5K Kaizen

I took a walk-jog this morning, something I’ve been doing pretty regularly since early June. Some days are better than others, and today started out sluggish. But as I turned the corner of my street, my neighbor drove by, rolled down his window, and gave me a friendly wave.

Almost like getting a shot of adrenaline, my energy spiked. I smiled and picked up the pace. Amazing what a little acknowledgment can do for the spirit. Motivation feeds on encouragement.

Jogging isn’t easy for me—after two knee replacements, it probably looks clumsy at this point. But it feels great. Hitting the pavement is pure joy.

The last time I entered a road race, our nation was celebrating its 200th birthday—and I was celebrating my 27th. Before the new knees, even walking had become a challenge.

This morning’s workout was in preparation for the Thanksgiving Gobble Wobble, a local 5K I’ll be running with my Gen-Z daughter, Ali.

In Lean terms, I’d call my current condition “stable”—but far from optimal. My comfortable lead time is about 50 minutes. For my age group, elite runners clock in at 25 minutes. I’m setting a stretch goal: 40 minutes – my target condition.

It’s ambitious, but I have over 100 days to improve.

So what does this have to do with Lean?

On the surface, nothing—I’m running because it feels good. But at a deeper level, the 5K is my attack on the status quo. It’s about small improvements, every day.

Call it 5K Kaizen.

As my friend and mentor Michael Tamasi says, I’m “keeping the old man out.” I like to think of it as staying in the race.

That’s my message to my fellow Baby Boomers: Stay in the race. And to my Gen-Z friends: Get in the race. You’ve got more than 20,000 days ahead—plenty of time for continuous improvement.

O.L.D.

BTW: Don’t Miss This Year’s Northeast Lean Conference. In the words of John Lennon, these are “strange days indeed”—with social, technical, and generational change all around us. Why not take a sanity break and find encouragement among your kindred spirits in the Lean community?

Join us for the 21st Annual Northeast Lean Conference, October 27–28 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Check out this year’s inspiring lineup: www.northeastleanconference.org