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Follow Friday for Bloggers

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 11-06-09

The Twitter tradition (is Twitter old enough to have traditions?) of Follow Friday is the spirit of sharing who you like to listen to. I think it’s most effective when you also share why. I thought the blogging community, at least the lean blogging community, needed the same kind of tradition. So far I’ve covered in my Follow Fridays Mark Graban and Karen Wilhelm.

photo_meyer_small.jpgToday I’d like to share Evolving Excellence by Kevin Meyer. Evolving Excellence grew out of the success of the information portal and monthyl newsletter Superfactory. Kevin really established a first-mover advantage in sharing news and information in the manufacturing and lean space by establishing these programs. I even wrote for Superfactory as early as 2003. He’s kept it going and a natural progression has been to add the blog, aptly named Evolving Excellence.

Kevin also includes several guest bloggers including yours truly, but none as prolific as Bill Waddell. Bill writes frequently enough that he shouldn’t be considered a guest blogger.

Kevin and the team have been a voice calling out bad leadership, bad strategies, and false lean. They have taken aim at companies such as Boeing without fear and with deep, thoughtful analysis. They have been challengers of the mainstream practice of outsourcing and off-shoring of manufacturing. They have challenged the status quo of management accounting practices. I particularly like Kevin’s sharing of his own work practices changes such as the stand-up desk, which is something I’ve found very effective.

Check out Kevin and the team at Evolving Excellence.

Comments

  • Follow Friday is a great idea, and of course I’m flattered that you included my blog. From the time I started it four years ago, the informal community of lean bloggers has been my most valuable source of influence, education, and inspiration, as well as generosity in connecting and mentioning my blog.

    Before I started my blog, I commented often on blogs like Kevin’s (including Bill’s contributions) and Mark’s and was bowled over by their responses and helping hands.

    Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and all that is useful in its way, but you really get to know how people think when you interact through the so-called blogosphere.

    I’d like to mention a new blogger, Jason Semovoski, http://leanstuff.squarespace.com/. Jason’s an example of the young leaders who are running operations, lean programs, and companies. (And Jamie’s another young leader who’s teaching many how to understand lean.) Now that many of us are the “old guard” sooner than we expected, we need to reach out to leaders like Jason and Jamie and bridge the new generation gap. Oh dear, sort of off the subject, but it’s top of mind for me after talking to Jason on the phone yesterday.

    Karen Wilhelm November 6, 2009 at 10:51 am
  • Follow Friday is a great idea, and of course I’m flattered that you included my blog. From the time I started it four years ago, the informal community of lean bloggers has been my most valuable source of influence, education, and inspiration, as well as generosity in connecting and mentioning my blog.

    Before I started my blog, I commented often on blogs like Kevin’s (including Bill’s contributions) and Mark’s and was bowled over by their responses and helping hands.

    Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and all that is useful in its way, but you really get to know how people think when you interact through the so-called blogosphere.

    I’d like to mention a new blogger, Jason Semovoski, http://leanstuff.squarespace.com/. Jason’s an example of the young leaders who are running operations, lean programs, and companies. (And Jamie’s another young leader who’s teaching many how to understand lean.) Now that many of us are the “old guard” sooner than we expected, we need to reach out to leaders like Jason and Jamie and bridge the new generation gap. Oh dear, sort of off the subject, but it’s top of mind for me after talking to Jason on the phone yesterday.

    Karen Wilhelm November 6, 2009 at 10:51 am
  • Follow Friday is a great idea, and of course I’m flattered that you included my blog. From the time I started it four years ago, the informal community of lean bloggers has been my most valuable source of influence, education, and inspiration, as well as generosity in connecting and mentioning my blog.

    Before I started my blog, I commented often on blogs like Kevin’s (including Bill’s contributions) and Mark’s and was bowled over by their responses and helping hands.

    Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and all that is useful in its way, but you really get to know how people think when you interact through the so-called blogosphere.

    I’d like to mention a new blogger, Jason Semovoski, http://leanstuff.squarespace.com/. Jason’s an example of the young leaders who are running operations, lean programs, and companies. (And Jamie’s another young leader who’s teaching many how to understand lean.) Now that many of us are the “old guard” sooner than we expected, we need to reach out to leaders like Jason and Jamie and bridge the new generation gap. Oh dear, sort of off the subject, but it’s top of mind for me after talking to Jason on the phone yesterday.

    Karen Wilhelm November 6, 2009 at 10:51 am