Don't you hate it when you attempt to get a fork from a condiment stand, but end up picking up a spoon? Has that ever happened to you? I hope I'm not alone in this one. Well, at a recent hotel stay, I experienced simple and powerful visual management that completely prevented me from making this common error.

Gemba walks are not to be confused with management by walking around (MBWA). The primary purpose of Gemba walking is to teach. When you are the Gemba walker, you are playing the role of sensei (mentor, coach, teacher). The role of the sensei is to ask questions, introduce new tools and approaches, stimulate new thinking, teach, and (sparingly) to give advice.

Very creative article on daily improvement & daily work.

It was only the visualization of the process that laid bare the mistaken assumptions.

Getting Things Done (GTD) is actually two things: A productivity method, and a best-selling book by author and productivity consultant David Allen. It's been around for a long time, and it's a staple of productivity enthusiasts everywhere-including here at Lifehacker. Still, we've never done a deep dive on what it is and how you can make it work for you. And, since we've recently been diving into some of the life hacking basics for new readers in our 101 series, we thought it was worth revisiting.

Specifically, Karen and I have an excellent discussion related to the traps many practitioners fall into when working with value stream maps as well as how, and why, this tool is being used by many non manufacturing focused organizations.

Instead, he was saying that really successful people feel the same boredom and the same lack of motivation that everyone else feels. They don't have some magic pill that makes them feel ready and inspired every day. But the difference is that the people who stick with their goals don't let their emotions determine their actions. Top performers still find a way to show up, to work through the boredom, and to embrace the daily practice that is required to achieve their goals.

Lean is not about the destination but rather the direction or path you take toward an idealistic place. The journey towards Lean can be difficult and filled with obstacles. Developing the ability to recognize waste is an essential first step on the right path of the Lean journey.

Lean Tip #901 - Turn Employees into Problem Solvers and Improvement Specialists. The most important aspect of lean is to involve employees in developing lean processes. Many times companies create a culture in which the employees don't make the decisions, management does. Then when problems occur, employees are unable to diagnose or solve problems without involving a supervisor. Lean reverses that by revolving around employees and looking to them as the improvement specialists.

To get people to accept change, the first step is to understand what, from their perspective; they feel that they're losing. If you can empathize with their feelings-and possibly compensate for the loss-you've taken a giant first step toward acceptance.

The only cure for inactivity is action. That's why the first step in creating a successful culture of execution is creating a bias toward action. People who make things happen need to be praised and rewarded. People who don't should be coached to change, or weeded out. Failure cannot be unduly punished. Unless people feel free to make mistakes, they will not feel free to take bold actions.

To ensure the success of your corporation you must ensure that your company is operationally disciplined. Operational discipline must be part of your company's culture.

So, next time someone challenges you on why 5S is a good thing, look them in the eye and tell them it's (sort of) proven that it lowers stress and enhances the self-regulatory abilities of everyone in the workforce. That sounds like respect for the individual AND a greater capacity for execution and daily kaizen.

Plan-Do-Study-Adjust (or Act) is a simple cyclical continuous improvement tool that we all use every day but don't often realize it. Properly applied, PDSA helps us properly define a problem and determine a potential solution, enable the solution, and see if that solution worked. On Sunday, we are going to see a fantastic demonstration of PDSA every time Peyton Manning comes to the line during the Super Bowl. Here's how he demonstrates it…in 25 seconds or less.

Why does it seem that there is never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do something over?  If you want to be a proactive organization it will pay huge dividends if everyone concentrates on doing their job right the first time - even if it takes a little longer to make sure it is right.  And by doing it right the first time, you not only increase your company's efficiencies, but you can also have an immediate impact on customer loyalty, retention and overall profits.

In an experiment, people who sat by a messy desk that was scattered with papers felt more frustrated and weary and took nearly 10% longer to answer questions in a color-and-word-matching task, in comparison with those who were seated by a neatly arranged desk, say doctoral candidate Boyoun (Grace) Chae of the University of British Columbia and Rui (Juliet) Zhu of the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in China. A disorganized environment appears to threaten people's sense of personal control, and the threat depletes their ability to regulate themselves, the researchers say.

Great post on how to use data to dig for root cause.

My kids enjoy playing with Legos so it is no surprise that they got some new sets for Christmas.  The last few weeks have been fun filled with these little bricks building cars, houses, and other scenes.  As I look at this time together I can't help but think there are a number of Lean lessons that you can take away from this experience.

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing." - George Bernard Shaw

Yes, our beliefs are changeable. I know because I've changed numerous beliefs, and tested those new beliefs with self-experiments, and found the new ones to be true. The old beliefs will be true, too, if you believe them. Experience will bear out the beliefs getting in your way, if you believe them. But experience can prove better beliefs to be true too, if you're willing to give them a try.