Lean Leadership Course Being Planned For Early Fall

Maintaining the momentum once an organization launches its lean journey can be the most difficult part of the initiative. The role of a leader is a very difficult one as in the lean way of managing, the leader is no longer the hard task master of old, but a mentor. The leader's job is to ensure that those persons under his or her charge are supported and equipped to become the continuous improvement, problem solving culture that lean is based upon.

So how does the leader learn to be most effective? The answer is by learning that role.

ATAC is developing a special training course for high-level managers that over a multi-day session will provide training in the role of the leader. Content will include such areas as visual managment and auditing, mentoring, problem solving, strategy development and strategy deployment, and a variety of hands-on activities designed to not only teach those skills, but also, to provide a mechanism to make the lessons stick. Those who have participated in ATAC's continuous improvement training previously know that "sticking" mechanism involves involvement.

Our Lean Team members are preparing a program that likely will involve a two-day training session in a concentrated and intense training environment. We also are working on a special treat as a part of the training package that could require an extra day -- say a Saturday -- during Auburn's football season!

More information and details are forthcoming, but I wanted to provide a little bit of a concept description now so that those who may be interested in participating can begin thinking about it and making plans. Most likely, we will offer the course in the September timeframe here in Auburn.

Oh yes, and we certainly welcome your comments and suggestions. You can provide those simply by posting a comment to this blog, or, send us an email. My address: emmonmb@auburn.edu.