The best thing about a convertible is the simulation of riding a motorbike without a helmet in a much safer environment. That was the reason why I purchased one. I read somewhere it is a hairdresser’s car or a man of my age driving this type of car is having mid life crisis. I disagree. It is the best feeling to drive “topless” where you can feel the wind in your hair, hear the roar of the 200 KW engine and feel the road from the sports suspension. Every time I drove it with the roof down, it was an exhilarating experience. With my convertible, I always take a long way home.
To derive this joy, the roof must function well. The roof of my convertible can only be opened automatically. Like I said, it is a great car but it is also an old and weary car. Sometime ago, the roof couldn’t open properly. The tension strap had lost its strength and the roof was not able to fold properly into the storage compartment. I used to ignore it and tried to close and re-open the roof hoping the problem will go away. That was until when I heard a “crack” sound. Anxiously I went to have a look, only to find one of the side panel has broken. And it almost instantly dawned on me that failing to fix a small problem has led to a bigger one.
It is the same at work. If a company failed to tackle current issues no matter how small it is, it will become worse. This is really not a new idea. In safety training, we were always taught to monitor incidences and take quick corrective and preventive actions before they become accidents!
In the Toyota Way Fieldbook by Jeffery K Liker and David Meier, chapter 8 talks about building a culture that stops to fix problems is exactly what this is all about.
I guess we all knew it, including myself. Until we have experienced the “pain” of failing to act on small issues that is affecting us today, it is easy to push these small issues aside and push on with work and hoping it will go away. Most often it won’t and will come back to bite us.
Taking the long way home has double meaning here. It could mean prolonging your joy of driving a great and fun car or prolonging your pain!
What is your reason today for taking the long way home?
KY Loke