FITT Facts: Never Give Up!

There is a video (actually a Volkswagen commercial) I use in my FITT training of a little boy, dressed as Darth Vader, who tries to use the Force on a variety of things from the family dog to a sandwich on a plate.  

For the non-Star Wars geeks out there the Force is what allowed the Jedi, using their minds, to move/manipulate objects and alter people's thoughts.  

Back to the commercial…  Despite having many unsuccessful attempts at using the Force the boy does not give up.  The commercial ends with the boy's dad pulling into the driveway in his new VW and then getting brushed off as the boy runs by him to try the Force yet again on the car.  As the boy is standing in front of the car, hands outstretched at the car and sheer determination in his focus, the engine erupts to life and the boy is shocked.  It worked!! 

I’ll never know if the dad ever tells his son it was the remote car starter and not the Force that started the car, but the lessons from the commercial and its ties to Lean are evident.

Never give up
No matter how many times that little boy tried and failed to use the Force he didn't stop trying.  One of the fundamental visions of Lean is to strive for perfection.  However, you and I both know that perfection doesn't exist and is in the eye of the beholder, but that shouldn't stop you from trying to get there.  Even if you achieve a fractional improvement, it’s still improvement.  Even if you fail, at least you learned what not to do.  Failure is only a result and one step closer to success.

Lend a helping hand
Two times in the commercial the little boy is helped out by people around him; once by his mom who pushes over the plated sandwich, and in the end by his dad.  When you see someone around you working towards a goal or struggling with a project help them however you can.  Don’t ask, just help.  If someone doesn't want your help let them tell you so.

Choice and Discipline

First you have to make the choice to do something, no one else can make that choice for you.  Second, if you’re going to be successful, you have to find the discipline to stay the course no matter what obstacle gets in your way.  The boy had made the choice to use the Force and wasn't stopping for anyone or anything until he got it.  Lean/FITT is the same, the only way anyone will get good at it is to continually practice the skills and apply the knowledge not only through successes but also through missed targets for improvement, poor or no attendance at training, failure on projects or any other hurdle that gets in your way.  Leap the hurdles and keep going.

Check out the Volkswagen commercial here: Volkswagen Darth Vader Kid

Be FITT!