A Lean manager has a good life. He has a challenging job, but one that is guided by realistic, achievable goals. A Lean manager often feels pride in his accomplishments because they took effort and skill to achieve them.

What is a Lean Manager?

• A Lean manager is an optimist. She has to believe that the future is going to be better than today.
• A Lean manager is confident. He knows that his optimism is backed by his skill with the Lean tools he has at his disposal.
• A Lean manager is a visionary. She sees the opportunities that lie ahead, and goes after them.
• A Lean manager is relentless. Continuous improvement is, by definition, continuous. His work is never done.
• A Lean manager is a salesman. Lean doesn’t always ring true to people, especially early in its implementation. A Lean manager must convince people not only of its benefit to the company, but also to the members of the team.
• A Lean manager is a teacher and mentor. She has to help her team learn to use the tools, and to thrive in a continuous improvement culture.

Becoming a Better Lean Manager

Being all those things is a tall order. Most people are not born with all of those skills. Velaction Continuous Improvement can help.

Our site offers an abundance of free information for the developing Lean manager. Our Gotta Go Lean Blog and our newsletter give big picture information. We also offer Training Memberships for Lean managers to read or watch a few lessons a couple days a week to keep their skills sharp and growing.

Our Lean dictionary is also a must-have tool in a Lean manager’s kit. Use it to brush up on your skills, answer questions, and direct your team to a ready source of information.

Plus we offer consulting (both on-site and remote) to help overcome obstacles, and training materials to support a Lean manager’s skill development.

Finally, I recommend that Lean managers read my book, Whaddaya Mean I Gotta Be Lean? to better understand how to help their teams deal with the challenges of being asked to do more with less. Buying the book for team members can also make a Lean manager’s life easier.