Lean Roundup #196 – September 2025

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of September 2025.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.  

Fear and Futility: Two Barriers to Improvement (and How Leaders Can Remove Them) – Mark Graban explains how fear and futility undermine improvement and what leaders can do to eliminate these barriers.

What is your “OK Zone?” – Mark Rosenthal introduces the concept of the “OK Zone” to encourage learning and growth outside of one’s comfort zone.

Mendomi: The Well-Being of Japanese Employees – Christopher Roser explores Mendomi, the Japanese approach to employee well-being, and its importance in lean workplaces.

What Is the Lean Practitioner Program and Why It Matters – Alen Ganic outlines the Lean Practitioner Program and why it is essential for building capability and sustaining improvement.

The Battles We Have to Win: Fear – Pascal Dennis reflects on fear as a central battle leaders must win to create trust and enable continuous improvement.

Strategy Deployment for the 21st Century – Bruce Hamilton shares how strategy deployment must evolve in the 21st century to align organizations and engage employees.

Why Technical Solutions Fail Without People: Reflections from 30 Years in Operations – Mark Graban highlights why technical solutions often fail without addressing the human and cultural side of operations.

Lean Is about the Work: Enhance Value-Creating Work to Truly Transform End-to-End, Value-Stream Performance – Josh Howell and Mark Reich argue that Lean is fundamentally about enhancing value-creating work to transform value-stream performance.

How I’ve Aimed to Share the Uncommon Knowledge of Lean Product and Process Development – Larry Navarre describes his efforts to spread the uncommon knowledge of Lean product and process development.

Excellence Isn’t an Accident: Mentorship as the Engine of Mastery – James Morgan emphasizes that excellence is driven by mentorship, which serves as the engine for mastery.

The Design Brief | What Most Companies Miss about the Role of Chief Engineers – Lex Schroeder explains what many companies miss about the role of chief engineers in design.

Plan, Do, Check, Act… or Plan, Do, Cover Your A? Leadership Makes the Difference – Mark Graban contrasts genuine PDCA with superficial “Plan, Do, Cover Your A” behaviors, stressing leadership’s role in real learning.

Lean Quote: If You Want to Be Interesting, You Have to Be Interested

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.

"You have to be interested. If you’re not interested, you can’t be interesting."   —  Iris Apfel

I think the quote works on two levels. When you become more interested in other people—actively listening to them and engaging with them—they’ll see you as more interesting.

This saying highlights a fundamental principle of social interaction: genuine curiosity about others is more appealing than trying to be the center of attention. By actively listening and showing interest in what others have to say, you create a more engaging and positive experience for everyone involved, ultimately making you more likable and memorable.

Try these easy techniques to be more interested:

Focus on Others

When you're genuinely interested in others, you shift the focus away from yourself and onto them. This makes them feel valued and heard, which is a powerful way to build rapport and create connections.

Active Listening

Being interested involves actively listening to what others say, asking follow-up questions, and showing that you're engaged in the conversation. This demonstrates attentiveness and thoughtfulness.

Positive Feedback Loop

When you show interest in others, they are more likely to reciprocate and become interested in you. This creates a positive feedback loop where both parties feel valued and engaged.

Learning and Growth

Being interested also allows you to learn from others, expand your knowledge, and gain new perspectives. This continuous learning makes you more interesting in the long run.

Building Stronger Relationships

When you prioritize genuine interest over self-promotion, you build stronger and more meaningful relationships with others. This is because people are drawn to those who make them feel seen, heard, and appreciated.

In essence, the quote encourages us to cultivate a mindset of curiosity and empathy, which leads to more engaging and rewarding social interactions.

10 Keys for Lean Daily Management

10 Keys for Lean Daily Management: Driving Continuous Improvement

Organizations often start their lean journey with Kaizen workshops, aiming for quick wins. However, many see improvements fade over time because lean depends on people consistently applying the tools. Tools like standard work succeed only when individuals understand, care, and use them daily.

Lean daily management (LDM) focuses on creating habits and routines that embed lean principles into everyday operations. It’s not just about tools—it’s about engaging people, fostering accountability, and ensuring continuous improvement.

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What is Lean Daily Management?

Daily management is a structured approach where everyone—from leaders to frontline staff—takes ownership of productivity, quality, and communication. By implementing Gemba walks, leader standard work, and visual management, organizations ensure alignment and empower teams to improve processes consistently.

