10 Things I Learned from Lean Thinking

My Lean thinking has gradually evolved since my journey began in 2000. I have a real passion for learning and sharing my journey with others. I like to reflect deeply on key learnings to improve my understanding. 

Here are some of the lessons I learned: 

1. Practice makes permanent. – Tomo Sugiyama 

Practice makes perfect. Well, not really. Practice makes you better at something, but perfection is not always attainable. It is better to focus, instead, on the permanence of practice. First, when we practice something regularly it makes a permanent habit. Permanence is about forming habits. Second, a regular practice habit permanently changes the neurological circuits in our brain. 

“Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Repeat the same mistakes over and over, and you don't get any closer to Carnegie Hall.”  Sarah Kay, No Matter the Wreckage 

2. 99% of objection is cautionary. – Shigeo Shingo 

When people express objections to an idea, they are often saying they don’t agree yet. They need more information. In other words, if we are to accept a new idea we need to be convinced.   It’s a personal thing.   Kaizen, as Shingo noted, is more about individual will to improve, and that derives from a “constructive dissatisfaction with the status quo.” 

3. Understanding does not necessarily mean taking action. – Shigeo Shingo 

People can understand a theory or concept when it is explained to them, but understanding does not in itself guarantee that people will act on it. People take action only after they are persuaded, and persuasion is achieved not by reason, but through emotions. 

4. Management must do Kaizen too. – Hajime Oba 

Kaizen involves everyone in continuous improvement to find a better way of doing things. Top management has the most important role in implementing kaizen and that is commitment. When management demonstrates a long-term commitment to continuous improvement employees personally develop a kaizen mindset. Managers and executives should be encouraged to find ways to improve their processes as well. 

5. Philosophy first, then strategy – Taiichi Ohno 

One of great mysteries of the Toyota Production System was discovering that Toyota made people first and then built cars that people wanted. Techniques, tools, and technologies help a lot to implement Lean, but they are not sufficient by themselves. If you want to be successful in the long term, within you organization, you need to have an army of people who believe and live the Lean philosophy. 

6. Always have the intention to do Kaizen – Chihiro Nakao 

Kaizen is a competitive strategy in which all employees work together to create a strong culture of constant improvement. The core philosophy behind Kaizen is simple: you can always make or do things better, even if they seem to work well in a particular moment. 

7. A bad system will beat a good person every time – W. Edwards Deming 

If we want to build great companies, we need to create an environment where the people will not be defeated by the system. Everyone has the ability to be great. We need to focus on the system so the people can thrive. It’s our job as leaders to provide the environment where greatness can happen. 

8. Kaizen eyes see 1000 things needing improvement – Chihiro Nakao 

Kaizen is learning to see. While casual observers simply sit back and watch what unfolds, kaizen observers come up with hypotheses that they can test. The next time you are in your work area, rather than simply watching, bring a bad and pencil, and sketch out what is happening. By sketching, you force your eye to see the details that you might have missed. You force yourself to actually see, and might be surprised when that is different from what you assumed was happening 

9. Who is the smartest person in the room? – Alan Watkins 

All of us. The collective intelligence of everyone easily surpasses that of any single person. We work in teams, whether that group is our family, our co-workers, or our community. If we want to accomplish anything significant, we can’t do it alone. Therefore, it is important to learn how to work well with others. 

10. All of life is education – Abraham Maslow 

A constant quest for learning provides the means to always be moving forward, to conquer new frontiers and achieve new and exciting goals. Make a point to learn something new every day. Learning new things brings more exciting experiences your way. It allows you to meet other people who can bring further knowledge or learning opportunities. 

The road to success is never easy; however, it is attainable if we follow the right approach and have the right mindset. Adopting the Lean methodology is a proven technique to help you achieve and sustain this great success! 

Lean Quote: Don’t Fix or Solve People’s Problems

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.

"Those who have the greatest need to tell others what to do have the least faith in themselves."   —  – Paul Ferrini

We are well conditioned to believe that it is our job to fix others and solve their problems for them. If we see someone struggling or uncertain, we are quick to race in and save them from their challenges. We have been trained to see this as an act of care, a gift to another. But is it really?

With this in mind, here are three other reasons to avoid fixing the problems of others:

1. People are inherently resourceful and resilient

We’re not born with the ability to solve problems and find solutions. We learn and develop this with practice. The only way to develop the ability to solve problems is to face them. Yes, it’s obviously much more comfortable for someone to do it for you. But this makes you be more insecure and dependent.

