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Leading With Lean
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Download or read book Leading with Lean written by Philip Holt and published by Management Impact Publishing. This book was released on 2019-04 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philip Holt is Head of Operational Excellence, Accounting Operations at Philips, and tells us exactly what Lean Leadership is, how we can learn to apply it and how you can convince the workplace never to settle for anything less than excellence. We also learn how to redefine our leadership style and how to identify and eliminate wasteful activities within the company. This way you can recognize, realize and retain the ideal situation. In Leading with Lean, Philip Holt shows us the best ways to arrange a high-performance organization and gives us simple tools and insights for each leader to aspire to greatness, for themselves and for their teams.
Book Synopsis Leading the Lean Enterprise Transformation, Second Edition by : George Koenigsaecker
Download or read book Leading the Lean Enterprise Transformation, Second Edition written by George Koenigsaecker and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2012-09-26 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Updated with new information, illustrations, and leadership tools, Leading the Lean Enterprise Transformation, Second Edition describes how the metrics used by Toyota drive every line item in a financial statement in the right direction. Rather than focus on Lean tools and principles, the new edition of this bestselling reference focuses on what may be the least understood and most critical aspect of a Lean transformation: the building of a Lean culture. In addition to new appendices with background information and insightful stories on Lean leadership and implementation, it includes new information on tactical organization practices, strategy deployment, and Lean culture. An inductee to IndustryWeek's Hall of Fame, George Koenigsaecker illustrates successful strategies and valuable lessons learned with case histories of U.S. leaders who have been instrumental in bringing Lean to the forefront. He explains the use of value stream analysis at the leadership level and describes how to structure kaizen events that can improve the value stream. Organized in the chronological sequence that a leader embarking on a Lean journey would experience, the book discusses the methods used by the author during the Hon Company’s successful Lean conversion, which doubled productivity, tripled revenues, and led IndustryWeek to recognize Hon as one of the "World’s 100 Best Managed Firms." The book not only introduces powerful leadership tools—including strategy deployment, transformation value stream analysis, and transformation plan of care—but also arms potential change agents with the soft skills needed to define, develop, and communicate their vision. Detailing the steps required to sustain improvements, it supplies time-tested guidance for effective leadership throughout a Lean transformation in any organization.
Download or read book Leading Lean written by Jean Dahl and published by O'Reilly Media. This book was released on 2019-12-20 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Companies from startups to corporate giants face massive amounts of disruption today. Now more than ever, organizations need nimble and responsive leaders who know how to exploit the opportunities that change brings. In this insightful book, Jean Dahl, a senior executive and expert in the Lean mindset and its methods, demonstrates why you need to embrace Modern Lean principles and thinking to redefine leadership in this age of digital disruption in order to continuously evolve the Lean enterprise. Drawing on nearly three decades of corporate and consulting experience, Ms. Dahl lays out a new holistic framework for developing Modern Lean leaders. Through personal experiences and compellingreal-world case studies, she explains specific steps necessary for you and your company to proactively understand and respond to change. Understand the leadership challenges Lean leaders face in our 21st century global economy Explore the six dimensions of the Modern Lean Framework™ Learn and apply the nine steps necessary to become a Lean leader Use Modern Lean methods to build a culture of continuous learning that can be sustained and maintained within your organization Seize competitive advantage by embracing Modern Lean to tbuild an enterprise that understands how to respond to disruption
Download or read book The Lean Leader written by Robert B. Camp and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2017-07-27 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Without Lean leaders, there can be no Lean. If an organization wants to be Lean, its leaders must lead using Lean principles. Put another way, until the top of your organization fully embraces Lean, the rest of your organization will never be Lean.The Lean Leader: A Personal Journey of Transformation uses a compelling novel format to tackle the nut
Download or read book Lean In written by Sheryl Sandberg and published by Knopf. This book was released on 2013-03-11 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • “A landmark manifesto" (The New York Times) that's a revelatory, inspiring call to action and a blueprint for individual growth that will empower women around the world to achieve their full potential. In her famed TED talk, Sheryl Sandberg described how women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers. Her talk, which has been viewed more than eleven million times, encouraged women to “sit at the table,” seek challenges, take risks, and pursue their goals with gusto. Lean In continues that conversation, combining personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can. Sandberg, COO of Meta (previously called Facebook) from 2008-2022, provides practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career. She describes specific steps women can take to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment, and demonstrates how men can benefit by supporting women both in the workplace and at home.
