[Dixielandjazz] W. Edwards Deming & OKOM

[Steve barbone]

Bruce Stangeland <stangeland at earthlink.net>
 
> Steve,
> 
> I was glad to hear your comments about W. Edwards Deming. I took a seminar
> from him in Montreal in the 1980s. An amazing man. His 14 principles for
> improvement are still good advice. But I think people didn't have success
> with his methods because they didn't want to follow all of his 14 points
> (like to pay people equally, and to not find fault but to find sources of
> errors and fix them).
> 
> Maybe we should apply his 14 principles to increasing the interest in OKOM.

Not a bad idea Bruce. Besides his 14 principles, (folks can google search
for them if interested) he is a source of some wonderful quotes which can
certainly apply to OKOM, like:


1) "Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast
about your project or service, and that bring friends with them."

2) "If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know
what you're doing."

3) "It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and then do
your best."
 
4) "It does not happen all at once. There is no instant pudding."
 
5) "It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory."

6) "Does experience help? NO! Not if we are doing the wrong things."

During my day gig days, I was privileged to meet the man and as a board
member of The Motor & Equipment Manufacturer's Association, put together
several seminars & workshops. Based upon his teachings, with him as the main
speaker, and a whole bunch of Chairmen and Presidents of major US Automotive
Vehicle and Parts manufacturers as the students. They all attended because
it was Deming who taught the Japanese Auto Industry how to dominate and they
were beating the pants off the US manufacturers. (to put it politely) Those
in the USA who did not change, see quote 5 above, indeed did not survive.
Mostly, they were people who neither understood what Deming was saying, nor
made any attempt to understand.

The first quote above, sums up Barbone Street's success as a working band.
Contrary to what seems to be believed by some on the DJML, once you get the
gigs rolling, you need not push hard for them any more. Customers call you.
In the past 3 years, I have neither made an outgoing phone call for gigs nor
sent out a direct mail or email plea for business.

I did work my butt off to get gigs in the beginning, but like what happens
to Kash, now the gigs come to me virtually on automatic pilot. That too will
change because of the heavy preponderance of "Showboat Casino" gigs but the
second time around when that gig ends, getting other gigs will be a cinch.

I fully realize that some on the DJML are sick and tired of hearing that
others can succeed beyond their wildest dreams. And that I repeat the
message. Well, that's what the delete key is for. Me? I'm sick and tired of
hearing that young people don't like this music, there are no gigs, etc.,
etc., etc. But I keep reading them and do my best to debunk them.

Why repeat things? Because most people don't get the message unless it is
continually repeated. Just check out young Jonathan Russell's growing OKOM
festival schedule. That came about, in part, because of repeated messages
that have finally become effective.

Now all he need do is become yet another proof of the #1 quote above.

Cheers,
Steve