For managers who are new to Lean, the idea of leveraging the creative potential of the workforce can be a challenging prospect. When tasked with managing a team, most people feel an instant sense of

The sad truth is that the word “engagement” is not very engaging. It’s one of those fluffy, ambiguous terms that have become all-too-familiar around the business world, like “empowerment” and “respect”. What does engagement really

Japanese improvement techniques have been emulated across the globe for decades, and none carries more cultural weight than the theory of Kaizen. When I expose Western leaders to Lean practices in Japan, they often express

Legend has it that when George Washington was six years old he chopped down his father’s favorite cherry tree. When confronted by his father, George did what any sensible six-year-old would do: He told the

The Lean tools and methodologies that I read about in books are based on the culture of Toyota Motor Corp. in Japan. My first step in coaching the transformation of organizations is to show them