A View From My Chair 021925

​A View From My Chair ​

by Mike Stafford, Chairman of the Board 2025
February 19, 2025

Tabearuki and Kaizen

It seems like everyone has been going to Japan. About 33 million people travelled to Japan last year with around 10% of those Americans. Cherry blossom festival, summer vacations, and hot springs are just some of the reasons. Of course, food is always a good reason to travel and sometimes you have to walk and eat just to see all the tourist places on your list. If you did not know, Tabearuki is considered gyougi ga warui.   

Tabearuki is Japanese for eating while walking and gyougi ga warui means rude. So if you buy ice cream, you should eat it outside the shop before continuing on.

A good reason for this is a cultural tradition of appreciating the food you eat. Standing still while eating allows your sense to be focused on one activity, eating. If you are rushing to your next tourist attraction or looking around at the sites, you may be taking in the flavor of the country but not appreciating the flavor of your food.   

A more practical reason for eating your food first before moving on is simply the lack of trash cans around the city. Do you want to hold that sticky ice cream wrapper for blocks and blocks? Keeping the city streets clean is not just for cost-savings, it is also a form of respect for others who will not be bothered by someone else’s mess. This takes an adjustment for first-time tourists, but it might just be a change for good. That is Kaizen. Kaizen is a term used in manufacturing dealing with continuous improvement. Katie Anderson writes in Industry Week that if you look at the Japanese symbols for the word kai-zen, kai is self-whip and zen’s symbols are sheep and altar. Anderson says put it all together and it means more than just change for good. It is discipline with sacrifice. 

Anderson writes, "It’s the self-discipline to make sacrifices for the good—by letting go of and changing mindsets and behaviors that no longer serve you or your team. It’s about creating the habit to see every situation as a chance for improvement—for yourself, your teams, and the processes around you –to create better outcomes for the collective good. 

It’s also good news for leaders because it is about you doing less and instead creating opportunities for others on your team to develop the capability and confidence for problem-solving. And this shift requires selfdiscipline.

Andersons suggests four ways to start:
Lead by Example
Create a Safe Environment for Experimentation
Foster Cross-Functional Collaboration.
Make Kaizen a Daily Practice

The next time you eat ice cream  in Japan standing still, do not think about the pounds you are gaining or the time spent not being somewhere else, think about the opportunity to learn to savor and to start learning the skill of discipline. 

Sources:
Industry Week
 Travel Weekly 
Kaizen 

BIZ NEWS OF THE WEEK  

In and Out of Irvine – The hamburger chain looking to leave Irvine for its roots in Baldwin Park.
Patch

Is Milk the New Coke? – Fairlife milk and protein shakes are proving quite profitable for Coke.
CNN

Box Office Doughnuts – Krispy Kreme and Hulu team up for new movie theater flavors: Blue Raspberry Slush, Caramel Popcorn, Cookie Dough Superstar, and Candy Double Feature. 
​KTLA 

​UCC UPDATE

Government Affairs Committee – February 24 (new date) Zoom (one week later than usual)
UCC Executive Board – February 24
State of the County Luncheon – March 5 (Porter Ranch Country Club)
LAPD Captains Luncheon – April 2 (CBS Radford Studios)
Inspirational Women’s Awards Luncheon – May 8 (nominations due March 3) 

CHAMBER HIGHLIGHTS

Burbank (burbankchamber.org)
Burbank Chamber is alert everyone if you receive a suspicious email from Burbank Chamber that does not originate from their Burbank Chamber email address, mark as spam and report immediately. 
 
Calabasas (calabasaschamber.org)
February 20 - Good Morning Calabasas Networking Breakfast  Lovi’s 7:30am-9am
February 20 - Attorneys Forum 12-1:30pm Anza Hotel

Filipino-American (faccgla.org)
Tonight at 6pm - Join Us for Monthly Networking Nights!

Theme: Diversity, Inclusion, and the Power of Entrepreneurial Mothers
Event Title: Momprenuers: Celebrating Moms and Leaders in Business
​This February, we celebrate the strength of diversity and the resilience of entrepreneurial mothers who balance family, business, and community impact. Join us for an evening of inspiration as we highlight stories from entrepreneurs of all backgrounds and honor the incredible contributions of moms in business. Connect with diverse leaders, share experiences, and discover strategies for growth and inclusion in entrepreneurship. Whether you’re a mompreneur, a supporter, or a business leader, this event is a chance to network, collaborate, and celebrate the diverse voices shaping our future. 

Granada Hills (granadachamber.com) 
Ongoing – Farmer’s Market Fridays

North Valley Regional (northridgechamber.org)
​February 21- The Friday Morning Buzz
Chamber Office
9 - 10:30 am 9015
Wilbur Ave. Northridge 91324

SAVE THE DATE
April 23 - Heroes in Education Gala

Northwest Valley (chatsworthchamber.com)
Happy Hour Mixer
February 20 at Los Toros 6-10pm 

Panorama City (panoramachamber.com)
March 11 - Next Monthly Meeting at U.S Bank 14500 Roscoe.

San Fernando City (facebook.com/sfcitychamber)
February 20 – Licensing and Procurement Workshop at the San Fernando
Library 217 North Maclay Ave, San Fernando 5pm-8pm. ​

​Sherman Oaks-Encino (shermanoaksencinochamber.org)
Today – 9:30am. Freshly Brewed Conversation at the chamber office 4933 Balboa Blvd., Encino. 

Studio City (studiocitychamber.com)
Be sure to check out the Farmer’s Market on the weekend
Located on Ventura Place, between Radford and Laurel Canyon

Toluca Lake (tolucalakechamber.com)
Community Clean Up – February 22

West Valley-Warner Center (woodlandhillscc.net)
March 5 - Monthly Motivation Networking Breakfast at El Caballero Country Club 7am-9am. 
RSVP required to have name on list at front gate. No walkins. 

Winnetka (winnetkachamberofcommerce.com)
Board Installation in March. ​