In this episode of the Shingo Principles Podcast, we hear from Mike Martyn who has received the Shingo Publication Award four times, including his most recent book, “Management for Omotenashi.” Mike is a member of the Shingo Academy and a Shingo Examiner, as well. He has supported many organizations that have challenged and received Shingo recognition.

In this podcast, we will learn how the key to inspiring and engaging people is to define why an organization exists and give each person the opportunity to discover their own purpose connected to the mastery of their work and the contribution they make. This discovery of purpose and connection to mastery leads to the development of one’s ikigai, or reason for being.
 
Ikigai is a uniquely Japanese concept that stems from the root word “ikiru” which means life and “kai” which translates as the realization that one hopes for. It is often expressed as the reason one gets out of bed in the morning. The better a leader is at connecting people with their work and structuring work with an element of challenge and personal satisfaction, the higher the level of ikigai.
 
Work itself then becomes secondary to the interaction people have with their work and the opportunity they have to express themselves through continuous improvement, growth and personal mastery.
 
Listen to this podcast to learn how Tessei transformed itself from a "Cleaning Company" to a global benchmark for culture and how you can use an easy three-step process to do the same.

To learn more about this topic and the connection to the Shingo Model, please visit, https://shingo.org.