Attending a fund raising event recently for the Colbeth Clinic in Chicago I had no idea my thoughts would turn to lean manufacturing and supply chain management. The Colbeth Clinic applies cutting edge research to the treatment of biological brain diseases. Discussion about bipolar disorder, depression, autism, and schizophrenia was another world from global supply chains. However it did not take long after hearing the successes of the clinic, the stories of the people who worked at the clinic and the people who were rescued by the clinic to realize there was much here to learn. The best lessons are the lessons that are “transferable” and there are many to be found at the Colbeth Clinic that you can take and apply to the world of lean manufacturing and supply chain management.

Get passionate.  It was obvious that the people involved with the Colbeth Clinic are passionate about their mission. Anything that is world class is lead by people overflowing with passion. Whether it be a world-class research and treatment center for mental health disorders, a world class athlete or a world class supply chain, being number one starts with passion. If you want your Lean, Six Sigma and Supply Chain initiatives to be the best in the world, seek out and engage individuals who are passionate about the subject.

Know your customer. Talk of customers at a fund raising event for a clinic that deals with adolescent mental health issues? You might be thinking I drifted into the wrong ballroom. One of the most compelling stories of the evening was about what goes on in the clinic. Articulately described was the experience a child has when visiting the clinic. Those at the event will know this is no “IRS” building. The staff at the Colbeth Clinic intimately knows what it is like to be a child and the family of a child in the middle of their own hell having to go to yet another facility to try and find some hope. The Colbeth Clinic is designed with the child and family in mind. One mother I talked with said it was like going home and that she did not want to leave. The children are the “customers” of the Colbeth Clinic and that is their focus. Any Lean practitioner will tell you at all starts with the customer but this is a lesson we always need to be reminded of, whether the customer is the next work center or the person that signs your purchase orders. Never stop thinking about what will wildly exceed your customer’s expectations.

Celebrate success. As you can imagine there is nothing worse for a parent than to watch their son or daughter suffer through a terrible disease, especially a mental disease that can be very difficult to diagnose and treat. As my own daughter was suffering from bi-polar disorder it was explained to me that it was like being in a tunnel with no light at the end.  When she received her ‘light’ by getting a proper diagnosis and treatment, there was certainly cause for celebration and we acknowledge the efforts she made to improve even though there were times she didn’t have any hope . She now had a point of reference to what it was like to feel good. Many times people will be involved in Lean manufacturing improvement activities that are skeptical of the approach and believe it can’t get any better. It is this group of people that need to taste success to see and understand the possibilities. This can drive passion in those who have not experienced success in the field and motivate them in future continuous improvement activities. Shed light on your successes by celebrating them.

Good is never good enough. The doctors that spoke at the event are the best in the world. And when they spoke it did not take long for them to talk about all the work that still needs to be done to improve the field of treating mental health disorders. As most of us sat in awe of the inspiring success stories, even at a Gala event, improvement was on the minds of these world class doctors. Moving the yard sticks is a way of life for these people and many of their words were about improving. The Colbeth Clinic treats around 18,000 children a year which on its own is an impressive stat. Even more impressive though is the quality of the treatment. Many of these kids had no hope before but they are now celebrating their own milestones and successes. However all staff and doctors quickly get back to doing better by improving the quality of their research, their treatments and figuring how they can serve more children. Again, the term Continuous Improvement is on the first page of the Lean dictionary but how can you make it a way of life for all employees, not just the change agents in your organization. Do you have suggestion programs that make it easy for people to submit ideas and act on the ones that drive the most value? Does today seem like yesterday and the day before? Did you move the yard sticks? Make continuous improvement a way of life for all so that good is never good enough.

Share your story. When is a disease not a disease? When it is a mental disease. I was told this as I started to learn more about bi-polar and other mental diseases. There is a stigma about mental disease for some reason and generally people don’t want to talk about it. I don’t know why. Maybe it is because of the uncomfortable symptoms of these diseases, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, paranoia, and depression? Understandably even people that have conquered their battles are uncomfortable or embarrassed talking about it. But when people talk, things happen. You soon find there are other people suffering and you find you are not alone. People also start to ask for help or to give help. I’ve now been on both sides of these conversations and only good things happen when people talk. People get better when people talk and share their stories, experiences and successes. This is no different in Lean Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management. In most cases people take the experiences and lessons from others and improve on them. An improvement you make can be rewarded by somebody else taking it to another level and in turn, enabling you to also improve further. Share your stories so that people and processes can continue to get better.

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