I would like to tell you about five big benefits you will receive from
adopting a Lean approach in your Organisation. These benefits are well within your grasp with some time and effort on your part.

The Lean approach is basically very simple if you are willing to learn.90% of it is common sense. Now I bet you were expecting me to write something like “But common sense is not that common”.

It did cross my mind but I did manage to stop myself from doing it. Phew. So just trust me on this one. If you are willing to get involved and roll up your sleeves the Lean approach can work for you. It is a proven, tried and tested methodology.

In this short article I would like to share with you five benefits that you should get if you take up and lead the Lean challenge within your Organisation. These benefits are there for the taking if you get the correct guidance:

Benefit #1 Your Bosses will Like the Results

If you are in some sort of Operational role, it doesn’t really matter
what type of Organisation you work for , you will probably have some sort of boss who will expect bigger and better results from you month on month and year on year. It is just how it is. I guess the only major difference nowadays is that if you do not deliver the results, life becomes very difficult for you . Competition is get ever fiercer in all walks of life and there are certain best practices that are now seen as price for admission to the party. Using the Lean methodology will make your life a whole lot easier in delivering your results. Why ? Because it is a tried and tested approach that when done well will deliver results that your bosses will like.

Benefit #2 Your Worth within your Organisation will Grow in Value

If you are seen as the person who is the catalyst for change,
the improvement person, the Lean Champion, the business
change expert, call it what you will, your value in the Organisation
will grow.

You probably know the old joke that there are three types off people in the world:

1. Those that make things happen
2. Those that watch things happen
3. Those that wondered what happened

The fact that you are reading this proves to me that you are the type of person that can make things happen .Just add Lean learning to the mix and your value in your organisation should grow.

Benefit #3 Once You’ve got the Basics You will be on a Journey of Growth

The key here is to just get started and learn the basics .My lean journey started by participating in a Public Kaizen Event in the USA when I was a Senior Operations Manager at the Polaroid Corporation in 1997. That experience changed my business life forever. It was a breakthrough in my own education about Continuous Improvement. I can say with my hand on my heart that my week of formal “Lean Training” kicked of my own personal Lean journey and I have not looked back since. You soon realise that you actually know less than you thought you did, which gives you a thirst to find out and experience more. Teaching people about Lean is the best way I know to keep
your knowledge fresh and stretch you to grow. So get involved.

Benefit #4 You will get a Sense of Pride in your Achievements

In my opinion there is nothing more rewarding than leading a desperate (sorry that should be disparate) group of people, teaching them some Lean methodologies and then taking a current situation and making it a lot better.
You get a sense of pride because you know that you have helped people to raise their expectations and have actually helped them make a very positive impact on their worklives. You have helped create tangible results that everyone can see.
It is a rewarding feeling to have.

Benefit #5 These New Skills are Transportable

Lean thinking can be applied in any type of Organisation. There is always waste to be addressed. Workflow can always be improved. There are always errors that need eliminated. Once you get some of the Lean tools and techniques under your
belt coupled with a few Lean projects then you will be able to apply the methodology in just about any organisation. Lean experience is a very marketable commodity to have on your CV.

So what is stopping you. Learn about Lean and then start to apply it in your Organisation !