Book Synopsis Leading the Lean Healthcare Journey by : Joan Wellman
Download or read book Leading the Lean Healthcare Journey written by Joan Wellman and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2010-12-13 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every healthcare organization can learn from Seattle Children‘s continuous improvement process, but this book is not an operator‘s manual. Instead, it is a challenge to everyone concerned with healthcare to reexamine deeply held assumptions. While it is commonly believed that improved quality, access, and safety, and an improved bottom line are mut
Download or read book Lead with Lean written by Michael Balle and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-12-21 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Learn to lead with lean by developing people: In a world in which innovation is the name of the game and competition gets fiercer by the day, lean management has become the go-to methodology for organizations committed to providing greater value for their customers. Sadly, the vast majority of lean transformations fail - and more often than not the reason behind this is to be found in a common misinterpretation of what lean actually is. Over the past 25 years, our understanding of lean thinking - a management philosophy inspired by Japanese carmaker Toyota - has changed beyond recognition. From a set of tools and techniques, this unique approach has come to be seen as a system for learning that, if adopted as a business strategy, has the power to transform any organization. Too many business executives still see lean thinking as a set of tools, a "program" that employees are force-fed, or a magic solution to all problems - failing to see that business transformation and leadership transformation are inextricably linked. The only way to succeed is, indeed, to lead with lean. This book will take you through the evolution of lean thinking and practice, as seen through the eyes of one of the Lean Community's leading experts - Michael Ballé. By collecting some of Michael's best papers - many of which were written with lean gurus like Dan Jones, Jeff Liker and Art Smalley - Lead with Lean will strengthen your understanding of the methodology and encourage you to take it on (if you haven't already). Michael's unique writing style has the power to inform, inspire, and challenge the reader by providing engaging practical examples that are used to convey deep reflections and lessons learned. This is clearly reflected in the stories of lean transformations contained in the book, which were observed and documented by Michael himself at the "gemba" (Japanese for "the place where the work takes place").
Book Synopsis Leading Lean Software Development by : Mary Poppendieck
Download or read book Leading Lean Software Development written by Mary Poppendieck and published by Pearson Education. This book was released on 2009-10-21 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Building on their breakthrough bestsellers Lean Software Development and Implementing Lean Software Development, Mary and Tom Poppendieck’s latest book shows software leaders and team members exactly how to drive high-value change throughout a software organization—and make it stick. They go far beyond generic implementation guidelines, demonstrating exactly how to make lean work in real projects, environments, and companies. The Poppendiecks organize this book around the crucial concept of frames, the unspoken mental constructs that shape our perspectives and control our behavior in ways we rarely notice. For software leaders and team members, some frames lead to long-term failure, while others offer a strong foundation for success. Drawing on decades of experience, the authors present twenty-four frames that offer a coherent, complete framework for leading lean software development. You’ll discover powerful new ways to act as competency leader, product champion, improvement mentor, front-line leader, and even visionary. Systems thinking: focusing on customers, bringing predictability to demand, and revamping policies that cause inefficiency Technical excellence: implementing low-dependency architectures, TDD, and evolutionary development processes, and promoting deeper developer expertise Reliable delivery: managing your biggest risks more effectively, and optimizing both workflow and schedules Relentless improvement: seeing problems, solving problems, sharing the knowledge Great people: finding and growing professionals with purpose, passion, persistence, and pride Aligned leaders: getting your entire leadership team on the same page From the world’s number one experts in Lean software development, Leading Lean Software Development will be indispensable to everyone who wants to transform the promise of lean into reality—in enterprise IT and software companies alike.
Book Synopsis Lead With Respect by : Michael Ballé
Download or read book Lead With Respect written by Michael Ballé and published by Lean Enterprise Institute. This book was released on 2014-07-28 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Lead With Respect is a terrific book that puts the elements of genuine motivation into a broader context and helps leaders translate those principles into action." —Daniel H. Pink, author of To Sell Is Human and Drive "The Ballé books are a great way to get started or to speed up your pace of transformation, personal and organizational." —Jim Womack, Founder of Lean Enterprise Institute In their new business novel Lead With Respect, authors Michael and Freddy Ballé reveal the true power of lean: developing people through a rigorous application of proven tools and methods. And, in the process, creating the only sustainable source of competitive advantage—a culture of continuous improvement. In this engaging and insightful story, CEO Jane Delaney of Southcape Software discovers from her sensei Andy Ward that learning to lead with respect enables her to help people improve every day. “For us, lean is all about challenging yourself and each other to find the right problems, and working hard every day to engage people in solving them,” he says. Lead With Respect’s timely message brings a new understanding of lean. While lean has become essential for companies to compete in today’s global economy, most practitioners see it as a rigorous focus on process to produce higher quality goods and services—a limited understanding that fails to realize the true power of this approach. This new novel by the Ballés, the third in a series that includes Shingo Research Award-winners The Gold Mine and The Lean Manager, breaks new ground by sharing huge amounts of practical information on the most important yet least understood aspect of lean management: how to develop people through a rigorous application of lean tools. You’ll learn: How to apply Lead With Respect attitudes to the lean tools you are using now so that you develop a truly sustainable lean culture.What specific steps to follow to make lean leadership behaviors daily habits.How to manage with respect through the emotion, conflict, tension, and self-doubt that you’ll face during a lean transformation.
Book Synopsis Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn by : Katie Anderson
Download or read book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn written by Katie Anderson and published by . This book was released on 2020-07-14 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICING: Enjoy first-week pricing of $18.95 on paperback books! Regular retail pricing of $23.95 becomes effective on July 22nd. It all began with the initial chance meeting of this book's author, Katie Anderson, and the book's subject, Isao Yoshino. She was an American leadership coach and consultant in her mid-career, with a newfound love of Japanese culture. He was an accomplished Japanese people-centered leader at the end of his corporate career, with a lifelong love for American culture and 40 years of inside experience with the Toyota Way. During the next five years, Anderson and Yoshino spent countless hours learning from each other, reflecting on the past, and envisioning the future. The resulting book - written by Anderson and focused on the profound lessons offered by her mentor Yoshino -- is a beautiful, one-of-a-kind tapestry. Much like the weaving of fabric -- where the beginning work is but a glimpse of the final pattern -- this book was created from many layers of intertwined conversations and reflections. If you've ever been mentored -- in business or in life -- by someone whose words, experiences, and perspectives changed you for the better, you know that an entire book of such selfless generosity and deep wisdom could change the world. For today's business professionals -- dedicated to continuous learning and people-centered leadership -- this is that book. Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn is a leadership book that defies generational or cultural divides, offering a refreshing, proven perspective for all those who dare to lead. The Best Leaders Never Lose the Humility for Learning Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn is much more than a collection of Isao Yoshino's personal stories and insights. It's a memorable, entertaining, and poignant way to highlight important leadership lessons, to record pivotal moments in Toyota's history, and to create something to help veteran and aspiring leaders reflect and learn about themselves. Yoshino's experiences help us understand how Toyota intentionally developed the culture of excellence for which it is renowned today, and how one person "learned to lead" so that he could lead with an intention to learn ... every day and in every way. "The only secret to Toyota is its attitude toward learning." -- Isao Yoshino Let the Past Inform the Future: The Role of Reflection in Leadership By looking back at the past, we can learn and therefore shape our future. Through each story in this unique and inspiring book, Anderson shares Yoshino's experiences with leadership and learning, and his efforts at self-improvement while empowering others. Through those stories, you'll hear his reflections on what he learned then ... and what he is re-learning now with a different perspective as he looks back at the totality of his career. A must-read for those who: -- Want to become more people-centered leaders -- Currently practice lean or continuous improvement methods -- Serve in leadership, coaching, or operational management roles -- Want to learn more about Toyota's history and culture -- Are inspired by heartwarming stories of personal discovery and leadership With a foreword by John Shook, Chairman of the Lean Global Network.