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10 Keys to Lean Daily Management

Key	Focus Area	Purpose / Benefit
KPIs That Matter	Metrics that drive results	Identifies bottlenecks and improvement opportunities to optimize production, quality, and cost.
Setting Standards	Clear expectations	Makes goals visible, allowing leaders to guide and correct behaviors efficiently.
Visual Displays	Transparency & alignment	Boards display KPIs, targets, and improvement ideas to keep teams informed and accountable.
Daily Huddles	Team communication	Short meetings at visual boards promote discussion, alignment, and quick updates.
Gemba Walks	On-the-floor observation	Leaders observe processes firsthand, identify problems, and support employees directly.
Problem Solving	Expose & resolve issues	Encourages the open identification and addressing of problems, fostering learning and improvement.
Coaching	Continuous guidance	Leaders mentor teams to sustain behaviors, reinforce learning, and encourage proactive improvement.
Accountability Tracking	Assignments & follow-up	Converts observations into actions and ensures completion, embedding discipline in processes.
Leader Standard Work	Structured leadership tasks	Leaders engage daily, model lean behaviors, coach teams, and remove barriers to improvement.
Everyday Communication	Frequent two-way dialogue	Maintains trust, empowers employees, and ensures information flows efficiently across the organization.

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Why Lean Daily Management is Essential

• Sustains Kaizen Workshop Gains – Ensures improvements do not fade over time.
  
  

• Engages Leaders – Daily routines and Gemba walks keep leadership active in improvement processes.
  
  

• Empowers Teams – Huddles and visual boards give teams ownership of their work and results.
  
  

• Drives Continuous Improvement – Problems are addressed promptly, boosting productivity and quality.
  
  

• Builds Organizational Culture – Encourages habits that embed lean thinking into everyday work.
  
  

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How to Implement Lean Daily Management

Step	Action
Identify Key Metrics	Select KPIs that measure critical aspects of production and quality.
Define Clear Standards	Set clear expectations for each task and communicate them to the team.
Create Visual Boards	Display metrics, targets, and improvement ideas visibly.
Conduct Daily Huddles	Hold short meetings to review performance and plan next actions.
Perform Gemba Walks	Leaders observe processes and support staff on the floor.
Track Accountability	Convert observations into actionable tasks and follow up.
Coach Continuously	Encourage proactive problem-solving and mentor employees.
Review & Adjust	Leaders evaluate processes and adjust actions as needed.

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Final Thoughts

The true strength of lean lies in its people, not just its tools. By applying the 10 keys of lean daily management, organizations build daily routines that drive consistent improvement. Practices like Kaizen workshops, Gemba walks, leader standard work, and clear communication foster accountability, empower teams, and cultivate a culture of continuous enhancement. Organizations embracing LDM can tackle challenges quickly, solve problems effectively, and sustain high-performance operations. Over time, daily management becomes a habit, turning short-term gains into lasting success.

Embrace a Lean Mindset vs Hero Mentality

At first glance, the “hero” mentality might seem like a workplace virtue. It’s the employee who takes charge in every crisis and seemingly save the day when systems fail. The organization’s heroes put in the long hours to get the job done – because, and often ostensibly, because others in the organization do not have the knowledge, judgment, experience, training or skills to do the job.

Organizations that suffer from the hero mentality, are not able to grow their business because their growth is limited to the availability of the hero. When they have many orders, poor quality arises on the projects that the hero is not a part of. The hero mentality becomes are bottleneck for the business to grow.

the hero-based culture is extremely inefficient and creates a rigid environment that lacks the agility to respond to rapidly changing conditions – customers, competitors, product lines, regulations, economics, talent, etc.

The business operational knowledge of the organization lives largely as tribal knowledge in the minds of the heroes and has not been captured and formally disseminated among the “troops.”

The cure for the hero mentality is to adopt a Lean mindset. Lean Thinking is built on principles that promote process efficiency, standardized systems, and continuous improvement. Creating a culture of continuous improvement means celebrating sustainable results, not quick fixes.

Building a Lean culture means rethinking the narratives around success. Instead of rewarding the hero who thrives on chaos, reward those who create stability and drive incremental improvements. The goal is not to eliminate heroism entirely but to use it sparingly and intentionally.

A Lean workplace is not defined by the brilliance of a few individuals but by the collective strength of systems, processes, and empowered employees. By replacing the “hero” mentality with a focus on collaboration and continuous improvement, organizations can break free from reactive cycles and truly achieve operational excellence.

Lean isn’t about being a hero. It’s about designing a system where everyone wins. Only then can businesses sustainably deliver value to customers while empowering every individual to contribute meaningfully to success.

