Tag: Lean Thinking

Why do I feel like the only one?

Lately I have been thining alot about engagement. In a discussion at work it became obvious that I was one of the few who really cared at all about the company vision and goals. Why is that?

Now to set the stage. I am fortunate to work as a teamleader for what I would describe as a above average team. They are excellent at the core tasks and they do what is required of them when it comes to communication and documentation. They always try to set the best conditions for the next shift and the customer is always in focus. What more can one ask?

Well, from my perspective I have every reason to be proud and coming to work is always enjoyable. On the other hand, one thing that inspires me is knowing I work for one of the best companies in our field. A company with lofty environmental goals and a strive to push research and development. When I see our products on the streets or on TV it always put a smile on my face. Why do I feel like the only one?

I try, I really do, to share my view and try to make others see our company with my eyes but I don’t always succeed. I would wish for them to find the same inspiration as I do in what we do. Maybe they are getting there but I just have a head start. It’s hard to know for sure.

It got me thinking, am I being disrespectful to them? Is it really my place to push my view on others even if it is done with the best of intentions? Should I just let it be and keep on with work as usual? It is really hard, when you have found something good you want to share it with others. I will need to think some more on this…




A new section has been added

I want to share a passion of mine, reading. Over time I will be adding more books that I recommend for other students of Lean.

First out is the classics, The Toyota Way and Lean Thinking. These are the books that really got me going and woke my thirst for more.

If you have any recommendations for me you are free to post below.




How did I first get into Lean?

When I first came in contact with Lean, I was working at a factory within the automotive industry. I must admit that at first I didn’t get it at all. It seemed to be used only as a tool to downsize and to lower the number of people needed on the production line. This lead me to get a very bad first impression. Also it was not really involving the workers of whom I was one so it was hard to get a grip of what it was all about.

As time went on I started to pick up on things that lead me to think there was something more to this Lean. I decided that I had to learn more, I wanted to know what the reasoning was behind what I saw.

Since I had learned that Lean was originally from Toyota, it seemed that Jeffrey Likers The Toyota Way was a good place to start. The short of it is that I was hooked immediately. The next book was Lean Thinking by Jim Womack. Again, it really opened my eyes to a whole new world. At this point I didn’t really know who any of the famous Lean-thinkers where but as it happens I had picked a good starting point.

Now began the journey to learn from the real world and to get everything I had read in perspective. To be honest this turned out to be very hard. What I had read and what I saw was not really matching up. At first I got confused but soon realized that most people around me knew as little or sometimes even less than I did about Lean.

The first line managers used a lot of expressions in Japanese but I don’t really think they knew fully what was behind them. This was evident it the way it was applied and presented to us on the factory floor. I decided that if I was to become more familiar with Lean and to understand and practice it fully this would be something I needed drive myself.

In the following year I read a lot, listened to podcasts, listened to colleagues and talked Lean. With every conversation and with everything I read I grew as a person and as a Lean thinker. However it was a hard journey, I didn’t really have backing from my manager or my surroundings. The joy of learning and developing skills made it worth every effort and I realized that if my current employer wasn’t going to utilize my newly found knowledge I might have to find someone who did.

This was but the first chapter of my journey to learn about and practice Lean.