intimidating. When the self-doubt settles in I remind myself that, as a lean novice, my perspective is what’s valuable. I can relate to and connect with our new-to-lean customers on a level that the experts can not. If I’m struggling to grasp a particular concept, for example, chances are some of our customers are as well. From this angle, my inexperience is actually an advantage.

It Isn’t Easy   

Above all, I have come to understand that practicing lean requires patience, commitment, and a genuine desire to improve. It isn’t always glamorous, nor are the results always instant. Like any journey, it’s a series of small opportunities that, if taken, can amount to a significant transformation. The best part of being a young lean thinker is that, in theory, I have decades of practice ahead of me. From successes and failures, to taking risks that pay off and taking risks that don’t, to applying what I think I know and identifying what I have yet to learn, I’m looking forward to the road ahead.


  1. Greg Hershman

    June 26, 2015 - 10:40 am
    Reply

    Making one’s personal life into Lean is easy; one only has to change his or her own thought process. For a family it is a little more difficult; you need to change the thought process of those closest to you.

    Trying to convert a company or a Hospital or a School or a community to Lean is an entirely different story. The thought process of a large group of varying folks needs to be changed … and channeled towards one goal. This is one of the reasons I feel that, for a group to take on the Lean process, the leader needs to understand and fully accept Dr. Deming’s 14 Points.

    Greg Hershman
    [email protected]

  2. Jon Miller

    June 26, 2015 - 1:11 pm
    Reply

    Hi Jessica

    Thanks for the nice personal reflection on your lean journey. You’re fortunate to be starting so early, hope you never stop!

    • Avatar photo

      Jessica Bush

      June 29, 2015 - 6:13 pm

      Very fortunate indeed. Thanks Jon!

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