Coaching for Leaders24 Mars 2025

726: Make Work Better Through Simplicity, with Paul Akers

Paul Akers: 2 Second Lean

Paul Akers is the founder and president of FastCap, a product development company specializing in woodworking tools and hardware for the professional builder. Through a series of twists and turns he discovered Lean and the Toyota Production System (TPS) which was instrumental in propelling FastCap as an example of Lean manufacturing and culture, now followed by thousands of companies around the world. He is the author of 2 Second Lean: How to Grow People and Build a Fun Lean Culture at Work & at Home*.

We often add more in order to make a system better. The opposite tactic is often more useful: making things simpler. In this conversation, Paul and I explore how to make worker better by starting small.

Key Points

Your pride will blind you to what you most need to learn.
Begin by addressing the things that bug you. Lean is about making things simpler.
Instead of batching, consider one-piece flow. This helps you improve as you go.
Set the standard at 2 seconds to try something new. Anybody can achieve that.
Start in the bathroom. Showing respect in the place everybody visits sets a standard for the rest of the organization.
To make something stick, (1) set the expectation, (2) inspect the expectation, (3) reinforce the expectation.

Resources Mentioned

Interview Notes

Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

Related Episodes

How To Create Joy At Work, with Richard Sheridan (episode 122)
Engaging People Through Change, with Cassandra Worthy (episode 571)
How to Change the Way You Think, with Ari Weinzweig (episode 592)

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