Content by Kevin Meyer
From Linear to Roundabout ThinkingChaos can be productive
Thu, 01/25/2018 - 12:03
Ever since I visited Italy more than a decade ago my inner geek has had a fascination with traffic engineering. If you’ve visited Italy, or many similar places, you probably know why. Traffic appears chaotic, thanks in part to what appears at first…
Authentic CharacterA leader without personal character cannot be a great professional leader
Tue, 12/05/2017 - 11:02
A mindful leader has awakened to his true meaning, purpose, and values. Hopefully, those values align with a strong sense of integrity, character, passion, and people-centered leadership. The authentic leader takes these values and overtly leads…
Communication, Not StructureChanging organizational structure won’t align leaders who don’t communicate
Thu, 11/09/2017 - 11:01
Changing an organization’s structure seems to be the common knee-jerk response to internal issues. My prior company embarked on a reorganization to eliminate arbitrary site- and function-based structures so that we could align around corporatewide…
Map the Value StreamStart with a small, easily defined process
Tue, 08/22/2017 - 12:02
One of the most powerful lean tools is called value stream mapping, a visual management method used to document the flow and creation of value in a process. The definition of a value stream is all steps—both value-added and nonvalue-added—that…
Document the Current StateIt’s the baseline from which you will start improving
Wed, 06/28/2017 - 12:01
Before you can improve something, you must first have a very clear understanding of what its current state is. Don’t assume you know what it is. Go to the gemba, be it the factory floor, the shipping and receiving area, your office, or even take a…
Mother Nature Takes On the Lean HomeWorking to deadline despite torrential rain
Tue, 06/06/2017 - 12:02
A few months ago I told you how my wife and I had found a midcentury remodel project only a couple blocks away from where we currently live. We wanted to create a “lean home”—smaller with a simple layout, less storage space, and as few walls and…
Observe the NowYou can learn a lot by just watching
Mon, 05/01/2017 - 12:01
Mindful observation takes effort and practice, but it’s valuable if you want to be a leader. It allows you to watch processes in action and look for small nuances and opportunities for improvement. For example, the wait staff at top-tier hotels do…
A Short History of LeanIt has far deeper roots than you think
Wed, 03/08/2017 - 12:03
To many people, lean manufacturing was invented in Japan and is synonymous with the Toyota Production System (TPS). They will tell you that the TPS is the manufacturing philosophy that enabled Toyota to effectively conquer the global automobile…
Do Something Different‘Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.’
Mon, 02/27/2017 - 12:01
Acquiring new knowledge and perspectives helps you grow within your general area of comfort or interest. To really grow, you need to stretch yourself outside of that comfort zone by learning or experiencing something completely different. In…
Ground Yourself With the Positive in Your LifeBe thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more.
Thu, 01/05/2017 - 11:03
Often we become so focused on fixing problems and resolving issues that our entire sense of reality shifts. We begin to live in a bubble that encompasses the negative and blocks the positive. Because they demand our attention, the negative aspects…