One Word By Mike Brown     We are entering a new phase of strategy development and deployment at The ACCESS Group (TAG).  We actually do try to practice what we preach. As we try to develop and understand our vision, our purpose, our goals and objectives, I do not find it any easier to articulate than I did 20 years ago.  Succinctness is tough when you are trying to capture everything you are for everyone you know - associates, clients, and the public. As I think about how to describe a 'lean', 'green', waste-free machine - I struggle some.  Finally, half asleep on an airplane (that is where I do my most strategic thinking), I remembered a word my Dad used to use a lot when describing my responsibilities in life - STEWARDSHIP.   After considering that for a while and actually reading a few "googled" resources, and throwing in some focused thought, the definition described by my Dad rang true.    Stewardship - comes from the word 'steward' - SERVANT    the office, duties, obligations of a steward (agent, manager, trustee, provider, servant); the individual's responsibility to manage his life and property with proper regard to the rights of others; in an organizational context, stewardship refers to management's responsibility to properly utilize and develop its resources, including its people, its property and its financial assets; a biblical view of stewardship can be defined as: the use of God-given resources for the accomplishment of God-given objectives; managing everything God brings into the believers life in a manner that honors God and impacts eternity. Now this is some pretty heavy stuff here. However, I decided that, in one word, I could not find a better way to describe our vision for what we would like to do and be at TAG. We would like to be good 'stewards' and we would like to teach and implement good 'stewardship'.   The word 'stewardship' covers:   Vision: seeing ahead, conceiving, discernment, foresight - what we want to look like. Purpose: an object or end to be obtained, resolution, determination, intention - an aim for oneself.        Goal: the end toward which effort is directed. Objective: something toward which effort is directed; an aim, goal, or end of action; a strategic position to be obtained.   .... Webster's   Our real purpose in life is to help our clients and ourselves optimize the use of all the resources we have at our disposal - people, material, machines, facilities, money, and time - the assets we have been given to work with. Now "servant" is not a word most people like to be associated with.  I have not seen it on very many executive resumes. However, a Lean Enterprise works very hard to 'serve' its clients and its owners; a true leader works hard to 'serve' his/her employees; and, a committed parent works hard to 'serve' their family.  We may not use the word a lot, but we do it - some better than others.   We do it at TAG, too - always have.  We are just going to start being less shy of the word and are going to be more diligent at implementing the principles of stewardship with ourselves, our families, and our clients.  Eliminating waste is good stewardship; optimizing resources is good stewardship; minimizing inventory is good stewardship; reducing lead time is good stewardship; maintaining our machines and facilities is good stewardship; developing a learning organization is good stewardship; and taking care of the people we work with is good stewardship. And while it may not always fit the short term success criteria of the stock market or the line-item definitions of standard cost accounting, I believe it always fits the criteria of "Good Business" in the world we have been given to live in.  What do you think?  It is just one word.

In addition to  Lean Consulting Services,  TAG provides   Project Management, Engineering & Technical Support, Training Services, and Maintenance & Reliability Services Call us toll free at 877-824-3647 or visit  www.tag.bz for more information. About the Author:   Mike Brown  is a Principal with The ACCESS Group, LLC TAG)  headquartered in the Nashville, TN area.  Mike is also a partner with Healthcare Performance Partners (HPP). Mike has had a dual background in both the manufacturing industry and the military.  Mike has led various business process and Lean Enterprise related improvement projects for companies, including those in the manufacturing, healthcare and administrative sectors of industry. Mike has over 30 years experience in significant areas of growth and leadership during his career. He has also managed numerous planning and industrial projects in the automotive, consumer goods, defense, boat, aircraft, and truck industries.