Lean CEO Archives - Page 3 of 10

Recent Articles

Blame Is Lame; Focus On Problem

I watched a short animation where Brené Brown spoke about the act of blaming. Brown speaks and writes about dynamics that impede our development and effectiveness. According to Brown, many are inclined to blame. When Blamers encounter an issue, they spend their initial energy on determining who was at fault and raging about it as compared to digging deep on the causes of the problems. Brown makes this observation. Blaming, whether blaming yourself or others,

Howe Q. Wallace March 9, 2015

Lean Success Requires Maintenance

“The road to success is always under construction.” – Lily Tomlin I chuckled when I read Tomlin’s statement. It’s true. Success is often cutting new paths where you haven’t traveled before. Thus, you’re clearing brush and moving rocks as you find a new way to the targeted spot. Once the road is built, lots of folks find themselves on the road. It gets worn out. Potholes develop. Sinkholes come along. What was once smooth now

Howe Q. Wallace February 25, 2015

Quick Start Sets The Pace

“Who is late will be punished by life.” —Werner Herzog When it comes to being “lean”, we can have no better habit than starting on time and well. When the work day starts, it is imperative for every person to be in place with machinery ready to run and material ready for processing. If any of the three aren’t ready, it results in multiple people standing around and waiting. That kind of waste sets the

Howe Q. Wallace September 26, 2014

“Lean” Thinkers Are “Lean” Doers

Hopefully, as we talk about where to look for opportunities to “lean” up our company, it generates your awareness of lean opportunities where we work. But, being “aware” of lean opportunities and taking action to become leaner are two different activities. To become leaner, we have to act. What kind of actions? Speak up. Describe to colleagues the things you see that aren’t lean. See what they think. See if you generate ideas to make

Howe Q. Wallace September 3, 2014

Take the Time to Put Fresh Eyes on a Situation

Fresh eyes see things differently. The “lean” strategies of “going to Gemba” (leaving the desk or the office to spend time at the workplace to see what is going on) and “standing in the circle” (taking time to stand in a circle at the workplace and spend it observing and listening) cater to this understanding. I was visiting with a plant manager who recently took a week to go work on a machine to see

Howe Q. Wallace March 27, 2014

What Makes a Team Effective?

What makes a team effective? You can answer this as a teammate or leader. But, here are the questions for which everyone needs answers: Does each player understand what his job is and understand how the team prospers when that job is done well? Is there a premium placed on good, honest and transparent communication? Is all the information at hand to do each job well? Is each person developing skills and abilities which increase

Howe Q. Wallace February 19, 2014

Good Habits Contribute to Lean Operations

Yesterday I mentioned in describing the books I am reading that “good habits can add up to lean operations.” I was asked how that was so. It’s a systematic process. Waste in time, motion or material points us to opportunities to get leaner. When we see the waste, we say to ourselves, “How do we make that waste go away or lessen its impact?” Our next action is to begin to try things that are

Howe Q. Wallace January 10, 2014

The “Why” Behind the “What”

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” – Mark Twain In the course of our work life, we learn things. We start a new job, we learn how to do it. We frequently get told “what” to do without learning the “why.” After awhile, the familiarity of doing the “what” becomes comfortable. We forget about searching for the “why.” That’s why

Howe Q. Wallace January 3, 2014

Lean Operations Make “Evidence-Based” Decisions

I was listening to a discussion about “evidence-based policy.” The idea is that many strategies and policies are created from theories and feelings. Frequently, those aren’t fortified by fact and experience. They end up being wrong. According to Richard Thaler, a University of Chicago economist, it takes three things to create evidence-based policy: Modesty. A willingness to believe you don’t know all the answers. Curiosity. A desire to dig for better answers and creative solutions.

Howe Q. Wallace December 10, 2013

A Record Year in Shipshewana

I was in Shipshewana at our mill yesterday. They had a celebration about their fantastic year. The team in Shipshewana set records in timber and logs purchased, the amount of timber logged by our crews, and the amount of lumber cut, assembled into pallets and shipped. They also put two-thirds of their pallets through a dryer. The drivers covered over a million miles recovering logs and shipping pallets. As you might have expected, all these

Howe Q. Wallace December 6, 2013

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Articles About Leadership

THE JUICE IS WORTH THE SQUEEZE

“Everything you want is on the other side of ‘hard’.” – CJ McCollum, NBA player McCollum is a story of overachievement. He was undersized. Played college basketball at a non-descript school. Was a long shot to be an NBA player but worked his way to being a first-round draft pick and was a solid star in his 10th year in the league. I heard him describe his approach to the game and his development on a podcast called

Howe Q. Wallace March 25, 2024

HAPPENING TO THE WORLD – A SATISFYING WAY TO LIVE

PalletOne leaders “happen to the world.” What does that mean? A PalletOne leader is confident. Each situation creates an opportunity for service and contribution. We are talented and put those talents to work. We see those around us as having talent. We seek to unlock it. We realize that we can be called upon to take the initiative to improve things at any moment. We act when the situation calls for it. We inspire through

Howe Q. Wallace March 25, 2024

SUFFERING AND CHALLENGES

“Weep, trust, pray, think, shift, hope, grow. Ways to handle suffering.” – Tim Keller Tim Keller was a preacher from New York City. He passed away in 2023. I followed him on Twitter because he tweeted profound thoughts like the one above. You don’t exit life without tough things happening to you. It’s a fact. None of us are exempt. In specific order, Keller gave us seven verbs to consider when challenged: Weep – It’s

Howe Q. Wallace March 22, 2024