The Kaizen philosophy is about making methodical improvements to bring about lasting change. The Japanese word “kaizen” can be interpreted as “change for the better” and is something that can be applied anywhere and everywhere. It’s about always learning and constantly growing. It’s the philosophy that drives me and in a nutshell describes my coaching practice.
You may have tried to approach this from a Western point of view…
Up until this point, you may have been trying to approach improvement from the idea that you need massive and transformative change in order to get what you want. The teaching is such that you need to make decisions that will help you create that massive transformation. And there is this tendency for some to teach that you need to strive to become the best version of yourself that you can be.
Why isn’t that working?
I have learned over the years that methodology doesn’t work so well for me, and doesn’t work well for a lot of others as well.
Reason being is that it is counter-intuitive to what the teaching around kaizen really is. Notice the English interpretation doesn’t say massive change for the better or change to be the best. It is about change for the better.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that the change has to be large and it also doesn’t mean that it needs to be massively different, just better.
What counter-intuitive thing should you be doing instead?
I believe in making small, incremental improvements to everything I do. In order to effectively do that I need to make sure that I am spending regular time in self-reflection and practicing mindfulness. I believe that this is the only way to bring about real, lasting change.
It’s the philosophy that drives the company I am building and it’s what I use to help clients achieve their goals. Often it is what is missing from many leaders that I have coached and worked with over the years.
I am passionate about bringing Japanese wisdom and philosophy to the Western world, and we believe that Kaizen can help individuals achieve their goals. Providing you approach it from the right context.
What you need to consider to ensure you are doing what you need to be doing…
If we stop and just think about this from a personal standpoint and not from an organizational standpoint, that context, at its heart, is about finding the path to continual improvement.
I believe in order for this to actually be effective on a personal level you first need to discover your ikigai (your reason for being), and then develop your kokorozashi (professional pursuit). Once you understand those two things kaizen becomes much more clear and effective.
Kaizen without a connection to the personal aspect of business misses the mark in my opinion. It isn’t just about driving results, it is about developing an organization and the people within it.
Once you have a strong understanding of these concepts, you can begin to put together a personal workflow strategy that will help you achieve your goals. I can teach you about the different aspects of Kaizen, provide guidance on creating a personal workflow, and show you how to stay motivated along the way.
#kaizen #continuousimprovement #personalkaizen #incrementalimprovement
Steve Beauchamp 