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LEAD WITH RESPECT A NOVEL OF LEAN PRACTICE
In their new business novel Lead With Respect, authors Michael and Freddy Ballé reveal the true power of lean: developing people through a rigorous application of proven tools and methods. And, in the process, creating the only sustainable source of competitive advantage—a culture of continuous improvement.
In this engaging and insightful story, CEO Jane Delaney of Southcape Software discovers from her sensei Andy Ward that learning to lead with respect enables her to help people improve every day. “For us, lean is all about challenging yourself and each other to find the right problems, and working hard every day to engage people in solving them,” he says.
Lead With Respect’s timely message brings a new understanding of lean. While lean has become essential for companies to compete in today’s global economy, most practitioners see it as a rigorous focus on process to produce higher quality goods and services—a limited understanding that fails to realize the true power of this approach. This new novel by the Ballés, the third in a series that includes Shingo Research Award-winners The Gold Mine and The Lean Manager, breaks new ground by sharing huge amounts of practical information on the most important yet least understood aspect of lean management: how to develop people through a rigorous application of lean tools. You’ll learn:
How to apply Lead With Respect attitudes to the lean tools you are using now so that you develop a truly sustainable lean culture.
What specific steps to follow to make lean leadership behaviors daily habits.
How to manage with respect through the emotion, conflict, tension, and self-doubt that you’ll face during a lean transformation.
In this engaging and insightful story, CEO Jane Delaney of Southcape Software discovers from her sensei Andy Ward that learning to lead with respect enables her to help people improve every day. “For us, lean is all about challenging yourself and each other to find the right problems, and working hard every day to engage people in solving them,” he says.
Lead With Respect’s timely message brings a new understanding of lean. While lean has become essential for companies to compete in today’s global economy, most practitioners see it as a rigorous focus on process to produce higher quality goods and services—a limited understanding that fails to realize the true power of this approach. This new novel by the Ballés, the third in a series that includes Shingo Research Award-winners The Gold Mine and The Lean Manager, breaks new ground by sharing huge amounts of practical information on the most important yet least understood aspect of lean management: how to develop people through a rigorous application of lean tools. You’ll learn:
How to apply Lead With Respect attitudes to the lean tools you are using now so that you develop a truly sustainable lean culture.
What specific steps to follow to make lean leadership behaviors daily habits.
How to manage with respect through the emotion, conflict, tension, and self-doubt that you’ll face during a lean transformation.
228 pages, Paperback
First published July 25, 2014
49 people are currently reading
293 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 25, 2015
Another of the increasingly popular "business novel" genre. Lead With Respect aims to introduce some Lean management concepts, and does so by following the fictitious story of an IT provider to a Lean auto part manufacturer. Overall, the book was heavy on gemba walks, kaizen, leaders as teachers. While it did toss around a few terms from the Lean lexicon, they were common ones, and not overbearing.
The challenge with "business novels" is the amount of barely passable literature you must slog through to get the intended lessons, and I felt this one was a bit strong on the "barely passable" side and a bit light on the "lesson". I got some info out of this, but I'm not really certain that it was worth my time. It *was* useful to see examples of how Lean concepts apply to a software context, but I suspect there are better books for that. I would guess that it might be most valuable to people who have trouble grasping new paradigms and need them "soft-sold", and for whom Lean was mostly brand-new.
The challenge with "business novels" is the amount of barely passable literature you must slog through to get the intended lessons, and I felt this one was a bit strong on the "barely passable" side and a bit light on the "lesson". I got some info out of this, but I'm not really certain that it was worth my time. It *was* useful to see examples of how Lean concepts apply to a software context, but I suspect there are better books for that. I would guess that it might be most valuable to people who have trouble grasping new paradigms and need them "soft-sold", and for whom Lean was mostly brand-new.
May 8, 2022
Geen literair hoogstandje, maar de principes van respectvol leiderschap volgens de lean principes komen wel voldoende naar voren in dit boek.
May 3, 2025
In 2014, Freddy and Michael Balle completed their business novel trilogy with a masterpiece “Lead With Respect: A Novel of Lean Practice”. This book once again brought the authors the prestigious Shingo Prize in the “Research and Professional Publication Award” category and offered readers a fresh dose of valuable insights.
However, “Lead With Respect” might not be what fans of their previous novels expect. “The Gold Mine” and “The Lean Manager” set the bar so high that the latest book noticeably pales in comparison within its genre. It’s no longer a novel about the business, but a conventional business-novel.
I do not want to say it is bad. In terms of value of the information, it surpasses the authors' previous two works. It serves as both a philosophical reflection and a collection of practical observations from Gemba. Yet, it lacks the emotional resonance of its predecessors.
What’s the difference between “Lead With Respect” and any other leadership or management?
We often think of leadership and management as having straightforward definitions. Yet, comparing different sources shows significant differences. This book avoids fancy details and nuances, offering no clear-cut definitions between leadership and management.
Why? Could it be because in a company following the path of Lean, these concepts don't differ significantly?
Yet authors present “Lead With Respect” as a combination of these seven practices:
1. Go and See for Yourself
2. Challenge
3. Listen
4. Teach
5. Support
6. Teamwork
7. Learn
And this concept is not only worth knowing, but also rereading multiple times. Moreover, each time, filtering the same text through the prism of recent emotions and events, the reader will always find something new, interesting and instructive. So my overall impression of reading this book is very positive.