2. Serving promotes growth, fixing problems hinders it

Good intentions do not solve problems. Good intentions do not make someone a better, stronger, smarter person. Likewise, fixing problems doesn’t do any of these things either. On the other hand, discovering and implementing creative ways to be of service to someone (which is often dependent upon the need) does all of these things.

3. You limit their confidence and ingenuity

Solving other people’s problems is not a good idea because they will end up not trusting their own abilities. If you want to help, offer your support but allow them to make their own decisions and create their own destiny. Everyone must take their own path.

There is a place for offering advice or your opinion, but I would suggest that you try giving it when asked, rather than by default. Practice listening, offering empathy, and perhaps asking questions that support the other to look within. Encourage them to seek their own answers. Remind them that their intuition knows best, and that it’s always there to provide answers much better than those anyone else could give.

Creating a Culture of Community Leadership in Your Company

Unsplash

Organizational culture has undergone a transformation in the past five years. Industry leaders like Microsoft have experimented with shorter work weeks and Google has allowed employees to take control over their remote working schedules. These big businesses have made serious investments into the people that make their workplaces exceptional, and are seeing the reward in reduced turnover and higher efficiency.

This human-interest approach to organizational culture has been a breath of fresh air for many, but it’s also exposed poor leadership in business and has exacerbated the unrealistic expectations that managers and decision-makers have about how their business should operate.

Nonetheless, big and small businesses know that investing in your people is the way to go, and there’s no better way to start that investment than creating a culture of community leadership within your company.

Defining “Culture”

The importance of having a strong organizational culture has grown in the past few years. Organizational culture is loosely defined as the “shared values and beliefs that inform how people within a company behave.” These values and beliefs shape the way that companies work, and are felt in every department from HR to finance.

While organizational culture doesn’t have a singular origin point, it is up to leaders to ensure that the culture of a business is instilled in all external and internal operations.

While this sounds simple, organizations should be particularly picky about the people they choose to lead their business and should seek out the true leaders in their companies — people who ensure that other employees feel safe and valued.

The Value of Leadership

Effective leadership makes a world of difference to a company. It ensures that organizational culture stays on track, and helps improve your bottom line by reducing turnover rates, improving customer service, and creating an engaged workforce that works hard to deliver innovation and higher profits.

However, those in leadership positions aren’t always best suited to leading a team at your workplace. They simply may not have the interpersonal skills to inspire those around them, or might not truly understand the demands and pressures their followers face. This is where community leadership comes in.

Community Leadership

Community leadership is a democratic approach to leadership, in which the decision-makers crowdsource ideas and use contributions from their external and internal community to guide business decisions. This is particularly useful if you don’t have experts on a particular challenge within your organization, but still want to respond to a current trend or social issue.

If you utilize external leaders, you must ensure that you treat them with the same respect and professionalism that you would treat any other guest speaker or industry leader. Community leaders have been working diligently for decades and can help your organization understand its role in combating social problems like racism and climate change.

If you’re more interested in internal community leadership, you can utilize new leadership strategies that have been developed during the pandemic. These strategies intentionally offer new opportunities for traditionally underrepresented groups and use digital technology to work efficiently in an age where more of us are working asynchronously than ever before.

Engagement Opportunities

If you’re relying on community leadership for the first time, you might run into one major barrier: lack of engagement. Because employees haven’t been engaged in decision-making before, they may not fully appreciate the opportunity that community leadership presents them, or may see community leadership programs as a waste of time.

To overcome a lack of engagement, consider utilizing the following community leadership strategies:

●       Employee Development Initiatives: Setting aside time for employee development will signal that your company genuinely values its employees. This will help improve your company culture and will ensure that folks are more likely to engage with leadership initiatives.

●       Use Feedback: Managers around the world claim to have an “open door” policy for feedback, but few implement the feedback they receive. To increase engagement in community leadership models you must actively use and publicly credit any employee feedback which has improved your business.

●       Allow for Anonymity: Sometimes workplace politics can be complex and can stop folks from bringing forward useful ideas. While we all hope that everyone feels comfortable at work, you should also give people the chance to share their ideas anonymously.

●       Set Aside Time: Your employees are probably working harder than you appreciate. So, adding something extra to their plate is unlikely to fill them with joy. Instead, tell them that you are setting aside time to work on community leadership, and adjust any deliverables accordingly.

It’s also worth noting that your employees will be far more likely to engage in opportunities that make a meaningful difference in their local community. This kind of external community engagement is deeply rewarding as employees will see the difference that your organization makes in the real world, and can feel proud to represent a company that supports local businesses, sponsors local events, or helps to beautify the local area.

