In 2008, I participated in a Japan Lean study tour run by Enna.
During that trip, we met Takeshi Kawabe, formerly of Showa manufacturing. If you’ve read Lean Thinking, you’ll see him referenced in the book.
When Showa was first looking into the Toyota Production System, they had an idea that they should hire several ex-Toyota managers and get them to show them what to do.
They asked Taiichi Ohno what he thought of the idea. This is what Ohno had to say:
Stop trying to borrow wisdom and think for yourself. Face your difficulties and think and think and think and solve your problems yourself. Suffering and difficulties provide opportunities to become better. Success is never giving up.
