Traditional leadership training programs are incapable of producing leaders who can build truly sustainable Lean organizations. In fact, successful Lean transformations are not possible until the Lean principles which underlie Lean processes are learned, embodied, and applied by a company’s leadership team.
We teach hundreds of Lean principles in order to develop Lean leadership capabilities.
When your entire leadership team—from senior executives to frontline managers—practices the behaviors and mindsets that define Lean, lasting cultural transformation is possible. The Leadership Practice of Lean Focus trains a full spectrum of Lean principles to build leaders who inspire change, eliminate waste, sustain continuous improvement, and beyond. Among the hundreds of Lean principles we install, Leaders Teach, Go See Yourself, and Respect for People represent three core principles that transform traditional managers into leaders capable of creating sustainable Lean cultures.
Principle 1: Leaders Teach builds capability, while traditional management hoards knowledge.
Traditional leadership models position executives as decision-makers who direct action from above. Information flows upward, decisions flow downward, and the people closest to the work remain dependent on management for guidance. The Lean principle of Leaders Teach demands that leaders actively develop the problem-solving capabilities of their teams. Rather than providing answers, Lean leaders ask questions that build critical thinking. They coach, mentor, and create learning opportunities at every level. When your leadership team embodies this principle, organizational capability compounds over time. The result is a workforce that identifies and solves problems independently, which is the foundation of any sustainable Lean culture.
Principle 2: Go See Yourself eliminates assumptions, while traditional leadership relies on reports.
Traditional leaders manage from conference rooms, relying on dashboards, summaries, and secondhand information to understand operations. This distance creates blind spots where problems fester and improvement opportunities remain invisible. The Lean principle of Go See Yourself demands that leaders regularly observe work where it happens, engaging directly with frontline employees to understand reality. When your leadership team practices this principle, they make decisions grounded in fact rather than assumption. They demonstrate respect by being present, and they model the curiosity that continuous improvement requires. A sustainable Lean culture cannot exist when leaders are disconnected from the work. This principle closes that gap.
Principle 3: Respect for People unlocks engagement, while traditional leadership demands compliance.
Traditional leadership often treats employees as resources to be managed, controlled, and directed toward predetermined outcomes. This approach generates compliance at best, and disengagement, turnover, and resistance at worst. The Lean principle of Respect for People demands that leaders genuinely value the insights, capabilities, and contributions of every individual. This means creating psychological safety for raising concerns, involving people in decisions that affect their work, and investing in their growth. When your leadership team embodies this principle, employees become active participants in improvement rather than passive recipients of directives. Sustainable Lean cultures are built by engaged workforces, and engagement flows from respect.
The Lean Focus Business System™ (LBS™) turns principles into practice.
The hundreds of Lean principles which must be learned and embodied in order to create a sustainable organization—including the three above—are reliably developed using the Tools contained within the Leadership Practice of LBS™. These Tools represent systematic activities—workshops, coaching sessions, and process implementations—that your organization’s leadership team will undertake side-by-side with our seasoned, senior-level practitioners. The Lean Focus Business System™ is truly among the most respected business systems in the world, providing repeatable, proven solutions that work across industries and countries.
Lean business transformation begins when you transform traditional leaders into Lean Leaders.
Contact the senior-level LBS Experts of our Leadership Practice today to schedule a presentation of the Lean Focus Business System™. During this session, we’ll demonstrate exactly how the proven Tools of the Leadership Practice will transform your company’s leadership group into a team that can create a long-lasting, sustainable Lean culture.
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A Selection of Businesses Our Leadership Practice Has Served
Our Leadership Practice Regional Leaders
DENNIS MABES
Lean Focus North America
+1 (630) 800-8519
[email protected]
About Dennis
Dennis has over 37 years of experience in Human Resource Management with most of his career leading large HR organizations at Danaher, Fortive, Kollmorgen, and Cooper Industries including Group Vice President for the Industrial Technologies segment ($3B+ and 50 global locations) at Danaher. Following the spin-off of Fortive from Danaher, he led Global Talent Management & Leadership Development at Fortive. A hands-on leader, Dennis is comfortable on the shop floor working with employees or with C-Suite executives creating Human Capital Strategy & Deployment. He’s passionate about improving employee involvement to drive Lean processes and achieve real results. He holds a BS in Marketing and an MS in Management (HR focus) from Virginia Tech.
