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At this point, you’re likely familiar with the basics of kanban and lean management, its dictating philosophy. But there are plenty of other work management ideologies out there, including one called agile and its corresponding tool called scrum. So what are the differences and similarities between kanban and Agile, if any? A Bit About Kanban […]

As a worker and a manager, one of the most frustrating positions to be in us to have someone constantly hovering over your shoulder. They may nitpick your methodology or assignments, delivering criticism that isn’t always constructive (or solicited). Is there someone on your team, whether it’s a colleague or your supervisor, who fits this […]

Over the course of your career, you made have heard the term “managing up.” Based on what you’ve heard, you may feel that this is almost a form of sucking up to your manager or attempting to manipulate them to play favourites. However, when executed correctly, managing up is a legitimate tool to furthering your […]

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 Whether it’s out-of-date technology, inefficient […]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 […]