See Beyond the Horizon

  Lean Nation, I have been very blessed in my life.  I have worked for and with many companies.  Some were large and some were small.  Some were publicly traded and some were private.  Some were union and some were non-union. Some were high tech with new products coming to market and lots of automation and some companies were low tech with lots of labor.  But most importantly, some had great leadership and some had atrocious leadership.  I am now convinced that every job was a steppingstone to something better, even though I couldn't see it at the time. This is a lean blog, though, and I am pretty sure no one cares about my work history.  But I took two important lessons away from these experiences. The signs had always been there, but they were never clear. The signs were solidified in a conversation with a 40-year senior leader and lean veteran.  I asked him what the keys are to creating a culture of improvement.  He said unequivocal...