Just watched an amazing video by Priscilla Petty called The Deming of America It’s straight talk from the master on what needs to be done to get America cranking again.

One thing that caught my attention was Deming’s refusal to work with P&G when they asked him to help them.   He only worked with companies where the top management was genuinely committed to systemic improvement of quality.

The P&G manager who lead quality at the time reported in the video that it took him 6 months to convince Dr. Deming that P&G was very committed.

The scene reminded me of the time I visited with the folks at Eagles Flight At the time I was thinking of entering the training business  (our business was then as it still is today – primarily invention consulting focused not training focused) and had created a program based on one of my books.  The program was fun and entertaining and most enjoyed it – however the owner when giving feedback said “it will be a great program when you get really committed to it.”

OUCH.   His comments hurt big time.  They hurt because he was right.  I was not fully committed to the program – it was a nice to do.

Over time his comment has been incredibly valuable to me.  When looking at a new business opportunity I’ve challenged myself to answer “Am I fully committed?”   When I’m committed it means that I keep testing and learning, designing and redesigning like it’s my only business – like my life depends on the program’s success.

It’s taken quite a few years – but eventually I got fully committed to training with our Eureka! 101 program.   And starting next week – I’m getting fully committed to the development of the Innovation Engineering courses at the University of Maine I’ll be on campus teaching two undergraduate and one graduate course.

Emerson said “nothing great ever happens without enthusiasm” it’s the same with innovations and new businesses.   If you’re not fully committed, totally committed then don’t waste your time on it.   The image that comes to mind is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid — jumping off the cliff together in the movie while being chased by the marshals.

Filed under: Doug's Soap Box