Lean Quote: Awareness Precedes Choice. Choice Precedes Change.

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Awareness precedes choice. Choice precedes change." — Lauren Herrera

If you aren’t aware of a problem, you won’t make different choices to fix it.  If you don’t make different choices to fix it, nothing will ever change.  Think of it as a three-layered pyramid.  The base of the pyramid is Awareness. The middle section is Choice. The top section is Change.

Awareness is necessary to make a different Choice.

Choices have to be made for there to be any Change.

Every problem you encounter will start as an awareness problem.  If you are in the position of pushing for change and people don’t understand/believe/buy-into the idea that there’s a fundamental problem that needs to be fixed, then you can forget about them making any decisions that will ultimately lead to a change.  It just won’t happen.

Remember, people don’t change for the sake of change.  They change only after there is an awareness of the problem.  Then, and only then, will it be possible to make different choices that result in change.

Think about it.  Get aware of the problems around you.  Invite others in to help you see the challenges that you don’t see. Fess up that there are problems, not failures, but opportunities to try solutions.