Blog

What NOT to Learn from the Undercover Boss

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 02-15-10

I don’t know if the show will last, but the Undercover Boss certainly has an interesting premise. Leaders of organizations go undercover in their own organizations to do front-line jobs, learning what is really going on. This is a great idea, and one consistent with lean where we talk about

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Reflect, Don’t Dwell

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 02-12-10

Most organizations don’t spend time in reflection. It seems wasteful. But it’s vitally important in an organization trying to make progress. Without learning, courses aren’t corrected and lessons aren’t internalized. A favorite quote of mine by Soren Kierkegaard speaks to this point: “Life can only be understood backwards, but it

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25 Problems..or how to focus on the right systems

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 02-08-10

This month I have a featured article in Kevin Meyer’s Superfactory Newsletter. I’ve been a subscriber for many years, and Kevin does a great job. My contribution is titled 25 Problems..or how to focus on the right systems. I hope you’ll give a read, and sign up for the Superfactory

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To lean, or not to lean?

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 02-05-10

Should you start lean in a difficult period such as this? But shouldn’t I wait things out? Shouldn’t I take it slow? Or keep my head down? No. I think this is a great time for companies to be focused on a lean journey. Here are my reasons. Companies will

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My Most Successful Failure

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 02-03-10

First, let me state that I don’t celebrate failure. But I do, as I wrote about last week in Fail, Learn, Lead, celebrate the learning that comes from failure. Blogger Jason Markow started the idea of #FAILweek with the idea that people can share their failures, their lessons from failures,

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Leading Lean: Salvage Your Waste

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 02-01-10

I have a new post published on Assembly Magazine. See the full article on that site. A great lean thinker has a lens for value…. Continue reading….

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Doing More with Less

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on

What’s your definition of lean? There are many. Personally, I think you shouldn’t focus too much energy on developing definitions. Perhaps the most common definition however is “doing more with less.” It’s cute, short, and to the point. It’s says a lot, but still leaves a little to the imagination.

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Measurement Misnomers, and Toyota Dealership Problems

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 01-29-10

On our LinkedIn Group we get many good discussions and questions. We had one from Roger Cook that I thought was worth repeating and expanding upon. Here is the question: I’m curious if any of you have foolproof ways of insuring your metrics (which lean folks are famous for measuring

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Go ahead, play musical chairs

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 01-25-10

How often do you sit in a different seat at the dinner table? A regular meeting? A plane? When I travel, often starting on a regional jet, I’m usually in seat 1B. Not 1A, or 2B, but in 1B. It’s where I’m comfortable. Of course, my objective is to be

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Bloggers Friday Follows: Eric Ries

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 01-22-10

If you’re on Twitter, you know of the tradition of the Friday Follow where you share who you follow so that others might benefit in the same way. I think the same think should apply to blogging. So I occasionally post a Bloggers Friday Follows of interesting bloggers that I

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