At the same time, it seemed to me that the novel could have been more developed. Just a little more of a novel, like Freddy and Michael Balle did before. At least 100 pages... The plot seemed crumpled, the dialogues too simplified, the events compressed... The whole element of the novel is reduced to a few emotional dialogues, the most intense of which was a conversation with one of the programmers whose girlfriend left him. The conversation, by the way, takes up half a page, no more.
However, “Lead With Respect” might not be what fans of their previous novels expect. “The Gold Mine” and “The Lean Manager” set the bar so high that the latest book noticeably pales in comparison within its genre. It’s no longer a novel about the business, but a conventional business-novel.
I do not want to say it is bad. In terms of value of the information, it surpasses the authors' previous two works. It serves as both a philosophical reflection and a collection of practical observations from Gemba. Yet, it lacks the emotional resonance of its predecessors.
What’s the difference between “Lead With Respect” and any other leadership or management?
We often think of leadership and management as having straightforward definitions. Yet, comparing different sources shows significant differences. This book avoids fancy details and nuances, offering no clear-cut definitions between leadership and management.
Why? Could it be because in a company following the path of Lean, these concepts don't differ significantly?
Yet authors present “Lead With Respect” as a combination of these seven practices:
1. Go and See for Yourself
2. Challenge
3. Listen
4. Teach
5. Support
6. Teamwork
7. Learn
And this concept is not only worth knowing, but also rereading multiple times. Moreover, each time, filtering the same text through the prism of recent emotions and events, the reader will always find something new, interesting and instructive. So my overall impression of reading this book is very positive.
At the same time, it seemed to me that the novel could have been more developed. Just a little more of a novel, like Freddy and Michael Balle did before. At least 100 pages... The plot seemed crumpled, the dialogues too simplified, the events compressed... The whole element of the novel is reduced to a few emotional dialogues, the most intense of which was a conversation with one of the programmers whose girlfriend left him. The conversation, by the way, takes up half a page, no more.
July 13, 2019
Definitely need to re-read this. I like the structure of the book and how they portray the concepts. I am currently trying to do this in my place of work and it’s fun to read about a fictional success but harder obviously to practice. Definitely will try and steer how I do things the way the book did.
I do wish it wasn’t fictional and used like an actual work place for the boom or could have side examples. I like learning from best practices.
I do wish it wasn’t fictional and used like an actual work place for the boom or could have side examples. I like learning from best practices.
February 24, 2018
I liked that personal development mixed with narrative. I thought it had good, simplistic tools to implement no matter what the business is. I would love to get some printouts on the tables in the book and maybe use some cloud resources for developing a community that practices these habits regularly.
August 30, 2019
There is a particular peace that comes when you realize that the larger problems are in your mind.
February 6, 2022
If you lead people, read this.
If you hire people, read this.
If you hire and/or lead people in a manufacturing environment, read this many times.
If you hire people, read this.
If you hire and/or lead people in a manufacturing environment, read this many times.
July 14, 2023
Good book not only for lean practitioners but also for leaders
September 1, 2015
Full disclosure: I have worked with coauthor Michael Ballé to produce and promote this book, the third in a series of lean management books that he and Freddy (his father) have written. I can honestly say that this is the best so far.
The pace is quick and the novel format lends itself to showing how the main character, CEO Jane Delaney, must change her leadership behaviors to “lead with respect” for people.
Respect here is not a soft or sentimental ploy. To improve the business, Delaney must improve processes, to improve processes she must improve people’s competencies and problem-solving abilities, if people get better at what they do, the processes they come up with can’t be copied by the competition.
Lean management practitioners will particularly find this book helpful, but so will anyone interested management. Check out the reviews on Amazon and download a sample chapter at its web page
The pace is quick and the novel format lends itself to showing how the main character, CEO Jane Delaney, must change her leadership behaviors to “lead with respect” for people.
Respect here is not a soft or sentimental ploy. To improve the business, Delaney must improve processes, to improve processes she must improve people’s competencies and problem-solving abilities, if people get better at what they do, the processes they come up with can’t be copied by the competition.
Lean management practitioners will particularly find this book helpful, but so will anyone interested management. Check out the reviews on Amazon and download a sample chapter at its web page
June 30, 2015
As I have written before I love business novels. They are easy and enjoyable to read. "The Goal" & "Andy & Me" have been long standing favorites. I really enjoyed Lead With Respect. The is the first book I have read from the Balle's and it was an excellent place to start.
As the title suggests it focuses on leadership. Even though the protagonist is a CEO & the Antagonist is a VP - the lessons that the book drives are applicable to any level of leadership.
I really liked how the story flowed and the characters interacted. I wasn't a fan of how neatly the ending got packaged up, but I understand they had to wrap up some how.
As the title suggests it focuses on leadership. Even though the protagonist is a CEO & the Antagonist is a VP - the lessons that the book drives are applicable to any level of leadership.
I really liked how the story flowed and the characters interacted. I wasn't a fan of how neatly the ending got packaged up, but I understand they had to wrap up some how.
February 11, 2016
I both liked and didn't like the book. The novel format didn't suit me. It's a lengthy way of introducing lean practices. Also the practices mentioned related to software development are no brainers if you are familiar with test driven development, pair programming, etc.
January 2, 2015
The latest in the Balle novels about lean - now the lean leadership is moving into their suppliers and the reader sees a whole new level of lean implementation.
January 25, 2016
Great fable on Lean in the work place
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews