As an organization we are entering the 6th year of our Lean journey.  In some ways it feels like it has been an eternity and in others it feels like we just got started.  Unlike many Lean organizations that had their journey start with a zealot leader at the top our journey can be described as a long enrollment process.   A process that started in small pockets within the organization, slowly spread through the early adopter ranks, gained attention of the senior leadership and is now become a system that is integrated into “how we run the business.”  Literally, our transformation has happened one leader at a time. 

This process described above has not happened organically, but instead has been defined and moved along by a group of Lean Champions that really started as a handful and has grown in number each year.  Meeting late at night and early in the morning this group week by week and year by year...................

by Lee Fried, read more on: http://dailykaizen.org/