How to prepare for a meeting with Sensei Genba Coach?

In this article I list some of the key points that make for a worthwhile meeting with a Genba Sensei coach. All too often there is a misalignment between expectations, communication, preparation and pride.

A Sensei is never there to show they are better than you. They are there to impart their wisdom which is based on profound knowledge and experience from the Toyota Production System – TPS. Lean Management and traditional teaching in leadership, whatever that is, is a pale reflection of what the Sensei is trying to teach you.

• 1. Turn up ready to listen, look, ask, reflect and above all learn. This is an opportunity for you to challenge your Mindset and personal growth as a leader of your business.

• 2. Don’t talk about what you did, that’s history and oxygen muda. A Sensei is not there to listen to your audiobook on what you did. Time is precious, be focused and humble.

• 3. Talk about current challenges, standards, expectations and problems. The quicker you start to openly and sincerely talk about the issues, the quicker you will see you are really learning.

• 4. Learn to listen and make notes during the meetings. You need to think about the wisdom as there will be so much of it, you won’t comprehend fully, nor remember many of the finer points.

• 5. Don’t argue your point, obstinance is not a virtue. Would you argue with your heart surgeon !. For sure, your understanding of how to run a production facility is not anywhere near TPS standard. Just because you have been successful and grown the business, does not suggest for one minute you are performing at an optimum level. Almost all lean programmes a Sensei has seen can be at best termed House-keeping. Don’t be offended, that is what it will be in most cases. Just learn.

• 6. Ask questions and ask why often. A good Sensei will willingly yokoten with you, so listen and reflect. There will be more to what they say than you will truly understand. Remember, your neurons have never had it so good!

• 7. Practice humility. Difficult one for anyone, but try. What does it mean to be humble!. The ability to put aside your pride and self-adoration and listen with respect.

The more senior and successful you are the more most people have a problem with humility, empathy and respect. Power breeds arrogance and self-importance and it is a scientific fact, it consumes around 80% of people who attain power. It goes to your head, you either cannot cope with power or decide you don’t need to empathise and show gratitude anymore and treat others as instruments for your goals. A classical management approach to business.

So there you have it, you are the number one problem, you are also the arbiter of the organisational culture. Employees follow the example of the Boss not the virtue signalling vocals and placards created by marketing and HR. You are the culture, show it.

Unfortunately, science has shown that this is a fact. A Sensei is what they are as they have understood the power of self-reflection (Hansei in Japanese) humility, empathy (Mendoumi) and respect. Classical management and Lean Management don’t teach these things, that is a fundamental difference between TPS and all the other schools of thought on running an enterprise.

8. Don’t prepare a company presentation for Sensei that’s marketing muda. The truth will be seen when going to Genba.

A Sensei will see hundreds of things you will not. You will also not hear from them regarding all the things they have seen. They will only impart to you what they think you are able to accept at that moment in time. Remember, Nemawashi (another Japanese term), literally means sowing the seeds. They will sow seeds into your weak neurons just sufficiently for you to be able to process the new wisdom. Its like going to the gym, the trainer will not ask you to pick up 75kg weights if they see a 5kg weight will exhaust you!

9. Respect has three pillars; the Sensei time the Sensei hands the Sensei Head. Use these resources wisely, considering that it is you who are there to kaizen your mind with its many intoxicated neurons.  

10. Kaizen: What is kaizen? Let’s cut the kaizen muda pontificating of experts out of the equation. If, your business is in business, then kaizen means one thing only. Reducing the cost of one unit. Its as simple as that.

You are there to satisfy three stakeholders; employees, customers and shareholders, in that order and in equal measure. Yes, in that order and in equal measure. If you are focusing on quality or delivery times or other challenges, this is normal, but it simply means you are not a progressive business, but one wavering between being unstable and stable. In other words, you are doing great things, but you are not focusing on reducing the cost of one unit, which at the end of the day is why you are the head of the production facility. Before you learn how to do this, start with a kaizen of yourself.

11. Invite the Sensei for lunch and attend the lunch as if you were having lunch with your Guardian Angel.

12. A Sensei may not even need the fees as they are have secured income from other sources. Always pay all Sensei costs, even if this a first visit. If you have any dignity pay the full fee even if the Sensei does not ask for it, even if it’s just 5ths USD for the day visit. One visit, if utilised by you wisely can literally open the door to millions of dollars of savings. Hence, show your class of leadership not your malevolence, but choose your Sensei wisely, there are many imitations, wolves in sheep clothing.  

You have no idea what value a Sensei brings and how they will be more than willing to follow up the meeting with advice and materials from their home base.

13. Don’t say you are doing Lean or worse, that you have implemented lean six sigma, you don’t what to kill the conversation.  You will only look the fool in front of the Sensei. Whatever lean might be it will be a pale shade of anything close to TPS. No one has said or is expecting you to be like Toyota. All the Sensei is doing is gauging the current state of your business and your attitude and Mindset and seeing which seeds to plant in your head, so that tomorrow you can be closer to better than yesterday. What you are doing which is often called Lean is probably closer to house-keeping if anything.

14. After the day meeting with the Sensei, sit down with your team and hold a yokoten workshop “what did we learn”. Follow this up by asking the following two questions which no one seems to ask there days, namely: “Why should I develop my people” and “How should I develop them”.

 There is one book on the market which really explains the secrets behind the TPS system from a very practical perspective, and will assist you in answering the above questions. Written by Former Head of Toyota Production Plants, Carl Klemm, The Balance of Excellence. Our Advance Lean Development Programme – ALDP is based on this book.

15. Try to plan a draft implementation plan. Ask the Sensei back.

16. Don’t look at the interpreter if there is one, look at the Sensei. Than you Olaf Boettger for this additional point.

17. Prior to the meeting read up on the Sensei… books, posts. Be prepared to meet your Sensei. Discern between an expert consultant who is a copy paste sweet talker  and wisdom –  which is experience and principled thought.

18. Gratitude is given to us as a gift. Do you use it at work. Gratitude is a profound virtue and habit of any great leader. Thank you team for their participation and above all, write to the Sensei thanking them for the meeting, share your views and be clear what will be the next steps. Don’t leave them in the dark. The Sensei has given you a lighted candle, use it to light up your mind and heart and move to a better place than you were before. Respect this candle of light.

19. If you are still unconvinced of many of the points above and prefer a purely scientific approach to your Sensei and your leadership role, then consider this. There is a lot of neuroscience in TPS. Really, yes, it is the habits and behaviours that get things done. The science is only a part of it. You know this as just think how much time and resource goes into managing people rather than the machines and processes.

I personally believe there is more neuroscience and Divine wisdom to check out in leading Lean than the traditional fact based, scientific thinking, critical thinking, standard work, model that has been promoted by the popular academics and experts in lean. Check out the BTFA model duxinaroe.com if you are hungry for more neuro-scientific-leadership in how to leverage yourself, your team and your organisation.

18. This last point might shock you. Ask any Sensei and they will without hesitation tell you they are not an expert in lean, aka TPS, but only a humble student of this great philosophy.

I would like to hear about your experiences and reflections on this article. Perhaps you could share them with me. Thank you for reading this article.