How to Start Lean?

Question: We have taken on the 2SL journey tailored around FastCap version. I am one of our companies green belts and was hoping for some insight on how to come across to my peers on how to start 2SL journey in their own branches.

Paul’s Response: This is actually one of the easiest questions to answer. It is called “first pants then shoes sequence”. When we get dressed every morning we first put on our pants and then we put on our shoes. If we do it out of order, we will fail and we will be miserable and struggle.

You start lean by first “you getting really good at continuous improvement”. You will then become a magnet and everyone will be attracted to you and what you were trying to teaching. Lean will be much easy to explain and implement and you will have many people that will quickly want to join your team. The world loves excellence…think Michael Jordan!

On the other hand if you tell them they need to do it and you haven’t done it, you might as will put on your shoes on first and then put your pants on.

Credit for the analogy of pants then shoes goes to Matt Stodola from Excel Pacific builders. Matt is a highly accomplished builder and runs some of the best jobs I’ve ever seen. Matt also did a 30 second video with me last night, explaining that some people would rather not change they would prefer to keep hammering with a rock!