Book Synopsis The Simplicity of Lean by : Philip Holt
Download or read book The Simplicity of Lean written by Philip Holt and published by Management Impact Publishing. This book was released on 2019-11 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 2020 Axiom Business Book Awards Bronze Medal Winner Lean organisations seem to work in a simple manner and operate with an innate calmness. They have removed much of the complexity that inhibits the performance of other companies, but achieving this level of simplicity is not easy. In The Simplicity of Lean, Philip Holt provides a comprehensive handbook of the Lean principles, presented in an accessible and easy to apply manner. The Simplicity of Lean is a step-by-step guide to the Lean Thinking that makes your organisation more efficient and effective. The book offers the necessary context of how to apply Lean Thinking to make your Lean Transformation successful. Alongside the theory and the practical application of Lean, Philip also shares his personal insights and experiences, as well as individual success stories (and failures) from various Lean leaders from across the world. The Simplicity of Lean is the perfect guide to make your Lean journey a resounding success. Philip Holt is Senior Vice President, Global Transformation, at GKN Aerospace and a Board Member of the Operational Excellence Society. He studied Engineering at Manchester Metropolitan University and Management at the Wharton School of Pennsylvania and the University of Warwick, was an engineer at Gillette and led the Lean Deployment worldwide at Philips for over twelve years. He achieved Lean Master status and has summarised his 30+ years of experience and insights into Lean Leadership in his previous book Leading with Lean and his most recent book, The Simplicity of Lean.
Book Synopsis Lean Leadership for Healthcare by : Ronald Bercaw
Download or read book Lean Leadership for Healthcare written by Ronald Bercaw and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2017-07-27 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Healthcare organizations that have already applied Lean thinking to their processes, with the diligence of effective management and strong leadership support, are now realizing the benefits of their efforts. And, many of those benefits surpass what was thought possible just a few years ago. To be successful, these organizations had to provide the l
Book Synopsis Practical Lean Leadership by : Bob Emiliani
Download or read book Practical Lean Leadership written by Bob Emiliani and published by Clbm, LLC. This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Practical Lean Leadership: A Strategic Leadership Guide For Executives is the first book to present Lean leadership in ways that are specific and actionable for executives to apply at work every day. It links Lean principles and tools directly to leadership beliefs, behaviors, and competencies in new and innovative ways that connect to workplace and marketplace realities. It goes far beyond the common understanding of leadership and the training methods used for leadership development. The workbook can be used individually or by a leadership team in self-paced group training. Senior managers will be inspired by the proven approaches to improving their understanding and practice of strategic leadership. Practical Lean Leadership has won critical acclaim from executives with years of experience practicing Lean management in the real world: "This is a 'must read' book for all senior leaders. It is very well written for the C-level team and it fills a gap on how executives should lead a Lean transformation. It truly is the best description of Lean leadership today. I highly recommend it." - Edward Miller, President, Strategy Development Services, LLC "Bob Emiliani is addressing THE most important problem facing organizations trying to make Lean work; the role of the executive leadership. This workbook provides sound methods to assist managers understand their role and put it into practice. This is workbook and it requires some work, but the workbook format is very helpful to move these methods from ideas into the daily practice of Lean leadership." - Brian Maskell, President, BMA Inc. "Practical Lean Leadership explains key aspects of enterprise leadership and thentakes it several steps further by applying Lean principles and tools to leadership itself. An effective model is created by understanding behavioral waste and by applying value stream mapping and standardized work in totally new contexts. The workbook format engages the reader and immediately connects to their reality." - Kevin Meyer, President, Superfactory Ventures, LLC
Book Synopsis The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership: Achieving and Sustaining Excellence through Leadership Development by : Jeffrey K. Liker
Download or read book The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership: Achieving and Sustaining Excellence through Leadership Development written by Jeffrey K. Liker and published by McGraw Hill Professional. This book was released on 2011-11-21 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Missing Link to Toyota-Style Success—LEAN LEADERSHIP Winner of the 2012 Shingo Research and Professional Publications Award “This great book reveals the secret ingredient to lean success: lean leadership. Not only is it a pleasure to read, but it is also deep and enlightening. This book is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in lean: it’s both an eye opener and a game changer.” —Michael Ballé, Ph.D., coauthor of The Gold Mine and The Lean Manager “This will immediately be recognized as the most important book ever published to understand and guide ‘True North Lean’ and the goal of perpetual business excellence.” —Ross E. Robson, President and CEO, DnR Lean, LLC, and the original Director of The Shingo Prize “An excellent book that will shape leadership development for decades to come.” —Karen Martin, Principal, Karen Martin & Associates, and author of The Kaizen Event Planner About the Book: