December 12, 2005

Hi [[firstname]], 

Many of you have asked me to identify what I think 
is one of the most important characteristics of 
leadership. There are many; and "walk the talk" is 
second on my list. 

Consequently, I have chosen an appropriate "take-a-
break" story for this week's bulletin. It's an old 
story and if you substitute 'leader for ruler' and 
'team member' for citizens, you'll understand why 
this story presents the real secret to leadership. 
And, it's at the top of my list.

Have a nice day, and stay connected.

Bill Gaw
Business Basics, LLC
Bg@bbasicsllc.com
760-945-5596

P.S. Please forward this bulletin to team members,
peers, and upper management. They'll be glad you did.

Kaizen Philosophy for Winners

=====================================
MANUFACTURING BASICS & BEST PRACTICES BULLETIN

Now serving over 10,612 subscribers

Competitive Knowledge for Manufacturing People 
=====================================

THE SOUND OF THE FOREST

Back in the third century A.D., the King Ts'ao sent 
his son, Prince T'ai, to the temple to study under 
the great master Pan Ku. Because Prince T'ai was to 
succeed his father as king, Pan Ku was to teach the 
boy the basics of being a good ruler. 

When the prince arrived at the temple, the master 
sent him alone to the Ming-Li Forest. After one year, 
the prince was to return to the temple to describe 
the sound of the forest. 

When Prince T'ai returned, Pam Ku asked the boy to 
describe all that he could hear. "Master," replied 
the prince, "I could hear the cuckoos sing, the leaves 
rustle, the hummingbirds hum, the cricket chirp, the 
grass blow, the bees buzz, and the wind whisper and 
holler." 

When the prince had finished, the master told 
him to go back to the forest to listen to what more 
he could hear. The prince was puzzled by the master's 
request. Had he not discerned every sound already? 

For days and nights on end, the young prince sat alone 
in the forest listening. But he heard no sounds other 
then those he had already heard. 

Then one morning, as the prince sat silently beneath 
the trees, he started to discern faint sounds unlike 
those he had overheard before. The more acutely he 
listened, the clearer the sounds became. 

The feeling of enlightenment enveloped the boy, "These 
must be the sounds the master wished me to discern," 
he reflected.

When Prince T'ai returned to the temple, the master 
asked him what more he had heard. "Master," responded 
the prince reverently, "when I listened most closely, 
I could hear the unheard... the sound of flowers 
opening, the sound of the sun warming the earth, and 
the sound of the grass drinking the morning dew." 

The master nodded approvingly. "To hear the unheard," 
remarked Pan Ku, "is a necessary discipline to be a 
good ruler. For only when a ruler has learned to listen 
closely to the people's hearts, hearing their feelings 
not communicated, pains unexpressed, and complaints not 
spoken of, can he hope to inspire confidence in his 
people, understand when something is wrong, and meet the 
true needs of his citizens. 

The demise of states comes when leaders listen only to 
superficial words and do not penetrate deeply into the 
souls of the people to hear their true opinions, feeling, 
and desires.

=====================================

Kaizen Philosophy for Winners

Manufacturing leaders have a responsibility to 
educate and train their team members. Here are 
7-cost-effective, e-learning packages to help 
you get to where you need to go: 

Lean Manufacturing – http://bbasicsllc.com/e-lp-lm.htm
Value Stream Map'g – http://bbasicsllc.com/e-lp-vsm.htm
Kaizen Mgmt – http://bbasicsllc.com/e-lp-kci.htm
Supply Chain Mgmt – http://bbasicsllc.com/e-lp-scm.htm
Balanced Scorecard – http://bbasicsllc.com/e-lp-bsc.htm
Strategic Planning – http://bbasicsllc.com/e-lp-sp.htm
ISO 9000:2000 – http://bbasicsllc.com/e-lp-iso.htm

=====================================

Kaizen Philosophy for Winners

You are welcomed to print and share this bulletin with 
your manufacturing teams, peers and upper management ... 
better yet, have them signup for their own copy at:

http://bbasicsllc.com 

=====================================

Kaizen Philosophy for Winners

Business Basics, LLC
6003 Dassia Way, Oceanside, CA 92056
West Coast: 760-945-5596

Manufacturing Knowledge you'll not find in the books 
at Amazon.com... neither in the APICS library 
nor in the Harvard Business School Press

Lean Manufacturing - Balanced Scorecard 
ISO 9000:2000 - Strategic Planning - Supply Chain 
Management - MRP Vs Lean Exercises - Kaizen Blitz 
Lean Six Sigma - Value Stream Mapping

All at one Website: http://bbasicsllc.com

=====================================

Kaizen Philosophy for Winners

  STAY CONNECTED

To stay current on bullet-proofed manufacturing solutions, subscribe to our free ezine, "The Business Basics and Best Practices Bulletin." Simply fill in the below form and click on the subscribe button. 

We'll also send you our free Special Report, "Five Change Initiatives for Personal and Company Success."

Your personal information will never 
be disclosed to any third party.

Manufacturing leaders have a responsibility to educate and train their team members. Help for developing a self-directed, World Class Manufacturing training program for your people is just a click away:

http://bbasicsllc.com/training-modules.htm

You are welcomed to print and share this bulletin with your manufacturing teams, peers, suppliers and upper management ... better yet, have them signup for their own copy at:

http://bbasicsllc.com/subscribe.htm

With the escalating spam-wars, it's also a good idea to WHITELIST our bulletin mailing domain via your filtering software or control panel: 

bizbasics@getresponse.com

This will help guarantee that your bulletin is never deleted unexpectedly.

Manufacturing Knowledge you’ll not find at offsite 
seminars nor in the books at Amazon.com

Lean Manufacturing - Balanced Scorecard 
ISO 9000:2000 - Strategic Planning - Supply Chain 
Management - MRP Vs Lean Exercises - Kaizen Blitz 
Lean Six Sigma - Value Stream Mapping

All at one Website: Good Manufacturing Practices

Kaizen Philosophy for Winners

COMPETITIVE KNOWLEDGE MENU
(Click on any subject below):

Your company can reach its full potential in all aspects of the business. All you need is the right knowledge and training. You will find much of it  it here, at the Business Basics' Website:

Competitive e-Knowledge for anyone ... anywhere ... anytime
Business Basics, LLC
6003 Dassia Way, Oceanside, CA 92056
West Coast: 760-945-5596