Yesterday I picked up a recent copy of Industry Week.  There was an article about using lean consultants that, as you might imagine, was of interest to me.

One consultant was quoted (and I'm paraphasing here), "If you can't get your sensei to focus strongly on measures of results and achievements, then you've picked the wrong sensei."

First, I can't stand that word "sensei".  It's just another effort to provide an elitist aura of mystery around lean tools and concepts, making them appear to be deep art and science that few can understand.  Just say "consultant".  Or "teacher".  Or "faciltitator".  Folks know what those terms mean.  Words like sensei, muda, kaizen blitz, and hoshin planning confuse rather than clarify.

Second, the quote makes it seem as if one of the problems in using consultants is that we don't like to measure results and have to be drug kicking and screaming to the idea.  But it's kind of like saying, "If you have to insist that your dentist or doctor practice basic sanitation methods, you've picked the wrong dentist or doctor."  Now there's a blinding flash of the obvious.

The fact is, we expect to find sanitation practices in place as a fundamental aspect of a visit to the dentist.   The same is true for consultants and measurement of their efforts.  It's just part of what we do.  It's not something that others must "insist of us".

Mind you, it's perfectly legitimate and useful for clients to ask how metrics are chosen and used.  But for one consultant to seem to say that clients will have to insist on basic principles because we're not likely to do it ourselves hurts all of us, both clients and consultants.