“You can’t expect a microwave pope”

9
0

In all of the news of the newly announced Pope Francis, this line from a news article made me chuckle… after three votes did not result in the election of a Pope:

“You can't expect a microwave pope. It's a process.”

These were not the words of a Church spokesperson, but, rather, some 34-year old American in St. Peter's Square. The words reminded me of something  W. Edwards Deming used to say.

Dr. Deming famously said, “There is no instant pudding,” in regards to organizational transformation. There are no silver bullets or magic fixes to our business problems, as much as executives might look for them.

Electing a pope took five votes. Creating a Lean culture or a culture of continuous improvement takes much longer.

Habemus ieiunium clibano?? That's Latin for “we have a fast oven.”


Please scroll down (or click) to post a comment. Connect with me on LinkedIn.
If you’re working to build a culture where people feel safe to speak up, solve problems, and improve every day, I’d be glad to help. Let’s talk about how to strengthen Psychological Safety and Continuous Improvement in your organization.

Get New Posts Sent To You

Select list(s):
Previous articleHow Hospitals Use Kaizen Idea Boards to Drive Daily Improvement
Next articlePhotos from the Toyota San Antonio Plant Visitor Center
Mark Graban
Mark Graban is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, and professional speaker, and podcaster with experience in healthcare, manufacturing, and startups. Mark's latest book is The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, a recipient of the Shingo Publication Award. He is also the author of Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More, Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, and the anthology Practicing Lean, previous Shingo recipients. Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus.