Lean Quote: The Responsibility of a Lean Leader

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 this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant." — Max De Pree

This quote, from Max DePree is among my favorite servant leadership quotes. This frames 3 roles every leader must fulfill: the roles of Realist, Praiser and Servant. I would like to extend this line of thinking to that of a Lean Leader specifically.

What are the qualities of a good Lean Leader? This is one of the most contemplated questions when undergoing a Lean thinking transformation since leadership is critical to it’s very success. In my opinion there are at least 10 key responsibilities for a Lean leader:

1. Learn Lean Thinking
2. Get out front, be hands on, don’t delegate
3. Take lots of leaps of faith
4. Change metrics and set stretch goals
5. Create an environment where it is ok to fail
6. Provide air cover for early adopters
7. Eliminate concrete heads
8. Have a no layoff policy
9. Organize around value streams
10. Change any compensation system that doesn’t support Lean

The next time someone asks you what roles a Lean leader must play, keep this mind. I am sure you have some others to add as well and I encourage you to do so in the comments below.

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Just Stand - Tools for Planning Your Workspace

In a recent post I talked about the health benefits of the stand-up desk.  This info graph from JustStand.org really puts sitting in perspective.

Click on the image to enlarge.

Here is a simple online calculator to help you set-up your work space properly.

There are also a number of ergonomic tips you can consider when optimizing your workspace:

• Rest your hands frequently, especially when any tingling, numbness, pain, cramping, etc. occurs.
• Try and control your mouse with the lightest possible grip.
• Rest your palms, not your wrist, on a wrist-rest or the desktop.
• When using a keyboard/mouse, your hands should be even or slightly lower than your elbows. An adjustable keyboard tray mounted under the desktop may be necessary.
• Keep your hands in-line with your forearms as much as possible, not bent in/out or up/down at the wrist.
• Rest your elbows on your chair's armrests and adjust them so the weight of your arms is supported by the armrests, not supported by your shoulders.
• Use a foot rest if your feet aren't flat on the floor.
• The top of your monitor should be about eye level so you aren't bending your neck up or too far down.
• Sit upright so your head is above your shoulders. Don't slouch forward.
• Take frequent breaks and do stretching exercises to replenish blood flow which is restricted by continuous muscle use, especially involving your hands.
• Alter your posture from time to time but keep within the guidelines of correct sitting most of the time.
• Sit so the natural hollow stays in your lower back. A good adjustable chair should allow this.
• Position your monitor and keyboard in front of you, not to the side.
• Use larger barreled pens (1/2"+ diameter) to make them easier to grasp.
• Rest your hands frequently, especially when any tingling, numbness, pain, etc. occurs.
• If a repetitive job is awkward, try to find a better way to accomplish it.
• Alternate easy and hard tasks that use your hands.
• Keep your wrist in a neutral position as much as possible, not bent or twisted.
• Use your whole hand to grasp objects, not just your thumb and index finger.
• Give your hand and wrist time to recover after forceful movements.
• Don't carry heavy objects for long periods. Use jacks, carts, dollies, etc. whenever possible.
• Increase the diameter of the handles of tools and equipment with tape, foam or other materials to help reduce the force of your grip and to spread the pressure more evenly over the hand.
• Keep your hands warm to promote circulation.

It is management's responsibility to establish and promote a safe working environment. It's your job to hold them accountable. The next time you go to the Gemba consider the Muda, Muri, and Mura of the people and their workspace. These tools should provide you with a new eye for improvement.

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A Standup Desk is Lean, Literally

Many of my Lean colleagues have talked about their standup desks. They have shared examples like that of Jamie Flinchbaugh, Kevin Meyer, Ankit Patel, and Jon Miller.

A recent article from Men’s Health brings to light the dangers of sitting.

Scientists at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana analyzed the lifestyles of more than 17,000 men and women over about 13 years, and found that people who sit for most of the day are 54 percent more likely to die of heart attacks.

Similar research actually dates back to 1953, when British researchers found that (sitting) bus drivers were twice as likely to die of heart attacks as (standing) trolley operators.

It doesn’t matter what your lifestyle is. Sitting is an independent risk factor.

In other words, it doesn’t matter how much you exercise or how well you eat. If you sit most of the day, your risk of leaving this world clutching your chest—whether you’re a man or women—as much as doubles.

Sitting in your office chair also has other dangers. It screws up your posture, makes you fatter, and can cause lower back pain.

What can you do? Make your own standup desk like this one.

Photo from Unclutterer Work Space of the Week.

If you can’t standup then these strategies will work in your office.

    1. Take frequent breaks from sitting. Stand up talk a walk twice per hour.
    2. Standup during phone calls.
    3. Hold standup meetings instead of typical conference room.
    4. Don’t write long emails. Get up and talk to the person.

There is also a new calculator to help you understand how many calories you burn by switching to a standup desk.

Provided by ergonomic product company Ergotron, the calculator requires just your weight and the amount of time you spend working (i.e., sitting). The difference in calorie-burn from using a standing desk can really add up (and when you're trying to keep the calories off, every bit counts).

So what are you waiting for? Standup is could quite possibly save your life and it is Lean.

Lean and Green - Together Maximizing Efficiency through Waste Elimination

Last week a modified version of my article "Lean is the means to be Green" was published on The Green Economy Post.

Lean manufacturing practices and sustainability are conceptually similar in that both seek to maximize organizational efficiency. Where they differ is in where the boundaries are drawn, and in how waste is defined. Sustainability expands the definition of waste to include the wider range of consequences of business actions including environmental and social consequences. Lean processes are inherently less wasteful and in this sense promoting lean processes can help organizations become more sustainable.

Below is the article in full.

Many manufacturers know the benefits of lean manufacturing: higher productivity, better quality, reduced cycle time, plus enhanced employee engagement. Lean is excellent at marshaling different groups and individuals into a high performing team focused on rooting out waste.

A Lean organization is commonly characterized by the elimination of the following seven wastes (Ohno’s wastes):

• Waste of overproduction (waste from faster than necessary pace);
• Waste of waiting;
• Waste of transport (conveyance);
• Waste from inappropriate processing;
• Waste due to unnecessary inventory (excess inventory);
• Waste due to unnecessary motion; and
• Waste due to defects.

By adopting Lean Principles, businesses can eliminate or reduce wasteful processes that can slow down the manufacturing procedure and add to costs.

In recent years many companies have established a fundamental goal to minimize the environmental impact while maintaining high quality and service for all business processes and products. This is commonly referred to as sustainability or green manufacturing. According to the Department of Commerce, “Sustainable manufacturing is the creation of manufactured products that use processes that minimize negative environmental impacts, conserve energy and natural resources, are safe for employees, communities, and consumers and are economically sound.”

When implementing lean within our organizations, equipment reliability is a predominant foundational element that enables lean operational performance. Embracing green manufacturing requires giving more focus to environmental and energy concerns during the implementation of reliability improvement projects. Improvements geared toward improving equipment reliability have distinct linkages to environmental performance.

As most manufacturers are starting to realize, the quest to become green takes them right back to Lean. Applying ‘Lean Principles’ – a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through continuous improvement - is one of the key ways to enhance environmental performance. By applying the tools, systems thinking, and lessons learned from the process improvement methodology they can effectively operationalize sustainability.

Lean and sustainability are conceptually similar. Both seek to maximize the efficiency of a system. This is accomplished through waste and time minimization. The difference lies in where this system (or process) boundary is drawn and how, and in how waste is defined. Lean sees waste as non-value added to the customer; green sees waste as extraction and consequential disposal of resources at rates or in forms beyond that which nature can absorb.

When companies expand the definition of waste to include not only product and process waste, but also the business consequences of unsustainable practices, Ohno’s list of wastes takes a different form:

• Waste of natural resources
• Waste of human potential
• Waste due to emissions
• Waste from byproducts (reuse potential)
• Terminal waste, waste from by-products that have not further usefulness
• Energy waste
• Waste of the unneeded (e.g., packaging)

When the definition of waste is expanded and when it’s understood that the consequences of corporate decisions extend past the company parking lot, Lean can indeed be green. Less waste is good for the environment — and the company’s bottom line — and reducing waste in both products and processes is what Lean is all about. So it makes perfect sense that in order to achieve higher levels of environmental performance, your organization must first adopt the principles and practices of lean manufacturing.

