Flinchbaugh

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

  Do you have a lot of room in your organization for people to learn? Or as soon as they step out of their comfort zone, do things get a little scary? What you do as a leader has a huge impact on the behaviors of others in terms of

Are you waiting with bated breath for Washington to fix healthcare? Me either. Regardless of your opinion on the pending legislation, there is still a problem. The soaring costs and staggering problems in healthcare still require us to fix the process. And that can’t be done from Washington. CFO Magazine

Over the past 18 months, a great deal of attention has been placed on the banks, the providing of capital to those banks, and the health and wealth of Wall Street. Banks have started to pay back their “loans” and have started demonstrating the ability to profit. But was this