TOYOTA. The name signifies greatness—world-class cars and game-changing business thinking. One key to the Toyota Motor Company’s unprecedented success is its famous production system and its lesser-known product development program. These strategies consider the end user at every turn and have become the model for the global lean business movement. All too often, organizations adopting lean miss the most critical ingredient—lean leadership. Toyota makes enormous investments in carefully selecting and intensively developing leaders who fit its unique philosophy and culture. Thanks to the company’s lean leadership approach, explains Toyota Way author Jeffrey Liker and former Toyota executive Gary Convis, the celebrated carmaker has set into motion a drive for continuous improvement at all levels of its business. This has allowed for: Constant growth: Toyota increased profitability for 58 consecutive years—slowing down only in the face of 2008’s worldwide financial difficulties, the recall crisis, and the worst Japanese earthquake of the century. Unstoppable inventiveness: Toyota’s approach to innovative thinking and problem solving has resulted in top industry ratings and incredible customer satisfaction, while allowing the company to weather these three crises in rapid succession and to come out stronger. Strong branding and respect: Toyota’s reputation was instrumental in the company’s ability to withstand the recalls-driven media storm of 2010. But what looked to some to be a sinking ship is once again running under a full head of steam. Perhaps the Toyota culture had weakened, but lean leadership was the beacon that showed the way back. In fact, writes Liker, the company is “as good and perhaps a better model for lean leadership than it ever has been.” of innovation and growth. Yet, Industry Week reports that just 2 percent of companies using lean processes can likewise claim to have had long-term success. What the other 98 percent lack is unified leadership with a common method and philosophy. If you want to get lean, you have to take it to the leadership level. The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership shows you how.
Book Synopsis The Lean Turnaround: How Business Leaders Use Lean Principles to Create Value and Transform Their Company by : Art Byrne
Download or read book The Lean Turnaround: How Business Leaders Use Lean Principles to Create Value and Transform Their Company written by Art Byrne and published by McGraw Hill Professional. This book was released on 2012-08-31 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE C-LEVEL GUIDE TO SUCCEEDING WITH LEAN "With 30 years of accumulated experience, Art Byrne is one of the rare few people who can speak with authority about the pitfalls of fi nancial measurement systems, the importance of respect for people, the power of Lean in the marketplace, and the leverage from organizing people around value streams. When he writes 'Go to the Gemba and Run Your Kaizen,' we must take heed." -- MASAAKI IMAI, bestselling author of Kaizen and Gemba Kaizen "In this wonderful and important book, Byrne shows us that Lean management, understood and practiced correctly, consistently delivers spectacular results." -- BOB EMILIANI, author, Better Thinking, Better Results, and Professor, Connecticut State University "A compelling picture of how Lean techniques and attitudes enable CEOs and senior executives to create a culture for transforming a company and putting it on a highperformance path." -- JERRY J. JASINOWSKI, former President of the National Association of Manufacturers "Art Byrne provides real-world examples of how he exhibited the wisdom and courage to do the right thing, improving work practices at all levels of the organization to deliver the right results for all stakeholders. Which comes first, the wisdom or the courage? Read The Lean Turnaround to find out." -- JOHN SHOOK, Chairman and CEO, Lean Enterprise Institute "Lean is the closest thing to magic I have experienced in my 40 years in business. I recommend Lean and this book to everyone responsible for the performance of a business, particularly those in private equity like me, where leverage magnifies the importance of cash." -- JOHN CHILDS, founder and CEO, of J. W. Childs Associates L.P. "A must-read for any leader interested in understanding the strategic advantages from focusing on activities that add value to the customer experience." -- GARY S. KAPLAN, MD, Chairman and CEO of the Virginia Mason Health System Lean isn't just for manufacturing anymore . . . Few business leaders in the world have applied Lean strategy as successfully as Art Byrne has--and none has the ability to explain how to do it with such succinctness and clarity. Famous for turning around the wire management company Wiremold, where he rethought every aspect of operations from the customer's standpoint--and got everyone else in the company to do likewise--Byrne has successfully implemented Lean strategies in more than 30 companies in 14 different countries. In The Lean Turnaround, this legendary business leader shares everything he has learned during his remarkable career and shows how anyone can achieve similar results. His primary message is this: Lean strategy isn't just for manufacturing. In fact, Byrne is using this very approach in his present position at a private equity firm. Whatever type of company you run, Lean can be used to improve virtually every aspect of operations, from training and leading employees to accounting and payroll issues. The Lean Turnaround explains all the ins and outs of applying Lean strategy to: Eliminate waste in every value-added operation Deliver consistent value to customers Stimulate growth and add jobs Increase wealth for all your stakeholders Build a company culture of continuous improvement (kaizen) Instead of attempting to get customers to conform to your way of doing things--which is, sadly, what most managers are taught to do--you need to configure your company to be responsive to the customers. This is at the core of Byrne's method--and it always works.
Book Synopsis Lean Leadership BASICS by : Michael Meyers
Download or read book Lean Leadership BASICS written by Michael Meyers and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2021-12-20 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explains how to sustain lean, or, continuous improvement practices. It introduces the BASICS® lean leadership development path, combining the "human aspect" with published BASICS® lean tools. It lays out the methodology to empower, lead, and drive ongoing improvements in your business. The book includes engaging stories and case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of shop floor management tactics, including visual management tools, gemba walks, standard work, time analysis, kanban, 5S, and more.
Download or read book The Lean Manager written by Freddy Ballé and published by Lean Enterprise Institute. This book was released on 2011-09-15 with total page 473 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this groundbreaking sequel to The Gold Mine, authors Michael and Freddy Ballé present a compelling story that teaches readers the most important lean lesson of all: how to transform themselves and their workers through the discipline of learning the lean system. The Lean Manager: A Novel of Lean Transformation reveals how individuals can go beyond the short-term gains from tools, and realize a deeper, sustainable path of improvement. Full of human moments that capture the excitement and drama of lean implementation, as well as clear explanations of how tools and systems go hand-in-hand, this book will teach and inspire every person working to make lean a reality in their organization today. This book will help you learn both the how of doing lean, as well as the why behind the tools, enabling you to become lean. Lean is the most important business model for competitive success today. Yet companies still struggle to sustain enduring and deep-rooted business success from their lean implementation efforts. The most important problem for these companies is becoming lean: how can they advance beyond realizing isolated gains from deploying lean tools, to fundamentally changing how they operate, think, and learn? In other words, how can companies learn to go beyond lean turnaround to achieve lean transformation? The Lean Manager: A Novel of Lean Transformation, by lean experts Michael and Freddy Ballé, addresses this critical problem. As we move from what Jim Womack, author, lean management authority, and LEI founder, calls “the era of lean tools to the era of lean management,” The Lean Manager gives companies a definitive guide for sustaining their ability to learn and improve operations and financial performance, while continually developing people. “The only way to become and stay lean is to produce lean managers,” says Womack. “Every isolated effort will recede—or fail—unless companies learn to use the lean process as a way of developing individual problem-solvers with the ownership, initiative, and know-how to solve problems, learn, and ultimately coach new individuals in this discipline. That’s why this book matters so much.” The Lean Manager, the sequel to the Ballé’s international bestselling business novel The Gold Mine, tells the compelling story of plant manager Andrew Ward as he goes through the challenging but rewarding journey to becoming a lean manager. Under the guidance of Phil Jenkinson (whose own lean journey was at the core of The Gold Mine), Ward learns to use a deep understanding of lean tools, as well as a technical know-how of his plant’s operations, to foster a lean attitude that sustains continuous improvement. Where The Gold Mine shows you how to introduce a complete lean system, The Lean Manager demonstrates how to sustain it. Ward moves beyond fluency with tools to changing his behavior as a manager and leader. He shifts from giving orders and answers to asking the right questions so people identify and address problems. He learns how to use tools to unleash the creativity and motivation of people, so they learn how to solve problems as well as coach and teach others to solve problems. Ward learns how to create lean managers. “I am excited and have hopes that this book will enlighten readers about what it really means to live a business transformation that puts customers first and does this through developing people,” said Jeffrey Liker, author of The Toyota Way and professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. “People who do the work have to improve the work. There are tools, but they are not tools for ‘improving the process.’ They are tools for making problems visible and for helping people think about how to solve those problems.”
