The Eight Ways of Starting Lean

Lean construction is built on timeless principles that help us eliminate waste, increase flow, and respect the people who make projects possible. We often reference the eight wastes of lean: overproduction, excess inventory, transportation, defects, over-processing, waiting, unused talent, and unnecessary motion. These wastes are powerful to learn and apply, but I have come to realize that before teams even get to practicing lean, they face other barriers that keep them from starting.

These are what I call the eight ways of starting lean. They are not meant to replace the traditional eight wastes. Instead, they are obstacles that block the very beginning of the lean journey. If we do not address them, no amount of sticky notes, pull planning sessions, or improvement videos will get traction.

I first shared this idea on LinkedIn, and it resonated with thousands of people. The conversation showed me that the industry is ready to talk about what really gets in the way of continuous improvement. Some critics pushed back, saying we should not alter or expand the sacred lists of lean. But in my mind, that is the opposite of lean thinking. Lean is about adapting, innovating, and tailoring systems to meet the unique needs of teams and projects. If we refuse to grow and evolve, we risk turning lean into the same rigid bureaucracy it was designed to disrupt.

So here they are: the eight ways of starting lean.

Ignorance
Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is projects delivered late, families missing time with loved ones, injuries on jobsites, and frustration on teams. Too many people in leadership positions proudly state that they have not read a book in decades or that they do not need training. Would you trust a doctor who bragged about not studying since medical school? Construction leaders carry the same responsibility for human lives, and ignorance is unacceptable. Continuous learning is the antidote.

Fixed mindsets
Fixed mindsets can appear in anyone, even lean consultants. Learning one tool or method and then clinging to it forever is a dangerous trap. Some people learn pull planning and suddenly declare themselves lean experts. But lean is much more than sticky notes on a wall. True lean thinking requires constant growth, questioning, and humility. If you believe you already know it all, you have stopped learning and therefore stopped being lean.

Racism and sexism
Lean cannot thrive in toxic soil. Racism and sexism are destructive to human potential and collaboration. If you believe certain people are less capable because of their gender or race, you are not only harming individuals but also blocking the possibility of team unity and respect for people, which are cornerstones of lean. This is a simple litmus test: if you cannot treat others as equals, you are nowhere near ready to implement lean.

Unchecked egos
Ego is often the loudest barrier to improvement. The ego wants significance, recognition, and comfort. It resists change because change threatens identity. It creates excuses about time, relevance, and certainty. True progress requires presence and humility. Lean can only take root when the ego is set aside and leaders open themselves to learning, listening, and adapting.

Procrastination
Procrastination convinces us to delay improvement until later, when conditions are perfect or when we have more information. But there is never a perfect time. Imagine a carpenter refusing to adopt a better way of cutting wood until next month. That would be absurd. The right time to improve is always now. Continuous improvement is not a scheduled event. It is a way of life.

Lack of discipline
Some teams believe lean will implement itself with little effort. They expect culture to shift by mere mention of the word or by a single workshop. That is not how change works. Lean requires discipline, consistency, and resilience. It demands leaders who model the behaviors, push through resistance, and stay the course long enough for the system to take hold. Without discipline, lean becomes just another buzzword.

Poor time management
This one is critical. Many people say they are too busy to improve. They chase emails, jump from fire to fire, and stay late at the office. In reality, poor personal organization and lack of capacity prevent them from focusing on what matters most. Lean requires time to reflect, to learn, and to plan. Without mastering time management, teams will never create the space needed for improvement.

Blaming others
Perhaps the most destructive of all is the habit of blaming others. Leaders say trades do not care anymore, workers have no work ethic, or young people are lazy. The truth is that this complaint has been around for centuries. Records from the 1930s, the 1950s, and every decade since show people making the same claim that “nobody wants to work anymore.” It is a lazy excuse that distracts from real accountability. In reality, most trades and workers are highly skilled and motivated, often in spite of the poor systems they are forced to work in. Leaders must take extreme ownership instead of pointing fingers.

When we face these eight ways of starting lean, we prepare ourselves and our teams to adopt the traditional lean principles with clarity and commitment. It is not enough to know the eight wastes. We must also remove the barriers that prevent us from even beginning. Ignorance, fixed mindsets, racism and sexism, unchecked egos, procrastination, lack of discipline, poor time management, and blaming others must be addressed head-on.

Lean is not frozen in time. It is alive, growing, and adaptable. If we want our industry to thrive, we must be willing to evolve and innovate. That is the true spirit of learning.

Key Takeaway
Starting lean requires more than understanding the eight wastes. It demands that we confront the human and cultural barriers that keep us from even beginning. By overcoming ignorance, fixed mindsets, ego, and blame, we create the space for lean principles to take root and transform our projects.