It is a simple word. Just two little letters. Yet, it can be very challenging to say.
Why? Because we’ve trained each other to believe that saying ‘No’ is wrong. Say it to a peer, and you are not a team player. Say it to a boss and you are not willing to go the extra mile. Say it to your subordinate, and you might be thought of by any number of less than flattering names.
When is the best time to start a Lean journey? There are three typical times that a company starts a Lean journey. The company is in a crisis and looks to Lean to bail it out of a mess. The company is doing well and comes across Lean as a way to Read more…
If you want to thrive in a Lean company, your boss must see you as being supportive of continuous improvement efforts. If she doesn’t see you that way, it is because of one of two reasons. Either you really aren’t supportive of Lean, and the assessment is accurate, or you Read more…
I just finished recording a new DVD: Managing with Metrics. It still needs to be processed and edited, but it is a step closer. It should be done this weekend or early next week. This isn’t just a product announcement, though. The notable part is that the development process reinforced my belief that learning and improvement never ends. This is my 19th DVD, and every time I go through the process, I find new ways to improve it. Even with all my experience developing processes, I still find new ways to make things better. Just goes to show …
POLL QUESTION: What Are the Most Important Lean Leadership Traits?
Leadership makes or breaks a Lean effort. Much of the gain comes from frontline effort, but that only happens when leaders set the right conditions for success.
This week’s question focuses on Lean leadership. We’d like to know what you see as the most important leadership traits for individuals guiding a team in a continuous improvement environment. This list comes from our 11 “C’s” of Lean Leadership.
We just posted a new video on our YouTube channel. It comes from our Data Collection Recorded Webinar. Data collection is a core part of any problem solving effort. Choosing the right types of data to collect goes a long way towards getting this step correct. This short video takes Read more…
The data collection methods that you use lay the foundation for the eventual success of your continuous improvement projects. Simply put, data are the facts of the case. Raw data is then complied and processed into useful information that helps gain more insight into whatever you are trying to learn Read more…
As budget constraints and sequestration put the squeeze on fire departments, there is a substantial risk that response times will creep up. In many cases, that can lead to more serious injuries, complications, or even death.
So how do you go about getting the response time down when there are some very real constraints? Well, in Israel, a group called United Hatzalah (meaning ‘rescue’ in Hebrew) cut the time for a first responder to arrive on scene from 12-15 minutes down to about 3. That’s a 75-80% reduction.
Does Lean mean cutting headcount? One of the more common questions about Lean is whether it will result in headcount reductions. Traditional cost cutting frequently involves layoffs as part of the toolkit. Because of that close association between cost reduction and headcount reduction, it is no surprise that their employees Read more…
Learning about Lean can be a challenge. The concepts are generally unfamiliar, and there is the added pressure of facing a big change. Getting the lessons to stick takes concerted effort. You’ll have to have a game plan for during class, and you’ll have to have a plan for putting the concepts to immediate use after training.
I recently had a nice visit with a company that is on the verge of embracing continuous improvement. It has progressed along one of the common paths. A manager with some Lean experience applied it in his area, and got noticed for the gains. One thing led to another, and I ended up sitting in a conference room talking about how to capitalize on that progress.
Those are the meetings that charge me up. Producing new content is important, but it is not as fun as actually interacting with people. I can’t wait to see how things go for them. They are big enough to have some great upside in their processes.
When a leader first announces that the company is going to commence on a Lean journey, frontline employees tend to have a strong reaction. Obviously, there are a lot of factors that play into the equation, but this week, I’d like to hear how you think employees typically respond to this sort of change.