2 Second Lean by Paul Akers: Book Review
I’ve been on a very interesting journey the past few weeks… somehow Paul got a hold of me and then I got a hold of him. He interviewed me for his show and while talking he suggested how great it would be if we lived near one another and I expressed fear I’d get nothing done as we’d have just so much fun! As you can guess, we share many similar passions in life. You can read my earlier interview with him here: http://cncking.com/paul-akers-fastcap/
He’s the founder of FastCap.com which is a highly successful company located in the USA. Originally this post was going to be e-mailed to him directly but then I thought, others might want to get a hold of this as well so I decided to add a bit more (going against his lean principles) and making it into a blog post. Sometimes being inefficient is the most efficient way!
Continuous Improvement is my lifestyle!
I’ve been on a continuous improvement cycle ever since I was a teenager when I realized how it’s such a great way to get a lot more done in a shorter amount of time. If each day you can be stronger, smarter and/or more agile than the past… you’ve moved ahead no matter how incrementally! This is why I workout in a home gym instead of a membership… I can get my workout done in 20-30 minutes every day or two instead of wasting an hour traveling back and forth… it also gets rid of excuses to NOT workout and I save a ton of money in the process! I invest time and money in my health because this will pay the biggest dividends THROUGHOUT my life. I’m stronger and healthier now approaching 40 than I was in my teens… and far smarter too!
For CNCKing.com, I’ve followed my own cycle of continuous improvement to produce 7 books, hundreds of CNC projects while achieving a lot of other goals in my life from living in various places around the world to getting my pilots license, open water certificate, black belt in Karate and so on. How? Very easy… I don’t watch TV! How could I possibly waste away a few hours each and everyday just sitting doing something passive when I can actively improve on myself and my methodologies!
Even now, I’ve found a way to grow CNCKing.com without spending money advertising (though I did try, I failed quick and moved on) and CNCKingdom.com is growing well too using lean principles that I established from past experiences. I believe each skill you teach yourself will help you not only in your life but also in the lives of others… anyways, this blog post is about Paul’s book not my life.
2 Second Lean by Paul Akers: Book Review
I hope Paul doesn’t mind but I was able to go through his entire book and listen to him read it out to me personally by visiting his site http://www.2secondlean.com and I was blown away. I thought I was good at running a “lean operation” but he’s taken it to a whole other level!
I’ve had a dream since I was a kid to own a manufacturing company… you could say that this phase in my life of building projects for CNC machines is an extension of that that I hope one day will grow into manufacturing by default. The tips and tricks in his book are great from labeling everything (though I’d use pictures/Chinese characters so you don’t even have to read and learn at the same time) to up to one hour daily morning meetings… the more power you put in your staff, the more ownership they have over their job and as a result, improved self-esteem.
For me, being a one-man operation… I MUST be incredibly efficient and “lean” as otherwise I just wouldn’t have enough time in the day to do what needs to be done, for him, he must be efficient to stay in business in order to meet payroll, grow into new areas, develop new products and the list goes on. I’m always on the same page as myself but he has to do this across a group of diverse individuals all with different goals and aspirations. Lean is the way to go for both scenarios.
One of the biggest take aways from his book was the empowerment that staff and entire organizations develop when they realize that the answers to their problems come from within, if you waste 10 minutes doing a 2 minute job… it takes confidence to stop, fix the issue finish something earlier without fear that the new “free time” won’t be used against you by your boss to work less hours as a result or spend more time doing tasks you don’t like.
Although I enjoyed his journey towards lean from beginning to “end” (there never is an end but the book ran out of pages), I think the Freaking Good Questions part should have been expanded further and maybe even put into it’s own book. These questions helped greatly put into actual context Paul’s methods which he learned from Toyota and Hoks… Japan is an incredible place that Hoks is able to make profitable even if their employees cost 17x more than their 2-hours-by-boat Chinese competitors! What I love about Japan, haven been there several times, is how efficient and clean the entire country is… no wonder they are the second biggest economy in the world! Man I love that place… and miss it.
Some things that were counter-intuitive to me was not paying staff if they find an efficiency in their business… it should be their job to find better and more innovative methods to complete their tasks. Not living in clutter… I don’t mind it at all but I’m going to try to clean my office up a bit more even if it means I no longer know which pile my stuff is in. People enjoy working hard… again, as a species, we are incredibly lazy in general… it’s the default method to save energy and live another day that most turn into a lifestyle. One more thing, living a “lean” lifestyle doesn’t mean you live without luxuries in life… Paul has lots of fun toys and he feel great about it because it allows him to recognize the success of his efforts – they are reminders of how far he’s come and has yet to go.
Book Improvements
Although this is a great book, there are some improvements I’d implement in them… the first would be to move all the testimonials to the end of the book and his biography that’s on the last pages into the front. It helps bring some context of who Paul is and why you should at least read a little more into this book than your TV Guide. His biography is fascinating… it grabs me more than the testimonials did.
Summaries at the beginning of each chapter – although his chapters are short (and have lots of great content), I’d put a few bullet points of the major takeaways. I realize he has exercises at the end which are great but if I only have 10 minutes to read something quick, I think bullet points would help me find relevant content for future reference faster. I know I’m not one to write about this, my books are 450+ pages 8.5 x 11 inches with an index that takes-up four columns across two pages!
Would I buy this book?
Absolutely, I was looking for a copy to buy here locally and couldn’t find it so I visited the site and stumbled upon his online version – I hope by writing this review that others discover his (and my) way of thinking about business and life in general. For me, it’s the realization that as I get older, the mortal coils around me are starting to squeeze me tighter… I want to get a lot done before I go 6ft under… but his book is a must read for anybody in business, manufacturing or otherwise.
http://www.2secondlean.com —> CHECK IT OUT!