A diagram to show the two PDCA cycles. The first cycle is Plan, Do, Check and Act, while the second cycle is a sub-set of the "Do" part, containing Problem Finding, Display, Clear and Acknowledge. These are part of the kaizen method of quality control, and also is used in the Toyota Way. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Most of us want to better ourselves as individuals and continually improve our marketing efforts. The Japanese call this continual improvement philosophy Kaizen. You may call it tweaking or fine-tuning. Call it what you will, staying in one place gets you nowhere and will result in stagnation.
Kinetic Energy
The energy of a body in motion is called kinetic energy. This is as opposed to potential energy which is stored energy or energy in a dormant stage waiting to be released. If you're just waiting for something to happen in your marketing effort, chances are nothing is going to happen. Goals are reached by taking action.
Your actions will involve energy being put into use. Your exertion of energy will result in your internal energy being stimulated into more action and thought. Each success should fuel more inspiration while your shortfalls should prod you into figuring out why something didn't work like you expected.
Effort and quality are two essential components of kaizen. Most goals don't happen without exerting effort. Your efforts should be directed toward attaining quality results.
Kinship
Trying to get everything done by yourself might work if you're dealing with things on a very small level, but when you are striving for grand results you need the help of others who are working toward the same ends. When kaizen is practiced in a corporate setting every level of a company becomes involved from upper and middle management, to sales and operations staff, and even to the customer. Input from every part of the business process is important to understanding how things work and what can be done to make them better.
In your marketing efforts you need feedback from everyone who is a stakeholder in what you are doing. Every part of your program needs to be on the same page to make sure there is a common goal. Develop a sense of kinship with your agents, sales staff, product suppliers--everyone who has a role in your production. If every member is like a part of the family your chances of success will be increased.
Total involvement of stakeholders is essential to kaizen. You, as well as all of them, need to be open to change when things aren't working. The key element to this involvement is communication. If everyone understands the whats and whys, then it is easier to build a winning team.
Knowledge
As with anything, the more we know about kaizen and how it can be applied to our marketing efforts, the better equipped we will be to put the process to more effective use. There are many books on the topic since it is a philosophy that is widely used in business as well as personal development. You don't have to become an kaizen expert, but a working knowledge will enhance your approach to marketing as a continually improving process.
We should strive for growth in everything we do and that includes our marketing efforts.
K as in Knight:
I'm not talking about men in armor, but Ciara Knight and her blog Defy the Dark.
And let's not forget Kahlanie who is the official A to Z anti-Challenge mascot. He has given us such a laugh at ourselves which is something we all need to keep things in proper perspective. Thank you Gary for keeping it real as in real fun.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteYou have a lot of really good k-words here.
Kinetic energy reminds me that I need to get out and do some moving - even if it is only to walk to the store to buy cat food!
This is the first time that I am doing the a to z challenge. (You visited my blog and welcomed me. That was nice.) It has been a lot of work (all my posts are scheduled now), but also lots of fun.
Best wishes,
Anna
http://annas-adornments.blogspot.se/2012/04/k-blogging-from-to-z-challenge-12th.html
Some very good K words here Lee. enjoyed the read.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
Many helpful "K's"
ReplyDeleteKudos... to the challenge "K" is for Killer Post!
Jeremy [Retro-Zombie]
A to Z Co-Host
My New Book:
Retro-Zombie: Art and Words
Wow, lots of K's. I'm forever in Kaizen...I think. I'm going to look that one up. Interesting. I'm following you now.
ReplyDeleteSo the fact that there's a whole word just for this complex concept is excellent. Kaizen indeed. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this informative "suggestion." My writing life needs Kaizen.
ReplyDeleteNice and interesting post
ReplyDeleteHi Lee .. Kaizen is so essential - striving for growth and achieving as much as possible all through our lives .. we just adjust as we get older ..
ReplyDeleteGary definitely deserves a Kahlanie mention .. he has great ascerbic comments and a brilliant sense of humour ..
Cheers for now - Hilary
Anna -- Sometimes just stepping out the door is the first best step. Glad that the Challenge is going well for you.
ReplyDeleteYvonne--Thanks for being here every day.
Jeremy -- Thank you!
Em -- We all should be in the Kaizen mode all of the time. Thanks for the follow.
Jaye -- Kaizen has become a life philosophy for many.
Sara -- Kaizen can help in all aspects of life and career.
Paul -- Thanks for stopping.
Hilary -- A Challenge without Gary's playful funning with us would not be the same.
Lee
Takes an army to promote a book. Fortunately I have one.
