As I was researching the remarkable similarities between lean and Zen for my book, The Simple Leader  (Gemba Academy, 2016) one of the most interesting—and meaningful—was the concept of the beginner’s mind.

Taiichi Ohno said, “Observe… without preconceptions and with a blank mind.”

Zen master Shunryu Suzuki similarly said, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.”

One of the core concepts of Zen is shoshin, or “beginner’s mind.” This is a perspective that is free of preconceived ideas and opinions, and is open to new thought. We know how some lean concepts can be counterintuitive. Embracing shoshin requires “unlearning” what you thought you already knew—in effect, creating a beginner’s mind.

Yoda, back in one of the original (and, ahem, good) Star Wars movies recognized this, and told Luke Skywalker “You must unlearn what you have learned.”

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