No Time To Waste

by LeanTeams

On Purpose: Why “purpose before process” matters

People take their cues from what leaders ask, notice, measure and reward.

If we obsess over activity and cost, the team will optimise for activity and cost.

If we consistently ask “How did this help the customer?” and recognise behaviours that serve the mission, we make this our main purpose.

Keep communicating the purpose, open with it in regular stand-ups, and link improvements and metrics to the specific outcomes you want to advance.

Culture is what people do when no one is watching
Edgar H. Schein, Organizational Culture and Leadership

On Process: Getting the job done versus the long-term goal to improve processes

“Get today’s order out the door” protects today’s delivery; improving the process protects every delivery.

Use Jidoka/Stop-and-Fix for abnormalities, and simple A3s for focussed learning.

Pair each improvement with the desired purpose. Over time, flow stabilises and firefighting declines.

Zero quality control is achieved by mistake-proofing and source inspection
Shigeo Shingo, Zero Quality Control.

On People: Invest time like a coach, not a spectator

Like sport, performance on the field reflects the quality of training.

If leaders give all their time to escalations and none to coaching at the Gemba, they should expect inconsistent play.

Allocate time every week for teaching standards, and developing people as problem solvers.

The aim is capability, not dependency.

In Toyota all managers are expected to be teachers
Jeffrey K. Liker, The Toyota Way

Leader’s Task of the Week

Time on the ball. This week, audit your calendar and your team’s experience. Mark minutes spent on teaching/coaching at the Gemba vs. meetings/email. Set a minimum 90-minute weekly coaching block (walk the process, ask “What’s the target condition? What’s the obstacle? What’s your next experiment?”). Review the impact in your regular stand-up.

Your Lean Check

At this time of year, you may be planning for 2026.

We’ve built a short Lean Check to help you assess where your organisation stands and identify improvements for next year.

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