ReplyDeleteAnd Gary is just awesome.
Wow! Like the K word much!
ReplyDeleteGreat job! : )
I'd never heard of that word before Lee so it's really cool to learn something new, awesomely educating post buddy.
ReplyDeleteGreat introduction to your blog.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post! We are never to old to learn something new!
ReplyDeleteuntil next time... nel
I've not heard of Kaizen, Arlee, but then marketing has never been a strength of mine. I have heard of Kinetic Energy but anything with the word 'energy' in it is making me twitch right now. Who's got energy in the middle of the A to Z? Not me! ;-)
ReplyDeleteA to Z of Nostalgia
Every time I visit, you teach me so much! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteLove this post! Lots of wonderful 'K' words!
ReplyDeleteKonstanz Silverbow
nothoughts2small.blogspot.com
A to Z C-host
www.a-to-zchallenge.com
I enjoyed this post; you had some great K words.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting the challenge. I am enjoying it even more than I expected to!
Excellent post. I find myself having to stop and re-evaluate all the time in my life.
ReplyDeleteJolie du Pre
Precious Monsters
I need some of these Ks, the Kaizen and Kinetic Energy to get things moving in my life.
ReplyDeleteYour connection of all these K words to make the whole post flow, not different unconnected segments but to explain the pattern in a logical order is very clever.
Hiya Lee.
ReplyDeleteKinetic energy, I like that.
Hmm, the challenge is proving to be just that. How on earth do you get to visit so many blogs each day, you must be exhausted. :)
Bless you chap, Geoff.
Hey Lee,
ReplyDeleteA very knowledgeable post and speaking of 'Knight'-Sir Galahad and Sir Lancelot walked into 'Yee Olde Inn'. "My good innkeeper. We require a room for two knights.", said Sir Lancelot. "That is fine. You can pay for your lodgings upon your departure." replied the innkeeper. The next morning, Sir Galahad and Sir Lancelot, approached the innkeeper. "My good man" said Sir Galahad, "we wish to pay for our lodgings." Looking rather perplexed, the innkeeper responded, "Oh, I thought you wanted a room for two nights?"
And Lee,thanks for the link back to my shy, humble and unassuming site, however the name of my blog is "Klahanie", a word which comes from the Chinook tribe of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The word, klahanie, basically means, 'the great outdoors'.
Anyway, continued fun with the alphabet challenge and the irony that I actually draw attention to it all.
With respect and good wishes to all involved, Gary
An interesting 'K' for the A to Z challenge - I'm really enjoying taking part and seeing all the posts from different people.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your description of Kaizen - I think I'll be using the concept in job applications soon!
Mummygadgetgeek
www.mummyisagadgetgeek.co.uk
Alex -- Having a Team helps a big effort. We've found that to be true with the A to Z Challenge as well.
ReplyDeleteEscape -- Thanks for stopping in.
Yeamie -- Kaizen is something I learned about in my business classes.
Loverofwords -- Hope you come back.
Nel -- We should always be open to learning new things.
Rosalind -- The energy you put into the Challenge should be energizing you more-- at least in theory. But I know what you're saying.
Jaimee -- I hope I'm imparting some useful information.
Konstanz -- I'm sure you're a K fan.
Danielle --We want everyone to enjoy the Challenge--it's about fun.
Jolie -- We should never stop evaluating and trying to improve ourselves.
DayDreamer -- Mission accomplished!
Geoff -- It can get tiring, but I manage. Thanks.
Gary -- I guess I kind of knew that about your blog name--I think I've seen that explained somewhere. Enjoyed the joke--a good one for K.
Mummy --Kaizen works for personal development as well as it does for improving a business.
Lee
wonderful helpful information--thank you
ReplyDeleteI posted about a similar subject when it comes to kinetics!
ReplyDeleteI love your approach.
Kaizen is a new word for me though the concept isn't. Lots of great words today.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what's wrong with me. I read yous post, which was wonderfully written, and followed a few of the links provided, yet I am no closer to understanding this concept. Some part of me must be resisting it.
ReplyDeleteI like that you emphasized the importance of effort and quality. An author at a conference once said to us that good writing doesn't happen by accident- it requires a lot of work. The more I write, the more I see that it doesn't matter so much how many pages I nail in a day- it's the quality of my work that really counts.
ReplyDeleteGreat "K" words and I'll have to visit Gary! Thanks Lee!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the additional comments.
ReplyDeleteNellie-- In short kaizen means to strive for perfection and even though you may never achieve it, keep working to improve yourself---improvement is an ongoing process that should never end.
Lee