Author: Rachit

  • Book Review: The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership: Achieving and Sustaining Excellence Through Leadership Development

    I am always curious to learn how great companies keep excelling. This combined with my fascination for Japan and cars, this book was an instant standout when I saw it at my local library.

    After reading the first few chapters, I felt a deep satisfaction that I am reading this book at the beginning of my career as I am now aware how important the focus of long-term leadership development is.

    The underlying message I learned is that employees are the most valuable asset and developing them over the long term is essential. Progress should be measured over a long horizon.

    A fascinating insight was the management by objectives and how strategies are created to align with the true north vision.

    Toyota Way True North Values:

    • Spirit of challenge
    • Kaizen
    • Genchi genbatsu (go and see too deeply understand)
    • Teamwork
    • Respect

    The TPS (Toyota Production System) and JIT (Just in Time) approach to the manufacturing mean any flaws in the system are quick to rise up and are addressed quickly. This improves the overall process iteratively rather than deal with one big expensive problem masked by a large inventory.

    Lean starts with lean leadership there is no way around this. The commitment to excellence starts with training the leaders.

    4 levels of leadership development 

    (1) Commit to self-development

    (2) Coach and develop others

    (3)  Support daily kaizen

    (4) Create vision and align goals

    Leadership is not just attained from these values as there is a key focus on trust and self-development through “shu ha ri” which is apprentice training in pursuit of mastery. This long-term training contributes to leaders helping to create more leaders, not followers.

    The key lessons I learned were the importance of  mindset and culture are more important than outright skills. Long term thinking and continous improvement go hand in hand with a focus on the process as there are no quick fixes.

  • Milestones – I’ll see you at 200K

    How do you celebrate your life?

    Life and our time are so precious. That classic expression of having sand slip through your hands rings true. When do you take the time to reflect and recognize where you have come from and where are you going?

    Deep reflection is one of the deepest joys I have in life. Those long walks in the evening, travelling on a plane, getting lost in the moment, and taking the time to really gain clarity in your thoughts is gratifying.

    A pivotal moment for me and a time for reflection is when I hit 100000 km’s on my car a few weeks ago. Each one of those km’s is me living the dream and planning more. I can remember the time when I had literally had a faint dream of wanting a car, going on road trips across the country, driving for pleasure on curvy roads, and driving on the track. From dream to reality and so much more, life moves fast. I am deeply excited for the next 100K and the journeys I go on.

    Celebration to me is a acknowledgement of what was done and where I want to go.  There are certain preset milestones laid out for us in life to follow:

    school > high school > university > marriage > retirement

    There are milestones everywhere for us to follow. I advocate setting up your own milestones! It has been a slow transition but I can feel myself become my own individual person not conformed to any set ideal. I value my independent thinking and using the scientific method to approach challenges.

    I celebrate life as and when I feel fit. Milestones are for me to create and follow. I appreciate the freedom of the possibility of living life on your own terms.  Each time I reflect and grow as an individual, I gain a greater understanding of the blessings in my life and my desire to make the most of them.

     

  • Process

    It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. I only understood this in the last couple of years.

    I find it fascinating that when you set a daunting goal, you don’t always know which exact path you will take in getting there. Often times the goal itself evolves,  so really you are always in the middle of something. Even when you eventually complete the goal, the path you took getting there was unlike what you ever thought it would be.

    Everyone is forced to adapt whether they like it or not, each week there are different challenges. All you can control is how you react to them. This concept of always in the middle of something is largely what takes up most of your time so why not enjoy it.

    The process is all embracing, it can consume if you let it or it can liberate you. The best part is you have a choice. 

  • Back to School

    It’s been quite a journey going through my undergraduate studies. Fall 2017 marks my last semester and I will start a new chapter of my life.

    Transitioning from high school into the university experience and now adulthood has been transformational, to say the least. I could have never imagined the person I am today just a few years ago.

    After traveling to numerous countries, studying at different universities, working in different countries, and reading many books; the concept of school has vastly shifted.

    School to me is not something you have to go to get an education. Learning comes from everywhere and anywhere. Formal education is as vital as self-education. A healthy mixture of formal school, work experience, reading, and travel are the key ingredients to set you up for your future.

    The most important lesson I learned in these years is having perspective. Analyzing things from different views and understanding the impact. Once you open up yourself to these other views, suddenly you feel immersed and motivated to solve the issue.

    I am excited to see my future self-become the person of my dreams just as I imagined myself only a few years ago. One thing is for sure, I will always be back in school, that is the school of life. I am deeply passionate about my growth and continuous improvement.

  • Getting Inspired 

    Be awe struck more often. 

    I definitely enjoy when this happens. It totally shifts your mental state and brings you to an attitude of gratitude. 

    Too often we get stuck in a daily routine and our thoughts are focused on just the day to day. As soon as you break that routine, amazing things start to happen. It’s almost as if you become more alive and ready to take action in your life. 

    Inspiration can come from a thing, place, and an experience. That’s where the beauty of a vacation comes in, you get to experience all three while feeling rejuvenated. 

    After that initial spark you can always think back to the time where you previously got inspired. It’s building a mental  collection of awe struck moments. The more the merrier. 

  • Take it to the next level

    Life is full of possibilities!

    There is a magical feeling of constantly learning and improving. When you look back at all the things you’ve done, you’d be amazed. Plus it gives you the chance to dream bigger.

    I always find it exciting to learn a skill, get a new experience, and improve on a process. It’s a rush and I genuinely feel my life has improved. We are all beginners and always will be, mastery is ever changing.

    Ever since I’ve been young, I remember always thinking why not me? Whenever I saw something or someone that truly inspired me, I thought what’s stopping me from achieving it.

    Little did I know that was the start of my journey to keep thinking big. I had a vision of an ideal guy in college who had travelled, achieved certain things, and was living a good life. I had no idea that I would soon become “that guy” and go on to do even more.

    Nowadays, taking it to the next level means something different than in past. I have faith in my self efficacy. Before it meant achievements, now it means impact and leaving a legacy. I am inspired now to collaborate with talented people to empower individual to greater heights through business ventures.

    I am still working out what the next ideal “that guy” will achieve and inspire me to do. All I can say is I am excited and looking forward to what unfolds.

  • Calming the mind

    Each day we are constantly battling with distractions. Whether it be our phone, advertisements, an event in our life, the news among many others. It takes deliberate focus to be present for the task at hand. 

    From the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep, there are thousands of thoughts we experience. If you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, those thoughts of stress and anger get reflected through out your day. 

    Our thoughts are powerful and by just taking 5 minutes or more to meditate after waking up on the wrong side of the bed or another stressful situation can yield great benefits. 

    I have first hand experience with calming down and have been developing my mindfulness skills slowly. For example I wake up cranky, I immediately realize I need to be in check of my thoughts. I take 5 minutes to calm down, watch my thoughts, and accept the situation. 

    By taking time to acknowledging my thoughts and being present, I don’t carry my negative emotional state through out the day. These 5 minutes bursts have really improved my life in a meaningful way. 

    Finally, following my mindfulness practice with thoughts of gratitude have lifted my emotional states, made me more present, and has brought a calm vibe to my presence.