There are also multiple Lean benefits from a green perspective including limitation of over-production. Other benefits include the reduction of obsolete equipment and the ability to provide efficient systems, thereby reducing both energy and materials usage.

Lean manufacturing practices, which are at the very core of sustainability, save time and money — an absolutely necessity in today’s competitive global marketplace. While the pursuit of Green and Lean is not a destination but a journey it is clear that organizations that stretch themselves to build a culture around the values of Sustainability, Excellence, and Equity will ultimately have a big advantage those who do not. Isn’t the ultimate definition of “sustainable manufacturing” to be able to compete and not only survive, but thrive?


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8 Ways to Create an Infrastructure that Supports Lean Replayed

Creating a Lean organization is never an easy task, but with the right Lean systems in place, it can be far less challenging. If you missed Jeff Hajek and I's presentation on creating an infrastructure that supports Lean you can see the replay here.

8 Ways to Create an Infrastructure that Supports Lean

View more presentations from Tim McMahon

Mark your calendars for our next webinar on September 3, 2011 at 12 noon ET. Our topic will cover 10 tips to help supercharge you on your Lean Journey.

Lean Quote: Promoting Respect in the Workplace

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 this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Respect is the foundation stone of organization effectiveness. It encourages us to recognise the skills and experience of every individual and to work together to maximize our collective potential." — Building and Promoting Respect in the Workplace - A Handbook for Managers

In order for any group, organization, or institution to be able to build and maintain itself as a functioning entity capable of achieving its potential, it must be able to manage its interpersonal relationships in a positive – civil and respectful – manner.

In my experience a respectful workplace exemplifies the following 10 elements:

1. People receive credit for the good work that is done.
2. Individuals take responsibility for their actions/behavior rather than making excuses or blaming others.
3. Individuals are committed to keeping each other informed and trust each other to pass along information appropriately.
4. People collaborate on important issues by seeking out each others opinions and expertise.
5. People talk in terms of “we” instead of creating “us and them” distinctions.
6. Individuals focus on the main issue or mission and don’t get sidetracked by differences in detail.
7. Individuals respect organizational structures and roles and don’t use them as weapons.
8. Individuals value each other’s background and experience rather than discrediting each other’s competence.
9. Concerns, criticisms, and conflicts are openly raised, are focused on methods for accomplishing the work, and are discussed in a respectful manner.
10. People speak positively about their work, the organization, and the future rather than negatively or expressing cynicism.

Does your workplace exemplify these signs of respect? What others would you add to this list?



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Guest Post: Using Single Point Lessons as a Teaching Aide

Today I am happy to be guest blogging on Christian Paulsen's Lean Leadership Blog. Chris recently did a couple guest posts while I was on vacation and now I get to return the favor. I decided that I would talk about the benefits of using a single point lesson as a teaching aide.


It is often said that lean is 90% people and 10% tools. Knowledge is the factor which determines the rate of change in organizations. How do we learn and teach this knowledge within our organization? Many organizations use a “train the trainer” method where knowledge is handed down from one individual to the next. This is like the school age game “telephone” where one person tells a story to someone who tells someone else and so on till the end of the line where the final result is a variant of the original. The variation from this type of training can result in confusion, longer cycle times, rework, and defects.

A lean tool that can be employed for teaching is a Single Point Lesson, SPL (or One Point Lesson). Single point lessons originated from TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) as a method to teach knowledge and skills necessary for autonomous maintenance.

Keeping in mind this mantra:

• Teaching occurs when an opportunity for Learning is presented.
• Learning occurs when there is a change in behavior.
• Teaching is only VALUABLE when there is a subsequent change in behavior.

To learn about about single point lessons and to see an example continue reading here.




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