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The Work of Management: A Daily Path to Sustainable Improvement
“The book resonated with all levels of employees in our groups and they were fascinated with your results. The group felt this was the best book in regards to sustaining improvements they have read and now they know there is a way to maintain the improvements.” - Tim Bayer, president, Hansen Plastics Corporation (Read Tim’s complete comment in Customer Reviews)
The Work of ManagementA Daily Path to Sustainable Improvement
Author and CEO Jim Lancaster tells a practical and inspiring story on two levels. It’s a close-up, candid look at his personal transformation as a leader. It’s also a practical, in-depth, business case study of Lantech’s lean transformation, relapse, and comeback that American manufacturing – and other industries — can use to profitably transform themselves.
In his engaging story, Lancaster
Why Lantech, a stellar lean performer for a decade, struggled over time (like many other companies) to sustain gains and improve financial performance. >Why 60 to 90 minutes of daily frontline management activities are a CEO’s most important minutes of the day for sustaining and growing their business. 8 steps executives can take to lead experiments to create a bullet-proof, real-time daily management system without expensive consultants. Why daily management requires a major shift in managers’ mindsets and behaviors from giving orders and judging individuals on performance to asking questions and enabling good work by people at lower levels so metrics are routinely met. How daily management and sustainable continuous improvement produces dramatic positive effects on the bottom line. What happens in daily huddles where team members review how well they are sustaining gains and staying on track. How to practice true lean leadership in which "bosses" truly act like coaches -- not solving problems for people but asking them what they can to do help. How Lantech ties together all facets of the company in an integrated way (from sales to production). Why it deeply invests in the lean training and practice of every single employee every day. CEO to “Screw up your courage”
Lancaster knows the changes needed for daily management require courage by CEOs. “I have always had a problem convincing CEOs of one simple thing,” Lancaster writes. “They need to take the time to go where value is actually created. They need to learn to see the work and to see how their management system utterly fails to support the daily work. My most important advice is to screw up your courage, put aside your daily distractions, and walk out into the work to see how value is created at the frontline.”
The Work of ManagementA Daily Path to Sustainable Improvement
Author and CEO Jim Lancaster tells a practical and inspiring story on two levels. It’s a close-up, candid look at his personal transformation as a leader. It’s also a practical, in-depth, business case study of Lantech’s lean transformation, relapse, and comeback that American manufacturing – and other industries — can use to profitably transform themselves.
In his engaging story, Lancaster
Why Lantech, a stellar lean performer for a decade, struggled over time (like many other companies) to sustain gains and improve financial performance. >Why 60 to 90 minutes of daily frontline management activities are a CEO’s most important minutes of the day for sustaining and growing their business. 8 steps executives can take to lead experiments to create a bullet-proof, real-time daily management system without expensive consultants. Why daily management requires a major shift in managers’ mindsets and behaviors from giving orders and judging individuals on performance to asking questions and enabling good work by people at lower levels so metrics are routinely met. How daily management and sustainable continuous improvement produces dramatic positive effects on the bottom line. What happens in daily huddles where team members review how well they are sustaining gains and staying on track. How to practice true lean leadership in which "bosses" truly act like coaches -- not solving problems for people but asking them what they can to do help. How Lantech ties together all facets of the company in an integrated way (from sales to production). Why it deeply invests in the lean training and practice of every single employee every day. CEO to “Screw up your courage”
Lancaster knows the changes needed for daily management require courage by CEOs. “I have always had a problem convincing CEOs of one simple thing,” Lancaster writes. “They need to take the time to go where value is actually created. They need to learn to see the work and to see how their management system utterly fails to support the daily work. My most important advice is to screw up your courage, put aside your daily distractions, and walk out into the work to see how value is created at the frontline.”
141 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 3, 2017
74 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 10, 2018
Quite possibly one of the best management books I've read this year! Right there with Art Bryne's Lean Turnaround.
Written by a CEO, not by an academic, we get an insider's approach on how to foster a culture of lean and continuous improvement through active management. This book actually is a step-by-step guide on how Lantech transitioned its company from a good company to a great company, sorry Jim Collins. The author, the current CEO of Lantech, attributes to the success of the company to his sensei, his people, and his father. Pretty much everyone but himself. This humility makes him an excellent leader to emulate.
