Kaizen is a compound Japanese word translated as “change for the better” or “continuous improvement”. It has been mainly utilized with manufacturing processes or software development, but at its core it is a mindset of constantly getting better. When we take the idea of continuous improvement out of the factory environment and apply it to the people that design and run the production facilities and businesses, we have “Human Kaizen”.
Human Kaizen is about getting better every day in some way. If you were to look at yourself and your life, you would see many parameters (or dimensions) that influence your quality of life such as:
- Physical health
- Mental health
- Relationships
- Finances
- Career
All of these are important to our overall well-being and contain countless components. None of us are perfect in these areas all the time, and due to the natural entropy of the world, the evolution of the work world, and our own human nature, it requires effort just to maintain let alone improve these factors.
Joe Templin understands improvement, and not just because like all humans, he was born a blind defenseless screaming baby unable to do anything. Severely asthmatic as a kid, he worked his butt off to become a runner, and although not talented, he’s completed over 15 Ragnars (200ish mile team relay races) and three ultra-marathons at this point. He’s also spent 40 years in the martial arts, won an International Title, and holds the rank of Master so understands improvement on the physical level.
Joe’s written and published fourteen books, including the Amazon Kindle #1 New Release in Professional Development “Every Day Excellence”. He understands improving a skill like writing over time through focused effort and getting good guidance.