Annual Management Improvement Carnival: 2013 - Beyond Lean

In my first review on John Hunter's AnnualManagement Improvement Carnival I have chosen to review Matt Wrye's blog Beyond Lean. Matt is a lean practitioner by day and blogger by night like myself. I find his posts so relate-able since many of his writings are based on his experiences which seem similar to mine.

Matt and I met obviously online through blogging but our dialogue picked up on the subject of personal kanban.  We had a number of exchanges this past year on his first personal kanban and his second improvement which was based on some experimentation I had done. There was also a nice exchange on the role of the Lean leader and the struggle between just doing it and influencing change.

Therefore, I am happy to share some of my favorite posts from Matt Wrye this past year:

In the first post I present Matt’s latest improvements with his Personal Kanban Journey, one we have mutually shared. In My Continuous Improvement: Personal Kanban - 3rd Revision he shares his trials with a digital Kanban system.

When creating change it is not always easy working with people.  People are the largest variable in any change you want to create. In Working With People Matt provides several ways to deal with people since different people need to be handled in different situations.

One of the fundamental differences in a lean company versus a traditional company is how they go about problem solving. In a lean management company, problems are looked as a way to get better and are not hidden.  In Managers Are  Crucial To Problem Solving Success he describes that the manager’s mindset, attitude and support around problem solving creates the type of results achieved.

Leading Lean requires demonstrated Leadership.  In my final highlight, Matt shares a series of posts on learning from a forum on Leading Lean presented by Jamie Flinchbaugh.

1. Leaders Must Be Teachers

2. Build Tension, Not Stress

3. Eliminate Both Fear and Comfort

4. Actively Engage, Don’t Just Delegate

5. Apply Lean to Your Work

Leaders must be teachers and seek opportunities to apply Lean in their own work. As you can see Matt has a great mix of practical advice and real know-how that ensures there is always a lesson to be learned.  He is a Lean Leader in his own right and this comes across in his posts. I strongly recommend you follow Matt Wrye at Beyond Lean.