PEOPLE
Lean Leader Programme
Building the Skills to Lead Continuous Improvement
Lean
Transformation
Lead with
Purpose
Engage People &
Strengthen Culture
Why Attend?
Public cohorts are delivered in Manchester, the programme blends Lean thinking, leadership development, and operational excellence, giving participants the practical tools and mindset needed to lead change.
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Learn What Makes Lean Work – Understand the principles behind world-class improvement systems.
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Lead with Purpose – Learn how to craft vision, align teams, and create shared direction.
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Engage People & Strengthen Culture – Build trust, empower teams, and foster accountability.
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Improve Performance & Embed Change – Apply structured problem-solving and Lean management systems.
Course Structure
The programme runs over two consecutive days from 8:30–16:30, including breaks and lunch. It includes practical activities, team exercises, and real-world application of tools and frameworks.
Day 1
Principles & People
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Module 1: Introduction
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Team Introductions
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Key Concepts and Guiding Principles of Lean and Operational Excellence:
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History of Lean: Ford, Shewart, Maslow, Deming, Ohno, Shingo and Smith
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Lean Principles: Customer Value, Value Stream, Flow, Pull and the Pursuit of Perfection
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Identification & Elimination of Waste: TIMWOODS, VA, ENVA, NVA
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Operational Excellence - insights into the Shingo Model
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Systems Thinking
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Module 2: People
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What is culture? Behaviours and the key factors that drive culture
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Creating the right environment:
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Psychological Safety
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Responsibility & Accountability
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Empowering Teams
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Recognition
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Lean Culture: Respect for All, Trust, Customer Focus, Learning Organisations
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Leadership Vs Management Analysis
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Leadership Styles: Traditional Vs Lean
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Managing effective change: QxE=A
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Understanding Resistance to Change: Stakeholder Analysis and Motivation
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Change Models: Lewin, ADKAR, Kotter
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Growth Vs Fixed Mindset
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Leader as a Coach: Practical Applications
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Practical Team Exercise
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Day 2
Purpose & Process
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Module 3: Purpose
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Doing the right things - Defining the Goal, Starting with the End in Mind (Covey)
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Vision, Mission, and Values: Definitions and why they are important
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Developing a Shared & Compelling Sense of Purpose
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Leading Purpose: Crafting the Message & Communication
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Building the Purpose: Alignment, Strategy Development & Hoshin Kanri
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Measuring the right things: SMART Goals, Measurement, Reporting
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Business Performance Measurement: SQCDP, Leading Vs Lagging
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Leading Team Performance Timeline
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Module 4: Process
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Continuous Improvement Approach
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Problems as Opportunities
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PDCA Discipline
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What Leadership tools do we have?
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Lean Management Systems: Visual Management, Regular Accountability, Tiered Meetings, Leader Standard Work
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Sustaining the Gains: Standard Setting
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Promoting an Improvement Culture
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The 7 Quality Tools: Control Charts, Casuse & Effect, Scatter Plot, Histogram, Process Mapping, Pareto, Tally Sheets
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Bringing it all together
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Who Should Attend?
This programme is ideal for:
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Operational Managers – Responsible for leading teams and delivering daily results
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Operational Directors– Looking to improve engagement, efficiency, and performance
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Continuous Improvement Leads – Seeking to enhance leadership and coaching capability
Programme Details
Duration – Two days
Location – Trafford Park, Manchester
Format – In-person workshop with interactive activities, team exercises, and coaching support
Looking for a public workshop?
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