Author Archives: Connie Tolman

Wisdom of Shambhala

The introduction of such wisdom into North American culture is an historical landmark – the wisdom of Shambhala. from Great Eastern Sun:  The Wisdom of Shambhala by Chogyam Trungpa I ask myself why this quote caught my attention.  Back in the … Continue reading

Posted in Lean and Toyota Kata, Personal | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Predicting the Future

Part of wondering what is next either for ourselves or for the country or for the human race, one starts to look at how to see into the future. When I look back at how things have evolved in my career,  … Continue reading

Posted in Articles, Personal | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Production As a Means Not an End

He had forgotten the simple emotions of childhood, and perhaps never encountered the delights of youth.  He believed in production, that useful figment of economy, as if it had been real like laughter;   Page 67 ..ploughs and butter-churns were but … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What Do You Love to Do?

These days everybody from the car dealer to self help books give advice that you should do what you love to do.  In finishing  Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, I was struck by the theme throughout the book … Continue reading

Posted in Articles, Personal | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Kata and Me

I haven’t had the chance to apply the kata to my work yet – still looking for a current condition that is stable enough and a person who I can work with.  I think I’ve found both – 1.  A new … Continue reading

Posted in Lean and Toyota Kata, Personal | Tagged , | Leave a comment

New Years Observations

I haven’t posted for awhile but I have 6 drafts awaiting review and publishing. I am a person who likes the new year to review past assumptions and to make any corrections from last year.  I started seeing a pattern … Continue reading

Posted in Articles | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Tir Na Nog

Another proof of Tir Na Nog – things come to you when you need them – taken from David Whyte’s interpretation of Tir Na Nog as the land of the young, as the Irish would say that what we need … Continue reading

Posted in Personal | Tagged , | Leave a comment

5S Training – Part 8

OK, we have made it to part 8. What has transpired since the last briefing? Another session was completed of 3 groups who went through 1 1/2 hours of classroom training, went out to complete a project and came back … Continue reading

Posted in Lean and Toyota Kata | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Change Agent Must Be a Warrior – Sun Tzu The Art of War

I recently described the manufacturing environment as controlled chaos to a candidate for an open position.  Then I just read an excerpt from The Art of War as follows: Hiding order beneath the cloak of disorder is simply a question … Continue reading

Posted in Articles, Lean and Toyota Kata | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

5S Training – Part Seven

Since the last posting, more training has been held with cross functional representatives.  As part of the training, smaller groups of 3 or 4 go out to an area and pretend that they are going to implement 5S. They come … Continue reading

Posted in Lean and Toyota Kata | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment