The World According to Mitch

The standard gauge of a railroad in North America and Europe is 4′ 8.5″, or four feet, eight and a half inches.

Most people will give that absolutely no thought in their entire life. Of those who do, some will think to themselves, ‘I wonder if that is based on an old unit of measure that was abandoned in favour of the imperial system, which most of us later abandoned for the metric system?’ Others might think that it is because the top engineers of the day worked long and hard to calculate the best gauge to carry passengers and freight based on minute mathematical calculations. Sorry, no to both groups.

The first roads in Europe were laid, if you could call it that, by the Roman chariots that were pulled by horses. the wheels that carved out these roads were those of chariots pulled by teams of horses never more than two side by each. In fact, the size of the chariots was determined by just that – the width of two horses walking side by side. In essence, and proving that bureaucracies can outlive anything. Yes, the simple truth is that the railroads tracks that we still rely on today for myriad purposes is based on the width of not one but two horses asses.

The term ‘That’s the way we’ve always done it’ is a dangerous one and often leads to terrible or at least marginal results. I hear it all the time in corporations that I consult for, in government offices, in clubs and groups and of course lodges. Why do we do it that way? Because that’s the way we have always done it.

You can like them or not but there is no debating the fact that Toyota makes cars exceptionally well. They do so in large part because of their long held Kaizen Philosophy. In short, Kaizen means continuous improvement through small, incremental changes. When someone sees a way that something can be done better they mention it and it gets kicked up the ladder, and if it makes sense then they try it, and if it works then they keep it. In this way the entire company is responsible for the quality of their cars. It is a true model for success that has served them well since at least the 1980s.

A few weeks ago I was sitting with a friend of mine when he asked me how the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) became such an amazing fighting force. I do not remember the exact answer that I gave him because there are so many… but one thing that I remember is that it is not only acceptable but it is in fact the duty of any soldier – from a mere Private to the Lieutenant General and everyone in between – to point out ways that things could be improved. This could be how an operation or incursion is planned or how dishes are washed or anything in between. Sure, we had to salute from time to time, and we had to respect the chains of command, but we also had to speak up if there was no time or opportunity to do so. Constant incremental improvement is how they became one of the most respected fighting forces on the planet.

I have to ask if the IDF would be as effective as it is were they to rely on a philosophy of ‘That’s the way we’ve always done it.’ Would there still be a State of Israel?

There is certainly something to be said for tradition. I have great respect for traditions and am all for them… as long as they do not interfere with or conflict with being reasonable. We cannot impede progress with the excuse of ‘Well that’s how we have always done it, so that is how we must do it now.’ If we do, then we risk being mistaken for a couple of horses asses.