Just for fun…
I find there’s something intriguing about a horoscope and knowing what the stars predict. For a bit of fun, we decided to create a “Lean Horoscope”. This amusing post contains snippets worth thinking about…you’ll want to read them all!
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Aries: Today is a great day to implement some lean manufacturing principles! Use your love of competition to structure a 5S challenge or to take your supervisors on a competitive waste walk. Focus on identifying safety issues or removing unnecessary tasks. You’ll be amazed how much you can uncover. And no matter who wins…everybody wins!
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Taurus: It’s time to take a hard look at your production lines. Are there areas that could benefit from a little more efficiency…eliminate some unplanned equipment stops, perhaps? Start questioning, and work with your natural teams to make changes – even small adjustments can make a big difference in the long run.
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Gemini: Your quick thinking and adaptability will come in handy as you work on optimizing your processes. Keep an open mind and be willing to try new approaches – remember to keep a strong focus on the social as you implement the technical, you’ll be surprised by how much more effective this will be.
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Cancer: Don’t let perfectionism hold you back. Look for incremental changes that make the process, task, or job more efficient. Circle back again and again to find the next best way. Focus on what’s truly essential, aim for “good”, not perfect. This will allow you to continually make meaningful improvements.
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Leo: Lean implementation will put your natural leadership skills to the test. Improving the manufacturing process begins and ends with strong leaders. Avoid the temptation to delegate Lean leadership responsibilities. Be present in the workplace. Interact with team members, listen, teach, coach, and encourage collaboration. Together, you will achieve great things!
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Virgo: You love a good system – and Lean is all about creating systemic change! Use your analytical skills to identify areas of waste in your process — admin and manufacturing. Work with area teams to employ lean techniques and find new ways of working. Set new standards and create a visual daily management system to communicate and sustain the change.
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Libra: Your sense of balance and harmony will come in handy as you refine both your lean production system and lean management systems. Continue working to streamline your admin and manufacturing processes. And don’t lose sight of the needs of all stakeholders – from employees to customers to shareholders.
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Scorpio: You’re no stranger to hard work – but sometimes you need to step back and assess whether all that effort is really paying off. If something isn’t working, stop, reassess, tweak, and move forward again. Don’t stay the course if the course isn’t taking you where you need to go. The lean approach is about experimentation and learning, so don’t be afraid to cry UNCLE.
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Sagittarius: Your thirst for knowledge will come in handy. Understanding what’s really happening helps you improve…so what is the data telling you? A good set of key performance indicators, bowlers, and targets-to-improve will serve you well. Collect and analyze your data, it will point you in the right direction. Then embrace Lean principles to make change happen.
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Capricorn: You’re a natural at planning and organization – but even the best-laid plan is wasteful if it is not put in action. Use your skills to structure improvement events, then employ the scientific method of plan-do-check-act to execute. Keep experimentation cycles short and apply the learning in the next cycle. These short learning cycles will keep you moving forward.
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Aquarius: Your innovative spirit will be put to good use as the focus shifts to finding new value propositions for existing customers and new customers for existing value propositions. Customer experiences, distribution channels, modes of delivery, partner networks and market spaces all go under the microscope. Innovations will keep you ahead in a fast-changing world.
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Pisces: Your intuition and empathy make you a natural for understanding the needs of others. Use these skills to identify reoccurring problems. Employ a simple-to-use problem-solving tool and engage your teams in the problem-solving process. A good problem statement will get you started, and the structured approach will get you to root-cause. Your associates will be grateful!
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In today’s stress laden environment, it’s good to bring a bit of levity. But, make no mistake, we are very serious about continuous improvement and helping organizations achieve their best. Need help with growth, lowering COGS, creating better customer experiences, improving productivity, whatever it takes to boost performance…we can help. Give us a call (800-966-5423) or send an email by clicking this link.