Blogs and Articles

No matter what industry you’re in, you’re likely surrounded by text and copy. From emails to briefs to instruction manuals, we’re all surrounded by endless words dictating how to manage projects and move forward professionally. But is text alone the best way to communicate professionally? This is essentially the thinking behind the modern version of […]

As we’ve outlined in earlier blog posts, “kanban” is an organizational system that is tied to lean management practices. If you’ve spent any time learning about lean management practices, you may have heard this term bandied about. The kanban board system is an integral concept tied to the just-in-time (JIT) production process identified by Taichii […]

At one point or another, every manager has dealt with employees who are difficult (to put it mildly). It’s an unfortunate inevitability every business leader confronts at some point in their career. Not every team member can be a superstar or work at peak productivity. But effective lean leaders have to learn to contend with […]

Unsurprisingly, habits — or learned behaviours — drive many of our actions on a daily basis. There are studies that show that up to 40 per cent of our behaviours are driven by our pre-existing habits. A force of habit is defined as a behaviour that is made involuntary by automatic or repeated practice. This […]

Peak productivity is often an ultimate goal for most lean leaders and managers. Having a highly productive team means that your workers are completely efficient in their workflows — and that directly affects your company’s bottom line. But many obstacles can stand in the way of this height of efficiency. Whether it’s out-of-date technology, inefficient […]

When you’re the boss in an organization, it’s sometimes difficult to collect honest feedback on your performance. But getting feedback is crucial for developing your leadership skills, further honing your management skills and improving business strategies. While feedback is integral for continuous improvement, it’s understandable why workers would be hesitant to offer their honest opinions. […]

One of the pervasive challenges for lean leaders and manager is fostering a culture of management accountability within your organization. Many managers may take pause at the idea of actively cultivating accountability amongst team members. Isn’t this concept intrinsic, an internal motivator workers either have or don’t? Believe it or not, managers can work to […]

Once of the most difficult challenges managers face is delivering constructive criticism (positive or negative) to their employees. Such feedback must be offered delicately and with respect, otherwise leaders risk losing any trust they’ve earned from their team members. But giving feedback is a necessary part of the feedback loop. Leaders need to offer guidance, […]

While a manager must juggle a multitude of tasks to be successful, one integral skill they must master early on is to earn the trust of their employees. However, this is no easy task to tick off your to-do list. Getting the respect and trust of your workers can go a long with when trying […]