Rooted in Purpose, Process, and respect for People, lean is about creating the most value for the customer, while minimizing resources, time, energy, and effort used.

In this Q&A, LEI's Deborah McGee shares insights into A3 thinking and problem-solving: "The A3 Management process is really a way of thinking and a method of working with (using) problems as a vehicle for learning. The A3 process leads us to gain alignment across our teams and organization. It is a method through which we can coach and mentor others, leading by example and earning the authority to lead change, even when or if we’re not in a role with positional power."

Books on lean thinking and practice, management, instruction, and stories of transformation.

Publications like Managing to Learn, Learning to See, Gemba Walks, and Lead With Respect have become industry standards.

We hope you will join us on the island as we bake in the sun and cook up a discussion about engaging the heart and the mind through lean coaching.

You'll hear from a business owner and executive chef about their own head and heart calculations, developed through being coached and coaching others. We will also spend time with the heads and hearts of a diverse group of business leaders and advisors, learning their views of the equation and how they work through it practically.

In-person, in-depth training at LEI build skills in fundamental and advanced lean principles. Enroll yourself and your team today!

Problem: There aren’t enough lean practitioners nor successful lean transformations.

Our proposed countermeasure is to create a fund – named after our founding CEO – to develop the next generation of lean practitioners, scale up the number of transformations, and improve people’s lives. We’ll begin testing our hypothesis this summer.

Dear Gemba Coach,  How do I implement 5S  in our small but growing shop where operators have the belief that everyone does things a little differently?