Don’t Judge Too Quickly

Why do people judge too quickly before knowing them?

This is probably an artifact of the history of our species. It’s part of our hardwiring and a survival strategy. Our brains make snap judgments about people because it’s in our best interest to do so from a survival perspective. Not only does it help us eliminate or identify potential mates without wasting a lot of time, perhaps more importantly it helps us assess an individual’s threat level. When a stranger approaches you, you have but seconds to assess if the individual is a potential threat to your safety or health. Judge incorrectly and it could be game over for you.

Since humans have been tribal throughout most of our history, we have an unconscious tendency to divide people into two groups in our mind -- Us (people who exhibit many of the same characteristics that we ourselves do) and Them (people who don't exhibit all or most of the same characteristics that we ourselves do). The scarcity mentality which dominated our lives throughout most of our history unconsciously leads most people to favor others whom they perceive (rightly or wrongly) as like themselves because they identify these people as being part of their tribe — and by favoring these people, they help their tribe survive. By contrast, most people unconsciously tend to be less tolerant of people whom they perceive for whatever reason as different from them because they identify these people as not being part of their tribe — which makes them potential competitors for resources, implying that they might make it more difficult for the person's own tribe to survive.

It's human nature to go with a first impression. But intelligent people will hold back judgement until they get to know you.

But you do it yourself if you want to notice. If a big guy with tattoos and chains walks in you Will make an assumption. As opposed to a little guy with a nice suit on. And you will assume you are safer with the little guy. But you couldn't be more wrong.

We shouldn't judge too quickly because it often leads to misunderstandings and unfair assumptions. People's actions or situations are usually influenced by factors we can't immediately see, such as personal struggles, cultural differences, or unique perspectives.

Lean Quote: Act the Way You’d Like to Be and Soon You’ll be the Way You Act

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.

"Act the way you’d like to be and soon you’ll be the way you act."   —  Bob Dylan

The saying, “Act the way you’d like to be and soon you’ll be the way you act,” encapsulates the idea that our actions have a profound impact on shaping our identity and character. It implies that by consciously choosing to behave in a certain manner, we can gradually transform ourselves into the person we aspire to become. This concept holds great significance as it emphasizes the power of our actions in shaping our lives.

Let’s try to explore the meaning behind this statement and delve into how acting in alignment with our desired self can lead to personal growth and positive transformation.

The Power of Intention

Setting intentions involves clearly defining your purpose and consciously committing to a desired outcome. It's more than just setting a goal; it's about aligning your thoughts and actions with your deepest values and aspirations. Research suggests that setting specific, challenging, and achievable goals, driven by clear intentions, increases motivation and performance. Visualization, mentally picturing yourself successfully achieving your goals, works in tandem with intention to reinforce your commitment and create a clear mental image of your desired outcome.

The Role of Consistency

Consistency is the cornerstone of success and self-improvement. It involves showing up and putting in consistent effort over time, even when immediate results aren't apparent. Small, consistent steps build momentum and reinforce positive behaviors, making them easier to maintain and leading to positive outcomes. Consistency helps establish habits, improves performance, enhances focus, and builds confidence. Regularly tracking progress and celebrating small wins along the way can help maintain momentum and reinforce motivation.

The Influence of Environment

Your environment plays a profound role in shaping your thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes. The physical spaces you inhabit, your social circles, the media you consume, and even the cultural and economic contexts you experience all contribute to your mindset and personal growth.

While you may not be able to control every aspect of your environment, you can make conscious choices to shape it in ways that foster your personal growth. This includes curating your media consumption, building positive social circles, investing in education, and improving your physical spaces.

Overcoming Limiting Beliefs

Limiting beliefs are negative thoughts about yourself, others, or the world that can hinder your personal and professional growth. These beliefs often stem from past experiences or criticisms and can manifest as excuses that prevent individuals from embracing motivation and a growth mindset.

Acting the way we’d like to be not only impacts our own personal growth but also has a ripple effect on those around us. Our actions can inspire and influence others, creating a positive chain reaction. When we act in alignment with our desired self, we become a living example of the change we want to see in the world. Others may be inspired by our actions and strive to emulate them, leading to a collective transformation.

By consciously aligning our behavior with our desired self, we can shape our identity, overcome limiting beliefs, and inspire positive change in ourselves and others. It emphasizes the importance of intention, consistency, and surrounding ourselves with the right environment. Ultimately, this approach allows us to evolve into the best version of ourselves and create a life that reflects our true aspirations.