Lean

“We are doomed to failure without a daily destruction of our various preconceptions.”  At first blush, this quote may seem to originate from a Zen master or self-help professional, but it comes directly from Taiichi Ohno, the industrial engineer known as the...

In the spring of 2026, Lean Horizons Consulting officially turned 25.  For a quarter of a century now, our team of internationally experienced Lean experts have been pursuing a single purpose:  To be the embodiment of Lean ideology in leading business change...

A quarter of a century has passed since Lean Horizons Consulting first opened its doors, but our timeline goes back even further than that, if you can believe it.    40 years ago, Mark DeLuzio, founder and CEO of Lean Horizons Consulting, first entered...

When Americans were plunged into the sobering reality of life during Prohibition in the 1920s, something interesting started to happen — something that, decades later, would end up influencing the evolution of Lean manufacturing.  As well as the development of...

Every organization has standards — that’s not the issue.  The issue is that, for many organizations, standards don’t go much further than the poster in the break room. There may be checklists and processes that give the appearance of a strict adherence to...

There’s a pattern playing out across organizations that should be raising more concern than it is: Lean leaders with strong track records are being let go in the middle of transformations.  And this isn’t just happening with early-stage initiatives or...

There’s a fundamental misconception shaping the way businesses are run in the modern age: The illusion of business logic.  As humans, we seem to instinctively know how to run our personal lives. We intuitively avoid overbuying groceries, we prepare meals for the...

Table of Contents Mindset Matters for Successful Environments Structuring the Lean Office for Success Building a Problem-Solving Framework That Wins Escaping the Functional Trap and Setting the Stage for Lasting Success Most Lean initiatives start with energy and...

Table of Contents The Lombardi Lesson: Excellence Is Boring on Purpose How Leaders Get Lean Wrong at the Start The Fundamental Lean Principles Leaders Must Relearn Lean Is Simple, Not Easy It’s become increasingly clear that Lean, as a whole methodology, has a...

Table of Contents Thinking Before Doing in TPS Putting the Pillars of TPS into Motion Building Blocks That Keep TPS Standing Practical Takeaways for Lean Leaders The Toyota Production System is often misunderstood, even by those who claim to “know Lean.”  They’ve...