The Execution Dilemma
Blue-Collar Kaizen: Leading Lean & Lean Teams
This program is based on Mack Story’s many years as a Lean Consultant logging over 11,000 hours leading 100’s of kaizen events and 1,000’s of cross-functional team members. The job of the Lean leader is to connect, communicate, generate buy-in, facilitate team-based decisions, remove obstacles, get results, and sustain the gains.
What the Organization Gets: Events that support a culture of kaizen, not a binder on a shelf.
What they learn in the room:
- How to lead and engage Lean teams
- How to generate buy-in to the change and to the person leading it
- How to minimize frustration, resistance, and confusion
- How to engage, empower, and encourage, so gains survive week two – and beyond
- How to build a culture of kaizen where improvement is expected
“Only 2% of Lean Leaders create dynamic Lean cultures by focusing on growing people, and not the bottom line.” ~ Paul Akers
Built For:
☑️ Lean leaders, industrial engineers, coordinators, CI managers, supervisors leading events
☑️ Manufacturing, construction, operations, and plants that already “do Lean” but aren’t getting the desired results
☑️ Companies tired of events that look good on Friday and are forgotten about on Monday
Not Built For:
❌ Those only interested in learning the Lean tools with no focus on leadership development
❌ Leaders who want to do Lean “to” the people instead of “with” the people
❌ Leaders who expect people to lead events without first being taught how to lead people
How This Works:
Most companies begin with a 2-4 hour on-site session, followed by supporting book studies and access to Blue-Collar Leadership® Academy, so the training does not stop when we leave. Choose a package that fits your needs, budget, and aligns with how fast and how far you want to go.
1) A 30-minute Intro Call
We learn about your team, your challenges, and your goals.
2) Live, On-site Session
Most companies begin with 2-4 hours of training for the initial session.
3) Learn. Grow. Apply.
The live session is just the beginning. The Blue-Collar Leadership® books and Academy videos keep it from fading by next Friday. Behavior changes day to day, not in a day.
4) Improve Results
Develop leaders capable of reducing frustration, generating buy-in, and sustaining the gains.
Mack Story achieved amazing results while leading a 3 year Lean transformation from traditional batch & queue to Lean single piece flow in a manufacturing/assembly plant with 200+ employees. Blue-Collar Kaizen introduces the principles of influence Mack used to generate buy-in during the transformation.
Need something different? We also offer:
- Keynote to open a meeting, conference, or to kick off corporate training
- Motivational/Inspirational year end wrap up or kickstart to the new year
- Multi-session series if you want multiple training sessions
- Online video course only, if a live session isn’t preferred
- Blue-Collar Kaizen book, e-book, and audiobook
- Introduction to the Lean Tools: Lean 101 Online Video Training Course or in-person training
These Blue-Collar Leadership® Academy preview videos offer a sample of the online training course on Blue-Collar Kaizen and our Lean 101 course. The content is also very similar to what we could cover in a live training session on either of these topics. However, our live sessions are much more engaging, entertaining, and filled with motivational/inspirational stories.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How long is this program?
Blue-Collar Kaizen is available as a keynote (~1 or 2 hours), breakout session, half-day or full-day workshop, multi-session series, and online video training course (~8 hours in 15 minute videos). Most companies begin with a 2-4 hour session (Recommended).
Who is this program for?
Ideal For: Lean Leaders • Industrial Engineers • Continuous Improvement Coordinators • Supervisors • Managers in Process-Driven Environments
Is this training virtual or in-person?
We offer both options: an in-person on-site live training session for your team or keynote for your conference as well as our online video training course through Blue-Collar Leadership® Academy.