Hi, Dr. Les Muda here. You might know me from DoctorMuda.com and my occasional “guest appearances” here, including the one post I was brave enough to write here at LeanBlog.org under my own name.
Be sure to check out my new post on Deming's 14 Points. My new post is a “listicle.” What's that? Read on…
The Big Announcement
It's time for me to come clean today… “Mark Graban” (as you think you know him) is really a creation of my imagination, a pen name that I've used on this site for ten years now. I hired an actor to portray “Mark Graban” in videos and speaking engagements. Back when I started here in 2005, nobody would have taken a Lean-blogging doctor seriously, but times have changed as Lean has become more accepted in healthcare.
Even after ten years, this blog is a startup and any “Lean Startup” considers the need to “pivot” every once in a while in its search for a sustainable business model.
Speaking of sustainable business models, my orthopedic surgery work doesn't pay as well as it used to, thanks to healthcare reform efforts. As a blogger, I need to make money. Rent here in my mom's basement isn't getting any cheaper and it's time to monetize this asset and your eyeballs. I believe if you're wearing glasses, I get paid twice as much for each ad impression, since that's four eyes instead of two.
Plus, studies show that nobody really reads anything longer than 140 characters anymore. I think that's what the studies showed… they were too long to read. I read a blog post titled “7 Reasons People Don't Read Long Stuff Anymore” and I got the gist of it.
So, enter a new format that's guaranteed to reduce waste for you, the reader, and create a sustainable business model for me, the blogger.
You may have noticed my new name and logo — LeanBuzz. It's hip. It's edgy. It's on fleek. Brah. And now it will have my name on it… my new logo, coming soon:
A key feature of the new and improved site will be:
The listicle!
The voice of the customer says people love listicles. There's a good reason why the New York Times, Washington Post, and even the esteemed BuzzFeed are now relying on listicles to deliver the news in short, easy to read bites that include, apparently, lots of cat pictures. This is certainly going to help Lean “go viral!”
As a reader, you'll no longer be burdened with long 1,000-word articles or 45-minute podcasts. As they say on the interwebs, “Ain't nobody got time for that.” Talk about reducing waste!
I hear you, dear reader. You're busy. You're too busy to improve and you're too busy to read. Dang, this post is already getting way too long. I've probably lost many of you already.
Here's some cats:
See, that's what people want. Those cats are so cute… or are they grumpy? Such controversy!
That gives me a great idea for our first LeanBuzz poll (people love polls, too):
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.
See, as in a Lean culture, everybody here has a voice on the new LeanBuzz.
And every post will have cat pictures!
Ooof, another grumpy one. No need for a poll there.
I'm going to use LeanBuzz to bring Lean to the masses and Dr. Deming's principles back to life.
My First Listicle – Deming's 14 Points
If W. Edwards Deming had created his famous “14 points” in the age of BuzzFeed, my post about it would have this headline:
“14 things this crazy old man told me about management are too unbelievable to believe until you see them!”
What are these 14 points?
See the points here » View as one page
Other BuzzFeed-y headlines I considered included:
- “Somebody asked me how to create better companies, and an old man surprised me with an amazing list of 14 points that you won't believe”
- “14 management ideas from a crazy old man that you're totally not going to adopt”
- “14 strange habits of those who follow this old guy Deming”
- “The only 14 things standing between you and a company that's successful for the long run”
- “14 ideas you should never talk about if you want to be successful in a typical big company”
There's a real art to writing the perfect click-bait BuzzFeed type headline… I'll get better at it… PDSA.
Future Posts You Can Look Forward to Skimming While Multitasking:
After you're done exploring Deming's 14 points, you can look forward to some future articles on LeanBuzz:
8 Things the Command-And-Control Supervisor Said About Lean That Will Make You Cry
Poll: What's Better: Lean, Six Sigma, Lean Sigma, or Iggy Azalea?
5 Reasons John Shook's Beach Bod Puts Us All to Shame
5S Isn't Enough In These Crazy Times… Here's 12 More S's That Smart Leaders Adopt
Lean Perfectly Summarized in 7 Puppy Photos
The Lean Lean Podcast Episode #3: Lean Explained in 30 seconds
I hope you're excited about the new direction for the blog. More clicks = more revenue = success!
Sincerely,
Dr. Les Muda
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Bravo, Dr. Muda! I’m glad the “truth has set you free.” Cannot wait for the 12 more Ss.
Thanks!
More Ss for you:
6) Surgeon
7) Support
8) Shore Up
9) Stigmatize
10) Stonewall
11) Save
12) Satisfy
You’ll be 2.4 times more successful than if you only have 5 Ss.
Phew! I knew Lean was really all about cats but was afraid to say something. Now I think I’ll go and feed a “poisson d’avril” to my internet kitty.
K.
Please, do not poison your cat, no matter how grumpy it might be!
My idea of wearing a thong at work as a good way to demonstrate LEAN concepts (‘5S’ & “No Waste’) is really catching on!
Could you please post a few pictures of cats wearing thongs to help me promote this innovation?
Thanks in advance.
Please do not post any pictures of yourself in a thong. Comments are moderated, remember.
Dr. Muda,
THIS is the kind of edginess needed in the Lean community. Thank you for finally giving us something flashy and catchy. I never bought the whole, “Mark Graban” persona anyway. What does a guy with a greying beard know about Lean anyway?
And since you’re so into cat videos, I think you’ll love this one. Who knew that cats were tougher than dogs?
https://vimeo.com/103879777
“Greying?” You mean grey. That actor was aging quickly and it was starting to damage what I wanted this brand to represent.
Cat videos are a nice touch. Shows the soft and cuddly side of Lean. Old management paradigms are like the dog in the video I posted in my previous post, and Lean management is like the cat–thoughtful, yet quick to respond to a threat. You’ll see what I mean if you watch it.
George-san, you know that many hospitals block YouTube and other video sites (they often blame a hippo, as if a hippo chewed through an internet cable or something… it makes no sense to me).
If the hospitals are smart, they block this blog, ha ha.