How can you develop lean skills and mindset in your staff?

GEMBA = Go, See and Experience Lean by Yourself!!!! From my experience there is not any other better way to explain the purpose and benefits of Lean than taking your team to the action and let them experience directly, there, where the Value Added and Waste are generated. For sure this needs to be supported with an introduction of Lean Principals.

True......before introduction of any Lean tool...our staff must know " why" we want to implement this tool....we must align our team with the expected output, goal....how these tools will help them to get the desired output...results

Developing lean skills in staff is about education, leadership, empowerment, and continuous improvement. I provide training on lean principles and ensure commitment from the top. Involving staff in decisions and encouraging constant growth helps foster a culture of efficiency and quality. It's a journey of technical learning and cultural transformation. "In the pursuit of excellence, there is no finish line. Keep educating, engaging, and empowering your team. Embrace continuous improvement as a habit, not just a strategy."

The why is critical! The why needs to address a larger view than just gaining financial benefits, it has to motivate people, to drive their enthusiasm, and to encourage them to participate. As you introduce Lean to your team, I think using your own language, your own experience, and your own culture is of the utmost importance. Don't copy what Toyota did! You are not Toyota! Instead learn about the process and adapt it to fit your organization, language, and people. Make it your own!

Absolutely concur. The "Start with the why" approach aligns seamlessly with a fundamental principle found in the golden rule of communication: Why, How, and What, as delineated by the golden circle theory.

Lean is about continuous learning! It starts right at the beginning. Find the right people to accompany you and your team along this path, people who can speak your language and understand who you are as an organization. People who will teach and coach your team members along the way and who will not only reassure them but also challenge them. Build internal teams to work and learn together, so that they can share what they are learning and put it into practice. Leadership and management are there to support, coach, encourage, and, above all, to open the gates to experimentation and learning. Remember that part of learning is also failure, it's required to move forward. Take the time to learn from it as you do from the successes.

In my experience employees needs to be engaged in fun filled manner to Learn & Apply - Group activity to reflect on a situation: What it’s and What improvement needed. Famous example to take Traffic on some route, Weekend Trip plan. - Quiz followed with self paced learning and reward the quiz qualifiers

I fully endorse the approach of offering comprehensive training and coaching in the realm of lean principles. Indeed, the cultivation of a lean mindset within a team is a continuous journey rather than a singular event. Focusing on coaching is of paramount significance in this journey. Coaching not only ensures the understanding and application of lean principles but also instills a deeper connection with the underlying concepts. This approach stands in alignment with the belief that tools should be introduced as needed, rather than overwhelming the team with all tools at once through extensive training. This targeted and gradual introduction of tools enhances the team's ability to grasp and internalize their purpose and implementation.

This means two things: 1. stop saying NO when people want to try something, and 2. be humble about the learning process. In most cases, the entire organization learns about lean together. I always recommend to my clients to be humble about and say that "we are all learning together in this path, and we will adjust as we move forward". Implementing a lean approach requires time, effort, a willingness to accept that not all ideas solutions will be the right ones from the get go. Trust in your teams ability to get the job done, in their expertise in doing their work, and learn together how that can be transferred into decisions, actions, and improvements.

Indeed, fostering collaborative efforts within the context of lean manufacturing yields significant value enhancement for the business. In this light, the cultivation of effective teamwork takes center stage. Building a cohesive team that respects and empowers its members is a pivotal action on the journey toward lean excellence. Moreover, integrating your team in planning, problem-solving, and innovative endeavors not only bolsters their engagement but also harnesses a collective intelligence that can lead to inventive solutions.

In my lean journey, one of the main ideas I've learned is to empower my staff to make decisions, take actions and implement improvements. You must delegate authority and responsibility to my staff and trust them to use their skills and knowledge. They are involved in planning, problem-solving and innovation activities. We create a culture of collaboration and teamwork, where we all learn from each other and support each other. I agree with this paragraph entirely. I've gone through the other side of he coin and found it not to my liking.

As I indicated earlier, not all ideas will lead to success, some will fail. What is important is that you take the time to learn from the failure because it will help the next iteration be even better. Celebrate the wins, the successes and the learnings from failure. If people are afraid of the repercussions of failure, they will not experiment with improvements to reach success. As a leadership team, you have to accept that failure will happen. It's a matter of containing it and its impacts, but let people experiment! It's the only way to get to the success!

In addition to the provided insights, another highly effective approach to consider is the establishment of a specialized task force dedicated to the swift implementation of proposed Kaizen initiatives. This innovative tactic aims to expedite the transformation of ideas into tangible results. By swiftly implementing ideas generated by team members, you not only cultivate a sense of ownership and enthusiasm but also provide a platform for immediate feedback. This prompt feedback loop can further fuel the generation of additional Kaizen ideas, fostering a continuous cycle of improvement.

This means two things: 1. stop saying NO when people want to try something, and 2. be humble about the learning process. One of my Sensei did not feel it necessary to see the other side of this coin. He was trained by one of the well known Japanese consultants and tended to be very ridged in his attitude. We were under a tight schedule and he believed there was not enough time to make a slow implementation of Kaizen initiatives. We were proposing swiftly implementing ideas but not allowing the teams to fully understand the system.

Absolutely, and I'd like to emphasize that alongside the "Go and See" approach, an additional element of paramount importance is the inclusion of respect. While visiting the actual workplace to comprehend the intricacies of a problem or situation is crucial, it's equally imperative to embody the principle of respect throughout the process.

It is not only about manufacturing. Also other business arreas and service processes as well as projects delivery can be Lean. A type of lean approach in delivery od projects and services are Agile Frameworks also used in software development. Gemba in this context can mean things like: - visiting the process where error happens - observing the process we want to improove - meeting with the real service customer, recognizing the real need - taking aby other action that will bring us to best possibile undersrand the problem. It is critical as only this way we can make sure the solutions we provide will be most simple and effective.

Lean Management is based on one basic principle = RESPECT FOR PEOPLE! Show your teams that you respect them with your words, your approach, your interventions, your support, your involvement, your actions, your decisions, and your listening. it's about being authentic in all aspects of managing your business, not just in what is being said and what is shown on posters. People need to feel and see that these values that are important are reflected in all aspects of the business.

One of the hardest things to do when first investing in lean is seeing things through when they first become uncomfortable. Change is difficult and we have a natural tendency to cling to the familiar. When the complaints start or when there are hiccups because of improvements that have been made, these are the times when leaders must dig the deepest to be open to listen and transparent in the vision with their team. Remain committed to the goal of becoming lean, but allow for two-way conversation and collaborative problem solving to work beyond the short-term pain. The more that your team can feel ownership for the change, the more engaged they will become in its success.

Lean Management is based on one basic principle = RESPECT FOR PEOPLE! Show your teams that you respect them with your words, your approach, your interventions, your support, your involvement, your actions, your decisions, and your listening. This in not my phrasing but I totally agree with the thoughts. It's about being authentic in all aspects of managing your business, not just in what is being said and what is shown on posters. People need to feel and see that these values that are important, are reflected in all aspects of the business. I've learned this philosophy well and truly believe it needs to be ingrained in lean methodology?