The founder of Lantech, the author's father, was an early adopter of lean and set the company up to be in good shape going into the first decade of the 21st century. When crisis struck during the economic recession of 2008 the new CEO realized he needed to do some things different. Coaxing his sensei out of retirement Jim Lancaster learned how to develop a respectful management strategy to move his company forward both financially and strategically. The book discusses not only what the management does, but why they do it. Highlighting on my kindle important passages was tough as there were times where the entire page was highlighted.
He concludes his book with a chapter on, from his learning, the steps to roll out lean management. He is clear that a company should not blindly copy what he did, but provides some solid guidelines for management and how to make lean part of management's everyday work.
When you read this book there are a lot of tactical things he stresses such as WAR walks and kaizen but the thing that stands out the most is his belief in respecting his people. As you read his journey of success, failure, and growth, it becomes obvious that this book was written as a labor of love.
My opinion is this should be required reading everyone holding a title of Director or higher.
Written by a CEO, not by an academic, we get an insider's approach on how to foster a culture of lean and continuous improvement through active management. This book actually is a step-by-step guide on how Lantech transitioned its company from a good company to a great company, sorry Jim Collins. The author, the current CEO of Lantech, attributes to the success of the company to his sensei, his people, and his father. Pretty much everyone but himself. This humility makes him an excellent leader to emulate.
The founder of Lantech, the author's father, was an early adopter of lean and set the company up to be in good shape going into the first decade of the 21st century. When crisis struck during the economic recession of 2008 the new CEO realized he needed to do some things different. Coaxing his sensei out of retirement Jim Lancaster learned how to develop a respectful management strategy to move his company forward both financially and strategically. The book discusses not only what the management does, but why they do it. Highlighting on my kindle important passages was tough as there were times where the entire page was highlighted.
He concludes his book with a chapter on, from his learning, the steps to roll out lean management. He is clear that a company should not blindly copy what he did, but provides some solid guidelines for management and how to make lean part of management's everyday work.
When you read this book there are a lot of tactical things he stresses such as WAR walks and kaizen but the thing that stands out the most is his belief in respecting his people. As you read his journey of success, failure, and growth, it becomes obvious that this book was written as a labor of love.
My opinion is this should be required reading everyone holding a title of Director or higher.
May 17, 2018
Great action book for everyone who wants to execute change
From this book you can read one story of the change. It would be nice to have small book from bob where he tells snippets of the story from his perspective so we could get the whole coach vs. coachee dynamic. The system that you find from this book is one that works if you just decide to really do it and not “do” it.
From this book you can read one story of the change. It would be nice to have small book from bob where he tells snippets of the story from his perspective so we could get the whole coach vs. coachee dynamic. The system that you find from this book is one that works if you just decide to really do it and not “do” it.
July 17, 2018
Decent book. Not too long with fluff. It says what it needs to say. I appreciated walking through Jim Lancaster's journey toward standardized daily work. He makes several points that are well worth remembering, like sand castle maintenance, process deterioration, the importance of maintenance before true improvement, etc.
January 19, 2018
Begins with great insight into his operation, inspiring you to do similar things for yourself/ your business. Later, goes into unnecessary details which the author acknowledges. Not the BEST Lean book, but a good one. A quick red.
November 25, 2018
The system descrideb in the book actually work for any company, from cars to labs, and anybody can do it. You just need to get out of your comfort zone and learn to see the real work of management (in de Gemba).
November 6, 2017
Written by the CEO of the organization made famous (outside of Toyota) in Lean Thinking. Lessons learned by a CEO who had to start over and go beyond the simple tools!
September 15, 2020
Good book
Few insights to implement lean, at the end every company find what fit best for them this is good example how they face and using lean thinking and developing tools
Few insights to implement lean, at the end every company find what fit best for them this is good example how they face and using lean thinking and developing tools
March 20, 2022
Good into into lean prinicples.
3 star- good to read once
3 star- good to read once
Want to read
May 2, 2024Recommended by David Solomon 4/30/24 during Module 1 of A3 Thinking Training
December 27, 2024
Step-by-step insights from a leader learning as he goes
This is a rare kind of book. The honesty and realizations described will be useful to everyone who takes it seriously.
This is a rare kind of book. The honesty and realizations described will be useful to everyone who takes it seriously.
January 20, 2026
Buen libro, que en el ámbito de Lean describe muy bien el caso de éxito y aprendizajes de Lantech en la implementación de un sistema de gestión diario de mejora.
February 17, 2018
It is about lean principles in manufacturing but this book contains some insights that could be applied in other areas. And it is highly practical.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews