Discover What Your Frontline is Capable Of: Norman Bodek on The Lean Frontline Podcast

This week, the Lean Frontline Podcast features the “godfather of Lean,” Norman Bodek, and his strategies for helping your frontline employees grow.

Bodek secured his spot on In Industry Week’s Manufacturing Hall of Fame through the role he played in bringing Lean management theory to the West. He published dozens of Japanese management books in English, including the works of the Toyota Production System inventors Dr. Shigeo Shingo and Taiichi Ohno. Bodek also has authored several of his own books on improvement, including The Harada Method the Spirit of Self-Reliance.

The Harada method is a systematic approach for achieving specific goals. It was developed by Japanese high school teacher Takashi Harada as a method for pursuing “hitozukuri,” or the process of educating and forming people. At its heart, the Harada method is about building self-reliance. It aims to develop employees who can set their own goals for personal and company improvement.

In this week’s podcast, Bodek shares with host Errette Dunn, Rever co-founder and CEO, how Lean leaders like Ohno encouraged employees to innovate on solutions by setting big goals without limiting employees on how to reach them.

As Bodek puts it, “People don’t know what they’re capable of.” The Harada method is one way to find out. It’s about opening up the ideas that are locked inside your frontline – and giving those employees the tools to grow.

“The greatest gift you can give a human being is to give them the skills to improve themself,” Bodek says.

For the full interview, tune in to The Lean Frontline.