Alexander Senchak, Managing Partner at Duarte Pond Investments, joined Jamie Flinchbaugh on the People Solve Problems podcast to discuss the importance of “meeting the moment” as a leader and innovator. Alex, a management consultant and investor focused on business intelligence and technologies to support performance in the hospitality and higher education sectors, shared his […]

How Often Does This Happen? It’s a story I’ve heard too many times. An organization spends years, even decades, entrenched in a top-down, command-and-control culture. In this environment, employees are micromanaged, decision-making is reserved for those at the top, and when things go wrong, the finger-pointing begins. “Blame and shame” becomes the norm. Then, someone […]

In the ever-evolving landscape of modern workplaces, organizations are recognizing the transformative power of fostering a coaching culture. It’s not just a trend; it’s a strategic approach that empowers individuals, enhances teamwork, and propels businesses toward unprecedented success. In a coaching culture, managers and leaders act as coaches, guiding their team members towards achieving their […]

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #517 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jacob Stoller, a journalist, speaker, facilitator, and Shingo-Prize-winning author of The Lean CEO. We talked about that in Episode 221. His latest book, Productivity Reimagined: Shattering Performance Myths to Achieve Sustainable Growth, was just released by […]

The Shift from Doer to Leader to Drive Change the Right Way Do you ever feel stuck as a leader? It may seem like no matter how many problems you solve or tools you implement, you’re still not seeing progress toward a sustainable organizational culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence. Maybe you have been […]

To control any kind of system, you need to know its status. For a simple system like heating, the indoor temperature may be the key input. For something as complex as manufacturing, however, there could be a myriad of different measurements that can help you to control the system. In this context, KPIs (key performance […]

I’m happy to share some exciting news related to Lean and Psychological Safety. For a long time, there have been very few books directly connecting the term “Psychological Safety” with Lean thinking and the Toyota Production System (TPS). Until recently, my book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, and […]

By Pascal Dennis (bio) Hubris is the ancient Greek word for arrogance, excessive pride or self-confidence. Hubris is a common root cause of unethical behavior and, arguably, the most dangerous enemy of great companies. (Check out this fine book on hubris and the Enron catastrophe entitled The Smartest Guys in the Room.) What’s the countermeasure […]

There are many important and valuable life lessons that we can gather from the adventurous life of one of history’s most famous pioneers. Christopher Columbus had many ups and downs in his life, but he never let that stop him from what he wanted to achieve. I think we can learn most from Christopher Columbus […]

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on […]

In July, I posted Engage, Invite, Celebrate: Leading “wholeheartedly” for innovation, which takes us from a Christopher Alexander quote that has inspired me for a number of years to Engage, Invite, Celebrate, a nice little leadership model: Engaging on the right challenges – attending to all that makes the organisation unwhole, i.e. to what makes it in […]

In today’s fast-paced business landscape, sustainable competitive advantage demands more than incremental improvements. Organizations must eliminate inefficiencies and maximize performance to stay ahead. Strategic KAIZEN focuses on systematic, strategic improvement to optimize operational flow. It combines managerial oversight for project selection with small group workshops for effective implementation. By continuously targeting non-productive areas and calculating […]

I’ve played around with ChatGPT before (including in a few blog posts), but the advancements in A.I. technologies are pretty breathtaking. I recently tried out the new “Notebook LM” tool from Google. I uploaded a PDF of my latest book, The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation, and it was […]

Tony Hsieh, the former CEO of Zappos, famously said, “If you get the culture right, most of the other stuff will just take care of itself.” He might not have been thinking of a continuous improvement culture specifically, but he’s right. Culture is the foundation on which success is built. Strong leaders build the foundation […]

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for this bonus episode of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Roberto Priolo, the Managing Editor of Planet Lean, the publication of the Lean Global Network. Based in Barcelona, Roberto has a background in journalism and extensive experience covering topics such as lean and […]

In today’s world, leaders are being called upon to provide a new kind of leadership: servant leadership. Gone are the days when a simple “command-and-control” pattern worked. The old military style of the “kick-in-the-rear” has outlived its time. It no longer fits contemporary social values, and it is no longer very effective. An effective leader […]

The Total Link System Chart (TLSC) is a tool used by Toyota to show the multiple connections on the “when,” “why,” “how,” and “what”—not only of a production system but also in all business reforms at Toyota. While used often at Toyota, it is nearly unknown in the Western world. Time to look at the […]

