Kaizen and Blogging

For many years I worked with an international organization alongside colleagues from all over the world. Among them, a group from Japan.

Imagine what it's like to play Pictionary with people from many cultures, especially from Asia - our points of reference were so different. I learned more about context during those play times than at any other point in time.

I also learned a lot about the philosophy of kaizen. This is a Japanese philosophy that focuses on continuous improvements in all aspects of life.

From Wikipedia, it is a daily activity, the purpose of which goes beyond simple productivity improvement. It is also a process that, when done correctly, humanizes the workplace, eliminates overly hard work ("muri"), and teaches people how to perform experiments on their work using the scientific method and how to learn to spot and eliminate waste in business processes.

Micro productivity can lead to macro results when applied persistently and patiently. You probably already know that exercising frequently is better than overdosing on physical exertion every so often. I actually saw the weekend warrior in you cringe. Me, too.

There's no question about it, you need to base your work on this philosophy to succeed in social media, especially if you start a blog. Does that mean writing frequent small posts? It might, if you find those valuable nuggets that will be an investment in attention for your readers and time for you.

It may also mean working on honing your voice and style for the medium, finding interesting content to share, build upon. Researching items that will help your community. Or sometimes just letting people have a good chuckle with you. Laughter is the shortest distance between individuals. Do focus on the people - readers are your customers, be in service to them.

Continuous improvement can be in the content and presentation, but also in the interaction - your ability to become more natural and conversational in tone. Take cues from the experience of being exposed to relationships with ideas and people on a consistent basis to observe and learn. Each day and week will bring you a little farther along in your skill.

Focus on the process and not the results. Zen is about attaining wisdom through action. Results come from wisdom and learning. Do I mean the mere act of putting the post online? Well, that too. There is a certain satisfaction - and sense of accomplishment - that accompanies the tactile experience of posting the material yourself.

That's why it's so hard to work through approval processes and reviews with blogs. It delays that production moment you so crave - the reward for having done the work, the moment when the content stands in front of your readers.

There is one more thing. The zen part of kaizen also means doing the right thing. This is where honesty and transparency come into play. Have you linked out to your sensei (teachers) in the post? Have you responded to a question? Have you taken the time to read and connect? Have you recognized and thanked your community?

This is a conversation starter. I hope you will join me in the comments to continue sharing ideas, asking questions, and helping each other. What are your ways to practice kaizen?

Let's try something to bridge to Twitter as well. Anyone who will continue the conversation on Twitter, use the hashtag #kaizenblog. This will be come a regular chat at 12Noon on Thursdays. We'll carry it out during the day tomorrow, as you wish to participate.

Comments

[mariam sultana]

this post made me subscribe. it's definitely the persistence and patience that you bolded but that i didn't actually process until i happened to glance up to what i had thought i had already read.

it's so easy to want to rush into things, especially when the world seems to be a whirlwind of social media. who wants to fall anymore behind? thanks for this.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Welcome to the conversation, Mariam. We carry it through every Thursday at 12 ET on Twitter, if you'd like to expand on this concept of #kaizenblog. I'm blown away at the mindfulness and smarts of all the participants every week.