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Gotta Go Lean Blog

Sports and the PDCA Cycle

Many Lean principles are used in everyday life. PDCA is no exception. Today’s podcast discusses how the process of coaching youth sports uses the Deming cycle. This 12-minute podcast also talks about committing to solving the problem. Just because you can make an improvement doesn’t mean that you are going to actually do so. Resources are finite, and improving one thing often means neglecting another. I also briefly talk about the role of leadership in Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

15 Things Consultants Add That You Should Be Doing On Your Own

There is a bit of a misconception in the Lean community about the value that consultants bring to the table in terms of helping with specific projects. The consensus view is that consultants provide expertise and knowledge to their clients. This is true, but they provide a great deal more than that. The problem is that those extras that they are providing are generally things that people can, and should, be doing on their own. Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Key Principles for a Lean Business System

One of the mistakes companies make when they try to create a business system or develop a continuous improvement culture is that they focus on the wrong things. They scrutinize behaviors. They spend their energy reacting to unexpected results. They bounce from tool to tool trying to find a fix for their problems.

What they often overlook, though, is that fact that their employees are often not guided by unifying principles. There is no clear corporate identity. Guiding principles are like beacons for the team, and create continuity as people come and go.

While the exact principles you settle on for your organization will vary based on your industry, national culture, corporate mission, and a host of other factors, there is one common thread among all great companies. They have a belief system that is shared by their employees.

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Social Media Etiquette and Lean

I recently had an interesting experience on LinkedIn. On occasion, I answer discussion questions where I think I can add value. One such question mentioned that Dr. Liker recommends Toyota alumni to lead Lean transformations, and questioned why companies would be interested in advanced degrees and certifications. The question was intriguing to me, as I am always curious about how little Lean measures its own performance. Sure, there are measures within a company about productivity Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

Leadership style and neural networks – Part 3

Toyota’s two pillars of management are respect for people and continuous improvement. Respect for people obviously calls on the DMN, the “default mode” neural network associated with emotion and relationships. Continuous improvement does not neglect the people factor, but it does require methodical data collection and analysis — TPN (task positive network) activities. We have seen in earlier posts in this series that good leaders can smoothly switch networks depending on the situation.

This article was written by Karen WIlhelm of Lean Reflections.)

By Jeff Hajek, ago

11 Common Continuous Improvement Mistakes You Are Probably Making

In any field, there are a handful of common mistakes. Continuous improvement is no different. Some of these errors come as a result of ignorance about the proper way of doing things. Some are the result of habit. And a handful come as a function of taking the path of least resistance. Regardless of the source of these problems, it is important to be able to recognize them, and more importantly, correct them. Now, very Read more…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

How Easy is “Easy”?

So, it is a lazy Saturday morning, and my elementary school age son asked me to play a game of baseball on the Wii. He even offered to “take it easy on me.” It is impossible to resist an offer like that, so, of course I played.

The first inning was scoreless. In the second inning, he put up 4 runs to my goose egg…

By Jeff Hajek, ago

What Kids and a Puddle Can Teach Us about Adult Behaviors

I dropped my son off at his elementary school this morning. The spot where they line up was flooded with a giant puddle that was a few inches deep. Interestingly, there were a few different responses to this unusual situation. Some kids just got in line behind it and paid little attention to the standing water. Some kids moved up and explored along its edge. Some of the more adventurous ones, primarily those with boots on, walked into the puddle.

By Jeff Hajek, ago

POLL: What training products would help you the most?

POLL QUESTION: Which training product would most help you develop a stronger continuous improvement culture in your organization?

One of our goals is to help you create the best continuous improvement training program possible. We do this through a combination of various factors:

  • Our personal knowledge of how to teach people about continuous improvement
  • An review of our competitor’s product lines
  • more…
By Jeff Hajek, ago