Significant sustained Lean success depends almost solely on leaders and the culture they foster. Unfortunately, many embark on their Lean initiative with a focus on tools observed during a benchmarking tour, disclosed during a short symposium presentation, or peddled by their chosen Lean partner. These leaders are thus ill-equipped to understand the critical behavior and attitude changes required of them and their staff to sustain tools-based improvements and, more importantly, to effectively promote and harvest their employees’ innovation to remove waste. Some area-specific and short-term gains can be realized via a top-down, tools-based approach, but broad, ongoing, and organic improvement that is embraced by all employees requires a unique environment—one carefully defined and nurtured by leaders.

Working Great! shares author Rick Brimeyer’s most important lessons learned while leading within an employer’s successful Lean transformation and later as a consultant guiding several other organizations through their own makeovers. Unlike travel brochures and websites created by a tour company or the local visitors’ bureau for the sole purpose of promoting a highly predictable vacation trip, Working Great! strives to provide an honest, clear, culture-first handbook of leadership skills and techniques (with some tools) required to effectively guide one’s organization through a Lean expedition.