A Monthly Note from Utah Lean Six Sigma Training Center
This monthly note is designed to respect your time and sharpen your thinking: one useful idea, one real-world insight, and one small nudge toward better work.
One Useful Idea – Continuous Improvement Loves Small Cycles
One of the quiet lies we tell ourselves is that improvement requires huge effort, energy, and perfect timing. Lean thinking disagrees.
At its core, continuous improvement is built on short cycles of reflection and adjustment. Plan something small. Try it. Check what happened. Adjust. No fanfare. No heroics. Just progress.
The most common mistake organizations make is waiting for “the big reset”. The new system, the new year, the new initiative. In reality, improvement compounds fastest when learning cycles are short and frequent.
This quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s is a perfect example. It’s calm, reflective, and mostly free of meetings. In Lean terms, it’s an unusually good moment to check and adjust before the next plan begins.
Lessons for Real Work – Why Kaizens Loves the Calendar Turn
New Year’s resolutions tend to fail because they aim for transformation instead of
calibration.
What actually works is asking better questions:
• What caused friction this year?
• Where did work slow down for no good reason?
• Which problems kept repeating?
In addition to the normal strategic planning, one organization we worked with tasked each leader at every level with picking one recurring annoyance their team had lived with all year. After some calibration (remember: no random acts of improvement!), they focused on fixing those problems. No banners. No slogans. Just relief. That’s everyday kaizen in its natural habitat: modest, practical, and quietly effective.
As you head into 2026, resist the urge to overhaul everything. Improvement doesn’t need a resolution. It needs attention
A Simple Action to Try
Before the year officially transitions to 2026, ask this question in your next conversation with
subject matter experts or planning meeting:
“What’s one thing we should stop accepting as normal next year?”
Listen carefully (remember: go see, ask why, show respect!). The answers may be very specific and very fixable.
Pass It On!
If you know someone who would benefit from practical, no-nonsense Lean training, we appreciate the introduction, and we show that
appreciation with cash.
• Lean Foundations (Yellow Belt): $20
• Lean Leadership (Green Belt): $50
• Lean Enterprise (Black Belt): $100
Friends, colleagues, and family members all count. This is our simple way of saying thank you.
