Traditional leadership training rarely produces leaders capable of sustaining performance through Lean transformation. Lasting change occurs only when leaders internalize Lean principles and consistently apply them in how they think, decide, and lead. Until leadership behavior changes, Lean remains a set of tools—not an operating system—and performance gains will not endure.
Lean Focus builds leadership capability by changing how leaders think, act, and lead—every day.
When leaders at every level consistently practice the right behaviors, culture shifts naturally and performance sustains. The goal is not inspiration or awareness, but leadership behaviors that reinforce improvement, accountability, and respect through daily execution. Within the Leadership Practice, three principles form the foundation for transformation: Leaders Teach, Go See For Yourself, and Respect for People. Together, they move leaders beyond managing outcomes to shaping the conditions where continuous improvement and sustainable performance can thrive.
Principle 1: Leaders Teach builds organizational capability by shifting leadership from directing work to developing people.
Instead of hoarding knowledge or providing answers, leaders strengthen problem-solving by asking the right questions and coaching teams closest to the work. Over time, capability compounds—creating a workforce that identifies, solves, and prevents problems independently. This is the foundation of a culture that improves continuously without relying on management heroics.
Principle 2: Go See For Yourself replaces assumptions with firsthand understanding.
Rather than relying solely on reports and dashboards, leaders engage directly where work happens to see problems, constraints, and opportunities as they truly exist. Decisions improve because they’re grounded in fact, not abstraction. Just as importantly, leadership presence builds trust and models the curiosity required for continuous improvement.
Principle 3: Respect for People unlocks engagement by treating employees as problem solvers, not resources to be managed.
When leaders value frontline insight, create psychological safety, and involve people in improving their own work, engagement rises and resistance falls. The result is a workforce that takes ownership of performance and actively contributes to improvement. Sustainable Lean cultures are built through participation—and participation follows respect.
The Lean Focus Business System™ (LBS™) turns leadership principles into execution.
Within the Leadership Practice, Leaders Teach, Go See Yourself, and Respect for People are embedded through the proven tools and disciplines of the Lean Focus Business System™. Applied side-by-side with seasoned, senior-level practitioners, LBS™ shapes how leaders think, behave, and lead—building the capability, accountability, and trust required to sustain performance across the enterprise, regardless of industry or geography.
Sustainable performance depends on how
leaders behave—every day.
A conversation with Lean Focus is a working session, not a pitch. Our senior-level LBS™ practitioners will show how the Lean Focus Business System™ shapes leadership behaviors that build capability, accountability, and trust—creating a culture that sustains performance long after the engagement ends.
Industry Experience of Our Leadership Practice
EVS
AUTO COMPONENTS
HOME FURNISHINGS
BIOPHARMACEUTICALS
AEROSPACE & DEFENSE
DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT
PERFORMANCE MATERIALS
TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS
GENOMICS & PRECISION MEDICINE
INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY
IMPLANTABLE DEVICES
PATIENT MONITORING
LIFE SCIENCE TOOLS
BUILDING MATERIALS
TEST & MEASUREMENT
SECURITY SYSTEMS
HVAC SYSTEMS
& MORE
Organizations We’ve Helped To Develop Leaders
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.
Contact Our
Leadership Practice Today.
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.
Leadership Practice Client Testimonials
Start A Conversation With Our Leadership Practice
"*" indicates required fields
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
© Lean Focus, LLC | All Rights Reserved | Privacy & Terms
Marketing Agency: Pop-Dot
Social
Podcast