Planning for Disruption

Opening up your organization to democratic thinking through community leadership will almost certainly lead to disagreements and arguments between employees. However, this disagreement and argument is a good thing — so long as you have a strong framework that guides the discussion and helps you overcome stalemates.

As a decision-maker within your business, you should plan for discontent and disagreement by establishing clear rules for discussions and should have a system in place that supports employees who may be having a hard time adjusting to community leadership. This will look different depending on your business, but it will save you serious headaches in the future.

Creating a culture of community leadership is a difficult but deeply rewarding process. When done correctly, employees will see that their opinions and ideas matter, and will feel great loyalty to your organization. Ultimately, this helps boost your bottom line, and will help improve productivity and spark innovation. 

About the Author: Luke Smith is a writer and researcher turned blogger. Since finishing college he is trying his hand at being a freelance writer. He enjoys writing on a variety of topics but technology and business topics are his favorite. When he isn't writing you can find him traveling, hiking, or gaming.

Lean Roundup #152 – January 2022

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of January 2022.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.

Lean Lessonsfrom COVID – Bruce Hamilton shares is thoughts on the lessons learned from the past couple of years dealing with COVID.

Lean and the Martial Arts – Pascal Dennis explains the single most important quality in Lean (and the martial arts) is tenacity, which great senseis, and great organizations have in spades.

Encourage Management Collaboration to Integrate Leading and Serving Others – Johanna Rothman says when you focus on management collaboration, you integrate leadership and serving and you can reduce management decision time.

“Do” or “Responsible”? – Joe Ely change your view of your job by answering not what you do but what you are responsible for.

Crafting Your Continuous Improvement Strategy – John Knotts shares a general framework he recommends you follow to build a culture of continuous improvement.

Building A Culture Of Continuous Improvement Part Two – Steve Kane says without the proper organizational structure, you will constantly be fighting an uphill battle to build this type of culture.

Continuously Lubricating Processes – Kevin Meyer explains there are processes that need to be maintained daily to be most effective.

Howto Let Small Things Bother You – Jon Miller says you can raise awareness of near-misses from hiyari hatto, seeing or feeling something unsafe almost happened.

Telling People to Be Courageous vs. Making it Safe to Speak Up – Mark Graban shares that instead of focusing on those who are speaking up (such as labeling them as “uncourageous”), leaders need to think about their role in shaping a culture of psychological safety.

Ask Art: Why Are the Four Lean Fundamentals So Important for Making a Conversion to Lean? - Art Byrne reviews the core lean elements reveals how — and why — lean management leads to higher enterprise performance.

Lean Quote: True Mastery Comes Full Commitment

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.

"Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person."   —  Albert Einstein

Without commitment, success is just but a far away dream. It is the force originating from within you that seeks to bring out the potential in you and drive you to your destiny. It is the desire of many to achieve success but a determined person is never satisfied until he gets what he is after. Commitment is what motivates one to strive and work hard towards success; therefore without it one tends to walk blindly and without purpose.

Commitment is demonstrated by a combination of two actions. The first action is called supporting. The second action underlying commitment is called improving. It is the combination of both supporting and improving behaviors that makes up the practice of commitment. Company leaders demonstrate their commitment to change and improvement by making these behaviors visible to everyone. Leading by example is the ultimate demonstration of your commitment.

When you make a commitment to do something, you are saying that they can trust you and rely on you. Commitments are involved in trust, and trust is the foundation of continuous improvement. Commitments are things that you say you will do and people trust you to do. When you fulfill those commitments, people trust you and will trust you in the future. Managers that do not follow through on commitments are not deemed as trustworthy, and trust is vital for transforming a business culture.

The best way to build commitment is by involving people. This way they will have a sense of ownership. By involving your frontline teams in selecting the project that they believe will make a difference, you’ll build ownership, engagement, and have their commitment.

Lean doesn’t work unless everyone is involved and has input. We must involve employees in the continuous improvement process because the people actually carrying out the job know how to do that job better. The best companies in the world tap the creativity and talent of the whole organization and not just a select few.

The lack of ongoing employee involvement at the shop-floor level has been identified as a major reason for the non-sustainability of Lean in the organization. When there is a lack of staff involvement, and management fails to seek employee input on critical decisions, employees may feel dejected and detached from the organization.

Employee involvement cultivates an atmosphere of collaboration, increases retention of talented staff, and intensifies dedication and commitment. Employees develop a sense of ownership over proposed changes when they are involved.  Employee engagement can not only make a real difference, it can set the great organizations apart from the merely good ones.

Lean Tips Edition #182 (#2941-#2955)

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips.  It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey.  Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.

