Greedy, Lazy and Cheap

As a parent of a teenager the words greedy, lazy and cheap send a sharp pain down my spine (for those of you with teenagers know what I mean). While greedy, lazy and cheap are not the values I try to instill in my children, I can’t help but to see the connection between teenagers and Lean Six Sigma consultants.

When it comes to Lean Six Sigma consultants; greedy, lazy and cheap are virtues, they influence every decision we make. A consultant who does not live by the greedy, lazy and cheap philosophy will soon find themselves without clients.

First, I’m greedy. I want it all! I want perfect quality, delivered exactly on time, at the absolute lowest cost, without compromising safety. Anything less and I’m not happy.

Second, I’m lazy. I only want to do the job once! No rework, no extra inspections, no walking around looking for stuff or traveling great distances. I want everything I need to do my job readily available and close.

Third, I’m cheap. I don’t want to spend any more money than I have to. I don’t want to pay for scrap, excess inventory, or employee time doing non-value added work. I want solutions that come at low-cost or no-cost.

So the next time your teenager is laying in bed with a cell phone, laptop, television, water bottle, bowl of Cheetos in an adult diaper you can think: “Maybe they will have a career as a Lean Six Sigma consultant someday”. There may be hope after all.