Don’t get me wrong. I think he would be pleased that the Toyota Production System has been so widely adopted. But he would not be pleased with the manner in which it is being used in many cases. Why does senior leadership continue to fail in fully supporting their own Lean program? Why is there such a disconnect? The results for successful Lean deployments are widely known and available for all to see. I hear rhetoric from the top about short-term/immediate pressure to please shareholders. Any talented leader can put on a CEO hat and layoff thousands and close many plants to create an immediate bottom-line impact. Where are the CEO’s who can stand strong under the pressure and build a lasting, thriving company? As a shareholder, I can say that I would much prefer a company to take the long view for lasting health versus a short-term slash & burn to give immediate return. Has greed has become our undoing? I’m not sure if American manufacturing will survive. Have we killed the Golden Goose? Where are the leaders who will put the success and happiness of employee’s and their organization first?
