Agenda & Presenters

Details:  We all crave recognition, yet we often hesitate to give it. The paradox? While authentic praise energizes and motivates, we don’t always see ourselves as the source—creating a cycle of unrecognized efforts. Employees who feel unseen are three times more likely to quit, while those who feel valued are more engaged, productive, and committed.

Details:  Lean leaders widely recognize the importance of respect for people, but translating this principle into everyday leadership behavior can be challenging. Even the most skilled leaders can alienate or discourage teams if they do not believe you are listening or see inconsistencies between what you say and what you do. This gap between what leaders know and what they consistently do can undermine trust and hinder improvement efforts. Lean gives us powerful tools to analyze problems and continuously improve processes. But to make, spread, and sustain change, people need to understand its purpose, feel that their contributions are valued, and stay engaged over time. To do all this effectively, leaders and coaches need to demonstrate respect for people through active listening and effective storytelling.

Details:  Leveraging Value Stream Mapping (VSM) allows teams to visualize and optimize end-to-end workflows, identifying inefficiencies and aligning efforts with business value. When value stream processes are defined, it guides teams toward shared outcomes. Success is measured through well-defined tiered metrics that track quality, delivery, costs, and customer experience, enabling data-driven decisions and continuous improvement.

Details:  Every business leader wants stronger performance, better accountability, and sustainable growth, yet many unknowingly manage in ways that limit their team’s potential. In this practical and engaging session, Anne Frewin shows how everyday leadership behaviors directly influence productivity, profitability, customer experience, and retention. Drawing on real-world examples and proven operational principles, participants will learn simple, actionable strategies to communicate clearly, surface problems early, and build teams that take ownership of results. Attendees will leave with tools they can apply immediately - whether they lead 5 employees or 500.

Details:  Lean delivers powerful results, yet many improvement efforts struggle to sustain gains in real-world conditions. This session explores how those challenges often stem from system designs based on overly optimistic assumptions about human cognitive and physical capabilities. By introducing Human Factors as a core Lean skillset, the presentation reframes common issues such as errors, rework, and workarounds as design problems rather than people problems. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how to design processes that align with how work is actually performed. The session will conclude with a live demonstration illustrating the impact of cognitive and physical workload on performance during an inspection task.

Details:  A fun, after-lunchtime way to build camaraderie with our fellow Lean practitioners!

Details:  In today’s resource strained environment, efficiency is no longer optional—it’s essential. This session explores how organizations across industries can use Lean thinking and process improvement to stay focused, resilient, and impactful despite limited budgets and staffing. Drawing on real world experience, Dagmar Vlahos shares how empowering people as problem solvers and fostering curiosity can drive meaningful results. Attendees will leave with practical insights to identify inefficiencies, engage teams, and lead change with purpose—regardless of role or industry.

Details:  We’ve all been there! You are asked to help a team make an improvement or fix a problem and quickly learn that those you are working with don’t have the skills or capacity to sustain the endeavor. They look to you for every aspect of the effort from managing the project, managing change, applying continuous improvement skills, and leading the charge. A lack of clarity on roles and responsibilities combined with gaps in skills can lead to staff feeling overwhelmed by “extra work” and leaders unsure how to support the project.This session pulls back the curtain on the sometimes messy but critical reality we all face when working with teams across our organizations. How can we move away from being the super doer of every project? Instead of filling the gaps, how can we become the architects of the effort and coach in ways that allow others to ultimately do and own the work?

Details:  As a CI practitioner, I am always asking myself, “How can I convince leaders to listen to me when it comes to strategic decisions and culture?” This is the question many of us face in organizations, and the answer might surprise you. This is not a capability gap, it’s a credibility gap. Building credibility is not about implementing tools and doing exactly what is asked of you. It’s about how you show up in every interaction, every day. In this session, we’ll uncover the secret sauce to building credibility in your organization so you are seen as THE go to person for solving problems, making strategic decisions, and leading culture change. Through storytelling, lots of participation, and some laugh-out-loud moments, Kelly will take you on a journey of discovering the true secrets to boosting your credibility.

Details:  A popular "Maine-ism" you may hear (especially during the summer!) is: “You can’t get there from here”— but Lean proves the opposite. Too often, people dwell on the illusion that most Lean transformations fail; that the amazing results they see shared on social media are all true. While perhaps well-intentioned, these do the Lean community a disservice by telling us that there is one way to accomplish "better". This sessions proves that WRONG.In this session, we'll map out what a real Lean journey looks like: from day one, all the way through a sustained transformation, highlighting the common detours, roadblocks, and false shortcuts organizations encounter along the way. Attendees will learn how to navigate resistance, avoid typical pitfalls, and build the leadership, culture, and problem-solving habits needed to actually arrive at your destination.

Details:  A short recap of the day and a thank you from Anne and Paul