Norman Bodek > Quotes

“The job of a manager is to get things done through other people. The manager is not usually able to do the job alone. Management defines the system. Workers work within the system. Only management can change the system and the system MUST be changed continually if quality is to be improved!” - Shingo - Zero Quality Control: Source Inspection and the Poka-yoke System ​​To attain the goal of continuous improvement Shingo was relentless in stimulating people to change for the better.  “Can’t be done ”and “ impossible,” were not part of his vocabulary.  He knew there were many ways to solve problems, like there were many paths to reach the top of Mt. Fuji.”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“I am always polishing my sword. I am always perfecting my style.” – Musashi Myamoto”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“We all love to discover for ourselves the causes of problems.  When we do discover for ourselves our energy really moves inside us.  When we are told the answers we might learn a little, but it is nothing like the magic of discovering things through our own questions.”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“Lowering the river of inventory is the heart of lean manufacturing.  Keep this centered in your mind and practice it.  People have a tendency to complicate things.  It is only because they really don’t fully understand and appreciate the simplicity and power of reducing inventory.”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“When I first heard about statistics in 1951, I firmly believed it to be the best technique around, and it took me 26 years to be completely free of its spell.”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision.” – Muhammad Ali”
― Norman Bodek, The Essential Harada Method Guide: Self-Reliance and The Human Side of Lean

“The Harada Method Steps Set Your Long-Term Goal Set Milestone Goals Believe in Yourself Determine Service to Others Find Your Purpose Analyze Yourself Create Your 64-Chart with Eight Areas to Achieve Your Goal Task Start Dates Select 10 Tasks to Start Select 10 Routines Determine Your Resource Needs Select Support People Use Your Routine Check Sheet Keep a Daily Diary Write Affirmations Achieve Self-Reliance”
― Norman Bodek, The Essential Harada Method Guide: Self-Reliance and The Human Side of Lean

“If you are open to your growth potential, you will attract that for which you are willing to be responsible.”  Rudi”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living."
Gail Sheehy”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“Having dreams and goals helps guide people in the right direction. It helps them build great character and it eventually helps them succeed in their lives.”
― Norman Bodek, The Essential Harada Method Guide: Self-Reliance and The Human Side of Lean

“The Harada Method is the Human Side of Lean.”
― Norman Bodek, The Essential Harada Method Guide: Self-Reliance and The Human Side of Lean

“When people pick strong goals, with purposes and values that serve not only themselves but also serve others, their entire character changes.” – Takashi Harada”
― Norman Bodek, The Essential Harada Method Guide: Self-Reliance and The Human Side of Lean

“Getting to the root cause to eliminate problems and defects is close to the heart of lean manufacturing.  Just solving a problem to allow it to occur again is such a waste of human ingenuity.  Dr. Shingo would want us to spend a little more time up front, to investigate causes a little deeper to insure that the same problem would never happen again.”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“Looking back, when I managed a large group of people, I would be the one to come up with most of the ideas.  I thought since I was the owner and the president of the company, it was my job to come up with new ideas.  I was most fortunate to have had many new ideas come to me but I am sure I would have had a much more successful company if I had empowered, challenged and allowed my associates to be idea generators.  People had to follow my ideas and implement them, for I was the ‘boss.’  I am sure they would have been more highly motivated and creative if I had given them the chance to implement their own ideas.  Dr. Shingo taught me a great lesson.”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“The reasons why people cannot achieve their goals are not because they lack abilities or character, but because they are setting their goals in a wrong way and trying to achieve them in a wrong way. “ – Takashi Harada”
― Norman Bodek, The Essential Harada Method Guide: Self-Reliance and The Human Side of Lean

“Become a student of change. It is the only thing that will remain constant.” - Anthony J. D'Angelo”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“Don’t tell them how to do it!  Just teach them the principles of Lean, challenge them, and let them do it.”   John Miller – Gemba Research”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“Dr. Shingo defines process as “a flow by which an object is transformed from raw material into finished product,” as opposed to operations which is “the flow of tasks performed by human workers on products,” the focus needs to be on improving processes and not operations”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“You can learn too much from experience.  A cat that sits on a hot stove will not sit on a hot stove again but unfortunately the cat will not sit on a cold one either.”  - Mark Twain”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“learning you will teach; by teaching you will learn. Latin Proverb”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“​Kohei Goshi, the 81 year old founder of the Japan Productivity Center, our host in Japan, said, “Americans are very good at inventing, but we may be better at raising a baby.”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“Two dreams – to make the best possible products for our customers and to create the best quality of work life for our employees.  They must go hand and hand!”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“The power of the method and what makes it so unique is that you take over the responsibility for your own success by picking a goal to be successful in your life and following a step-by-step process to attain that goal, and by learning to work with a coach to help you monitor your daily performance.”
― Norman Bodek, The Essential Harada Method Guide: Self-Reliance and The Human Side of Lean

“Lean starts with customer service and ends with customer service.  You answer the following question, “How can I please my customers by delivering to them exactly what they want, exactly when they want it, in the right quantity and in the right quality at the lowest possible cost?”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“Growth demands a temporary surrender of security.”
Gail Sheehy”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer

“Self-reliance is the autonomy of individuals to navigate issues as they arise, control his or her own path, and sustain the resources to get there.”
― Norman Bodek, The Essential Harada Method Guide: Self-Reliance and The Human Side of Lean

“​This is where you should start.  Develop a total system for continuous improvement not just going after the flavor of the month: six sigma, kaizen blitz, etc.  They are all good tools but you should plan what the entire ‘ship’ you will build looks like before you start using the tools to build it.”
― Norman Bodek, Kaikaku - The Power and Magic of Lean: A Study in Knowledge Transfer