I have not posted in a very long time. My intent was for this to be a topical forum, to present ideas and viewpoints in the Art of Strategy in practical experience. Without getting into too much detail, I have traveled an interesting path since my last posting. I graduated from ASU and started a job as a process engineer in health care. I have had the opportunity to fill a number of gaps in my skillset, mostly in facilitation and leading groups of people.

I have had the great pleasure of participating in a volunteer organization, Lean Portland, that has a vision and mission of Lean culture transformations for small nonprofit organizations. Lean Portland is a group of the most amazing Lean professionals I can imagine meeting. Each one of us has a skillset and experience that is very diverse, and we love to learn from each other almost as much as we love teaching others! We are truly more than the sum of our parts.

Recently we were invited to present the keynote at the Oregon Department of Human Services yearly Lean Academy conference in Salem, Oregon. Maria Grzanka and I paired up and developed a presentation based on our application of the Edgar Schein Onion Model to organizational culture and Lean initiatives, titled "Understanding Culture for Continuous Improvement". Maria is a terrific Lean professional at the Master Black Belt level that taught me a lot in this partnership. I have below embedded the video from my YouTube channel for you to watch if you so choose.

This leadership idea fits into the Art of Strategy model principle of "Know yourself, Know your opponent". We know from change management experience that people naturally resist change, therefore your opponent in this case is the resistance. Your path as a leader, then, is to know the people, know and understand their culture, and apply that knowledge to help them through change. The Edgar Schein Onion Model is one way, or perspective, an approach to understanding the people, the organization, and all the cultures in that organization.

Let us know what you think and feel about these ideas! Share your experiences and applications with our community so that we may all improve together. Thanks!