Could Lean Help Me Go Pro?

I had dinner last night with a friend I hadn’t seen in a number of years.

We did a lot of catching up, but because we first met working for a company that was just ramping up its commitment to Lean, we talked a lot about continuous improvement.

I made a joke that with the Lean tools, I could make myself into a pro baseball player.

In truth, though, that’s not really the point of Lean. There’s no end-state with Lean. No final accomplishment. No status that you’ve achieved.

Rather, Lean is about making things better every day. It is about not being complacent, and not believing that any performance is ever good enough to succeed in the long haul.

To be successful at Lean, you must have an unwavering belief that tomorrow will be better than today, and that you have the potential to improve.

So my joke was not spot on, but it was ‘in the ballpark’. Lean could make my game better…

• TPM could keep my equipment, and myself, in tip-top shape.
• PDCA could guide my practice regimen.
• Standard Work could put some rigor into my playing processes.
• A continuous improvement culture would keep me focused on making my game better.
• A daily management system and metrics could track my progress and provide early warning when things are off track.
• Hoshin kanri (strategic planning) would help me set goals and reach those milestones.
• Run charts, Pareto charts, and cause and effect diagrams could help me assess and solve problems.
• Kaizen would be critical in making changes to my personal routines.

While most people do not do this formally, those who are successful at improving some aspect of their lives do many of these things without even recognizing that they are putting Lean tools in place.

And I’d bet that most of the pros that are on the field use these tools with a lot more formality than an amateur would.

What do you think? Could Lean tools take an average ball player and elevate him or her to a professional level?