Mexican Penicillin
by Bill Garrison

A few months ago while I was having a cold cerveza with my amigo Julio, we solved the haunting problem on how to catch that elusive Latin Beast, the Chupacabra.  For those uninitiated in south of the border folklore, the Chupacabra is the Mexican equivalent of Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster.  While Nessy is a rather benevolent lake dwelling cutie, the Chupacabra is a blood sucking, child terrorizing, farm animal assassin that is a cross between a vampire and a canine.

Sometimes those closer to the problem can overlook some obvious solutions.  Our solution is to put 100 quarts of menudo near one of those Southern Mexico villages where Seňor Chupacabra has been known to hang out.  Ole Chupacabra will eat the menudo and have so much intestinal gas that he will be grounded for a minimum of two weeks, which should be plenty of time to take pictures and interview the beast before he lurches back into the jungle.

Some of you (probably East Coasters) may wonder “what the heck is menudo?”  I think that menudo is the Mexican equivalent of penicillin and a distant cousin of Fahrenheit 220°.  If you have been involved in any of the EI training at Rocketdyne, you would understand this makes menudo a progressive leadership tool.

Julio is actually the one who introduced me to menudo.  A few years ago I was nursing an ethyl alcohol overload from partaking in another Mexican organic referred to as tequila.  We were at the local burrito stand and Julio said, “Bill, you must have some menudo if you really want to shed that hangover.”

“Why don’t you eat the menudo,” I protested.  “What’s in menudo?”

“Never mind what’s in menudo,” Julio replied.  “The reason I don’t eat menudo is because I belong to a special order of the Sons of Montezuma’s Revenge that strictly forbids the consumption of menudo.”

That sounded a little fishy to me as I had never heard of such an order, so I said, “How about all that other obnoxious stuff you’ve been eating?  I’m sure that the descendants of Montezuma are not all that thrilled about that.”

“That’s different,” Julio said.  “those were very small offenses, menudo is a major crime.  The Aztec Gods would strike me with lightning if I were to even taste the menudo.  Since you are the Methodist, it would be safer for you to try the menudo.”

Although the menudo did not seem appealing, it appeared to be the lesser of the two consequences – considering Julio would be hit by lightning and I was sitting across the table less than three feet away.  I’ll not get into too much detail on the contents of menudo, but suffice it to say, one of the nicer ingredients is the lining of a cow’s stomach, and it goes somewhat downhill from there.

Several hours later Julio and I were taking our after lunch walk, and I felt like a Chupacabra was trying to escape from my insides.  I conveyed my dismay to Julio who cheerfully responded, “Bill this is no surprise.  You ate menudo! Did you read what was in that stuff?”

I survived to write this article, and Julio has gone through his 4th marriage.  Next time you are on the shop floor, look for Julio.  He will be the one promoting the benefits of menudo.

Perhaps if menudo is Mexican penicillin, EI (Employee Involvement) might be considered industrial penicillin.  Those at the bottom of the organization charts are, very often the only real value-adders – those who make the products, provide services, and make sure that the customers receive quality products on time at a cost that is fair to the consumer and sustains the profitability of the organization.  EI is designed to involve these individuals more intimately with the management and operational decisions.  The APICS dictionary defines it this way:

The concept of utilizing the experience, creative energy, and intelligence of all employees by treating them with respect, keeping them informed, and including them and their ideas in decision-making processes appropriate to their areas of expertise.  EI focuses on quality and productivity improvements.

EI, like other methods to achieve performance benefits, requires firm commitments and investments on the part of the company and by the employees.  Rocketdyne management along with the “Critical Mass” is providing this commitment and investment to join together in achieving our Vision.