Here's a good post from the Daily Kaizen blog about the need to “stop selling” lean. Remember, “push” is bad, so if you're pushing lean (or pushing tools) on people, they are likely to be defensive.
If you are helping people solve real problems, helping them reduce and eliminate waste (thereby making their lives easier, as employees, and helping customers), then people will start pulling on lean. “Pull” is good. Show some success and people will start pulling on lean methods and your lean help.
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Mark Graban
Mark Graban is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, and professional speaker who has worked in healthcare, manufacturing, and startups. He is author of the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, as well as The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen. His most recent book is the anthology Practicing Lean that benefits the Louise H. Batz Patient Safety Foundation, where Mark is a board member. Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus. His latest book has been released as an "in-progress" book, titled Measures of Success.
But not EVERYONE will just come along once they see the evidence. Since we’re using pull here as an analogy, it does have limitations. SOME people will have to be pushed.
However, go first where there is pull. Why create artificial barriers to progress?
In one of my earlier blogs, I had mentioned the pitfalls of using a ‘Pull Production’ in case of a remanufactured product where there is a combination of new and salvaged percentage of components. Even with a new product manufacturing and pull production, you may not have optimized your global supply chain.
http://www.infosysblogs.com/oracle/2009/02/pull_production_have_you_achie.html