Click this link for A Lean Journey's Facebook Page Notes Feed.

Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:

Lean Tip #2941 - Focus on One Goal at a Time

Achieving even one small goal can boost your belief in yourself. For larger goals, consider breaking them apart into manageable chunks to work on one at a time. The American Psychological Association (APA) also suggests focusing on just one behavior at a time is more likely to lead to long-term success.

Taking on too much all at once can be daunting. It can be particularly difficult because establishing new behavioral patterns takes time and sustained effort. Focusing yourself on one specific goal makes keeping a resolution much more achievable.

Lean Tip #2942 - Make a Detailed Plan

Creating a detailed written plan can help you stick to your goal. Why is this stage so critical for success? For one thing, it allows you to consider what tactics you will use when you're faced with challenges. When things get difficult, what strategies will you use to stay on the path toward making your resolution a reality?

If you start working toward a goal without any type of plan in place, you may quickly find yourself giving up when faced with any sort of obstacle, setback, or resistance.

Lean Tip #2943 - Start With Small Steps

Taking on too much too quickly is a common reason why so many New Year's resolutions fail. Starting an unsustainably restrictive diet, overdoing it at the gym, or radically altering your normal behavior are surefire ways to derail your plans. Instead, focus on taking tiny steps that will ultimately help you reach your larger goal.

While it may seem like a slow start, these small incremental changes make it easier to stick to your new healthy habits and increase the likelihood of long-term success.

Lean Tip #2944 - Remember That Change Is a Process

Those unhealthy or undesired habits that you are trying to change probably took years to develop, so how can you expect to change them in just a matter of days, weeks, or months? Be patient with yourself. Understand that working toward your resolution is a process. Even if you make a misstep or two, you can restart and continue on your journey towards your goal.

It may take longer than you would like to achieve your goals, but remember that this is not a race to the finish. Once you have made the commitment to changing a behavior, it may be something that you continue to work on for the rest of your life.

Lean Tip #2945 - Learn and Adapt

Encountering a setback is one of the most common reasons why people give up on their New Year's resolutions. If you suddenly relapse into a bad habit, don't view it as a failure. The path toward your goal is not always a straight one, and there will often be challenges along the way.7 Instead, view relapses as learning opportunities.

If you are keeping a resolution journal, write down important information about when the relapse occurred, what might have triggered it, and what you might do differently next time. By understanding the challenges you face, you will be better prepared to deal with them in the future.

Lean Tip #2946 – Optimize Everyday Operations

Many companies are never able to grow because they spend all of their energy fixing broken processes. While addressing bottlenecks and other problems is an important part of process improvement, a more productive approach is to evaluate procedures that are not broken. Sometimes this can be achieved by making an adjustment that is as small as a minor tweak to the order entry process.

Lean Tip #2947 – Tie Process Improvement to Key Objectives

Your employees need to see the connection between their efforts to improve processes and your company’s mission. By linking process improvement strategies to organizational goals, you will be more apt to earn the support of employees across the board.

Lean Tip #2948 – Focus on Long-Term Success

The most successful process improvement initiatives value future solutions over short-term fixes. You should expect to encounter obstacles as you focus on process improvement and strive to maintain a positive attitude towards process improvement.  Success requires patience and a long-term commitment to documenting strategies and outcomes from start to finish. This allows you to review your execution in detail to determine when and where a process faltered.

Lean Tip #2949 – Prioritize the Customer

Any process creating pain for your customers must be addressed first. When outlining a solution, think about how the changes will improve the customer experience. To identify these factors, perform customer interviews, and dig into your company’s customer data such as analyzing how often clients perform subsequent purchases and customer churn rate.

Incorporate and prioritize the needs of your customers as part of any process improvement project. From deciding which procedure to improve first to the solution itself, consider the impact to your customers.

Lean Tip #2950 – Make Improvement a Team Sport

The most successful process improvement efforts are built on collaboration. Involve your whole organization in capturing processes, reviewing existing ones and constantly finding ways to improve the way they work. Part of the process champion’s job is to make sure everyone feels heard.

Involve people in setting targets, and constantly evaluate your progress against those. Appreciation motivates and inspires, so share the results in public forums like team meetings and company-wide intranet announcements.

Lean Tip #2951 – Motivate the People and Stay Resilient

Leaders must motivate the individuals around them. Even during rough days or weeks, they must stay focused and positive. A leader that exhibits resiliency and a sense of purpose will impact the teams’ spirit and work ethic. This effectively sets the example that even through difficult times, you can successfully navigate the situation without having the issues affect your work or attitude.

