Mini Book Reviews for Lean Thinkers (and Why I Love my Kindle)

Here are some books that I’ve recently read — been intending to
write full reviews, but wanted to share what I’ve read and what
I’ve liked. Full reviews to come, I hope.

I’ve been doing some of the reading on my recent book-loving
splurge — the Amazon
Kindle 2.
So far, I really enjoy reading on the Kindle. The screen could have
better contrast (it’s black on gray compared to the black on white
of paper), but I like it because:

• You can carry up to 1,500 books at once (a “lean briefcase” and
  maybe less back pain).
• You can buy a new book right on the device (a “lean solutions”
  approach that’s very easy… too easy… and a sure-fire way to
  spend more than you intended).
• I’m a big note taker and highlighter and you can do this pretty
  easily on the Kindle. Better yet, you can easily search and browse
  your highlighting and notes — “lean” in the sense of saving time
  searching — (and export them to your computer).
• Books tend to be cheaper on Kindle (but you can’t sell the
  “used” copy as I’m doing with some of my older books that I no
  longer want a physical copy of). I can often sell the used hard
  copy book for the same price as the replacement Kindle
  version.
• You can read the Lean Blog (and other websites) on it thanks to
  the built-in free 3G wireless connection (although this is no
  replacement for a laptop and a wi-fi connection).

So the books I’ve read or been reading recently, in no
particular order:

In Pursuit of Elegance:
Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing

As a Lean thinker, you probably know Matthew May from his earlier
book
The Elegant Solution: Toyota’s Formula for Mastering
Innovation
and his blog (both OLD
and NEW). Matt
graciously let me read a preview copy of his new book and it was
great. It’s not a book about Toyota, per se, but the book weaves an
intricate set of ideas of how simplicity and elegance is better
than complexity. That might sound obvious, that elegance is better
than complexity - but if so, why do we have so much unnecessary
complexity in products and solutions we buy and use?

In this thought-provoking exploration of why certain
events, products, and people capture our attention and imagination,
Matthew E. May examines the elusive element behind so many
innovative breakthroughs in fields ranging from physics and
marketing to design and popular culture. Combining unusual
simplicity and surprising power, elegance is characterized by four
key elements: symmetry, seduction, subtraction, and sustainability.
In a compelling story-driven narrative that sheds light on the need
for elegance in design, engineering, art, urban planning, sports,
and work, May offers surprising evidence that what’s “not there”
often trumps what is.

I’ll post a more thorough review when I’m back home and have the
book in front of me. See, if it were a Kindle book, I’d have it
with me (and have the notes!). This book comes out in May, I think
you’ll enjoy it.

Tribes: We Need You to
Lead Us

This was the first book I read on my Kindle. I’m a big fan of
Seth Godin’s blog and his earlier book,
Purple Cow.
This book is a quick read and makes the case that anyone can be a
leader regardless of our formal authority. It’s a bit short on
substance, but I found it motivational. I’d recommend this to those
involved in Lean initiatives or other change efforts or those
trying to find the motivation to be more entrepreneurial or take
some career risks. Godin also gives advice to folks like me who
are, in a way, trying to find a “tribe” of those who are passionate
about implementing Lean in a way that shows respect for people and
those who are passionate about using Lean to transform
healthcare.

Chasing the
Rabbit

Steven J. Spear’s first
book builds on his well-known
Harvard Business Review publications about Toyota and their
management system and thought process. I’m unfortunately only part
way through his book (something I’ll remedy with the Kindle version
soon). Spear weaves the stories of high performing companies like
Toyota, Alcoa, Southwest Airlines, and Vanguard into a set of
principles that any company (or hospital) can use to improve their
performance. You can also find his
blog and my
podcast discussion with him.

Problem Solving 101: A
Simple Book for Smart People

This is an interesting little book that I
first read about in the USA Today. It’s written by a former
McKinsey consultant in Japan, originally intended as a guide for
children. But it became a surprise best seller among adult business
people. Now it’s published here in the U.S. I’m a few chapters into
it and it might better illustrate the McKinsey thought process than
a classically Toyota thought process, but it’s a fun read.

What Would Google
Do?

I’m just part way through this book now and it’s also an
enjoyable read. Some of the concepts that might seem familiar to
Lean thinkers are his admonition to always focus on your customers
and to not be afraid to make mistakes. Making mistakes means you’re
trying and if you learn from your mistakes (following what Deming
disciples and Lean thinkers would know as the PDCA process), you’ll
get further than if you waited for the perfect solution. You can
find a video summary of the book here:
Read It For Me #3: “What Would Google Do” by Jeff
Jarvis « read it for (dot) me. You can also see the
author, Jeff Jarvis,
in a video here. The book is a bit of a love note to Google,
but, hey, I’m also smitten with Google as a customer.

Whaddaya Mean I Gotta Be
Lean? Building the bridge from job satisfaction to corporate
profit

I’ve only read a few chapters that were sent as a preview, but I’ll
be getting the full book soon. I’ll be giving away a copy and doing
a podcast with the author
Jeff Hajek. This is the first Lean book I’ve seen that speaks
directly to the front-line employees — not just top leadership or
managers. This leads to a unique perspective on Lean and how it can
benefit all employees. Hajek gives advice to front-line staff about
how they can most effectively participate in a Lean implementation,
including how they can “lead up” to prompt managers to follow
through on the Lean expectations they’ve set. Other “key points” I
highlighted include:

• “… frontline employees suffer needlessly at work - especially
  when there are solutions that can make things easier.”
• “What do you do in your job that makes the world a better
  place? Write it down and put it someplace where it will remind you
  every day…”
• “It is easier to do something when you know why you have to do it… that lack of
  knowledge created hard feelings between him and his mentor, until
  the purpose of the chores was revealed.”
• “In reality, people say ‘can’t’ when they mean ‘won’t’.”
• “Another rule of thumb is to never surprise your own immediate
  boss and jump over her head.”
• “Stop resisting Lean. More people probably lose their jobs for
  fighting Lean than supporting it.”
• “The only thing that really holds you back is your belief that
  you are limited. Lean gives you a blank canvas where you can
  attempt new things…”

Have you read any of these? What do you think? Anything else
good out there right now?

Lest you think I like everything I read, the one book I CANNOT
recommend is called “Lean Selling.” The author spelled “Womak” (as
in Jim
Womack) wrong. Enough said.