A hands-on leader, Dennis is comfortable on the shop floor working with employees or with C-Suite executives creating human capital strategy and deployment. He’s passionate about improving employee involvement to drive Lean processes and achieve real results.
MANUEL JANS, PHD.
Lean Focus Europe
+49 173 2505762
[email protected]
About Manuel
Manuel has over 20 years of experience in Human Resource Management and Organizational Development. He has initially provided support for lean business transformations at all levels as a HR Consultant and later by leading customer-focused Talent and HR organizations in multi-national companies (up to $2.2B and 40+ locations). His assignments include various Talent leader roles at Danaher´s Water Quality Business and Head of HR positions in Pharma and Biotech. As an entrepreneur he has (co-)founded start-up businesses and professional networks. He is passionate about applying lean and agile thinking to build, improve and sustain impactful HR and talent practices, placing and developing key talent to drive the transformation journey, and building a lean leadership culture at all levels of the organization. Manuel holds a MBA (Diplom-Kaufmann) and Ph.D. in Business Administration (HR focus) from Essen University.
MICHAEL REINHOLT ANDERSEN
Lean Focus Nordic
+45 4030 3080
[email protected]
About Michael
Michael is the CEO of Lean Focus Nordic, bringing over 25 years of leadership experience. His career includes ~18 years at Danaher Corporation, where he held multiple executive roles, including General Manager/Managing Director Dentistry and Biotech businesses, as well as several VP Operations & Supply Chain and VP of Lean Business Transformation. In his role as Danaher Corporate Director, he was responsible for Danaher Business System implementation in EU. Most recently, he led Operations & Supply Chain of a $1B acute care diagnostics business, transforming it into one of Danaher’s most Lean-mature organizations.
An expert in driving transformational change, Michael specializes in implementing Lean practices and applying Lean business systems in large-scale organizations to enhance quality, delivery, innovation speed, and cost efficiency. He has successfully led cross-functional Lean transformations across diverse industries, cultivating high-performing, problem-solving cultures on a global scale.
Michael is renowned for driving radical business transformations and delivering impactful results. He excels in building enduring cultures of Continuous Improvement, anchored in collaboration, empowerment, and mutual respect.
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Leadership Practice Case Study
W. L. Gore & Associates: Building Leadership Capability to Sustain Lean Transformation
$5.3 Billion
In Annual Revenue
13,000+
Associates
1. Challenge
W. L. Gore & Associates, renowned for its innovative culture and associate ownership model, was preparing to embark on a comprehensive Lean Transformation that would fundamentally restructure the organization from a heavily centralized model to an Operating Company (OpCo) structure. Leadership recognized a critical gap: while the transformation would reposition the enterprise for greater market responsiveness, Gore’s leaders lacked the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to sustain a Lean culture through and beyond this transition. Leaders would need to embody a Lean mindset while supporting Gore’s highly-engaged associate culture and preserving the innovative spirit at the heart of the company’s competitive advantage.
2. Opportunity
The transformation presented an opportunity to develop leadership capability across the entire organization that would enable Gore to successfully navigate structural change while maintaining cultural strengths. By equipping leaders—from senior executives to frontline managers—with the behaviors, mindsets, and practical skills that define Lean leadership, Gore could ensure lasting cultural transformation. This leadership development would position the company to drive continuous improvement, eliminate waste, inspire change, and sustain innovation throughout the new Operating Company model.
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Lean Focus North America
P: +1 (630) 800-8519
E: [email protected]
Lean Focus Europe
P: +49 173 2505762
E: [email protected]
Lean Focus Nordic
P: +45 4030 3080
E: [email protected]
International Phone Number: +1 (630) 800-8519
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