Lean Tip #2952 – Take the Blame and Work Through It Together

One of the biggest things to remember is that as a leader it all starts with you and all stops with you. It doesn’t matter who made the mistake on the team—it should be seen as a collective mistake that the team works through together. Leaders should be the problem fixers and show their team that they are not on a lone island and there is someone to support them. This method of problem solving also provides training opportunities, allowing the leader to expand on best practices and tips so that the same mistake can be avoided in the future.

Lean Tip #2953 – Focus on Small Wins Daily

Servant leadership is a mentality. It’s like having a kind of tunnel vision and being able to navigate through the noise and fire throughout the day. One way to do this is by taking the time to focus on the small tasks at hand. Write down daily goals, and when you accomplish an item, scratch it off. This will make you feel successful and help you realize that each small achievement is going to benefit someone, whether that is a team member, partner, or fellow manager. Everything a leader does set an example for the team and provides an opportunity to better support them. Having daily goals is about small wins to keep you motivated.

Lean Tip #2954 – Be Able to Conceptualize.

Servant leaders are big-picture thinkers. They inspire their team to think beyond the day-to-day grind, beyond the immediate issues in front of them. Traditional leaders are fixated on short-term or immediate goals. Servant leaders look beyond numbers and goal posts, thinking of what their team needs to do to accomplish everything, not just the one thing in front of them. They help their team get the training and tools they’ll need not just for today, but for next year and on. 

Lean Tip #2955 – Commit to Building Up People.

Servant leaders understand their most important resource and concern is people. They are committed to the growth and well-being of their team, thinking first of them instead of themselves. This means that training opportunities, promotions, growth—these are given to the team instead of to self. As a servant leader, there is no fear that the people on your team will surpass you. You aren’t trying to protect your own place in the world. You aren’t keeping the best opportunities for yourself.

6 Characteristics of Inclusive Leaders

The world is changing. And in turn, what organizations need from leaders is changing.

Only 31% of employees believe their leaders are inclusive. That is, less than a third of employees believe their leaders see, value, and respect them as a whole person.

Most leaders and managers don’t set out intending to exclude others. Yet, in the course of pursuing a goal and relying on sometimes outmoded beliefs about leadership, they fail to get the best out of their teams. Worse, they might not even realize it.

Inclusive leaders are one step ahead of the game. They know how to take advantage of each opportunity, adequately use the skills of their team members, and leverage the competitive advantages available to them.

When we think of inclusivity in organizations, things like race, gender, orientation, ethnicity, equal pay, and other characteristics or issues come up. Leaders focused on real inclusion are thinking global; not only do they facilitate diversity and inclusion, they understand the bigger picture of why diversity and inclusion are important to long-term business success.

But what specific characteristics allow them to be successful? According to Deloitte’s report, The six signature traits of inclusive leadership, the following characteristics of inclusion set these leaders ahead of others:

COMMITMENT

Making a commitment to diversity and inclusion isn’t the easy path; these leaders are resolute because of the business case for diversity and the tie to their personal values.

COURAGE

An inclusive leader is not afraid to challenge those around him or her to improve the status quo. Speaking up and questioning what’s normal and commonly accepted in the organization, as well as in his or her mind, allows the leader to courageously lead the change.

COGNIZANCE

A critical trait is self-awareness. Organizations and people alike have blind spots and bias, but a leader who is truly inclusive works to recognize those problems and remedy them through policies to ensure decisions are the result of fair, logical consideration of the facts.

CURIOSITY

Due to experience, an inclusive leader knows that a variety of ideas and experiences allows for different perspectives. He or she is not afraid of different ideas or experiences, using them to enable both personal growth and successful organizational growth. This leader is willing to keep their mind open to new things while actively seeking out how others see the world differently.

CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE

Each person views business challenges and the world differently, dependent upon their culture. Leaders focused on inclusion see that these cultural frames are helpful and are unafraid to cross cultures, while recognizing the impact their own culture has on interactions.

COLLABORATION

Deloitte’s report notes that “A diverse-thinking team is greater than the sum of its parts.”  Leaders who are inclusive are not only aware of the advantages of being on a team, they actively work to make their teams more effective by fostering collaboration and healthy debate.

The most important qualities of an inclusive leader are his or her abilities to understand and enable others on the team and in the organization to work better. These leaders are resilient, future-ready leaders who are better able to withstand the changes and challenges of the business world by adapting.

Becoming a truly inclusive leader is a long road, but an important and valuable one. Through it, you will become a better leader for your team, and set the right example for other leaders in your organization to do the same.