Think of a standard as a kata, not a rule
Kata is a Japanese word for a detailed set of choreographed movements: it’s the way we do things. It’s not a rule. It’s not a program. It’s the best of of our knowledge at a given time. Sure, a kata is […]
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Are you really solving problems when you think you are solving problems?
In many ways, Lean is about developing a culture of autonomous problem solvers – but, what, exactly, do we mean by “solving a problem”? A problem is when a mishap in the normal process leads to a gap in performance. An unexpected […]
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4 lean changes to your daily management practice
Practicing lean changes radically how managers manage. I am fortunate in seeing this transformation firsthand every day, and here are 3 clear changes with huge impacts on management outcomes. As managers learn lean thinking, you can see their management practice […]
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Luck it out: commit to learning
Learning means making changes in how you work separating the helpful from the unhelpful, the impactful from the indifferent, adopting the helpful moves that matter and move on to the next change. So many people look for the “secret ingredient” […]
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Design products for customer flow
When designing a new product, start with customer flow and teardown. When I sit on in product design meetings, most of the discussion is about how to make this or that function work and how to assemble the functions so […]
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How are we helping customers solve their problems in their terms?
How do you assemble your customer solution? Does it solve customer problems whilst freeing them to pursue their preferences? Or does it lock them into one single rigid process? Nespresso makes home coffee machines without profit, in order to sell coffee […]
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Competing in the great disruption
Humans are all about their tools. Tools are how we control our environment – and each other – for better or for worse. For instance, the great mechanical achievement that is the train can be used to move people and […]
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Lead With Lean: A new perspective
Why are new ideas so hard to have? Because we use our minds to think, and it’s incredibly hard to spot our own thinking biases as you think. I’ve learned the hard way, that this is something you can’t do […]
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We don’t have to win, continuing the fight is enough
All we really try to do with lean is to get teams to own their own work and come up with improvements, one controlled change at a time. And to get managers to take more of an interest in their […]
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Lean standards are about teaching to change
Standards are not about compliance and making sure every one does the same thing everywhere. Those are procedures. Standards are about teaching people to change for the better, by themselves. “Improve!” Isn’t that instruction clear? Well, actually, not so much. […]
