I have been a Lean Leader for over 30 years. While I have seen tremendous success in all aspects of the business world, I believe the opportunity to start the Lean Journey may be as important as ever for your business. Unfortunately, there are many individuals that claim to be Lean Leaders but are unable or willing to spend the time in the business to push and mentor those that do not understand what the journey will look like. Another interesting aspect of Lean is learning from experiences and failures. A failure is not something that should be a negative act. The key is what did we learn and how do we move forward together accepting that it is not a perfect process and taking a chance to improve the process IS THE OPPORTUNITY! Lean is a learning tool at all aspects of the organization. A relentless focus on the elimination of waste is at the core of all activities. If waste is not being eliminated and value created, you are likely working on the wrong thing. Lean is a tremendous tool but must be pushed from the very top of the organization and that leader is clear that this journey is a necessary change in the business. Communication to the organization is key, the team must understand why change is needed. Many will push back because they are uncomfortable with change. Often said “Why change, we have been doing this for the last 20 years”! This is complacency and will not survive in the New Normal. One last comment…One Indicator to a Leader “Is the Discomfort Felt by The Team”. If the team is uncomfortable you are likely moving in the right direction. More to come on this subject.
