THE KAIZEN REPORT
#1
First of all, thank you for taking the time to read this report. It means we are in the same boat. We want to get better. Kaizen is a word the Japanese use that means “continual improvement”. The idea is you never really become complete, but you are on a journey that will only end when we die or the Lord returns whichever happens first. Success is not a destination, it is a journey and we are all on our own personal journey. We never stay the same. We are either going forward in our progress or we are going backward. You don’t beat a dead horse and you don’t water a dead plant. It’s just a waste of time, energy, and effort.
Pat Summitt is the head women’s basketball coach at the University of Tennessee. She is the most successful women’s coach of all time and is one of the most successful coaches in any sport men’s or women’s. She’s been the head coach at Tennessee for 29 years, won 819 games and lost only 159, has won 6 NCAA championships, and is a member of the basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Her team plays tonight in the regional finals with the opportunity to go to their record 13th Final Four in Atlanta next week. Obviously, she knows a lot about basketball and motivating individuals to become a team.
In an interview with ESPN this weekend it was pointed out that last summer she called Coach Harry Perretta at Villanova University, the team they will play tonight, to ask information about their motion offense. At first, Coach Perretta was shocked that the person who is the best at his profession was even calling him, much less asking him for information. He even saved the voice mail message that Pat left for him and replayed it to several people just to prove that she had actually called him. They wouldn’t have believed it otherwise. Coach Perretta agreed to discuss his offense with Pat and they spent some time together last summer in Knoxville.
What in the world could this coach who has never even been to a regional final before tonight teach the ultimate coach? Well, plenty. Pat says that in life we are sometimes teachers and sometimes students. She had seen his team play and wanted to know more about what made them successful offensively. After being a head coach for so many years, she is still looking for that edge to stay sharp and stay ahead of the crowd. She has a learning attitude and is trying to find ways to make her team better. You might say, “Why would she want to change? She’s won 6 national championships. She must be doing it right!” That’s true, but she knows there is always room for improvement and a better way of doing things.
How does this apply to you? Who can you learn something from today that will make you a better salesman, worker, spouse, parent, or any other area in your life? If you are not happy with the way things are now, I’ve got good news. You don’t have to stay that way! You have a choice today to make decisions that will have an effect on the way you feel tonight about yourself. If you do the same things today that you did yesterday, you’ll get the same results. Is that what you want? If not, think outside the box! Don’t just do what you’ve always been doing because you’ve always done it that way or because you were raised to do it that way. Explore your world. Read a book. Ask a kid a question. Study the scriptures for yourself. There are lots of things you can do; you just have to try one. When you think you have it all figured out, you are finished and they can go ahead a dig your grave because you are as good as dead. When you are green you grow, when you are ripe you rot!
When it comes to your printed materials (commercial printing, forms, advertising specialty products, or office supplies), DSI takes great pride in being on the cutting edge of technology and support. If you aren’t happy with the way things get done in your office, contact me. You can find more information about DSI at www.gregeubanks.com. I would love to discuss your situation with you and see if there is some area we can help.
If you have a story to tell of how you have improved some area of you life, share it with me. I’d love to know what worked for you so maybe I can get better too.
Your friend,
Greg Eubanks
(615) 778-0145
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