Yesterday I asked what you’ve changed in the last 30 days. I did this with an anecdote, that got a lot of feedback, which I want to address first.

I was listening to a podcast this morning, when the guest mentioned an anecdote of a manager who was going away for a while when he told his team, “When I’m back in a month, if you haven’t improved something, we’ll need to have a serious talk.”

“What a terrible manager!” was the basic gist of the feedback.

I can understand that reaction. If the message seems harsh, it’s my fault for a poor paraphrasing. I went back today to re-listen to the podcast so I can directly quote what was said, so I can quote it in context, and hopefully avoid that negative reaction:

A lot of people think Lean is about eliminating waste. No, no. When you really read stuff from the people who are doing Lean, and when you look at the Toyota Production System, it’s about learning. The number one thing about Lean is learn. Taiichi Ono said “If I come back in 30 days and you’re doing the same thing, you are not doing your job. You are not improving.”

I hope that makes it more clear. But even so, maybe Taiichi Ono was a terrible manager, but that’s also missing the point I’m trying to get at, which is about continuous improvement.

So now, as promised, what have I changed or improved in the last 30 days? Here are some highlights:

• I launched a new web site focused on my Go-related content.
• I installed a “On Air” sign outside my office door, so my wife will know when I’m recording a podcast or YouTube video, and not come in, which has been known to ruin a number of previous takes
• I made a number of HTML and CSS tweaks on both my new and pre-existing web sites to improve usability
• I switched over to Google Analytics 4
• I launched a new podcast
• I enrolled in a Krav Maga class (however I was unable to find the actual class at the gym, so may be trying another option instead)