Dwayne Butcher:
My parents knew from an early age that I was destined for a career in marketing. When I got excited about something (dinosaurs, UFOs, or later, solar energy - seriously), I felt the need to tell others so they could share in my excitement. And that’s how it played out. My 30+ year marketing career has had 3 distinct tracks, each designed around improving the work of others. 11 years in corporate training and development. 8 years promoting the coolest manufacturing solutions and services. And 15 years in running the world’s best continuous improvement events with Lean Frontiers. It was my time at Lean Frontiers that I got hooked on lean thinking, and later on, the practices of TWI and Toyota Kata. I love TWI and Kata for the way they empower and equip people, their teams, their companies, and even their communities. Ask anyone I work with at Flexware Innovation (the manufacturing solutions company mentioned above), I’m still the same kid who wants everyone to share in the excitement of dinosaurs, only now it’s TWI and Kata. My full-time job is Director of Marketing where I lead a talented team, but I took on a “part-time job” pitching TWI, Kata, and Lean to anyone at Flexware who will listen. We’ve dabbled, but it hasn’t taken root yet. Yet. I’m persistent (and noisy), so I’m confident we’ll eventually see the convergence of pain and the answers provided by TWI, Kata, and Lean. Until then, I’ll keep sharing. And I’ll keep rooting for my friends in the TWI and Kata communities. Keep up the good work!