Conflict is everywhere. It’s not inherently a bad thing. When managed properly and worked through, it’s actually beneficial and productive. When left unchecked and left to fester, it is toxic and can destroy a relationship, team, or even an organization. There are many methods and strategies that are helpful in working through conflict, but one […]

Unlocking Operational Excellence with Obeya and Gemba In today’s fast-paced work environments, organizations need a clear, effective method to stay aligned with their goals, metrics, and teams. The Obeya concept, combined with Gemba walks, is a proven approach to streamlining communication, tracking KPIs, and ensuring everyone in the organization works toward the same objectives. What […]

When discussing mistakes, it’s common to hear terms like “stupid mistake” or “dumb mistake” thrown around, especially when reflecting on our own errors. However, labeling mistakes in this way is unproductive. In The Mistakes That Make Us, one of the key ideas is that we shouldn’t label mistakes as “stupid” or “dumb.” Mistakes are a […]

I recently wrote an article for Quality Magazine on Kaizen where I explain why kaizen is a valuable tool that probably not enough companies take advantage of. If you want to be able to look at your process, if you want to uncover what pains you, these are the kinds of things that Kaizen allows you to […]

“I am never, ever wrong.” That’s a statement that should disqualify an application from ANY leadership position. True leadership isn’t about projecting infallibility–it’s about fostering a culture where mistakes are seen as opportunities for learning and growth. Leaders who claim they’re never wrong create an environment where fear of failure stifles innovation, and team members […]

The fact is, Lean underperforms compared to those who pursue TPS. It is true that some companies pursue a TPS-like vision complete with Just-in-Time and call it “Lean,” but that is rare. Most companies engagement with Lean is limited to the use of tools for everyday solving problems within the context of classical management.

Understanding how processes work is essential for driving efficiency and meeting customer expectations. Two commonly used tools for process mapping are SIPOC and COPIS. Both offer valuable insights, but their approaches differ significantly. Let’s explore these two methods to understand when to use each and how they can impact your business. What is SIPOC? SIPOC […]

Thanks, as always, to Ryan McCormack for this. He always shares so much good reading, listening, and viewing here! Subscribe to get these directly from Ryan via email. News, articles, books, podcasts, and videos about how to make the workplace better. Operational Excellence, Improvement, and Innovation Operational Excellence in Cloud Security: Lessons From CrowdStrike Outage […]

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on […]

In this episode of People Solve Problems, Jamie Flinchbaugh sits down with Cheryl Jekiel, CEO and Founder of the Lean Leadership Center, to discuss the intricate relationship between leadership development and problem solving within organizations. Cheryl brings her extensive experience in HR and leadership training to the forefront, focusing on how companies can better develop […]

In May 2024 A Lean Journey Blog turned 15 and as I look back on how I got started and who influenced my journey I wanted to revisit a previous series I started in 2012 called the Meet-up. One of the things I am so fond of in the Lean community is the general wiliness […]

Elevate Your Leadership with 3 Key Skillful Facilitation Techniques Ever felt like your meetings or workshops aren’t moving the needle? How would you like to facilitate your next work session with confidence and ensure that your leaders are leaving motivated, aligned, and action-oriented? Whether you’re a continuous improvement practitioner, consultant, manager, or executive—facilitation is a […]

Scroll down for how to subscribe, transcript, and more My guest for Episode #516 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Jenn Christison, founder and principal consultant at Seven Ways Consulting. Jenn has spent more than 15 years leading continuous improvement efforts across a variety of industries, including aerospace manufacturing, healthcare, non-profit, pharma, and tech. […]

In my last post, I started to look at factors that affect the efficiency of your line, in particular the percentage of value-added time by the operators. For this I have a good data set with fifty-three different observations. One major factor was the speed of the line. Faster lines are not only easier to […]

Background It’s no exaggeration to say that an organization’s strength hinges on the caliber of its human resources. Enhancing the competencies of our team through various initiatives elevates the entire organization. However, despite efforts to develop our talent, continuous improvement isn’t always reflected at the financial level. If people-centric management and its expertise aren’t integrated […]

Almost every problem solving tool, method, and template begins with problem definition. But is that the beginning? It is not. One of the oldest models for problem solving, from John Dewey, begins with problem identification. That’s fundamentally important to get right, especially when our email inbox alone has more problems to select from than we […]

Leading change is never easy. It requires the courage to disrupt the status quo and the wisdom to guide your team through uncharted waters. However, not every leader is a good change leader. Many Lean transformations fail due to inadequate support from leadership or the skills of change leaders. What if adopting a servant leadership […]