Kaizen for Musicians, Change for the Better
As we approach a new year that I think all of us are excited about, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss improvement.
Most of us look at a new year and consider or implement new year's resolutions. I want to introduce another business concept to you to consider when you think about your resolutions this year: Kaizen.
This is a Japanese principle meaning Kai: Change Zen: For the Better.
The Kaizen method follows ten specific principles:
Improve everything continuously.
Abolish old, traditional concepts.
Accept no excuses and make things happen.
Say no to the status quo of implementing new methods and assuming they will work.
If something is wrong, correct it.
Empower everyone to take part in problem-solving.
Get information and opinions from multiple people.
Before making decisions, ask “why”-questions five times to get to the root cause. (I introduced the 5 Why Method in this post )
Be economical. Save money through small improvements to spend the saved money on further improvements.
Remember that improvement has no limits. Never stop trying to improve.
In essence, Kaizen is about continually making small improvements. This isn't about radical change. It's about the radical results one can achieve if one never stops moving forward. Some of the most successful businesses in the world (Nestle, Toyota, etc.) use this principle because it works!
One book that helps explain how to implement small changes to create new habits (basically Kaizen without saying Kaizen) is The Sweet Spot by Christine Carter, PhD.
Dr. Carter details how we only have a finite amount of energy for decision making in each day, so by creating more habits in our daily life, we free up more energy for important things. In order to make this work, she details how one builds new habits through micro-habits. The smaller the habit, the more likely it is to stick.
As we move into this new year, I will continue to share principles like this one that I think will help us all be more effective in our practice and our lives. I have several posts already in mind that I am excited to share. I have always loved teaching to take small steps in the practice room and build on the interest of that work over time. What I am less good at, is accepting the same kind of improvement in the rest of my life.
My resolution is to implement the same practice habits I use for the trombone into the way I take care of my house, keep track of my business, and anything else. Small steps to change for the better.
I went ahead and translated these into ten practice rules. Download the PDF with the link below and let me know what you think.
