The Remedy: Bringing Lean Thinking Out of the Factory to Transform the Entire Organization

Chapter 11. My Beautiful Mind—Leaning Out Our Supply Chain

It was late January and the trees were glazed with ice. The glow of Christmas had subsided and we settled in for a few more months of winter. My relationship with my ex-wife continued to improve. Teal and I had become a team committed to raising our daughters together. Sophie and Helen sensed the change and were happy. Teal had joined an Internet dating service and had some prospects. I was pleased for her.

Sarah and I were getting along as well as ever. Over the holidays we took the kids to see the Nutcracker ballet at Lincoln Center, Sarah pointing out the famous Chagall tapestries. We went skating at Rockefeller Center, saw Santa at Macy's, and took in Fifth Avenue's glorious shop windows. "Sarah is a great girl," Harry told me. "You should snap her up."

I agreed with him. Should I wait until after Chloe's launch, I wondered?

Chloe was on track. Plans were clear, problems visible, and team members engaged. We were applying our transformation plan effectively. Focused kaizen and the Lean Coordinator Network had spread across the value stream—at differing rates, but that was normal. Another wave of executive development had begun. Chloe's design team had come up with elegant and inexpensive improvements that lined up well with our True North. Obeyas had blossomed across the platform and had improved problem solving and decision making. Barring the unforeseen, Chloe would launch on time, on budget, and with quality.

Art Juna's ...