The moment I was exposed to Lean performance improvement in 2012, it was love at first sight! As a former healthcare employee, I was always trying to understand how to add more value to our patients and reduce wait times and complexity. So, meeting Lean consultants was like finding "my family" - a group of people with a common vocabulary who were dedicated to running experiments to help eliminate waste and do better for our collective customers.
Following graduate school, my intrigue in Lean took me to Seattle Children's Hospital, where I served as a post-graduate administrative fellow for two years. Seattle Children's was nationally known for their dedication to continuous performance improvement, and I was so grateful for the extensive executive coaching and coursework they provided me as I practiced my skills as a hospital manager. My learning and development as a fellow included an Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) study trip to Detroit, Michigan. It was there that I first saw the application of Lean in city government. A seed was planted!
After returning to the Midwest, I obtained an outside certification in Lean management and began developing and delivering training through the University of Kansas Public Management Center. There, I trained city government, federal agencies, law enforcement leaders, and more on the fundamental skills in continuous performance improvement. I also continued my own practice in Lean leadership, serving as a hospital quality leader and national quality improvement consultant.
I've crafted training sessions for both in-person and virtual settings. With that said, I've found that performance improvement training is most effective when participants practice the skills immediately through hands-on activities. I prefer to deliver these programs in person when possible, so I can more easily oversee the exercises and coach in the moment.
In-person training ranges from half- to two-day workshops, and virtual training is typically 90 minutes.
In this amount of time, you can expect participants to gain skills that can immediately be put into practice to support their critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities.
What you can't expect is a massive organizational culture change. If you're interested in discussing a longer-term engagement (including leadership coaching), please let me know. I'll see if I can meet your needs or refer you to a trusted colleague!
Clients have shared a number of benefits from Lean training, including:
"This woman knows her stuff. She was incredibly articulate and knowledgable."
"She had the best presentation style I have ever worked with. Very impressed she was able to adjust the agenda based on our discussion."
Here's a sneak peek at one of my Lean performance improvement workshops. This has been offered virtually and as part of a broader in-person training.
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