Having Problems Is Not a Problem!
A Lean Leader's Perspective on Embracing Challenges
Originally posted on December 19, 2024
Yes, really - and I'm even proud of it! 🤩
This phrase guides my daily leadership approach at Bpifrance's Digital Factory.
And you know what? I regularly find myself quoting Claude Lelouch's film (Men, Women: A User's Manual): "The worst is never disappointing." This isn't a pessimistic view of life - quite the contrary! It's an invitation to see every challenge as an opportunity for improvement. When leading large teams, this perspective changes everything!
Here's why I consider problems our greatest allies:
They're our learning accelerators. Our teams identify and solve about 30 problems per week. A true goldmine for continuous improvement! 💎
Lean taught us something fascinating: true champions aren't those who avoid problems, but those who actively seek them out. We call it "doing the helicopter": gaining altitude while staying anchored to the Gemba (the field). That's where our best opportunities for progress hide!
"You try, worst case you fail." This glass-half-full philosophy has transformed our way of working. The result? Multiplied productivity and tenfold stability. Not bad for an approach that embraces "problems"! 🚀
The Lean Tech Manifesto (co-written by Fabrice Bernhard and Benoit Charles-Lavauzelle) perfectly highlights this: the real failure isn't encountering problems, it's missing our customers' true needs because we were afraid to explore, test, and fail.
So for 2025, I wish you... problems! Beautiful, stimulating problems, enriching challenges, and above all, the enthusiasm to transform them into opportunities for innovation.
👉 Question for you: What was your "best problem" of 2024? The one that helped you grow the most? 🤔
And meanwhile, I wish you all happy holidays! 🎄✨ May this period be an opportunity to celebrate not only your successes but also all those "problems" that helped you grow. See you in 2025 for new adventures!
#Leadership #LeanManagement #LeanEngineering #ContinuousLearning
PS: Thanks Fabrice B. for inspiring the opening of my post :)