Common Barriers to Lean Implementation

🤔 I think about the 8 Wastes of Lean all the time, but it hit me today that those 8 are not what is holding us back. There are 8 others that keep us from ever even getting started. These behaviors are holding us back & hurting us. 🤕 Here are the 8 Wastes of Starting Lean: 1. Ignorance - As it turns out ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance, which often comes from not reading, not attending trainings, & not being open and trying new things, is actually heartache, injury, overburden, unhappiness, & failure on projects. 2. Fixed mindsets - This can happen to anyone, even lean consultants. Anytime we do or learn a thing & then become fixed in the love of certainty or significance we are fixed. This happens when we stop learning & think what we know is all there is to learn. 3. Racism & Sexism - Why are these anti-lean? Because they are so ignorant & so destructive to the human mind and other people, that lean cannot even take hold in such toxic soil. 4. Unchecked egos - I suggest reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle to learn more about this. Most of the time it is not our true selves that keep us from progress, but actually our egos.. Our false selves--the evolutionary instinct in our brains & cells that worry about the future & shame about the past. The false exterior that tries to protect us. When our ego is in control we are not present & progressing. 5. Procrastination - This is an interesting one. This is the one that shows up when we say or think: --This wont work on this project. --I don't have time to implement it. --I will do it when I know everything about it. --I can't do it unless I know I wont fail. --I will do it one day. 6. Lack of Discipline - This is when behaviorally we just hope we can implement excellence or progress with very little effort. This is where we hope that lean will implement itself by its mere mention. This is when we think that large groups of people will move in the right direction by mere suggestion without other motivators. This is the behavior of giving up too soon before it takes hold. 7. Poor Time Management - This is the I'm always busy, answer another email, turn to another distraction, work late, always running, show I'm busy, wait until its urgent, & chase the fires mindset of today. A failure to use a personal organization system, master our tasks & time, & create individual capacity is one the biggest preventers of implementing lean. If you don't have capacity, how will you ever take time to improve? 8. Blaming Others - This is maybe my favorite to hate. This is the: --It's the current generation. They just don't want to work.. --Our Trades are horrible.. --No one wants to do good work anymore.. --Workers and foremen are not even human.. --It's the Owner's or Architect's fault.. Bu!!$&(! excuse of blaming others & never taking extreme ownership. These! These are they! These are what are keeping us from moving forward. Its time to know, see, & remove these wastes, Love, J

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸? I’ve been in dozens of businesses that say they want to implement Lean. They talk about waste. They talk about tools. They talk about Toyota. ➡️But very few talk about themselves. Because the real barrier to Lean is not technical. It’s personal. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝟵 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗿: 𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁. Lean is not a shortcut. It’s a different way of thinking. 𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. Always doing. Never learning. 𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮borators. So they miss the wisdom sitting right in front of them. 𝟰. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁. CI managers can support, but they can’t replace leadership. 𝟱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀. Lean is calm. Clear. Focused. Not frantic. 𝟲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁. But Lean reveals problems, and that’s the point. 𝟳. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀. Even when those systems reward the wrong behaviors. 𝟴. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. And end up choking the very initiative they hope to build. 𝟵. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁. When it’s actually a practice. Daily. Deliberate. Long-term. Lean is not something you implement. It’s something you become. 👉And it starts by asking the hardest question of all: What am I willing to change about myself? #Lean #Leadership #ContinuousImprovement #Gemba

It’s time to face the raw reality of Lean head-on. As a CEO, you need to confront these 10 harsh truths about Lean: 😬 1. Lean is not a quick fix: Expecting immediate results will only lead to disappointment and a waste of resources. Realize that implementing Lean takes time and relentless dedication. ⏳ 2. Resistance to change is common: Be prepared to face resistance from employees, even from your own executive team. Overcome it or risk jeopardizing the success of your Lean initiatives. 💪 3. It's not just about cost-cutting: If you think Lean is a mere cost-cutting exercise, you're missing the point. It demands a fundamental shift in your organization's mindset and operations. 💡 4. Continuous improvement is a journey, not a destination: There's no end date for improvement. You must constantly push your organization to evolve, or it will stagnate and fall behind. 🚀 5. The human factor is vital: Ignoring the importance of engaging your workforce will lead to a disengaged and unproductive workforce, undermining the potential of Lean. 👥 6. Failure is an opportunity for growth: Embrace failure or be left behind. If you punish failures instead of learning from them, you're stifling innovation and progress. 🚫🛑 7. It requires top-level commitment: If you're not fully committed to Lean, your entire organization will follow suit. Half-hearted efforts will lead to half-hearted results. 💼💔 8. Metrics matter, but they can be misleading: Relying solely on metrics might give you a false sense of accomplishment. Don't get blindsided by numbers while ignoring the true impact on customers and performance. 📈🚨 9. Customization is essential: A cookie-cutter approach to Lean won't work. If you don't adapt Lean to suit your organization's unique needs, you'll end up with a hollow shell of transformation. 🍪🏭 10. It's not suitable for all industries: Before jumping on the Lean bandwagon, critically assess whether it aligns with your industry and business model. Blindly applying it could be a costly mistake. 🚫🤔 Embracing these brutal truths will prepare you for the tough road ahead in your Lean journey. It's not for the faint-hearted, but facing these realities head-on will lead to meaningful change and a stronger, more resilient organization. 🌟🏆 Lean Focus