A mental fire starter on thinking about Lean by thinking about things Lean is not.

1. Lean
is not...

2. Created by Tom Curtis 2011
Blog: www.onimproving.blogspot.com
Other presentation on www.slideshare.net
Under Onimproving
Email: ideamerchants@gmail.com

3. In learning what it is not,
We can often learn a lot.

4. easy
Many of the concepts of Lean are
simple. Simple and easy are not the
same thing, though many of us make
the mistake of equating them as such.
There are times that Lean will be very
hard. We must not let the fact that the
simple can be hard discourage us.
Lean is not easy.

5. magic
Transforming through Lean requires
diligence, discipline, and much
mundane hard work. The road is long
and the work often without glory, but we
must still belief in why and what we are
doing and keep pulling forward. There
are no wands to wave or mystical
formulas. Just good sense well applied.
Lean is not magic.

6. There are more ways to count cost
than in dollars. They include
resources, time, and effort. Lean
always requires these costs. Lean is
for the frugal, but you cannot raise
crops without good seed and
proper care. Under funded equals
hidden cost. The piper will be paid.
Lean is not costless.
costless

7. First tries are not clean. We need to
kaizen, to improve. Lean seeks order,
but there will be mistakes along the
way. We need to be learning, not
wallowing. We need to correct and
correct again. We need to do it
quickly and often. Mistakes will come,
but they must not be allowed to stay.
Lean is not mistake-less.
mistake-less

8. usual
Lean requires seeing new things in new
ways based on different thinking. Lean
is different. Lean behaves different.
Lean requires a change in how we think,
work and act. Lean is not microwavable,
it requires methods and discipline
beyond how we have normally behaved.
Lean is not usual.

9. short
Some benefits of Lean can be quick, but
harvests take planning, planting, watering
and nourishing over the longterm to be
enjoyed. Races of distance are run
differently than races of speed. Recognize
what kind of race you have entered, it will
save unneeded pain and disappointment.
Lean is not short.

10. Lean reduces waste, creates order and
healing. Improving comes with pain: pain
from change, pain from stretching, and pain
from growing. We must anticipate pain and
resistance. It will help us to move ahead.
Heal as you go, help others to grow.
Lean is not painless.
painless

11. Improvement must be
perpetual. Better will
alway be before us to call
us on. There will be
phases to move through,
but never an end. There
will alway be someone or
something to make better.
Lean is not final.
final