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Elevating Leadership: Letting Go to Lead Better
Most leaders step into a new role with high expectations for themselves. They have been promoted because they excelled in their previous...
Groundhog Day for Leaders: Breaking Free from the Illusion of Progress
It’s Groundhog Day… again. Only this time, it’s not Punxsutawney Phil repeating the same day. It’s you. Same walk. Same questions. Same...
Why Lean Principles in Manufacturing Still Matter
Some leaders I meet still believe that Lean is outdated. They assume it was a passing trend. Others believe Lean doesn’t apply to their...
How Gentle Emotional Experiences Improve Leadership
Years ago, I invited my sensei, Tom, to walk the floor with me. We were visiting the frontline teams together, observing the system and...
5S Lean Management: You Don’t Have a 5S Problem, You Have a Parenting Problem
The Real Problem Isn’t 5S, it’s Ownership If you’ve been around Lean transformations for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard a...
What Gravity Flow Design Taught Me About Smart Work
The Allure of Automation Early in my career, I was captivated by automation. I admired the clean precision of motorized conveyors, their...
What True Strategy Deployment Looks Like
Introduction: Why Most Strategy Deployment Efforts Are Misdefined In recent months, several senior executives have asked me how to...
Motion vs Time in Lean: Improve Work by Studying Motion
“𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.” – Frank Gilbreth In the early days of my career as an industrial engineer, I spent...
Why Lean Transformations Get Stuck: The Real Barrier
“Every act of conscious learning requires the willingness to suffer an injury to one’s self-esteem.” — Dr. Thomas Szasz Most Lean...
The Intelligence of Hands in Manufacturing
It wasn’t a school project. It was a Louis XV dresser. Marquetry. Hand-cut dovetails. Gold leaf. Glue made from fish bones. That is what...
Unlocking Human Potential in Manufacturing
The Challenge The expectations from the engineering team and executive leadership were crystal clear: "We need to double the...
What Most Leaders Miss About Operational Excellence in Manufacturing
In over three decades of leading operations across industries, I have come to realize something both simple and profound. When it comes...
How Continuous Improvement Systems Empower People
"Didier, you can't imagine the difference this has made for me at my work." Those words stopped me. Not because they were dramatic, but...
Leader Standard Work Isn’t Working: Why Real Leadership Requires Reflection
Leader Standard Work is often introduced as a core element of Lean leadership. It is intended to provide structure, consistency, and...
Why Frontline Leadership Systems Prevent Failure
I have heard it more than once. Someone in a meeting, reflecting on a struggling area, says something like, "That leader is just not...
Structure Liberates: How Leader Standard Work Fuels Creativity, Not Control
The Persistent Myth: Leader Standard Work Kills Creativity One myth that seems impossible to shake about Leader Standard Work is this: “...
From Firefighting to Continuous Improvement: Build Your Leadership Oxygen Flow
Put On Your Leadership Oxygen Mask First Imagine you're on a plane. The flight attendant reminds you: " Put on your own oxygen mask...
Consistency Beats Talent Every Day and Twice on Sundays: The Power of Leader Standard Work
There’s an old saying in sports and business alike: “Consistency beats talent every day and twice on Sundays.” It’s a phrase that...
Tier Management: What Modern Organizations Can Learn from the Catholic Church
Introduction: The Paradox of Organizational Complexity In our quest to build efficient organizations, we often fall into a common trap:...
What Is the Score? How a Daily Management System Empowers Frontline Teams to Win
Do All Your Frontline Teams Know, Analyze, and Strive to Improve the Prior Day’s Performance as Perceived by Their Customers? It might be...
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